As usual, my heart melts at the sight of his smile. I don’t care if Logan is a sleepy mess—he is Logan. And in moments he gets down from his bunk with easy athletic movements. Minutes later, I finally manage to drag Gracie down and off we all go to use the facilities, after getting Gordie up also.
We make our way to the closest meal hall, a large cafeteria-like chamber with many long bench tables and a self-serve bar along one wall. Here we eat in haste, what looks to be some kind of breakfast dish of mixed fruits and vegetables that taste vaguely like an egg scramble. The veggies are all grown onboard the ark-ships, inside their hydroponics and greenhouse facilities, and are mostly unknown varieties native to Atlantis, with a few Earth plants thrown in to make our dietary transition less weird. I see tomatoes, mushrooms, and zucchini on my plate in addition to unknown alien stuff. But it all tastes okay, and besides, I am too nervous to care today what it is I’m eating.
“This is yucky,” Gracie says, poking at her plate with a fork.
“No, it’s not,” I respond wearily. “Come on, you need to eat, Gee Four. Please, for once, cut the crap.”
“It’s okay,” Gordie says, shoveling the food in his mouth, as usual.
“It tastes like eggs. I hate eggs,” Gracie moans.
“Okay, jeez,” I say. And then I point to my tall glass filled with alien fruit juice called nikkari—a thick algae-greenish liquid resembling one of those fancy wheat-grass health drinks from a trendy juice-bar bistro back on Earth. “See this? It looks weird but tastes really good. Heavenly, actually, light and fresh like watermelon ambrosia or something. I bet you can just drink it like a protein shake. Try it!”
Gracie stares at the green juice and makes a face.
Gordie reaches over and picks up my glass and takes a swig. “Hey!” he says. “Yummy!”
“See?” I tell Gracie.
But she continues to grimace. “You do realize that Gee Three liking something is empirically meaningless? He’s a pig.”
At that, Logan, who sits next to me, starts to laugh.
Eventually we get out of the meal hall and hike toward the central hub of the ship in order to line up for the decision ceremony thing. Good thing we’re relatively early, because the line is already significant, snaking through several corridors of the command deck.
Teens whisper nervously all around us as we stand, milling about.
Eventually the line starts moving. Atlantean crew members direct us into a large, brightly lit, sterile chamber where we see a slightly elevated dais near the back wall, over which hangs a grand square logo of Atlantis. On the dais is a long table with a panel of seated Atlanteans who look important.
I recognize Captain Bequa Larei in the middle, and on both sides of her are two officers, a total of five people.
Meanwhile, we are lined up before the dais in rows, and we start filling the room.
“Each row will approach the panel of commanding officers,” an Atlantean officer tells us. “You will then come up to the Captain, one at a time, give your name, be scanned, and announce your choice, Cadet or Civilian. Your choice will be recorded and you will be given your formal orders and assignment. Now, proceed!”
My heart begins to beat faster. We are in the middle of the room, with about five rows ahead of us. Next to me on the right, Gracie looks very pale and Gordie is not much better. Logan stands on my left and looks composed, his face unreadable. But I sense by his excessive stillness that he is far more affected than he chooses to admit.
The first row of the Qualified approaches the command panel. The first person, a short bulky girl, takes a single step to climb up to the dais and stands before Captain Larei.
“Your name?” Captain Larei says, while the Atlantean officer to her right scans the girl’s red ID token.
“Adriana Regalo.”
“State your choice. Cadet or Civilian?”
There is a brief pause. And then the girl says, “Civilian.”
The captain nods. The Atlantean officer this time to the left of her scans Adriana Regalo’s ID token again. “Noted and recorded. You are assigned to this ship, Red Quadrant, Residential Deck One. Proceed there to receive your permanent orders.”
The girl nods and then quickly moves out of the way to allow the next person their turn.
