Denver perked up as soon as Neeka mentioned Mira’s name a moment ago. Now he’s practically sitting on the edge of his seat, waiting for my answer. I’ve intentionally avoided the topic with him. I have no idea what his Earth Force buddies told him about her.
“I haven’t seen Mira in a while,” I say. “The Youli have her.”
“Mira’s the girl from the rift, right?” Denver asks. “What happened? Why did she leave with them? Was that part of the deal—she went with them to save us?”
I ask myself those same questions every day, and I’m still no closer to an answer. I don’t know how to respond.
“Kid?”
I decide to stick to the truth. “All I know is she had to leave with them, but also she said it was her choice to go.”
We don’t talk much for the rest of the ride. Denver dozes off. I’m exhausted, but I can’t get Mira off my mind, and I’m too excited to see Addy and Marco to fall asleep. I close my eyes and try to call up happy memories. I’m reliving the epic pillow fight during our first tour when we slam out of FTL.
Out the window, the planet of Gulaga is in our sights, along with the wreckage of the space elevator. A long spire stretches from the surface of the planet out into space. Construction crafts surround the tip of the spire, and repair robots work on a large platform suspended in space. A dozen defense ships dot the perimeter.
“They’re rebuilding the space elevator?” I ask.
“Oh! No! It’s far too much of a risk. We learned that the hard way, didn’t we? We are disassembling what remains of the elevator and bringing the scrap to the surface. We need all the space-worthy building materials we can find.”
“Are you building ships with the scrap?” Denver asks.
Neeka’s ship isn’t the only one that looks like she bought it at the junkyard. Almost all the Resistance ships look like pieces of junk because, according to Neeka, they mostly are junk. When the Youli snapped the space elevator, much of the Gulagan fleet was lost or destroyed. Later, when the Resistance ousted Earth Force, the Force left with any ship that could fly, hoping to strand the Gulagans on the planet. Fortunately, some of the Tunneler engineers had learned enough from Earth Force during the occupation that they were able to piece together some new ships out of scrap metal and broken-down Force ships that had been abandoned in a repair facility on the surface.
“What’s that silvery gauze around Gulaga?” Denver asks.
“That’s the occludium shield,” I say. “No bounding to the surface.”
“Ah!” he says. “I should have guessed. Occludium-based technology has come a long way since I was stranded in the rift.”
“Good news, Jasper,” Regis says as he returns to the front of the craft. “The Resistance deactivated the scramblers on the surface.”
“So we can bound wherever we want?”
When Regis nods, a smile stretches across my face. That is definitely good news. No more getting stuck on the tundra. No more crossing narrow bridges in Gulagaven. No more flying my blast pack without my gloves.
As we cut through the atmosphere and prepare to land at Gulagaven, Neeka calls down to the surface for them to lower the standard force field that now protects the main settlement.
“I can’t wait to see Addy,” I say. “Will she be there when we touch down?”
“I’m sorry, no,” Neeka says. “They keep the exact itinerary of the transports a secret for security purposes, but I’ll take you to her as soon as we land. Speaking of landing, we’ll be exiting the craft outside. There are parkas stocked in the aft cabin. You’ll need to put those on for the short walk into the tunnels.”
“I could never forget how frigid your planet is,” Denver says. “I almost lost my fingers on my first visit to Gulaga.”
“I almost lost my life when I was trapped outside overnight, thanks to Regis,” I say.
Regis shakes his head. “Please stop bringing that up.”
“I told you before, Regis, I might be able to forgive you eventually, but I’ll never forget what you did. And I’m going to make sure you don’t forget, either.”
“Fine,” he says. “Since we’re bringing up memories, every time I land in Gulaga, I remember when you put burning foot powder in my boots.”
“That was a joke.”
“I wasn’t laughing.”
“And I wasn’t laughing when you threw those bugs in my bed. In fact—”
Neeka waves her paws in the air. “Oh! Oh! No! Enough!”
“I’m with her,” Denver says. “Shut it until we land. Then the two of you can find an isolated underground burrow and yell at each other all you want.”
