The Unsound Theory (STAR Academy Book 1)

by Emilia Zeeland

  He pulled her up, but her legs twisted and struggled to support her weight. “Come on, on your feet,” he said.

  “Step aside, boy!” Felix snarled at Alec, and then shouted back to those behind him, “What are you waiting for? I said take her inside!”

  The Fians came closer, albeit a little reluctantly. Yalena swallowed, forcing her body to wake up, to come into control again, but the only thing keeping her standing was Alec’s firm grip, his arms around her waist.

  “Give it up, boy. She doesn’t belong with you,” Felix barked at Alec.

  But Alec didn’t listen. He stepped back a little, dragging her with him, and Yalena was surprised to see that the Fians summoned by Felix did not follow. At least not yet.

  Yalena tried to think; her mind was still blurry and helpless. Perhaps it was an illusion of some sort, but she swore she could feel the red-hot anger of Felix and most of the Fians, yet there were a few gaps in the wall of fury. She tried to zoom into it, to find the source of that other feeling, despite how well it was masked by the wave of scarlet emotion. The girl with the sleek hair popped out of the group. She faced Felix, placing herself midway between him and Yalena like a shield. As this Fian woman stood alone, closer, Yalena could feel a wave of icy-cold vibes, something akin to loyalty, resolve, or dedication.

  “Sibel?” Felix’s look could kill. “What did you do?”

  “You take one out; I bring one in,” she dared him to object.

  Felix’ anger burned white-hot now. He signaled with his hands, and his team moved into position, tightening the circle around Sibel, Yalena, Alec, and the gooey puddle whose stench had started to pinch their noses.

  Sibel turned back for a split second, her eyes finding Yalena. “I sent for her. A signal that would activate her, show her the way, deep inside her subconscious, so she’d never be able to ignore it.”

  “The missing satellite?” Felix’s face twitched, but he didn’t need a confirmation. “You’ll pay for this.”

  “I already have.”

  Gagging on the bile in her throat and ignoring the stab of Sibel’s words, Yalena focused all her attention on the Fian woman and the vibe she felt from her. If she did so, she could almost drone out the noise in her head, the screams of contradicting emotions. It gave her hope she might just be able to keep her wits about her.

  “You’re a fool, Sibel,” Felix said, spitting out each word with spite. “You’ve exposed us—and for what? She can’t help you. She’s a weakling.”

  “Strength is not the point,” Sibel said, her vibe thinning, as if she was working hard to hide her emotions, to conceal what was to come next. “Revelation is. That’s how she’ll help us.”

  As soon as Sibel said “us,” Yalena and Felix gasped in unison.

  Like spots on a canvas, the wall of red anger coming from Felix’s men got pierced here and there by a few blue holes. Yalena tried with all her might to keep the view from slipping out of her mind, focusing on the spots that shone blue. She couldn’t lose sight of them, even if her head was about to split open from the effort.

  The wave of that icy emotion coming off Sibel was like a beacon. It summoned the others—whether friends, supporters, or allies, Yalena couldn’t tell. But their vibe made her feel they would be her only ticket out of this place. As if on cue, Sibel’s allies all made the same movement, folding their arms in at the elbow, then releasing them downward, fast as a whip. The sleek, metallic batons that appeared in their arms must have been activated by the motion. Yalena hadn’t even seen the silvery bracelets around the Fians’ wrists before. Now, they were weapons. With her breath caught in her lungs, she trembled as she looked at Alec. The Fians had weapons. And Yalena, Alec, and Sibel were positioned right in the eye of the storm.

  Sibel stood still, but her vibe exuded a flash of light. Yalena blinked, unsure if she had really seen it or just felt it. Had Alec finally seen any of it?

  “We are a planet of heroes.” Sibel’s croaked words were more than a way to propel her team into action. They were a vow that triggered a memory inside Yalena’s mind. A picture of the brave astrobiologist Cara White. The time Yalena used audio lectures to brush up on her space knowledge felt like forever ago, yet she was certain. These words were a reminder of the fighting spirit humans showed at the time of the Quakes and the Migration.

  Sibel turned to Alec and Yalena, a fraction of a second before all hell broke loose. “Warn your people. Run.”

