The Forgotten Shrine

by Monica Tesler

  I tug Mira through the door and into the tube, then take off running. The door clangs shut, and the noise reverberates through the tube. The vibrations send a ripple through the water beyond.

  So much water. Way too much water. I take a deep breath and focus on placing one foot in front of the next.

  Just keep moving, Jasper. Everyone’s counting on you.

  Mira struggles to keep my pace. She shakes free of my hand, and when I glance back, she’s fallen behind.

  “Hurry, Mira!” The tube echoes with my shouts, and I shudder. It’s brain-talk from now on.

  I should stop for her, but I can’t. One of us needs to make it to the end of this tube.

  And I can’t handle the water. It’s pressing me down, collapsing my lungs, making it impossible to breathe.

  Must. Not. Hyperventilate.

  I block out the water as best I can and push on.

  The plastic walls of the tube are clear, but the reflection from the venom gives them a sickly yellow cast, like looking through a filter. I can’t believe the Alks have been poisoning us with this stuff. According to Serena, in small quantities the venom causes sleep, muscle fatigue, even temporary paralysis. In larger doses it can kill within seconds. Mixed with other ingredients it can be a powerful medicine. To the Alkalinians, it’s currency.

  But it comes at an awful price. It comes at the lives of Serena’s children, because something obviously happens to them after they’ve served their purpose. I don’t know if the Alks kill them or if they die off, but I know they’re not moving from writhing snake pit to minithrones. Clearly, that’s not the future for those tiny snakes we saw earlier today. It seems like the only Alks Seelok leaves alive are his entourage and the scooter workers.

  Up ahead one of those nasty sea creatures glides through the water, heading straight for the tube. Its black, iridescent skin reflects the yellowish light. Its tail curves through the water, propelling it closer every second. I try not to look.

  Thump! It whacks the tube.

  The creature crests the tube and doubles back. In a terrible instant its black eyes lock with mine. I can’t break its gaze. It opens its mouth to reveal enormous, glistening silver fangs.

  I shake my head and run.

  Thump! It glides above me.

  Thump! Thump! Two more sea creatures circle the tube.

  I’m only halfway across. I’ve got to pick up the pace. Behind me, Mira has fallen even farther back.

  Mira! Let’s go!

  She glances up and pushes forward, but her movements are floppy. She weaves from the venom pipe to the edge of the tube and back again.

  Maybe it was a mistake to bring her.

  No! If she’d stayed in the room, she would have been there for the taking once the Youli arrive.

  The Youli . . . I sprint even faster. Up ahead more of the sea creatures dive and spin around the venom tube, lashing the plastic with their muscular tails. Mira and I must be attracting them.

  Thump! Thump! Thump!

  The tube shakes with the thunderous force of the impacts. I hope those creatures don’t damage the tube. If this thing cracks while we’re in it, that will be the end of us.

  I glance behind me. Mira is barely walking. She balances her weight against the venom pipe.

  More creatures swim to the tube, diving and swirling and lashing their tails.

  Then the water swirls with a strong current, and the tube rocks on its foundation. I’m thrown against the plastic barrier and onto my knees.

  What’s happening? Did the tube dislodge from the seafloor?

  The sea creatures glide away and swim together toward the saucer, clearing the view outside the tube. I project their course to see what’s caught their attention. A large silver sphere bobs in the water just beyond the occludium tether.

  Gripping the venom pipe, I pull myself up and stare at the sphere, trying to understand what I’m seeing. It’s familiar but out of place.

  Oh my God. That’s a Youli ship!

  Mira! The Youli! Run!

  I race for the end of the tube and disengage the latch. The door swings open. I drop my pack and brace the tube door, then I dash inside. Once Mira gets here, we’ll run up the stairs to the generator room.

  Or even faster, we’ll bound there. We’ll be outside of the tether range.

  I return to my pack and pull out the voice box with my stuck glove. As I wait for Mira, I inspect the box and try to free my glove.

  A hiss from behind makes me jump. I brace and spin, ready to force my way through whatever Alkalinian threat awaits.