This goes on for about ten minutes. Most people choose “Civilian,” and are assigned to this ship, though there are a few “Cadet” choices thrown in. The first teen who chooses “Cadet” is told to proceed to “Blue Quadrant, Network Systems, Cadet Deck Two.” Everyone stares at the boy as he nods stiffly and gets scanned.
At last it’s our row’s turn. We step forward.
I exchange glances with my siblings and Logan, and take Gracie’s hand briefly. My heart is pounding now, and I feel cold with an approaching sense of doom.
Four people in our row are ahead of us. And then, Gordie. . . . My younger brother glances at me, scratches his cheek and pushes up his glasses nervously. He then goes up the dais and stops before the captain.
“Gordon Lark,” he says gruffly, as an Atlantean officer passes a gadget over his blue token.
“State your choice,” says the captain in an emotionless voice.
I clench my fingers into bloodless white-knuckled fists.
“Civilian,” Gordie says, after the slightest pause.
I exhale in impossible relief. I think Gordie does too, because his previously glum expression suddenly lightens up. Indeed, there’s almost a smile there, as I see him turn his head back at us slightly.
“You are assigned to this ship, Blue Quadrant, Residential Deck Two. Proceed there to receive your permanent orders,” Captain Larei says.
Gordie nods, and steps away.
Gracie is up next.
Again I catch my breath.
Gracie looks at me and her eyes are momentarily terrified. She then steps forward and stands before the captain.
I watch the back of her head, her long dirty-blond hair, and notice how stiffly she stands.
“Grace Lark,” she says in a clean steady voice, so that momentarily I am proud of her control after all these days of her being an emotional mess.
And then comes the big question.
Gracie pauses.
I hold my breath and pray.
“Cadet,” she says suddenly.
Even the captain must not have seen this coming, because the Atlantean gives Gracie a closer look. And then, apparently liking what she sees, Captain Larei nods.
My heart, oh God, it has gone into overdrive. . . .
Gracie! What have you done? I think, as I forget to breathe.
“Noted and recorded,” the captain says, while another officer scans Gracie’s token. “You are assigned to this ship, Red Quadrant, Drive and Propulsion, Cadet Deck One. Proceed there to receive your permanent orders.”
Oh, Gracie. . . .
And then, it’s my turn.
I am still reeling from what has just happened. But I take a deep breath, forcing myself to be clearheaded for what I am about to do.
And then I step forward.
“Your name?”
I stare directly into Captain Larei’s kohl-outlined eyes, watch her handsome face and the stern lines of her golden metallic hair.
“Gwenevere Lark,” I say in a hard, cold voice that’s not my own.
While an Atlantean officer passes his hand-held device over my ID token, I breathe shallow and feel the pulse racing in my temples.
“State your choice. Cadet or Civilian?”
I meet the captain’s gaze without blinking.
“Neither,” I say. “I choose to be a Citizen.”
Chapter Three
There is a strange pause as everyone looks at me.
“You what?” Captain Larei says with the beginning of a frown, and widens her eyes, as though coming awake. “What did you say?”
“I choose to be a Citizen of Atlantis,” I say clearly, standing as still and straight as possible.
&n
bsp; The captain parts her lips, about to speak. In that moment the officer to her right leans in closer and speaks something in Atlantean, pointing to his scanning gadget.
The captain turns to him, glances over at the device, shakes her head in seeming puzzlement.
Moments tick.
Finally Captain Larei returns her attention to me, and her expression reverts to a semblance of composure.
“So,” she says in a bland voice, but her eyes follow me with an intense scrutiny. “It looks like your ID has been specially flagged in the system—which is convenient, because now I don’t have to deal with your case. Apparently you are being transferred to Imperial Command Ship Two. According to these orders, and regardless of your choice, you have been assigned to Yellow Quadrant, Navigation and Guidance, Command Deck Four. Your commanding officer is Command Pilot Aeson Kassiopei himself, and you report to him directly.”
It is now my turn to be stunned. My lips part, and I stare at her.
But Captain Larei nods at me curtly, and the Atlantean officer to her left passes his device over my ID token. “Noted and recorded. Proceed to Shuttle Bay Three to complete your permanent transfer.”
