The Chase

by Bradley Caffee

  “Are you kidding?” Audrey’s voice held a sweetness that always warmed Sheila. “Didn’t you know? I’ll be dancing bedside in no time.”

  The joke was meant to lighten the mood, but it tore at Sheila’s heart. “That’s so good to hear,” she said, unable to disguise her tears this time.

  Her sister suddenly grew serious on the screen. “What’s wrong, sweetie? Are you okay? Has something happened?”

  “No, not yet anyway.” She looked away, uncomfortable with the half-truth. “I needed to hear your voice. I needed to know I’m doing the right thing up here.”

  “Listen to me.” Audrey had a way of commanding Sheila’s attention with a tone like their mother’s. “Do you remember what I told you when you left to chase your dream of becoming a journalist?”

  “Yes. I do.”

  “And?”

  “You told me to tell it like it is—to tell the world what I see, the way I see it.”

  “And to never give in to anyone who made you think otherwise.” Audrey held a hand out to touch the screen. “After what happened to Dad, we can’t let the world push us around.”

  If she knew. What would Audrey think when she saw the retraction printed later that day?

  “I feel like I’m not taking good enough care of you. I feel so far away up here,” Sheila said.

  “Hey, who’s the big sister here?” Audrey’s voice conveyed her smile. “It’s my job to take care of you, Sis. Don’t you worry about me. You hear me? Don’t you ever worry about me.”

  “I hear you.”

  “Sheila, I’m so proud of you.”

  “You sound like Mom.” Sheila swallowed hard to prevent from breaking down. “You were always the brave one like her.”

  “I love you, Sis. You take care of yourself up there. Okay?”

  “I will. I love you too.” Sheila ended the call and placed her head on the desk in front of her. There in the sterile office on the station, she allowed her tough exterior to melt. The tears flowed freely, and shame flooded her for becoming the pawn of the Alliance. Audrey would never allow it if she found out.

  One day. She promised herself. One day soon.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Willis zipped the last couple inches of his racing uniform as he stepped into the corridor. Chief Administrator Blacc had called him to an unexpected meeting prior to their final training run. He quietly muttered his frustration to himself. The final run was tomorrow, and he hoped that Blacc’s blabbing wouldn’t eat too far into their track time.

  It had been two weeks since Jez had stormed out of the common room. She’d barely spoken a word to Willis since. He wanted to try to patch things up with her this afternoon. He still didn’t trust her, but he needed her to bring her best to the run tomorrow.

  He rounded the various twisting hallways to the administrative branch of the station. He so rarely came this way that he had to stop a couple times to remind himself of the direction of Blacc’s office. Coming around the corner, the flash of blue uniforms startled him as Jaden and Perryn were both outside Blacc’s door as well.

  “Willis?” Perryn appeared as startled as he was.

  “What are you guys doing here?” Willis searched both of their faces for answers.

  “Blacc called us to a meeting,” Jaden said. “Aren’t you supposed to be training?”

  “Supposed to be.” Willis gestured with a thumb over his shoulder.

  Perryn arched a brow. “What do you think this is about?”

  “No idea, Perryn.” Willis shrugged.

  “One way to find out I guess.” Jaden sighed and turned to the door.

  Jaden touched the pad next to the door to announce their arrival. Schwipp! Blacc’s door opened suddenly, giving all three of them a view inside. Blacc sat behind his desk, his elbows resting on the surface. His hands were clasped one over the other, so he could rest his chin on them. His grave appearance matched the drab grey of his uniform.

  It was not Blacc, however, that kept Willis’s attention. In the chair to the left sat Jez. Her jet-black hair hung loosely rather than its usual place behind her ears, hiding her averted face. She simply stared at the wall in front of her, arms crossed. Willis tried to piece together what it all meant.

  “Have a seat, you three.” Blacc broke the silence.

  “Chief Administrator, what is this—” Willis started.

  “Sit down!” Blacc barked. He pointed to the closest empty seat.