  Serena slides in front of me and hisses into the voice box.

  “What are you doing here? Where are your friends?”

  I keep trying to free my glove. “I can’t talk, Serena. I’m in a real rush.”

  Serena lifts her head and gazes through the doors into the venom tube. “What are those creatures?”

  I glance back. The black sea creatures have returned to the tube. They twirl and spin and whack against the thick walls. The water swells and shakes the foundation. Another Youli vessel must have bounded in.

  Mira is still a hundred meters from the end of the tube, and she’s not moving fast. It will take too long for her to cross. I have to get the tether down now. I need to do it alone.

  I reach out with my mind. Mira, I’m going to deactivate the tether. Wait for me!

  Jumbled emotions come back from Mira. I can tell she’s about to protest. But then there’s the sense of resignation. The Youli are here. We’re out of options.

  Serena slips past me into the tube.

  I can’t get my glove free, and I can’t waste any more time trying. I lift the voice box to my mouth and turn it to full volume. “Hey, Serena! Keep Mira safe, okay?”

  I don’t wait for an answer. Plus, Serena is already deep into the tube. I shove the voice box with my trapped glove back into my pack and take off running.

  I race up the stairs to the systems center and down the hall to the generator room, then dash across to the hatch that connects to the narrow shaft that descends to the occludium tether.

  From the nearby windows I have a better view of what’s happening, and it’s not good. Six Youli vessels wait just beyond the tether range.

  Make that seven.

  The arrival of the seventh ship sends a strong current rippling through the water. The shaft sways and pulls against the anchored bubble holding the occludium tether.

  Please hold. Please. Just a few minutes longer.

  Meanwhile, Mira has covered a lot of distance in the venom tube. Serena has nearly reached her. All around them the black sea creatures swarm.

  From the Alkalinian Seat, a Frog pops out of the loading tube, with another close behind. They scuttle toward the Youli vessels with their tow cables ready to rig.

  I don’t have much time. I have to take down that tether and trust that Lucy and Addy have called for Earth Force backup.

  I disengage the hatch and prepare to descend the shaft.

  Wait . . . there’s motion at the other end of the venom tube. Someone else is in there and moving fast.

  Is that an Alk? Is he coming for Mira?

  No, that’s no Alk.

  That’s Addy.

  27

  “ADDY!” I SCREAM, THEN INSTANTLY regret it. There could be an Alk anywhere, and if there’s one close by, he’ll know I’m here.

  I silently will her to go back. What is she doing? Why does she always need to be a hero?

  There’s someone else in the tube, maybe twenty meters behind Addy. That has to be Marco. He’s fast, but she’s faster. He never quite got his speed back after breaking his leg on the Paleo Planet.

  I can’t afford to worry about them now. I have to focus. I have to take the tether down. If I don’t, everyone will likely die—Addy, Mira, Marco, Lucy, Cole, Gedney, everyone.

  I pull open the hatch and take a shaky step into the shaft. It’s the only way to reach the bubble structure that’s anchored to th
e ocean floor a hundred meters below. The occludium tether is housed in the bubble.

  You can do this, Jasper.

  I press the door to the shaft closed, then shut a second, redundant door that should keep the shaft sealed off from the water in case it disconnects—not something I want to think about right now.

  I take a deep breath. This is possibly the last place in the world I want to be. Claustrophobia crowds my brain and darkens the edges of my peripheral vision.

  Inside the narrow shaft there are plastic rungs leading all the way to the seafloor like a ladder. Mounted handrails run parallel. I grab hold of the rails and start the descent.

  The shaft sways in the current. I wobble with each step like I’m crossing a link bridge at a playground.

  I try to keep my eyes glued to the rungs, but it’s hard. Addy, Marco, and Mira are in the venom tube. Youli ships are two hundred meters away. Soon they’ll be inside the perimeter and gunning for the Bounders.

  Unless . . . could the Alks have done something to the cadets already?

  I hope Cole and Lucy are okay.

  The shaft rocks hard, and I am thrown to my knees and skid several meters down. Finally I wedge my foot between two rungs and stop.

