by Jamie Zakian
She wiped her eyes, pushing her legs faster. Kami’s hand crushed her own, a blistering heat baring down upon her. She glimpsed Mr. Reyes waving her on, and she drove her muscles harder than she ever thought possible. An explosion took her shoulders in as blistery winds shoved her from behind, lifting both her and Kami’s feet off the ground.
Sharp bands of fire curled, singeing Joey’s arms as she flew through the air. Mr. Reyes reached out. His hand caught Kami midair while Joey shot into the pod. The door slammed shut behind her, flames whipping at its small window, as she crashed against the side of the pod. A brightly lit control panel was the last thing she saw, before her face smashed into it.
***
Kami shoved her way through the crammed escape pod, dropping at Joey’s side. “Get back, you freaks,” she grumbled, clearing a tiny gap around Joey’s knocked out body.
“Grab ahold of something,” Mr. Reyes yelled.
Kami knew he meant something sturdy, but her hands latched onto Joey. It wasn’t practical, but holding Joey was the only thing that made her feel safe at the moment.
Mr. Reyes hit the launch button, cringed, and … nothing. “What the—” His palm slammed the button two, three times.
“Rai has control of the system,” Kami said, shooing people away from Joey’s still feet. “He has to launch the pods.”
A groan streamed from Mr. Reyes as he slumped to the floor. He wrapped his arm around an unconscious Sabrina, whispering a little prayer.
“He’ll come through,” Kami shouted, her bark silencing the light sobs that circled around the pod. She pulled Joey closer, bracing for the jolt she knew would come at any second. “Rai always comes through,” she whispered.
***
Rai followed Jesse down the corridor, bouncing off fractured walls like a pinball.
“Which way?” Jesse yelled.
“Straight ahead,” Rai called out. He lifted his laptop’s lid, tapped the Enter key, and a door at the end of the passage slid open. A red box blinked in the corner of his screen, slowing his mad dash. His teeth gritted together as he typed a quick code. In the milliseconds his finger hovered over the Enter key, he hated himself more than ever. For never telling his sister he loved her, for all the times he hit Kami when he really wanted to hug her, he despised himself. His finger pressed down. The button’s soft click ricocheted into his chest, nicking his heart as the second of three pods launched.
“Kami.” He lowered his laptop to his side and hurried into Pod-C.
“There’s no one in here,” Jesse yelled with wild eyes. “We have to get to the other pods.”
Rai strummed his fingers along the keys, shutting the door in Jesse’s face.
Jesse spun to face Rai, hands up. “What the f—”
“I already launched all the other pods.” Rai’s face twisted into sadness, and he dropped into the captain’s chair. “Hold onto something; we gotta go now.” He waited until Jesse wrapped his fingers around a metal bar, then launched the pod.
Chapter Twenty-Six
A crushing force took Jesse’s feet off the floor. His muscles flexed as he strained to battle the pressure of gravity. After seconds—which felt like hours—his shoes returned to hard ground. He shook off a bout of dizziness and stomped toward Rai.
“My sister!” he yelled.
Rai rose to his feet, and Jesse shoved him back into the padded chair. “What if they didn’t make it? What if they were right behind us?”
“They made it!” Rai glared at Jesse, his stare screaming louder than his voice.
Jesse noticed the tremble of Rai’s hands, the gloss in his friend’s eyes. Rai needed to hope, needed to believe. So did he. His hard stare faded, and he took a step back.
“If Kami were …” Rai’s hand flew to his mouth and he cast his stare away. “They made it.”
The smallest sigh escaped Jesse’s grasp. He walked to the skinny windshield of the circular pod, squinting as bursts of green light stung his eyes. The nose of the majestic R23 Raven dissolved to dust along the wormhole’s arch. All the tiny pieces sparkled, twirling while trapped within a tube of emerald glow. His gaze followed the strings of glitter. Joey could be those shimmers, which flowed through the smoky luminosity and swirled past him.
“There’s something you don’t see every day,” Rai said, stepping beside him.