I press my lips tight and swallow. And then I step off the dais to allow Logan his turn.
The next few minutes are a mess. Gracie and Gordie and I stand huddled outside in the corridor, looking at each other. It’s as if we all gave each other blows to the head and are recovering from the multiple weird, self-inflicted concussions.
Gracie is still defiant from making her gutsy choice of Cadet, but some of her bravado has been diminished by the fact that I am now going to be separated from the two of them. Gordie appears upset again. His frown is back, and his hands are stuck in the pockets of his uniform, which for Gordie is a sign of stress and depression.
“Listen to me,” I say. “It’s going to be okay! Gracie, I can’t believe what you did there, choosing Cadet, of all things—”
“You can’t believe?” Gracie flares at me. “What about what you just did, Gee Two? What the hell did you choose? Citizen? What is that? And because of that now they transferred you to some other ship—”
“No, they said my transfer was going to happen anyway, regardless of my choice—”
“And not just any ship,” Gordie cuts in. “She’s on Imperial Command Ship Two! That’s supposed to be Phoebos’s ship! You know, your Command Pilot Kass guy—”
“Not my ‘Kass’ guy,” I interrupt with rising anger. “And he’s not Kass, but Kassiopei!”
“Whatever!” Gordie shrugs. “What difference does it make?”
Gracie stares at me, as suddenly it sinks in. “Wait! Kassiopei? He’s—Isn’t that supposed to be their Royal or Imperial or whatever Family?”
“Exactly!” I say, turning to her.
“So he’s, what—” Gracie’s face pales.
“He’s an effing prince of Atlantis!” I exclaim. At my raised voice other people in the corridor turn to stare at us.
“Oh, crap . . .” Gracie mutters.
“What? Damn!” This time Gordie’s jaw drops. “Da-a-a-amn!”
But I am motioning with my hands for them to tone it down. “Okay, now, listen,” I say urgently, continuing what I was originally trying to tell them. “It doesn’t matter, okay? Nothing matters except we are going to survive this thing, one way or another, all of us. Gracie, you will be careful, and you will stay safe. Yes, I am worried as hell that you picked Cadet as your choice. But somehow I have faith in your abilities—as long as you keep it together and don’t let yourself fall apart—okay? Gordie—you’re way smart, and as a Civilian I’m sure you will not get in any trouble if you just do what you’re supposed to. Right? Right?”
My brother nods reluctantly.
But Gracie continues to look at me fiercely. “How could you do this Citizen thing? How could you? You abandoned us, knowingly—”
“No! That is not what I’m doing!”
“Then what?”
I take a big breath and pause, as my siblings stare at me. So I take Gracie’s hand and put my other hand on Gordie’s shoulder.
“I had to choose Citizen,” I whisper. “Because it’s the only way I can do something to save Mom and Dad and George. I am going to enter the Games of the Atlantis Grail as soon as we arrive on Atlantis. It’s the only way to become a Citizen, and therefore the only way to get our family rescued. The winners of the Atlantis Grail get all their craziest wishes granted! You understand?”
“But—aren’t the Games of the Atlantis Grail supposed to be impossible?” Gordie mutters. “No one can win those things! You’ll get killed!”
“I know. But I have to try,” I say. “Besides, I have that Logos voice, remember? It’s a huge advantage! I can totally win this thing!”
What I don’t say out loud to my brother and sister is that I could not live with myself if I didn’t try, and that I am absolutely, hopelessly insane to be attempting something like this.
And that probably, yeah, I will get killed in the process. . . .
So maybe Gracie is right. I am about to abandon my only remaining family to selfishly go after an impossibility.
While we continue to talk in agitation, Logan Sangre catches up to us. “Gwen, that was not a smart thing to do, what you did back there,” he says immediately, taking my arm. “Citizen? Really? Do you have any idea how much unnecessary attention and trouble this could cause? I mean, I get it, I know what you’re trying to do, but there’s a better way. You simply choose Cadet, take all these months to train, build yourself up. . . . Then, if you still think you can do it, you enter those goddamn Games when we arrive on Atlantis.”