  Alec didn’t need to be told twice. Felix’s men activated their batons as well, but Sibel had already thrown the first blow. Her weapon hit Felix, making his chin swing to the side. Despite the force behind her attack, it didn’t make him stumble. It hadn’t drawn blood, either, Yalena realized, her eyes glued to the Fian’s face. Felix shouted and gesticulated at two of his men before swinging his own weapon, missing Sibel by millimeters. She launched her next attack at him again, but he blocked her blows with one of his own and sent her flying backward.

  The surge of adrenaline finally made Yalena confident that her legs wouldn’t give in. And not a second too soon. A strong pull whirled her around. Alec was sprinting for the glass doors, yanking her behind him. Clutching his hand, Yalena ran, ducking and jumping to the side to avoid the Fians’ blows. She could feel two assailants breathing down her neck—their vibes, their hatred, their presence. They were so close now, and she felt a hand grab her wrist.

  “No!” she screamed.

  Alec halted and rushed back. As the Fian holding Yalena came within range of his fist, she heard the blow, something ripping, and Alec grunting. Yanking her hand free from Felix’s man, she ran for the doors again, Alec on her trail. Then, there was just one other Fian at the door, standing between them and freedom. Alec launched himself toward him, but Yalena screamed to stop him.

  “Don’t!”

  Time slowed down, and she could sense the vibe vibrating through the air to her. The green eyes of the Fian jumped out against the background of his purple complexion, like the colors of an exotic peacock. He didn’t wait for Yalena or Alec to reach him. With one hand, he detached the weapon from his wrist and sent it flying like a spear over their heads. From the scream that followed, Yalena could tell it had hit its target. She didn’t have to look back to know it was one of Felix’s men.

  The green-eyed Fian passed them by as he ran back to Sibel. Yalena wished there had been time to say something, to thank him, to try to understand.

  “Come on!” Alec shouted a few steps ahead of her. When she looked back, searching for the green-eyed Fian, Alec’s words barely registered with Yalena. “Oh, to Zanzar with this.”

  Then, she felt two toned arms lift her up. Her world turned upside down, and Alec’s shoulder pressed against her stomach as he sprinted back to the forest.

  Chapter 26. The Attack

  YALENA FELT TRAPPED inside a colorful dream. The forest looked magical, but it was too bright for her eyes, and she had to squint. She couldn’t remember which way they had to take to go back to Apollo. The humid air filled her lungs again, a sensation she’d never thought could feel refreshing. Away from the Fians, her mind was returning to her, and she was waking up from the fog-induced hibernation.

  “Alec, put me down,” she said.

  “Oh, you don’t get to call the shots anymore, doll,” he said, catching his breath.

  From the odd angle she was tilted at, she had to crane her neck, but she saw no Fians behind them. “I’m slowing you down, and there’s no one following us. Put me down!”

  With a swift motion, he finally did so. His thick lips were pursed, as if to silence a groan.

  “Alec, your hand!” Yalena squeaked at the sight of blood and dislocated bones.

  Alec grimaced at his injured hand. Perhaps to him, the sight of it was worse than the pain. “That Fian guy had cement for abs,” he muttered.

  Every heartbeat sent a shockwave through Yalena’s body. “Did you feel all that back there? The colors...” she didn’t know how to explain it.r />
  Alec shook his head, his mouth still fixed in a stiff line. “You’re not making any sense.”

  Yalena’s stomach plummeted. He didn’t understand. No one would.

  Alec’s voice snapped her out of it. “Wait. If they aren’t behind us, where are they?”

  Yalena looked around hastily, trying to put the pieces together. “I don’t know...still fighting,” she guessed. “Unless...” Her brain was calculating the ratio between Felix and Sibel’s followers. It was far from even, and once Sibel was defeated, what would Felix do?

  “What?”

  “Unless they’re looking for our ship,” she said, now certain it was true.

  Yalena’s chest felt heavy. “Apollo’s not far from here. They’d spot us.”

  “And Eric’s crew landed, too. They’ll be seen without even knowing what happened...”

  Her vision grew blurry when Yalena realized she couldn’t protect her friends—the ones that had jumped blindly into whatever hell she’d led them to.

  “Give me your Berry,” she told Alec.

