by Nick James
Eva leans down next to me. “This was the red from your vision?”
“I guess.” I stretch out my arm. My hand shakes, pushed around by invisible layers of energy. I struggle through the force field and extend my fingers to touch the Pearl.
First I feel the cold numb of the snow. But when my fingers press against the red surface of the orb, I yelp in pain.
I recoil immediately, skin on fire. My hand burns like I’ve dunked it in pan of boiling water. I whip my body away and clutch my throbbing fingers in a fist of snow.
Skandar chuckles, like I’m putting on a show for his amusement. “Did it bite you?”
I shake my head, cursing under my breath. Energy waves ripple around me. I’m attracted to it, like a normal Pearl. Why would it burn me?
“It’s all covered in snow.” Eva stretches out her fingers to touch it.
I thrust my arm in front of her. “No!”
She brushes me away and proceeds to dust the rest of the powder from the beaming red surface. Then she hoists the Pearl from the ground. I wince, fully expecting her to drop it and stagger away in pain.
Instead she cradles the Pearl in her arms with ease. Red light illuminates her skeptical expression. “I don’t see what got you so riled up, Jesse.”
“It burned me.” I stand and survey the ball of red light from a safe distance. “Hurt like hell, too.”
She frowns. “Then I must have magical hands or something because it feels like a regular Pearl to me. Weird color, though.”
Skandar steps to her side. “Looks like blood.”
She shifts the Pearl to her right hand and holds it in the air. “It’s thicker, isn’t it? I mean, usually you get the sense that you’re staring into something. This is too murky to see.”
“It burned me,” I repeat, frustrated that neither of them seem to care. “Why aren’t you screaming in pain?”
Skandar cautiously lays a finger on the side of the Pearl. “It’s a little warm, but nothing weird. It didn’t even melt the snow.”
I scan my palm for marks. It’s clean and pale. Normal. I briefly consider touching the Pearl again, but decide against it. It’ll hurt me. I know it.
Skandar backs away. “Break it, Jesse.”
Eva nearly drops the Pearl. “What? That’s the worst idea—”
“I wanna see what’s inside.” He leans his hands on his knees, staring intently.
The truth is, I do too. I thought the vision was leading me to Ryel. Could this be some sort of message from the Drifters?
Ignoring Eva, I hold my hands in front of my chest and clench my fingers. “Get behind me.” I warn them. Whatever force flies out of this thing won’t hurt them if I’m in front to deflect it.
I can tell Eva wants to argue, but she’s afraid I’ll trigger something before she can get out of the way. After a moment of thought, she drops the Pearl into the snow and darts behind me. I watch it roll through the powder without melting a thing.
I raise my fingers in the air and try to pull the Pearl off the ground. It doesn’t budge.
I close my eyes and concentrate on the heat pooling in my chest. I imagine the Pearl right in front of me, floating there. I ball my hand into a fist and feel for the explosion.
Nothing. I try again.
This time, I try so hard that I fall forward onto my knees. Snow begins to creep into the lining of my pants. I open my eyes in exhaustion.
“I can’t do it.”
Skandar leans out from behind me. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t break it. I can’t even move it.”
Eva steps forward and crouches beside the orb. “Maybe it’s not a Pearl at all.”
I pant. The exertion took more out of me than I’d expected. “I’m not leaving it out here.”
Eva scoops the Pearl from the snow. “Let’s get it in the shuttle. We can worry about it on the way back.”
I nod, still staring into the red light. “I can’t break it,” I repeat to myself. “Why the hell can’t I break it?”
10
We race back to the Academy at double-speed. Skandar sits with the Pearl on his lap, blissfully unaware of how badly I want to be able to hold it. This means nothing to him. It’s just another Pearl. New color, yeah, but that’s a novelty.
My mind clouds with possibilities. The thing’s hot, like the fire that comes from Cassius. Maybe that means it’s related to us somehow. It won’t break. Maybe that means there’s no Drifter inside. It could be something else. Information. A map. A weapon.
I lean forward as we pull into the docking bay. “Something’s wrong.”
