The Energy Crusades

by Valerie Noble

  "Sit down, Kaia," she ordered. I hurriedly took the chair next to Atticus.

  "Atticus Martin claims you were responsible for the destruction in the cafeteria the other day. That you lost your temper and destroyed University property. I let the first skirmish between the two of you slide but I want some answers now." I stared into her piercing blue eyes and kept myself from looking at Atticus. I knew without a doubt he had said no such thing. She was trying to bait me. The look she gave me was almost a challenge. I couldn't call her a liar.

  "I'd like to hear for myself what he has to say and what he's accusing me of. I don't recall any such incidents."

  Her eyes narrowed at me suspiciously. She cocked her head to the side and studied my face for several minutes without saying anything. Finally she turned her gaze on Atticus. I let my breath out, unaware I'd been holding it in.

  "What do you have to say, Atticus?"

  "I don't recall any such incidents," he answered, without a trace of his usual arrogance. Professor Baal clasped her hands in front of her and placed them on the desk. She looked at me.

  "Did Atticus act inappropriately to the other Students and cause a disturbance?"

  I wanted to tell her Atticus's behavior wasn't at all unusual for an Athlete, but I didn't think she'd appreciate my observation. "I don't know if I fully understand the question, Professor," I said instead, and my stomach felt sick. I could only stall for so long.

  "Really?" She raised her eyebrows. "Do you fully understand what it means to be sentenced to ride in the Energy Fields?" Neither of us said a word. My stomach was in knots. "Do the two of you think you can behave in any manner you like and not have to face any consequences? Do you think because you're Athletes you can get away with it?" We remained silent. "Either tell me the truth about what happened, or you can both spend the evening riding in the Energy Fields."

  The dread spread through my body. Athletes considered it beneath them to ride in the Energy Fields. The Fields were for those unable to produce enough energy to support their daily needs. Students or residents of the Grid could ride if they needed the extra energy, or if all else failed and they had energy debts to pay. Or, a person could be ordered to ride as a punishment but such a punishment was generally reserved for Consumers, those who continually used more energy than they produced. Athletes were rarely sentenced to ride. It was a humiliation.

  I looked over at Atticus and considered our options. If we told Professor Baal the truth, she might be more lenient with the punishment, but then we would have to tell on each other, something I wasn't willing to do, no matter the consequences. Atticus met my eyes and I sensed the same determination in him. I faced our Professor again.

  "We don't believe we can get away with anything, Professor. We are dedicated Athletes and have always done our duty to serve our Grids. We apologize if our behavior was misunderstood by the other Students." I'd learned a thing or two from Tiergan, but she wasn't buying it.

  "Misunderstood? Oh, I see," she leaned back in her chair and smiled at us but didn't really look amused. "The two of you were just being friendly is it? There was no waste of energy? You know, Kaia, I've heard this story before, and from another Athlete. You remember Tiergan Robi?" I groaned inwardly. Why did he always have to get in trouble?

  "That's exactly our point," Atticus spoke up for me. "Any Athlete will tell you the same thing. We're different."

  Professor Baal focused her icy gaze on Atticus. She wasn't even looking at me and I shrank back in my seat.

  "Both of you can spend the next two hours serving in the Energy Fields. All of the energy will be donated to the University." Two hours? We hadn't even had our dinner and I'd just recovered from fighting the Virtuals. Her blue eyes alighted on mine as if she heard my thoughts.

  "Two hours," she emphasized. "Unless you'd like to tell me which of you is responsible for the broken dishes in the cafeteria."

  I guess I could've put the blame on Atticus and let him ride alone, but it could have easily been me who destroyed University property, on a day when my self-control was less intact. News of the Social had angered me as much as it had Atticus, and I would share the punishment. When I looked at him again, all the color had drained from his face. He didn't have to worry though. I was no tattletale.

  "It will be an honor to serve the University, Professor," was all I said, though nothing could have been further from the truth. My stomach felt sick at the idea.

  "Well then, you better go start serving," she dismissed us.

  We left her office and dejectedly made our way over to the Energy Fields. We had to log in at the control station at the northern end of campus. It was a small glass building designed to monitor the lanes.

  "You sure took your time answering her in there," Atticus scowled as he logged us on to adjacent lanes. We had to wait while they became activated. The ground turned over, bringing our bicycles to the surface.

  "Did you think I would let you take the blame, Atty?" I bit back a smile. He knew I would never tell on a fellow Athlete.

  "No, I can't imagine it," he admitted. "And don't call me that!" He stomped out of the booth and headed for our lanes. I followed him while trying to avoid getting run over by the other riders.

  The Fields were busy during the last hours before the sun disappeared completely. We plugged our suits into the bikes and began the ride. Once you strapped your feet into the pedals, the computerized bikes would not unlock until your required time was finished. We were locked in for two hours. The track lit up and had a bit of a pull to help you along, but still, you had to keep up a decent speed or your lane would go dark. If the lane went dark, your time would stop until you brought your speed back up. We wouldn't let our lanes go dark; we wanted to finish and be out of the Energy Fields as quickly as possible.

  There were packs of Students who rode together in a blur of gray. They gave us curious looks as we passed them, or openly stared, as if we were on the monitors and not actually in front of them. Atticus grew increasingly agitated but I begged him not to start any fights. I didn't want to have to back him up and risk being sentenced to ride some more, but his anger was inflamed when Students began to line the fields at various spots along our route, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Athletes riding.