• • •
I’m half-frozen by the time we make it down the entrance ramp. Once we pass through the two containment doors and into the Outfitters, a Tunneler trades our coats for some human-size parkas. I strip the too-small Tunneler coat off and don the parka as fast as I can, but I still feel like I was dipped in an ice pond. Denver, Regis, and I huddle together shivering until Neeka finishes shutting down her ship and joins us.
My excitement grows with each step as we wind our way down into the heart of Gulagaven. I can’t believe I’m really about to see my sister. When we reach the central chasm, I place my hand against the mud wall and keep walking. Soon, I have to stoop to stop from bumping my head.
“Were the ceilings always so low in this part of Gulagaven?” I ask. “I don’t remember having to bend over until we reached the branch halls.”
Neeka laughs. “You’re oh-so-much taller than the last time you were here.”
“Even I remember these low ceilings,” Denver says. “And how could I forget the bottomless pit? That thing still makes my heart race.” He keeps his hand on the wall, too.
After a few turns around the central chasm, we begin to encounter other Tunnelers. Almost all of them have traded their drab brown-and-gray tunics for colorful garb like we saw across the tundra in the Wacky headquarters during my tour of duty. I bet that’s how Tunnelers dressed before Earth Force showed up in the first place.
It’s not just their clothes that seem different, though. The Tunnelers greet Neeka cheerfully, and many of them smile at Denver, Regis, and me. Some of them give us a far-less-than-friendly stare, which I can understand given their history with Earth. The point is that almost all of them look us in the eye, and that’s a huge change from the last time I was here.
We pass through the central market, and it’s even louder and rowdier than I remember. Tunnelers bark and wave their paws as they trade for goods and clothes and treats—not that I’d call those creepy crawlies treats. The smell alone is enough to make my stomach turn. I don’t bother asking Regis if the Tunneler cuisine has improved since Earth Force left, because I’m 99 percent sure I don’t want to know the answer, and I’m going to find out soon enough anyway.
Once we pass the market, Regis cuts off on his own, mumbling something about changing his clothes and taking a nap. We certainly don’t try to stop him. All of us are happy to be free of him, at least for now. Maybe Regis has changed, but bad blood runs thick, and he’s still annoying, even if he’s not actively trying to kill me.
Finally, we find ourselves at the once ornate, carved doors of the Tunneler Parliamentary Chamber. The relief carvings on the doors are filled over with mud, probably because the carvings depict scenes from the Tunnelers’ first contact with Earth.
When I stood before these doors during my tour of duty, the Bounders were booed. A disgruntled Tunneler even threw eggs at us. Now, though, there is no sign of protest. I’m hoping these doors and the chamber beyond have regained their status as a place of reverence and pride for the Tunnelers.
Neeka greets the door guards. “Brother, sister, salutations. I bow to your service and fortitude.” She tips her head down.
“And we also bow to you, sister,” they both respond, inclining their heads.
“Will you grant us access to the chamber?” Neeka asks.
“We will, s
ister,” the one on the right answers.
Both of the guards grip a handle and pull the doors back. As we pass through, they say in unison, “May your days be peaceful and productive, and may your nights provide shelter from the cold.”
I step into the large chamber filled with dozens of tiny carrels carved into the high walls where Tunnelers have participated in their government throughout the generations. This is where I first saw an Alkalinian. This is where Admiral Eames rallied the Bounders to fight the Youli. And hopefully, this is where I’ll be reunited with my sister.
The chamber floor is packed with humans and Tunnelers, all dressed in brightly colored tunics like Neeka. They’re crowded around a projection table. Graphs and charts and pictures rotate in the air above the table.
I scan the room for my sister. She spots me first.
“Jasper!” Addy cuts through the crowd and tackle-hugs me, nearly knocking us both to the ground.
26
I HOLD MY SISTER LIKE she’s the gravity keeping me on the ground. Now that we’re back together, I’m too afraid to let go. Eventually, Addy untangles herself from me and cups my cheek with her palm. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
I place my hand on hers. “I thought you were dead. The Battle of the Alkalinian Seat . . .”