I look at him with a frown. “I thought you, of all people, would understand.”
“I do! But I also want you to be safe and careful. And now look, you’ve been reassigned.”
I continue to frown until he sighs, lets go of my arm, and steps back. But then all my anger and hurt deflates as soon as I hear what he says next.
“I’ve been transferred too,” he informs me with an equally serious expression. “I am going to be on Imperial Command Ship One, Red Quadrant, Drive and Propulsion, Cadet Deck One. That’s Commander Manakteon Resoi’s flagship.”
“Oh, man, that’s wild!” Gordie exclaims. “You’re on the first ship in the Fleet!”
I just look at Logan and bite my lip.
Apparently we’re all getting separated.
Well, what did I think was going to happen?
“At least Gee Three and I get to be on the same ship together,” Gracie says.
“But not in the same sections,” Gordie adds.
But Logan watches me intensely. “So, you’re on Command Ship Two,” he says. “I don’t like it. That’s his ship. Phoebos, Aeson Kass—or should I say, Kassiopei.”
“Yeah,” I mutter. “I guess.”
“So, did you know who he really was? I mean, about his family—”
“Sort of. . . .” I look up at Logan, feeling a strange heat rising in my cheeks.
“Wait—you knew? Did he tell you himself?” Now Logan is starting to frown, and he draws closer to me.
“No!” I hurry to reply, with rising agitation. “Of course he didn’t tell me anything like that. It’s not like we ever talked about personal stuff, it was all voice training related. I just heard about it from one of the Atlantean Instructors. . . . I mean, I don’t think he’s hiding it like it’s a huge secret or anything, just not advertising the fact that he’s some kind of royal. At least not while we were still on Earth. I suppose now that we’re here on the ships, we’ll learn all kinds of other interesting things about him and the others—”
“The fact that he had you transferred to his ship means he’s got special plans for you.” Logan is still watching me with a strange expression that I have trouble reading.
“Well, yeah.” I blink. “He expects me to use my Logos voice for whatever Atlantean purposes. I bet he will continue to train me.”
&n
bsp; “I still don’t like it. Be careful of him, stay alert. Don’t let him—get to you.”
“Get to me? How?”
Logan takes a deep breath. He begins to say something, but decides against it and stays silent. A long weird pause happens during which he looks at me with somehow vulnerable eyes and I stare back at him, my temples pounding.
When he finally speaks, it’s in a more aloof tone. “Whatever it is, we still don’t know anything about their long-term plans or real motives, Gwen. It’s all just the tip of an iceberg.”
I nod. “Yes, it’s complicated, I get it.”
Logan cranes his head to the side. “Do you?”
I frown then punch him on the arm. “Okay, stop that! Enough, seriously.”
But my mind, my pulse continues to race with an inexplicable emotion.
We walk back to our temporary barracks which happens to be somewhere on Residential Deck Four, within the Yellow Quadrant of this ark-ship. Here we collect our duffel bags with our belongings from the small storage units behind wall panels corresponding to our bunks, and proceed outside. Gordie’s been assigned to Residential Deck Two, which is in Blue, so off he goes after giving me an elusive hug—or rather, I hug him and he slips out of my grasp like an eel and pats my shoulder awkwardly.
“I’ll see you around, Gee Two and Four,” he mumbles.
“Larks stick together!” Gracie and I speak in unison, in a feeble attempt at cheer. I feel an immediate pang of guilt. Yes, I am abandoning them.
“Well, I’m heading to Cadet Deck One,” Gracie says.
“Okay, I’m sure there’s a way to call or communicate from ship to ship,” I say. “As soon as we figure it out, we call! And you call too, Gee Three! Promise!”
“Yeah, I promise.”
And then I squeeze the life out of Gracie, as we both hug each other, dropping our bags down to the floor.
Compete Page 4