  What on earth caused that current?

  Outside the perimeter three Earth Force ships have bounded in.

  They weren’t supposed to be here yet! They were supposed to wait until the shield was down and bound inside the Seat! How are they going to reach the cadets?

  Immediately the Earth Force ships fire upon the Frogs and the Youli vessels. They implement the popcorn strategy Earth Force used at the intragalactic summit—bounding in and out to fixed points, all beyond the tether. The same distraction tactic allowed our pod to plant the degradation patch on the Youli vessel.

  Oh, I get it! This must be an advance team. I bet Cole masterminded that strategy. The rescue team will bound in once the shield’s deactivated.

  And getting that shield deactivated is up to me.

  Let’s go, Jasper!

  I pull myself up and continue descending.

  Even though we started a firefight, the Youli have a strong advantage. Half of their ships are fending off Earth Force, but the other half are already inside the shield, being towed by Frogs. In minutes they’ll reach the Alkalinian Seat, where most of the cadets and officers are fast asleep.

  A flash of light blinds me, and I crash down as the shaft pulls against the saucer. I scramble to my knees as lights flash in every direction. Earth Force is firing at the Youli, and the Youli are firing back. And what lies between the Earth Force ships and the Youli vessels being towed to the Seat? This shaft.

  Jasper!

  The word rings in my skull.

  Jasper!

  Mira?

  Mira’s emotions run at me: first panic, then relief, then panic again.

  I’m okay, I tell her. Almost at the tether! Keep Addy safe!

  For a moment my brain hums with a surge of energy. Mira must be trying to send me a brain boost, but it’s not very powerful. She’s probably still weak from the venom.

  I try to spot her in the venom tube, but it’s swarmed with the sea creatures. I can’t see inside the tube at all. I don’t know if my sister is okay. I can’t tell if Marco has reached her. I have no idea if Mira is even in the tube anymore.

  I need to keep moving. More flashes. More shots. The shaft flips around like a jump rope. This isn’t working. I sit down on the rungs, point my feet toward the tether, and scoot on my butt the rest of the way down.

  A light beam from one of the Frogs sweeps across the water. It zeros in on me like a spotlight.

  I have to get to that tether.

  Diving forward, I tumble head over feet.

  Laser lights flash around me. The shaft bends and pulls against the saucer seal.

  I roll again, bringing me halfway to the seafloor.

  I have to make it to the bubble. The Youli wouldn’t dare fire at me there. They could explode the whole Alkalinian Seat if they ignited the occludium.

  Over at the venom tube, the sea creatures crowd in numbers I’ve never seen. What are they doing? Is Addy still in there?

  Bam! The shaft jerks sideways. I’m thrown into the railing, then my body slams down on the rungs. I plummet to the bottom headfirst.

  Thud! My vision winks out when I hit the floor of the bubble. I blink and try to lift my head. The edges of my vision go black.

  Jasper!

  Mira’s voice sounds distant and echoes in my mind, like she’s calling me across a canyon.

  Jasper! Get up!

  My brain surges with an influx of energy to my patch. Mira must have zapped me again. It’s not much, but it’s enough to get me going. I struggle to my feet, the room spinning. Or maybe I’m spinning? No, it must be the water. It’s swirling around me, rushing against the anchored bubble where I’m standing, dragging the shaft through the current.

  The shaft.

  It whips above me like a wind sock, waving back and forth through the current in wide arcs.

  It’s no longer connected to the saucer.

  I’m no longer connected to the saucer.

  Thank God for the redundant door.

  My mind reels. A flashback overtakes me. I’m at the space station, staring at the image of a disconnected, malfunctioning chute flinging Ryan back and forth through space.

  Just like then, I need to act. I need to shift into autopilot and do what needs to be done. I shake my head to knock my vision into focus, then pull myself up and scan the machinery in front of me. What did Cole say? Look for an off switch.

  The bubble shakes as more lights flash. Black shapes fly past, headed for the venom tube.

  Jasper, the shield!