  When he unlocked the device, a preloaded map of the end of the forest opened, an attachment from Nico. He had made sure to leave them with a way back to the Eagle.

  “And that is why I love that guy,” Alec said. He quickly monitored their position and tried to orient himself in the forest. “This way!”

  Pushing down the panic raging inside her, Yalena followed him as fast as her legs allowed. Her fingers pressed madly on the Berry as she tried to ring Apollo.

  Natalia’s flirty voice greeted her. “Hey, handsome. You took a while.” Then, the Moonie frowned as she saw Yalena’s face on the video chat. “Oh, it’s you.”

  Alec grabbed the device out of Yalena’s hands. “Nat, we need to leave now! Pack up everything and get everyone on board. We’re there in a minute.”

  “Umm,” Natalia hesitated. “Yalena’s orders?”

  “There’s been a Course Cattleya,” Alec said. “Don’t waste time. Prepare for departure, now.”

  The low hum of something mechanic—a motor, perhaps—split the air and made the hairs on Yalena’s forearms prickle. It came from somewhere deep behind the dense foliage. “Do you hear that?”

  “Just run,” Alec said.

  A white spot shone brightly in the haze of color, and Yalena sighed with relief at the sight of Apollo. Sebastian was out by the gate, on the lookout for any signs of danger. He shouted back to Dave to prepare for take-off when he saw Yalena and Alec.

  He moved his gaze from Yalena’s face, probably still ghost-white from the nausea, to Alec’s mangled hand. “What...what happened?”

  The crew gaped at them, horrified. Carmen clapped her hands to her mouth to muffle a panicked scream.

  “Get in. We’re leaving now.” Alec didn’t stop to elaborate.

  He pushed Yalena inside and waited for Sebastian to seal the gate. Judging by the motor sounds she had heard in the forest, the Fians weren’t far behind them. Alec must have thought the same thing because he ran to the glass viewing screen.

  “Something’s out there,” he said grimly and then pointed to show Dave. “There, at the top of the trees. Something’s moving the branches, like wind.”

  Of course, there is no wind in this stuffy, humid jungle, Yalena thought, unable to keep her hands from trembling.

  “We have to get out of here. Everyone, take your seats,” Alec ordered as he stomped around the corpus. The rest of the crew followed at once.

  Yalena paced back and forth, confused about whether she should take her old crew leader seat, when it hit her. There was one empty seat in the corpus.

  “Who’s missing?” I told you to keep track of everybody!” she screamed at Sebastian.

  All color drained out of his face. “I did,” he insisted. “You just returned without Nico. He called saying he had to warn Eric of a mutation. What happened out there?”

  Horror froze Yalena’s insides. This was her fault. She swept a hand across her mouth to remove the tiny beads of sweat on her upper lip. “Get him on the line. Now.”

  Yalena felt Alec’s gaze on her. “We’ll get Nico back,” he said and then turned to the medical officer. “Theo, Yalena got sick out there. Check up on her.”

  “Me?” Yalena jerked her head back. Alec’s hand was still dripping blood. “I told you, I’m fine. Theo, check up on him.”

  Theo looked from Alec to Yalena and then back to Alec, clearly confused by the change in leadership.

  Alec turned away, hiding his face from her sight. “I’m piloting. And I’m in charge. You had your head dazzled or something.”

  “This is ridiculous. You can’t pilot, Alec!” Her yelp made him glare back. “It’s your right hand.”

  Insides twisting, she could only imagine how losing his best skill, as well as their safest way out of here made him feel. Alec’s pacing came to a halt. His eyes followed hers to the sore lump that was his fist now, but Yalena was quick and determined not to let him lose the hand over this.

  “Sit down.” She pushed him and gesticulated to Theo to get Alec in Nico’s seat. “Thank you for getting me out, but let me take it from here.”

  Despite the hoarse voice she said it with, Alec seemed to calm down. Still, he added stubbornly, “We’re not leaving without Nico.”

  Yalena nodded and then turned over to Sebastian again, letting Theo clean Alec’s hand with a cooling disinfectant.

  “Did you reach Nico yet?”

  “He’s not answering.” Sebastian said.