“I know.” She hugs me again. “Thank goodness we’re both alive. And thank God you made it here safely.”
A hand clamps on my shoulder and gently pulls Addy and me apart.
“Ace, I thought you’d never show.”
I grip Marco’s palm and pull him in for a hug. “Good to see you, Marco.”
“So good, J-Bird. Welcome back from the land of the dead.”
“You just can’t get rid of me.”
Neeka runs over and corrals us all in her furry arms. “Oh! Together again! Happy day!”
When we break apart, another familiar face stands behind Neeka.
“Welcome, Jasper,” Jon Waters says. “I’m so glad you chose to join us.” He looks the same: tall, wrinkled shirt, tweed blazer.
I expected to feel something more when I saw Waters—anger, I hoped, or intimidation, I feared. Instead, I’m oddly detached, like he doesn’t have quite as strong a spell over me as before.
Next to me, Denver clears his throat. “Not all of us had a choice.” I was so caught up in my reunion with Addy, I’d forgotten about Denver. His arms are crossed against his chest, and his cold stare makes clear he’s not thrilled to see Waters. Two armed Tunnelers stand just behind him.
“Good to see you again, Denver,” Water says, extending his palm.
Denver doesn’t shake. “I’m not going to say the same. Under the right circumstances, I suppose I might enjoy grabbing a whiskey and talking old times, but those circumstances don’t include being kidnapped and shipped across the galaxy in a crate with two kids.”
“As I understand it,” Waters says, trying to sound friendly while matching Denver’s cold stare, “one of those kids—one of my students—deserves the credit for you being back in the galaxy in the first place.”
Denver clasps my shoulder. “Jasper and I have spent a lot of time together, Jon. I know how he feels about you, and I guarantee you deserve none of the credit for any of his actions.”
Okay, so that’s out there.
Waters shoots me a glance, then drops his gaze. “Point taken. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to return to the briefing. They’ll see you both to your quarters, where you can rest and change. We’ll talk more later.” He nods at the two Tunneler guards behind Denver and heads back to the group.
“Mr. Waters,” I call after him. I might as well get to the point of why I came halfway across the galaxy, other than seeing my sister, of course: the Youli’s message.
He turns around.
“I need to speak with you.”
“I’ll find you after the briefing, Jasper.” He turns to my sister. “Addy, Marco, you’re needed over here.”
Addy holds tight to my hand. “I haven’t seen my brother in almost a year.”
Waters stares down my sister. She doesn’t budge.
“Fine, you have an hour, but then I need you back.”
“Thanks,” Addy says, already dragging me to the door. “Oh, and Marco’s coming with us.”
Marco runs ahead, not waiting for Waters’s response.
Soon we’re in the hall, beyond earshot of the guards, and it’s just me, my sister, and one of my best friends in the whole galaxy. It feels like every millimeter of my body exhales.
“I’m exhausted,” I say. “And starving. Is the food any better here?”
Marco laughs. “There’s a BERF bar with your name on it just waiting for you in the cantina.”
My face falls. “And I’m betting some tasty green forage, too?”
“Don’t worry,” Addy says. “I have a secret stash of decent snacks. Let’s go!”
When we cut down the hall that takes us to the old Earth Force wing, Addy stops. “The fruit balls are in my room. Head to the Nest, and I’ll meet you there in a few.” She jogs ahead and hangs a left at the next hallway.
Marco and I keep going until we reach a familiar door. He pulls an old-fashioned key from his pocket.
“Since when are the baths locked?” I ask.
“Gotta keep our private hideout private,” he says.
“I thought the scrambler was turned off.”
“It is. Only Bounders are allowed in. In fact, I rarely use this key. We usually just bound, but I thought I’d treat you to a formal entrance.”
“How very kind and un-Marco-like of you.”
“I’ve grown up while you’ve been gone, Ace. Don’t worry, nothing too dramatic, but I can act my age occasionally. Your sister has been a good influence.”