  The three traded silent glances as they took the other chairs in the room. Jez never turned her head. What has she done? Willis worked to catch her eye.

  “Forgive my momentary outburst, trainees.” Blacc sighed. “But I’ve received some disturbing news.”

  Willis, Perryn, and Jaden froze to their chairs.

  “Your teammate here, Red Leader”—he motioned toward Jez—“has informed me that she observed you three being accosted by a rather disagreeable character in the corridor several weeks ago—a woman with gray hair.”

  Willis shot a glance at Jez who appeared furious, the red in her face nearly matching her uniform.

  Jaden sucked in his breath.

  Perryn’s eyes widened as the truth came together in her mind.

  “What did you do, Jez?” Willis whispered.

  Blacc reclined in his chair. “What she did was think of the good of the Alliance.” He stood and paced, his hands clasped behind his back. “That woman was a renegade—a traitor who slipped onto this station to undo the glorious work we’re doing here.”

  Willis could hear Jaden’s breathing quicken. “I’m not sure I would call her a—” Willis started.

  “She is a traitor and a fraud!” Blacc shouted, jabbing a finger at him. “By showing herself to you, she threatens to undermine the entire process of preparing you all to represent this Alliance in the Chase. Red Leader, of all our trainees, you should have reported her appearance immediately. The damage she has done—”

  “What damage?” Perryn interrupted.

  Blacc nodded to Jez. “Your teammate tells me she observed quite a lengthy conversation between you all. In the weeks since, she says that Red Leader has been quite—oh, how should we say it? Distracted.”

  “I’m not distracted.” Willis stopped himself from rising from his chair.

  Jez huffed. It was the first sound she’d made since they arrived.

  “Do you have something to say to me?” Willis allowed the contempt to drip from his words. He didn’t want to believe she’d done this, but he knew her better. She didn’t answer. She didn’t even look at him.

  “Your team leader has asked you a direct question.” Blacc jumped in when she failed to respond. He sat, crossing his arms.

  Jez finally turned to look at Willis. Her eyes were dark with anger and appeared to burn him with their glare. She stared him down.

  “You. Are. A. Liar.” Each word thrust like a knife.

  He answered with an expression of disbelief.

  “That’s right, I said you’re a liar.”

  “Where do you get off saying that?” Willis threw his arms open.

  “Where do I get off?” She pointed at herself, her voice rising. “I call you a liar because that’s what you are. For months, I couldn’t understand your sick fascination with the blueys. I told myself you were stressed, that losing that race threw you off. I convinced myself that you’d pull yourself together and return us to nothing but winning. You—promised—you—would.

  “But now I know you’re a liar. You’ve been working against us ever since you met that woman.” She stood and placed her hands on Willis’s chair to lean over him. “I don’t know if it was that woman or these two insects next to you, but someone has gotten in your head. I told you I wouldn’t lose, so if you won’t pull yourself together, I’ll do it for you.”

  “You’re crazy,” was all Willis could think to say.

  “No, you’re confused,” she shouted, furious and out of control. “They have confused you. The newbie has brainwas
hed you. We are your team, Willis. We are your friends. Not them.”

  “I’m not sure you have any idea what it means to be a friend.” He couldn’t keep the disgust from lacing his words.

  “What I’m sure of is that I—we had a plan. We were going to win, you and me. We were supposed to go to the Chase and win together. I won’t let them take you away from me.”

  Jez’s eyes narrowed as she glanced over Willis’s shoulder at Perryn. His stomach turned as he realized she meant she had feelings for him, and he looked around to see if the others were connecting the dots. They were.

  Blacc tried to hide a chuckle “Well, since we’re all over-informed, what do we do with all this?”

  Jez flopped in her chair, her face even redder, the realization of what she’d given away dawning on her.

  “Chief Administrator, I beg you,” Jaden said. His voice was unlike Willis had ever heard it, shaky and uncertain. For the first time, Willis heard joyless fear come from Jaden.