  Silence and short breaths sucked the air out of the small Eagle. Moving her gaze from one classmate to the other, Yalena saw fear spelled across all their faces.

  Then, Natalia stepped closer. With those eyes of steel fixed on Yalena and all the blame she could muster in one sentence, she said, “What did you do? Whatever is out there is after you!” Her fingernails dug into Yalena’s elbow.

  “Save it,” Yalena snapped back, pulling her arm out of the tight grip, “We don’t have time for one of your signature rants.”

  “Look, I’m not sure what happened out there, but...” Dave said.

  “But what?” Natalia bit hard with every word she said. “You split the team, you cut us off from all comms, you stranded us here on an alien world, and you haven’t even told us what’s happening. Who did this to Alec?”

  Full body tremors washed over Yalena in waves as she struggled to make a sound.

  “And where is Nico? You left him there!”

  Her bloodshot eyes burned into Yalena. Natalia wobbled, shifting her weight from one leg to the other, looking a little mad. Despite the bile pooling in her stomach and the weight of the accusations, Yalena couldn’t help but notice there was something more than Natalia’s vile attitude here. She was short of breath, her face turning red, her body shaking.

  “We’ll all die. We’ll all die!” Natalia screamed, her features twisted in a pained grimace.

  The more threatening Natalia sounded, the more certain Yalena grew that the Moonie was the one in peril.

  “She’s having a panic attack,” Yalena said, keeping her voice level and spotting Theo. It wasn’t fair of her, but she wished she had Jen here. Jen would know what to do. And then Natalia’s rasping breaths escalated to an explosion of shouts.

  “We’re going to die today, all of us! And why? Because of you! Because you were stupid enough to land on this devil’s planet in the first place. Because you went to see them! I’m going to kill you!”

  She launched herself at Yalena, punching her in the stomach and bringing her down. The Eagle shook at the commotion as screams erupted and the others tried to pull the Moonie back. Alec grabbed Natalia from one side, but she threw him off, twisting the hand that had already suffered enough. A pained cry from his side made Yalena fight her way up.

  “Alec, don’t!” But then Natalia’s hands tightened around her neck and squeezed, like she wanted to pop a balloon. Yalena didn’t have enough air to scream, but she kicked Natalia off
as Sebastian and Michael pulled the twisting and fighting girl back. Her black eyes moved up and down madly, uncontrollably, as she screamed at Yalena with a savage strength: “RECKLESS! YOU ARE COMPLETELY RECKLESS!”

  With her heart squished by the shouted accusations, Yalena pulled herself back up onto her shaky legs with Carmen’s help. She wanted to crawl into a corner or curl into a ball and cry, but perseverance pushed her to compartmentalize. Breaking down wasn’t an option, not until she’d led them all out. Her jaw shook as she watched Natalia struggle in the boys’ grip.

  “Yalena, catch!” Theo yelled, and he threw her a metallic, pen-like device she’d seen in the first aid kit. “Right in the main artery.”

  Realizing what he meant, she caught it and removed its lid before jamming it into the pulsing vein on Natalia’s throat. The Moonie screamed, wailed, and struggled, but the tranquilizer spread fast. Her eyes flickered back, and as all resistance left her body, Natalia fell into Sebastian’s arms.

  Yalena tried to steady herself and shake off the hatred she’d seen on her face. It was hatred she deserved. “Strap her in,” she said to Sebastian.

  “Yalena,” Dave said, warning in his tone.

  She rushed over to his side and had to put a hand over her mouth to muffle the scream. It was the thing that had been making the sound in the forest, finally close enough, coming down toward them among the tree branches. They weren’t motorbikes, and they weren’t hovercrafts, but something in between. Small and agile, the vehicles flew down with precise movements, carrying two Fians each, a driver and a passenger.

  “What are they?” Yalena wondered out loud, but she already knew their time for waiting on Nico was running out. “Why are there two people on each one?”

  “They’re shooters!” Dave pushed her back with one hand. “Go, go, go!”

  Yalena’s legs wobbled, and she wanted to scream. The only thing her team was even less prepared to handle than a bunch of mutated humans was weaponry. It was one thing to explode a few bug-sized ships inside a strategy game, and another to be on the receiving end of a real enemy attack.