  Mira’s words fill my brain with razor-sharp focus. I home in on the controls in front of me. I locate the manual override, three bright-red buttons and a heavy gold lever.

  Here goes. I press the buttons. The screen on the machine panel lights up with Alkalinian script. I can’t read it, but I’m hoping it’s telling me the shield is about to come down. I push on the lever. It doesn’t move. I don’t have time to mess around. I grip the lever with both hands and jump, forcing it down with my body weight.

  A flicker of silver fills my sight, then a loud noise like a sonic boom ripples outward, and I’m thrown backward against the bubble.

  Please let that have worked. Please let the shield be down.

  I should be able to tell for sure with my gloves. They should be able to detect the presence of an occludium shield. I grab my pack and pull out a single glove.

  Then I remember. I dump my pack and out tumbles the voice box, with my other glove woven through, attached to the sensor grip. Stuck.

  I try to free my glove, prying at the voice box, pulling at the sensor, but it’s no use. It’s absolutely and completely stuck.

  I lean back against the bubble wall, mind racing as I search for a solution.

  I’m alone at the bottom of the ocean in the middle of a laser battle with the Youli. They know I’m down here. The shaft is detached. I can’t use my gloves.

  There’s no getting out of this.

  I can’t keep Addy safe like I promised my parents. I can’t even get to her. Some brother I’ve turned out to be. I would stay in this bubble with Regis for an entire tour of duty if it meant I could save my sister.

  Strong currents swell against the bubble and whip the shaft. The bubble groans as the shaft strains against it. There’s no redundant door down here in the bubble like there is up top at the saucer. There’s not even a seal. That shaft won’t stay attached for long. Once it breaks from the bubble, the water will rush in. I’ll drown, if I’m not instantly killed by the contaminated water.

  That’s it. I’m not going to make it.

  Is the shield down? Did I at least accomplish that? If I die here at the bottom of the contaminated sea, will my death mean something?

  Dad’s words from the day I set out on my th
ird tour reach me: Your mom and I don’t say it enough, Jasper, but we’re proud of you. . . . I’m sure Earth Force is honored to have you in their ranks. Maybe, Dad. If I knocked out the occludium shield, maybe you’re right. But I can’t reach Addy. I’m so sorry.

  Debris rains down on the bubble from the saucer above. I’m knocked sideways, and I land behind the tether equipment. Something must have been hit. When I open my eyes, I think I’m seeing double. Then I realize the glorious truth. There are twice as many ships in view because Earth Force has sent reinforcements. There are three more vessels inside the perimeter. That has to mean the shield is down.

  Let’s hope it also means that some of the Earth Force ships landed directly inside the siphon port. The Bounder rescue should be under way.

  I crawl to where the shaft connects to the bubble and look for a way to seal myself in. It’s useless. I can’t get back to save my friends. I can’t even save myself.

  Mira! I strain to reach her with my brain. I’ve never been the best at brain-talk when I can’t see her. Mira, my glove is stuck! I’m trapped! I don’t think I’ll make it! Please help Addy!

  I sense Mira’s brain, and I can tell she’s trying to reach me, but it comes back to me all jumbled.

  Something . . . not sure . . . Serena . . . Her thoughts are filled with images of the black sea creatures and Serena shrieking inside the tube.

  I climb up and press my hands against the bubble glass. The venom tube is shaking. The creatures are knocking it off its foundation.

  Where’s Addy? I shout in my brain.

  Then I’m screaming out loud: “Addy! No! Addy!”

  The mob of sea creatures shake the tube. They dislodge it from the seafloor. Then the tube is lifting, and the sea creatures part as they rip the tube in two.

  “No! Addy!”

  Yellow venom pours out of the wound in a fountain, and from the middle of the tube Serena rises up into the ocean. The sea creatures swarm her until she’s shielded from view.

  “No!” I pound my fists against the glass.

  Anyone in that tube is surely dead.

  The shaft whips against the bubble as the aftershock from the tube break ripples through the water. The seam starts to rip. I see it in slow motion, the water trickling in, then starting to gush.