Jesse tore his stare from the glimmer, rotating back to the Raven. When finding only wings and ghostly turbines, which quickly broke to specks of stardust, his jaw unhinged. Then the shuttle was gone as though it never existed.
“Can you contact the other pods?” Jesse asked softly, his gaze caught on the empty space within the green glow of a roiling vortex.
“No. There’s no comms onboard these vessels. If Kami had her handheld, but …”
“I fixed it.” Jesse pulled Kami’s handheld from his pocket, staring at the brightly lit screen. “I never got a chance to give it to her.”
“We can watch the pods on my radar.” Rai dropped back into the captain’s chair. Jesse sat beside him and he turned the screen. “The green dot is the first pod I launched. Red is the second, and we’re the blue one.”
Jesse stared at the blimps moving across a black screen. He’d hoped the measly visual would provide some comfort, but seeing those spots only made his gut wrench.
“I wonder which one they’re on.”
Rai leaned back, a smirk puffing his cheeks. “Kami probably bulldozed through the crowd to get on the pod first.”
The visual brought a smile to Jesse’s lips, then a frown. Memories might be all he had left, and there just weren’t enough. “Hey. How come the red one’s going so fast?”
“Let me see that.” Rai pulled the computer close, leaning in to stare. “Huh. The second pod must be caught in a sort of undertow ‘cause it’s moving pretty quick. We did just disrupt the magnetic field pretty hardcore.” He began typing, stopping short in a hunched position. “Whoa! It just shot by the first pod.” His high shoulders sank. “Now it’s gone from my radar.”
“What does that mean?” Jesse sat up straight, his palm slapping the control panel. “Is it gonna crash? Get lost?”
“Relax.” Rai held out his hand, facing Jesse. “These pods are preprogrammed to navigate the wormholes and land on Mars. That one will just get there a little faster than the rest, that’s all.”
A long breath flew from Jesse’s lungs, and he sagged against the headrest of his leather seat. “A day and a half in this pod. There better be some grub in here.”
“No,” Rai said with a slight grin. “These rigs are so small; they travel much quicker than the Raven could. I’d say about six hours, and we’re literally home free.”
Jesse smiled. Just the thought—home free—ignited a swell of excitement to surge through his veins. In a few hours, he’d smell air that wasn’t filtered through five scrubbers, walk in the sun and feel warmth instead of searing pain. All this he’d do for the first time without his twin sister, his other half.
He looked at Rai, whose somber glare stuck to the glow outside the narrow window. His friend’s face reflected the turmoil inside his own mind. If anyone could understand his pain, it was Rai. It helped to know he wasn’t riding solo on this nightmare of a journey.
“Well,” Jesse said, kicking Rai’s foot, “I guess I can put up with you for six hours.”
“And me?” a soft voice called out from the rear of the pod.
Rai flinched, Jesse recoiled, and they both turned.
Silky blonde hair rose from behind an empty seat, crystal blue eyes batting.
“Lena,” Rai grumbled, his startled face warping into a grimace. “What are you doing in here?”
After a little shrug, Lena pranced forward. She knelt between the two chairs, and Jesse shrank back.
“Everyone died,” she said, as if relaying brand-new information. “I got scared, so I came in here to chill. I must’ve fallen asleep.” She leaned on
Jesse’s armrest, slanting closer to him. “When I woke up, things were all crazy. Fire, sparks, the walls were crumbling, so I just stayed in here.”
“Still doesn’t explain why you’re creeping around back there,” Rai said in a growl, drawing Lena from Jesse’s uncomfortable body.
Lena sank down on her knees, glancing at Rai. “It was kinda awkward. I mean, your ex and the guy you made out with in a closet walk into an escape pod. It’s like … the start of a bad joke or something.”
Rai rolled his eyes, turning his attention to his laptop. “Hooking up once is not dating,” he sneered over the click of keys.
“Twice,” Lena said in a raised tone. “If you can count that night after the Unity Day gala.”
A scornful grin played on Rai’s lips as he veered his glare to Lena. “That was you. I totally forgot about that very unmemorable night.”
“And we didn’t make out,” Jesse blurted, his hands up. “I’m just throwing that out there.”