  “Quiet, Blue runner,” Blacc interrupted. “Your mother made her choice the instant she emerged. You can be certain that her punishment has already begun.”

  “No!” Jaden’s breaths came rapidly, and he gripped the edge of the desk in front him. His hands trembled as his knuckles whitened.

  “Yes. You made your choice too, and you can lie down tonight knowing that her fate is partly your responsibility.”

  At these words, Jaden slumped out of his chair to the floor. Falling to his knees, he covered his head with his hands and curled into a ball. The room was silent enough to hear his tears quietly patting the floor, interrupted by occasional whimpers of “No” and “I’m sorry, Mom,” escaping his lips.

  Jez’s lips curled into a smile as she watched Jaden, and it all came together for Willis. Jaden was breaking before their eyes. This is what she wanted.

  “Hear me,” Blacc continued, his tone even and flat. “I would see all of you recoded to put this matter to rest once and for all, but I can’t very well do that the night before the final race. We need to submit our Chase team to the Coalition, and there is no time.

  “The way I see it, tomorrow’s race will lead to recoding for one team and removal from this station for the other. Knowledge of what has taken place dies here if you all keep your mouths shut. If I catch even one hint that this is getting out, I’ll recode all four of you and ship the rest of the trainees to the Chase. Do you hear me?”

  “Yes, Chief Administrator.” Jez straightened, suddenly alert to the realization that she could be recoded for having knowledge of the woman.

  “Yes, Chief Administrator,” Perryn sniffed between silent tears.

  Jaden was slower to respond but did in a weak voice. “Yes, Chief Administrator.”

  “And you, Red Leader?” Blacc’s gaze shifted to Willis.

  Willis hadn’t realized that he was glaring at Blacc. He slowed his breathing and unclenched his jaw.

  “Yes—Chief Administrator,” Willis managed.

  The meeting had ended with a few more words about the glory of the Alliance from Blacc, who dismissed Willis with a sneer. “Enjoy your training, Red Leader.”

  Perryn had retreated with a tearful Jaden to the blue barracks.

  Willis led his team through a rather wooden practice run and left to clean up. Not a word passed between Jez and him with the threat of recoding fresh in his mind. If Toad and Kane noticed, they hadn’t mentioned it. He had an idea, but he needed to move quickly.

  Emerging from his quarters, the red glow of the lights reminded him of his new hatred for his teammate. He couldn’t believe what Jez had done. She must have heard who the woman was. What kind of person could do that, even to someone they hate? Then, almost as if she sensed he was thinking of her, the door to Toad’s quarters opened, and Jez emerged. Willis retreated into the shadows by his own door and watched.

  “So are we clear, Toad?” Jez spoke in a whisper.

  “Yeah, I got you.” He gave her a cocky smile. “It’s about time you saw how valuable I am to the team.”

  She glanced around, her expression nervous. “Shut up, weasel, and lower your voice. I came to you because I know you’re the only one slimy enough to want in on this. Not a word until the race tomorrow. I’m not going to lose, and he’s the real threat to that.”

  “Sure thing.” Toad appeared smug.

  With that, she retreated to her own door farther down the corridor. Peering around one more time, she went inside.

  Willis stepped out into the light again. He could not believe what he’d heard. He’d have to warn Jaden that Jez and Toad were plotting to sabotage him, but he had time to do that.

  First, he needed to find the person who might be able to help him. He started walking toward the office of Sheila Kemp.

  “What are you doing here, Willis?” Sheila stood at the doorway, not permitting him inside her office this time.

  “I need your help again.” He recognized he was asking a lot of her, but he had to.

  “Shh. Keep your voice down. I can’t.” She waved a hand to quiet him.

  “But—”

  “No, Willis, I can’t help you.”

  Willis tried to step inside, but Sheila moved to block him. “You don’t understand. They found out about her.”

  “That’s not all they’ve found out about. Please, you have to go.” Her eyes scanned the hallway nervously.

  “What do you mean?”