When we left, the lights in the bay had all been shut off. Now a row at the far end is illuminated. It’s enough to cast shadows along the wall. And there’s a big shadow there, shaped like an “x” with arms at the hips. As we pull closer, I realize who it is.
Agent Morse.
Skandar and Eva met him briefly this morning during breakfast, but they’d seen him at his best. Heck, I think I’ve only seen him at his best. By the way he’s standing now, I can tell that this is going to be anything but.
I slap Skandar on his shoulder. “Quick. Lock the Pearl in the floor panel before he sees.” There’s no way I’m getting this thing up to my room tonight, whether I can touch it or not. And the last thing I want is for Morse to tell Alkine about it. He’d want to analyze it, hold meetings about it— do anything he could to keep me from having it.
“Go, go!” I push Skandar back to the passenger seating before we’re close enough for Morse to see inside.
Eva mutters something in Spanish. She turns to me, whispering. “You better be working on a good excuse.”
I grit my teeth and hope for a perfect landing. Adding a scuff to the underbelly of our shuttle would only make things worse.
“You do have a good excuse, right?”
I bring the shuttle down—a little wobbly, but we make it without any scratches. “That’s your thing, Eva. You’re Excuse Girl.”
I turn to see Skandar secure the floor panel and flash a thumbs-up. I scan the seating for any hint of a red glow. There’s nothing. As long as nobody looks, we’re good.
Agent Morse doesn’t move. He’s like a chess piece, all still and intimidating but ready to end the game. A knight. Alkine’s knight.
Our eyes meet through the windshield. His expression reveals nothing.
Knowing I’ll look more suspicious the longer I stay in the shuttle, I push the button to open the side door, remove my belt, and step outside. I can’t say I’m nervous exactly, not in front of someone like Morse. I’ve gotten in trouble too many times these past four months to be nervous about it anymore. Now it’s disappointment. Annoyance that I’ll have to wait to see what’s inside the Pearl.
I stand in front of him, separated by about a dozen floor tiles, for what seems like minutes before either of us talks.
Morse lets out a dramatic sigh. “Evening, buddy.” He clasps his hands in front of his waist and shakes his head like he’s staring at a two-year-old. “It’s a shame, isn’t it? And you had such a good day, too.”
I swallow. “I don’t suppose we can just forget about this.”
“Afraid not,” he replies. “Captain Alkine’s already waiting. You’re coming with me, kid.”
––––
It’s our first training mission all over again. We sit in the middle of a plain meeting room, not unlike the one Mr. Wilson had picked to give us the better-start-working-asa-team lecture last spring. We’re lit by a series of bright ceiling panels, making it difficult to gauge time. But I know that it’s still dark outside. Most everyone’s asleep.
It’s the first time I’ve seen Alkine since the incident in the reactor three nights ago. He barely looks at me.
Morse sits across from us at the table. Alkine stands, unable to keep still. Like last night, he’s wearing his official Academy suit, which makes me question whether he sleeps at all.
Eva cracks her knuckles, nervous. I
f I had to pick between her and Skandar, she’s the one who could betray me here. After all, she’s spied on me before—reported back to the teachers in secret. She swears she’d never do it again, but I’m not sure what Alkine’s going to throw at us yet. She might be easy to persuade.
Alkine stops pacing and leans his hands on the table. “I’ve got no other choice,” he says finally. “I give you a chance to obey and you do the opposite. You’re constantly putting yourself in danger, you and the Academy as a whole. I can’t have that.” He pauses, staring directly at me for the first time. “You’ll be spending your nights in the brig from now on.”
My mouth drops. “What?”
“I can’t trust you.” He shakes his head. “During the day, you’ll be in classes. The teachers can vouch for your whereabouts. Agent Morse can escort you through the hallways. But at night? You’ve found our weakness, Fisher. It just isn’t safe.”
Eva clears her throat. “We were only getting some air, si r.”
“Quiet.” He frowns. The creases in his face become more visible. “Be thankful I’m not confining the two of you as well. You should be ashamed of yourselves, encouraging this kind of reckless behavior.”