Lena ran her finger along Jesse’s arm, the corner of her mouth slowly rising. “We can fix that.”
Jesse yanked his arm away, scooting as far back as possible. “No, thank you.”
Lena giggled, tossing her hair over her shoulder, and Rai grumbled.
“All right,” Rai said with a bitter edge. He tore his fingers from the keys and took a swat at Lena. “Scat! Me and Jesse got important things to do.”
Lena dodged Rai’s flappy hand. She jumped to her feet, crossed her arms, and lifted her chin high. “Ooh, Mr. Matsuda always has such important things to do.” A long, loud gush of air forced from her lungs and she plopped herself into the farther chair. “This is gonna be fun.”
Jesse scooted to the edge of his seat, slanting toward Rai. “Do we really have things to do?”
“Yeah.” Rai hit the Enter key, then bent closer to Jesse. He eyed Lena, who admired the white tips of her nails, before his gaze wandered to the floor. “I did something … back on the ship when you were out.”
“Aw, c’mon!” Jesse piped, hoisting his hands in the air. “What’d you hack now?”
“We didn’t know if you’d ever wake up. Joey was a mess and seriously pissed off at me—”
“Just spit it out.”
“I hacked a satellite and sent a message to my mom, told her to expect a visitor. Then I hired an aircab; it should be at your house in twenty minutes.”
“I don’t get it,” Jesse uttered.
Rai looked at the window, his laptop, his shoes, everywhere but Jesse’s direction. “So your mom doesn’t die in the solar flare. Now she can go to our fallout shelter and hitch a ride to Mars with my folks.”
“The solar flare?”
“Right.” Rai glanced at Jesse, then to his computer. “You missed that. Short version—a solar flare is gonna blast the Earth in about eight days, my ‘rentals are holed up in a bright-out den, and they’re building a small shuttle for after the fires die down.”
“My mom’s coming to Mars!” Jesse’s heart skipped a beat, the brightest of smiles hijacking his face.
Rai paused. He smirked, wiped his face clear, and turned to his laptop. “I was gonna have Joey tell her, but I guess now you’ll have to.” He slid the laptop in front of Jesse’s wide eyes, its cracked screen flickering. “I hacked the webcam on your laptop. Joey said you left it behind for your mom. You got about two minutes to get her attention and explain it all before we get out of range.”
“What!” Jesse looked at the display, glimpsing his mother’s back. A solid lump formed inside his throat, obscuring any hope of speech. He glided his finger along the chipped screen. There was his kitchen table, still littered with Joey’s paints and brushes. It was almost like being back home, safe.
“Emma,” Rai called out, and Jesse’s mother spun from the sink.
Jesse’s quaking fingers dropped when his mother’s face filled the screen.
Rai slapped Jesse on the back. “Talk, man.”
“Mom,” Jesse said, unable to control the quaver of his voice.
“Jesse! How is this possible? Oh, never mind. I don’t care. I’m just happy to see you. Ah, I miss you guys so much. Where’s Joey?”
Tears streamed down his mother’s cheeks, and Jesse fought to keep from bawling himself. His struggle ended swiftly, a lone tear dropping onto the computer’s keys.
“Joey is … really busy right now, and I miss you too. I miss home so bad, you have no idea.” He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, forcing a serious face. “Listen. An aircab will be there in …”
“Fifteen,” Rai whispered.
“Fifteen minutes,” Jesse said in a rush. “Pack a bag, just the necessities, and get in the cab—”
“Jesse, what’s this all about?”
“Just do it, Mom, please,” Jesse begged, gripping the laptop. “The cab knows where to go. When you get there, ask for Ling Mae Sun. Tell them your name, they’ll be expecting you.”
“Commander Sun?”
Jesse drew in a sharp breath. His mother’s skeptical eyes, doubtful tone, nervous smile, it sent his stress levels over their peak. “Trust me. Please, you have to trust me.”
“Okay Jesse. I’ll do what you say. I love you so much. Tell Joey I love her too and I miss her.”
