He paused, pursed his lips. Charles, at a loss for words. “You saved my life,” he said finally. “You saved everyone’s lives.”
I thought for a minute. “I don’t really know what that means.”
“It means you’re getting into pilot training, when the time comes,” he said. “I made a request, and they’re holding a spot for you, when you’re ready.”
That was too big to think about right now.
“Charles, what happened? To the shuttle, what really happened? It was sabotage, wasn’t it? Stanton?”
He glanced away, his lips curving into an inexplicable smile. “That’s a complicated question, it turns out. Stanton did drug the pilots. A time-release dermal sedative in a patch stuck inside their headsets. They didn’t even feel it. She knew the shuttle had enough automated systems we weren’t likely to get in serious trouble. She expected exactly what happened to happen—we’d make an emergency call, we’d have a big adventure, and we’d all grow and learn as human beings.” The cutting edge in his voice indicated exactly what he thought of this plan. It matched the pattern of the previous “adventures.”
“But the air leak?” I prompted. “The explosion?”
“Not planned. The shuttle just broke. Freak accident, at the worst possible time.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep. A seam in the hull by the engine compartment cracked—normal failure, not serious in itself. But the pressure differential caused one of the power cables between the fuel cells and the engine to rupture. Cascading failure after that. That’s what they think happened, anyway. A trained crew probably could have handled it without it becoming a huge drama. But there wasn’t any trained crew. Just us.”
I chuckled, but my lungs hurt, so I stopped.
“There’s more,” he said, and he had the look of an astronomer discovering water on the Moon.
“More what?” I croaked.
“Stanton wasn’t just being sadistic. She’d been hired.”
“Hired to rig those accidents? Hired to mess with us like that?” If I could have sat up, I would have, but I was too snuggled into the pillows, too comfortable. My brain was getting very awake, though. “Who would do that?” But I had an idea.
As I talked, he reached to a bedside table for a tablet, scrolled up a file for me, and held it up so I could see the screen. I reach out to adjust it so I could see more clearly.
“Mom,” I murmured at the image. Supervisor Newton of Colony One. Her face filled the screen, her brown hair slicked back, her uniform creased, perfect and professional. Of course this was a recorded message. Somehow I still thought she might look through the screen at me, see me with my burst veins and bloodshot eyes and banged-up body propped up in a hospital bed, and her eyes might go wide with shock and her lips purse with concern. She might even express some kind of sympathy and … love?
But knowing my mother, this could have been a live feed and the image’s expression still wouldn’t have changed. Seeing me bruised and broken wouldn’t have affected her at all.
She spoke like she would to an underling. “Charles, I received your message. Thank you for that. I’m not going to deny your accusations, you’ve collected too much evidence for me to embarrass myself like that, or to condescend to you. Though I am very, very disappointed that you would investigate my personal financial records. I thought you would trust me, trust that everything I’ve done has been for the good of you and Polly. Under normal circumstances, even a place like Galileo wouldn’t give you a chance to prove yourselves. I simply made sure that you would have that chance. I had no doubt that given the opportunity, you would excel. And you have. Of course I never intended for Dean Stanton to take her mandate as far as she did. But my faith in your and your sister’s abilities was not at all misplaced. You’ll have to agree with me there. However, I’m sure you’ll be glad to know that I’ve submitted a complaint about Dean Stanton’s behavior. This won’t happen again.
“And of course I’m glad that Polly isn’t seriously injured. Let me know if anything changes with her condition.”
Because it was a recording, I couldn’t yell at her. Couldn’t argue. And by the time I was able to record a reply, I’d have forgotten everything I meant to say right now. Maybe I could just take a picture of me glaring at her and send that.
“‘This won’t happen again.’ Why don’t I believe her?” I said disgustedly as he set the tablet back down. “What are we supposed to do, Charles? We can’t just go back to Galileo, can we?”
His smile turned even more sly. How long had I been unconscious? How much conspiring had he gotten done in that time?
“Angelyn and Ethan and some of the other students told their parents what happened with Stanton. President Edgars’s press releases are sounding increasingly panicked. Not only has Stanton been asked to resign, criminal charges may be pending. An independent advisory council is being convened to examine the school’s entire operating structure. So much for Galileo’s great tradition.”
“Wow.”
“No doubt.”
“So what’s next?” I asked. “What are we going to do?”
“This is a perfect opportunity for you to go back to Mars. If you want to.”
I was very surprised to find myself shaking my head. I tried to explain it to myself, as much as to him. “I know you’re not going to believe this, but I don’t think I want to go back to Mars. At least not right now. Not while I’m this angry at Mom. And … I still have to finish school before I can start pilot training. Right?”
“Maybe you’ll enjoy it more if you aren’t so worried about getting into pilot training.”
Charles had done that. For me. And because it was him, I could trust that there really would be spot waiting for me. Now I really did want to hug him. “What about you?”
His gaze turned thoughtful. “Like you said, we have to finish school. I may go back to Mars to do it, though. Start really learning the system there. After that, maybe I’ll run for a spot on the governing council.”
“But you’re only seventeen, they’ll never go for it!”
“Twenty Earth standard is the minimum age. That’ll give me a few years to prepare. And someone has to stand up to Mother.”
I really wanted to watch that fight. But I wasn’t happy, because the future had suddenly become a huge, unmanageable void. Flight school, what I always wanted. Why was I suddenly scared?
“But Charles, what am I going to do without you watching my back?”
He smiled. An actual, real, nonsmirky, honest-to-goodness smile. And then it was gone. Like someone flashing a strobe light. “I’m sure we’ll come up with something.”
“I’m glad you’re my brother. Thanks.”
“Polly.” He came to the head of the bed, leaned over, and kissed my forehead. He turned and walked out of the room without looking back.
Our twin telepathy still didn’t work right, but I was pretty sure that meant he was glad he was my brother, too.
TOR BOOKS BY CARRIE VAUGHN
Kitty Goes to War
Kitty’s Big Trouble
Kitty Steals the Show
Kitty Rocks the House
Kitty in the Underworld
Low Midnight
Kitty Saves the World
Kitty’s Greatest Hits
Discord’s Apple
After the Golden Age
Dreams of the Golden Age
Martians Abroad
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CARRIE VAUGHN, the New York Times bestselling author of the Kitty Norville books, is also the author of the stand-alone novels After the Golden Age and Discord’s Apple, and the young-adult books Voices of Dragons and Steel.
Visit her online at www.carrievaughn.com, or sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Tor Books by Carrie Vaughn
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
MARTIANS ABROAD
Copyright © 2016 by Carrie Vaughn, LLC
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Paul Youll
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates
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New York, NY 10010
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Tor® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-0-7653-8220-7 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-8647-6 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781466886476
Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].
First Edition: January 2017
Martians Abroad Page 23