I follow him into the baths. The entry looks just like we left it. Puffy stools line the walls, and a desk is on the back wall. That’s where the two old Tunnelers sat when they brought us here from the trash tunnel. No wonder they hated us. We stunk!
We cut through the empty shower stalls to the back room—a.k.a. the Nest. The place looks even more homey than I remembered. There are papers scattered around with drawings labeled in my sister’s handwriting. There’s also a blanket, some pillows, and an overflowing waste bin filled with protein bar and fruit ball wrappers.
I sit down on the bench and kick up my feet. “Speaking of my sister . . .” I leave the words dangling, hoping he’ll fill in the blank.
“Yeah, umm, about that . . .” He doesn’t finish his sentence, either, but he doesn’t need to. He fiddles with a string on his sleeve.
“It’s cool.” It’s not like I didn’t assume Marco was Addy’s boyfriend. Their connection was growing back in Alkalinia, and that was close to a year ago.
“Addy and I have been through a lot together, Ace.”
I nod, and for a while, we don’t say anything more. I lie back and hang my arm off the bench, dragging my fingers through the thick carpet made of mold. The last time I was in the Nest, the whole pod was together.
“You see Lucy and Cole?” Marco asks. He must have been thinking the same thing.
“They’ve changed.”
Marco snorts. “Understatement.”
“Cole is this military strategy genius, which I guess was kind of predictable.”
“If you say so. He did have mad skills at Evolution of Combat.”
“Remember that time we synced up and charged Normandy?”
“Epic.”
I close my eyes and try to go back to a simpler time when my ranking at Evolution was an important focus of my life. It doesn’t work. “I spent a lot of time with Lucy.”
Marco groans. “It’s impossible to watch the webs for more than two minutes without seeing her huge eyes staring back at you.”
“She was pretty annoyed with you and Addy the last time we were all together.”
Silence filled with things unsaid hangs in the air between us.
“What happened?
” I finally ask. I’ve been wanting to know since I escaped the rift, and for the first time, I might actually get an answer.
Marco shrugs. “It’s hard to explain.”
“I traveled across the galaxy in a box with Regis to get here, Marco. The least you can do is tell me what I missed while I was trapped in the rift.”
Marco laughs. “You make a fair point, Ace.” He sits up on one of the mushroom-shaped stools and crosses his legs. He looks eerily like Waters.
“Alkalinia sucked,” he says. “After the shield blew, it was a free-for-all. Addy and I were running through the lower levels of the Seat, dodging Alks as they tore about on their scooters. We finally made it up to the siphon bay. It was outright war. Earth Force and Youli were ripping each other apart. We didn’t stick around for long because we needed to get to the other Bounders.
“Once we made it to the quarters hall, we were blocked. Steve and a bunch of his throne-riding Alk groupies were holding their position. Steve was hissing orders. Not much of it went through the translators, but one of the Alks had his on, and I’m pretty sure he was telling them to kill all the Bounders.
“We knew we had to do something fast. Addy and I had our gloves out, but they were useless with the scrambler on. The other Bounders were no help. The ones who were awake were so groggy from the venom they could barely stand. Some of the Alks had those yellow vials. I think they were going to overdose our friends. If it hadn’t been for Cole and Lucy, they probably would have.”
It’s weird to hear what happened to my friends while Mira and I were trapped in the rift. If I hadn’t gotten that shield down, they’d be dead. “What did Cole and Lucy do?”
“During the chaos, Cole hacked the system and deactivated the scrambler. They came at the Alks from behind. I’m sure it was Cole’s mastermind plan, but Lucy was able to wrangle the other Bounders into our quarters while Cole used his gloves to immobilize the Alks who were fighting off Addy and me from the other side. Once the Bounders were safely in, Cole retreated and sealed the doors.”
“How?”
Marco shrugs. “Cole figured out some tech thing. Anyway, they survived the battle, which is a lot more than I can say about a lot of the Earth Force soldiers who fought that day. Eventually the Youli retreated, and a handful of Alks got off the planet on their vessel.”
The Heroes Return Page 21