“I lo—” Before Jesse could finish his words, the screen cut to a gray static. A gasp raised his chest, then stuck there. He couldn’t move or talk, could barely breath. A thick layer of silence hung in the air. The quiet was only disturbed by the hum of the pod as it cut through time and space.
“Best hack ever!” Jesse sprung from his chair and wrapped his arms around Rai, hugging tight.
Rai’s entire body tensed. His muscles loosened a half-a-millimeter, and he patted Jesse on the back.
“Your guys’ bromance is … a little gay,” Lena called out. “Is that why you’re not into me, Jesse?”
That snotty voice decimated all joy, and Jesse sunk back into his cushiony seat. “No, Lena.” He spun his chair to glare at the self-assured eyes upon him. “I’m not into you because I’m all about Kami.”
“Of course you are,” Lena grumbled. “And what about you, Rai? I guess you’re all about that G-rat now, huh?”
“What’d you just call my sister?” Jesse fidgeted in his seat, foot drumming the floor.
Rai held out his hand, shaking his head.
“You know, Rai,” Lena said in a snippy tone, “even cute little rats spawn rodent offspring.”
Jesse’s teeth gritted together. He rotated his chair back to its right position, looking at Rai. “Five more hours?”
***
“People, please cool down.” Winslow stared at the panicked faces around him. Boys shouted and shoved, girls clung to one another while weeping. Logic wouldn’t work here. The children stuffed into this pod feed off each other’s frenzy.
He banged his fist atop the control panel, the thump bringing a hush over the cramped space. Now, they all looked at him. Young, naïve eyes of the ones meant to carry humankind through a new era. Even Chuck seemed six years younger, slumped against the curved wall, hands in his pockets.
“Let’s all try to relax,” he said.
“Relax! Get real, old man.”
“Hey!” Chuck straightened up, his glare clouding in anger. “Watch it, asshat.”
“He just called Fernando an asshat,” a girl whispered from within the tightening crowd.
The tall guy with the big mouth stepped closer to Chuck, chin high. “Just ‘cause that dude’s geriatric doesn’t mean he’s in charge.”
Both their fists curled, and Winslow moved between them. “I am in charge. I can prove it.” He stood in front of Chuck, replacing his son’s glare with a much harder glower. “If you’d like.”
The boy raised his brow, then slinked back. Chuck returned to his spot by the door, and a collective sigh of relief filled the stale air.
“I’m Airman Winslow—”
“The sh
uttle’s pilot?”
“What happened?”
“You messed up, didn’t you?”
“Why’d all those people die?”
“How many people did die?”
“One hundred and seventy-seven,” Chuck said, his voice cracking. “One hundred and seventy-seven people are dead because—
“There was a … major malfunction in the ship’s operating systems.” Winslow looked at Chuck before glancing around the pod. “We saved as many as possible. This vessel will take us to Mars, so try and rest. There are still many obstacles we’ll have to face before the end of this odyssey.”
The group split into five clusters, each kept separate by an invisible wall of angst. Only Winslow and Chuck remained standing, hovering by the controls of the pod’s door.
Winslow crossed his arms, slanting toward his son. “Do you know any of them?” he whispered.
Chuck scanned the swarm of faces, shaking his head. “No. I don’t think so. There’s a lot of people in here.”
“Forty-seven, including ourselves.”
“Dad.” Chuck inched closer to Winslow, turning to face the wall. “Do you know about the other shuttles? That they didn’t make it?”
“Yes.”
“I had nothing to do with any of that.” After a moment of staring at the floor, Chuck looked up into Winslow’s eyes. “Mom runs the Earthisum Movement. She always did. It’s bigger than stopping the Emergence program; she has all these secret plans I don’t know about. Before I left, she said we’d meet again. Under falling stars in a field of blue roses. She can’t follow us to Mars, can she? The flares will destroy Earth, right, and everything on it?”
“The flares will destroy Earth, but … your mother’s crafty, like a cockroach. It would take more than an X50 gamma burst to keep her down.” Winslow slid his arm around Chuck’s shoulder, holding him tight. “I’m here now, for you. You’ll never see her again. I promise.”