I slap the edge of the table. “It’s done, then.” Alkine sighs. “Excuse me?”
“I’m a prisoner, now. You’ve been building up to it for weeks and now it’s done.”
“You’ve been building,” he responds. “Do you think I want this for you?” He turns his back and paces to the wall, muttering to himself. When he faces us again, his expression has calmed. “There are ways to go about this. Procedure. Anything less will get you hurt.”
Eva frowns. “You can’t tell me you have a procedure for how to deal with aliens … ”
“Exactly,” he replies. “That’s why we have to be careful. And hijacking a shuttle, even to get some air, is not careful.” He glances at Morse, then back to us. “You’re a minor, Fisher. All of you are. You’re under my protection. My responsibility.” He pauses. “We could have thrown you out. After what happened in Seattle, after we knew what you were capable of… I could have left you there. Instead, I’m taking care of you. Don’t throw it in my face.”
Skandar leans forward. “But ever since we fled from the Tribunal … ” He stops himself. “You don’t have to take care of us, sir.”
Alkine sighs. “I wish that were true.” His eyes meet mine directly and linger for a moment. I can’t read him exactly, but for the first time I see something that could be fear. Fleeting, but it’s there. Then he glances to the far wall, breaking our connection. “Maybe we’re out of Skyship Territory at the moment, but that doesn’t mean we’re without rules. Things continue as normal, even in Siberia.” I try to meet his eyes, challenging him as I say the words he wants to hear. “You’re the commander.” “Yes,” he says. “And more than anything, it’s my duty to move us into a position to reconnect with the rest of the Skyship Community with as few consequences as possible. This was never meant to be permanent. We need allies.” I lean my elbows on the table and rest my forehead on my clasped hands. “They’re burning Pearls. All of them. I don’t want to reconnect just so we can kill Drifters.” He shakes his head. “Well, we have to do something. Do you think we can stay here forever? Even if they’re not looking for us, we’ll run out of resources eventually. My crew is working on a presentation to the Tribunal explaining why we crossed the Skyline. This is a delicate situation. Pearls mean so much to so many people. We can’t expect them to believe anything we say. We need to prove our credibility first.”
“We’re wasting time.”
“It was wrong,” Alkine continues, “the way we went about rescuing you. No matter how noble it felt. You forced me into making a rash decision. Don’t do it again. I won’t be able to forgive you the second time.”
I could argue this. I could argue that it was because of the lies Alkine and the others told me that I went running to the Surface in the first place. I could point out that it was Alkine’s lack of security that let Cassius board our ship and drive me away. But anything I say will only be denied.
Alkine glances at Morse. “Escort Fisher to the brig.” He motions to Skandar and Eva. “Harris. Rodriguez. You may leave. We’ll talk about consequences in the morning. This was severely boneheaded of you both.”
Eva stands. “Look, Jesse may not always know what’s best, but don’t you think it’s a little—”
He extends his hand, silencing her. “I’ll make the decisions, Rodriguez. Thank you.” His eyes fall squarely on me. “This is what happens when you back me into a corner, Fisher. Don’t push me again.”
––––
Agent Morse actually tries to make this imprisonment deal sound like a good thing.
“It’s so much quieter down there, buddy,” he says with a smile. “You should hear the guy in the room next to me. The snoring seeps through the wall. Maybe I should spend a night in the brig, too.”
His humor fizzles like dud grenades. I’m sick of how everything sounds like a camping trip with this guy. It’s like being escorted to the slammer by a Boy Scout.
Eva and Skandar stay with us until we reach the doorway to the brig, which is good because it takes me nearly that long to figure out what I’m going to do.
I smile and nod in Morse’s direction, all the while taking miniscule sidesteps toward my friends.
Morse’s eyes narrow as he notices. “Wait a minute.” He yawns. “You heard what the Captain said.” He gestures to Eva and Skandar. “Maybe you two should head to your rooms. I’ll take it from here.”
“Calm down.” I continue toward them, keeping one eye on Morse the whole time. “I just want to say goodnight.” He stops. “Say it closer to me.”