  She let out a frustrated breath and grabbed his arm, pulling him inside the office. “Listen.There are others with something at stake here too. I nearly paid for opening my mouth a little too much. If they discovered I’ve been telling you things or passing messages—let’s say I’m not willing to pay that price.”

  “But I thought you cared about telling the real story.” Willis frowned.

  “I did when I was the one going to get hurt. Willis, trust me, the Alliance has a lot of power, but the Coalition chairman has even more. And I have him breathing down my neck.”

  “So that’s it? They’ve bought your silence.”

  She sighed, shame washing over her face.

  Seeing her expression, Willis regretted his comment. “I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have—”

  “No, they haven’t bought me.” She glanced up at him. “I have to be silent for now. I feel for the woman you met. She’s not the first to suffer for the Alliance’s abuse, and she won’t be the last. When the time is right, someone is going to have to tell the truth, but my hands are tied while I’m here. That won’t last forever, though. I’ve been instructed to travel with the winning team to the Chase. As soon as I can, after the race, I plan to get my sister somewhere safe.”

  “And then?”

  “Then, the gloves come off. I promise.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The muscles in Willis’s legs trembled as he waited for the tone. The starting gate stood at the end of a cold, metal platform that created a long, narrow ramp into the final track Willis hoped he would ever run at the station. The ramp ended at a square opening centered on one side of a solid cubical structure. During training, Willis had done his best to memorize the inside of the cube, which contained a labyrinth of passages. Each passage had obstructions jutting out in all directions and openings to force the runners to climb up or drop down to different levels. It was very disorienting to be inside. Despite their practice time, Willis mistrusted the solution he’d memorized.

  Jez’s accusation had become self-fulfilling. His mind was distracted with the knowledge of her intentions. He’d visited Jaden’s quarters and warned him that Jez and Toad were up to something, but Jaden acted too distraught to care. He wore the same lost expression when he’d arrived at the morning meal.

  Willis was sure nothing had changed, though he couldn’t see Jaden, as Blue team’s ramp was on the other side of the cube. He’d tried to encourage Perryn when she arrived for the run, but her face told him all he needed to know about her nerves.

  He shifted his thoughts
to the one thing that would focus him. One more race, and I can be with my parents. One more, and I’m going home.

  “Red Team. Blue Team.” Blacc’s voice blared over the speakers from the administrators’ window. “Welcome to the final run to determine the team that will represent our glorious Alliance in the Chase. This is the day for which you’ve been preparing. May your service to the Alliance today be remembered by all who follow.”

  Here it came. Willis crouched, ready to spring out of the gate.

  Clang.

  It wasn’t the tone. Willis couldn’t believe his ears as he realized the administrators were introducing a new feature to this track.

  Whirrrr! The entire room around him moved with dizzying effect. Looking to his right, he realized the sphere wasn’t moving, but rather the cube maze in front of him. The entire track structure was turning counter clockwise.

  “Anyone else seeing this?” Toad tapped Willis on the shoulder.

  “Oh—my—” Jez’s voice trailed off.

  Toad turned to Willis. “So much for everything we practiced. What are we going to do?”

  “Split up.” Jez spoke before Willis could even open his mouth. “It’s the only way. We need to cover more ground. I’ll go with Toad.”

  “No,” Willis blurted without thinking. He couldn’t allow them to both be out of his sight. “Jez, you stick with me. Toad, you work with Kane.” At least this way, he could watch Jez.

  “Fine,” Jez responded, turning away from him. Willis shook as the confidence in his team withered inside of him. He wondered how Perryn was faring on the other side of the cube.

  “Jaden, what should we do?” Amber’s gaze was riveted on the moving track.

  “I—I’m not sure.” His voice lacked its usual confidence.

  “J-J-Jaden, you okay?” Dex’s stutter gave way to his nerves.

  “He’s fine, Dex. Run your hearts out, guys.” Perryn tried to sound confident. “This is messing Red Team up as much as it is us.”