I ignore him and head toward the wall.
Morse shakes his head, visibly uncomfortable. “Thirty seconds, alright?” Then he mutters to himself. He thinks I can’t hear. “They couldn’t do anything in thirty seconds.”
I nod and move to Eva and Skandar, not wasting a moment before whispering. “There’s an old laundry bag in the corner of my room, stuffed between the dresser and the wall. It’s black, so it should block most of the light. Grab the—” I look over my shoulder to see if Morse is listening. “—the you-know-what and bring it to my cell.”
Eva’s face drops. “Jesse … ”
“Okay,” Skandar answers without hesitation.
“Good.” I meet his eyes. “If Morse is still here when you come back, skip the cell and bring it to my room. Just get it out of that shuttle before they find it.”
“Got it, mate.” Skandar grabs Eva by the shoulder and starts nudging her away. His eyes widen and his voice becomes slightly too loud. “Have a good night, Jesse. Don’t let the … er … don’t … be positive, okay? Smile.”
Eva pulls away from him. “Hands off, Skandar. I know how to walk.”
I watch them head down the hall, hoping that she won’t convince him to play it safe and forget about the Pearl. She’s mass good with that persuasive stuff, and Skandar’s good at falling for it.
I turn to Agent Morse. He waits by the entrance to the brig, arms crossed. For once he’s not smiling. It’s not a frown, either. He’s concentrating on something. Hopefully it isn’t me.I march through the entrance, totally ignoring his presence. This breaks his concentration. He moves in behind me and leads me down a hallway to the left. “You should seriously consider some new friends,” he says. “A guy like you should be hanging with guys like me. Agent material, you know? You want to graduate, right?”
I don’t respond, which seems to throw him off. He bolts in front of me and leans on the nearest open door. “I don’t mean they’re bad people. I’m just thinking, wouldn’t it be cool for you to find some friends who will challenge you? Without some of my buddies, I could’ve made some very different decisions. It’s a slippery slope.” He nods to himself. He doesn’t realize that I stopped listening as soon as he opened his mouth. “Tomorrow I’m gonna introduce
you to some guys I met back when I was your age.”
I point to the empty cell. “I’d rather go in there.”
He sighs. Then, after another moment of deep thought, he motions me forward. “Whatever you think is best, little man. You can’t fault me for trying to help.”
I walk into the cell and grab the handle behind me. Morse nearly jumps out of his shoes as I yank on the door and shut it myself. I watch his face appear on the other side of the barred window. He stares in disapprovingly. I stare back. It’s silent warfare.
He blinks. A minute later, his face moves out of my sight.
Footsteps. He leaves.
I win.
Of course, I’m the one stuck in a cage, so maybe it’s more of a tie.
11
It is quiet in here, like Morse said. Too quiet, really. The kind of quiet that’s begging to be interrupted by something horrible. It will be hard to fall asleep like this, but I need to be awake anyways. Eva and Skandar will be here any minute. That is, if she hasn’t convinced him otherwise.
I wait at the far end of the cell, back against the wall, sitting. A square of moonlight hangs on the door in front of me.
We don’t use the brig often. Every once and awhile, a minor offense onboard will result in an overnight stay, but we’ve never harbored any real criminals. The thing is, Alkine could’ve chosen to stick me in the gray room again tonight. At least there would be that ugly couch for comfort. The fact that he chose a prison cell speaks louder than the crap he was spewing upstairs. He really thinks I’m going rogue.
Am I going rogue? I know so little, and all of it muddy. I’ve never seen my parents. The voice on the rooftop last spring could’ve been a fake. The picture disc could’ve been altered. I don’t know any specifics about this “Authority,” and I haven’t been able to ask the Drifters anything. I’m risking my life—and if Alkine’s right, the entire Academy’s life—on guesswork. Guesswork and hope.
And now, a red Pearl.
Alkine must know something. He wouldn’t be on me like this without a good reason. Instead of antagonizing him, maybe I need to find a way to interrogate him. Pick his brain without him knowing it.