  "Just ignore it, Atticus," I pleaded, but my face was as flushed with anger as his. It was easy to see why my brother lashed out, why he got into loads of trouble. How were we supposed to handle being gawked at? I wanted to get off my bike and go over to them and scream. Instead, I kept riding, letting the gloomy silence hover between us. There was a melancholy that clung to Atticus, and my chest tightened at the sadness in his eyes. What did I know about him? He was an excellent football player, and I'd seen his games all over the monitors, but I didn't actually know him. We were just beginning to form a real friendship despite our disastrous first meeting.

  "Hey," I called to him, getting his attention. He looked over at me with the all-too-common look Athletes wore in the quiet times away from the competition and the general public: loneliness. "I'm glad you're here with me." With my comment, his dark eyes brightened and he smiled, the desolation evaporating. I let my eyes stay on his and my mind go to places I hadn't allowed it before. Atticus had eyes the color of charred wood and his skin was olive-toned. His athletic build and exotic features were not difficult to look at. We stared at each other for several moments. What if? Life would be easier if I loved another Athlete, like him. I shook the thoughts away before they could linger. My heart would not belong to Atticus Martin.

  About an hour into the ride, we came across a riderless bicycle. I glanced at Atticus as we slowed to keep pace with it. Cruising around the field a few lanes to my left, there was an energy suit plugged into it, draped over the handlebars but free of the pedals. It was going a respectable speed without a human rider. I smiled inwardly, knowing just the person who could figure out how to generate energy without actually getting off the couch. As there was nothing I could do while fulfillin
g my debt to the University, I filed the information away for later and planned to visit him as soon as possible.

  "Is that a joke?" Atticus bellowed, angry all over again. He searched my face for answers but I shook my head, letting a smile touch my lips. I wanted him to stay calm.

  "Wish you would have thought of it first?" I teased, but he failed to see any humor in it. Thankfully, we both managed to complete our punishment without losing our tempers. We logged off our bikes as a small crowd of Students watched. It was dark, long past dinner, and they should have been in their dorms by then. We'd just ridden for two hours under a microscope, hadn't eaten anything, and our patience was stretched to the limit. I took Atticus by the hand and steered him away from the fields. He gripped my hand back with such ferocity, I had trouble feeling my fingers.

  "Relax," I begged him. He was full of tension. When we got far enough away, he loosened his grip and let my hand fall. I was grateful he did, especially since as we neared the dorms, we could see Ajax waiting outside for us.

  "It's a good thing your boyfriend didn't catch us holding hands," he laughed, and I felt the blush on my cheeks. At least some of the meanness was gone from his demeanor. It was nice to see him be a little less hateful toward Ajax.

  "I saved some food for you," Ajax said as we approached. He pulled a brown paper sack from his pack. He'd managed to pilfer a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, some fruit, nuts, and a few cookies. Atticus looked away from the food, but I knew he had to be just as hungry as I was.

  "Thank you," I said to Ajax, touched by the gesture. Atticus started to walk away but I grabbed his shirt. "We share, okay?"

  We sat on the steps leading into the dorms and devoured the food as Ajax sat with us quietly. It wasn't the most comfortable grouping. No peanut butter and jelly sandwich was going to make the two of them suddenly become friends, but at least it was less tense than before.

  "Thank you," Atticus dipped his head at Ajax when we had finished. I could see his discomfort. For all his big talk, he was just as awkward as I was. Ajax nodded at him.

  "See you around, Kaia," Atticus said casually. Perhaps he wanted to say more, but he held his tongue. "Ajax," he nodded at him before heading to his dorm.

  When we were alone, Ajax stood and held out a hand to help me up. I took it and heaved myself up on tired legs. "Feel better?" He asked, no emotion in his voice. Our hands unclasped as soon as I was upright.

  "I do feel better, thank you. That was thoughtful of you to save some food for us."

  He shrugged and headed into the dormitory. I followed him up to our rooms in silence, my feet dragging at the thought of another dreaded night alone, knowing Tory would not be returning to our room. I hoped my fatigue and a shower would help me to sleep.

  "Well," I said, as we lingered in the hall outside our doors, "I'll see you tomorrow?" Little prickles of sweat tickled at my forehead. I tried not to think about how good it felt to sleep next to Ajax, how I'd slept for the first time in ages.

  He didn't answer me; he just stood there, leaning against my door, thereby blocking my entrance. His necklace was twisted again at his throat and I reached a hand out to straighten it. Again he intercepted it, taking me by the cuff on my wrist as he'd done in the Healing Rooms. I pulled my hand away.

  "It's just your necklace. It's always twisted," I explained.

  "So?"

  I didn't have an answer for his indifference, just a frustrated sigh.

  "Well move it then. I need a shower."

  He straightened himself up and opened my door.

  "Goodnight, Kaia," he moved aside to let me pass. There was no sense in hesitating, or in hoping Ajax was going to say something and ask to sleep near me.

  "Goodnight," I called over my shoulder, letting the door shut behind me.

  When I was cleaned up and in my pajamas, I sat for a long time on my bed, staring out at the hydroponic farms. I reached out and touched the glass, imagining my brother could reach out to me across the universe. Where are you Tiergan? I wish you were here. I sent those thoughts out to him and felt his loneliness project back to me. He was out there. He missed his sister and he was lonely too. Tears stung at my eyes. What am I going to do about Ajax? I wanted to ask my brother. There was no easy answer for me; I had to figure it out on my own.

  I put my head down and tried closing my eyes, but no matter what I did, I couldn't fall asleep. Remembering how soundly I slept the night before only made me more restless. It made me uneasy, the way my body responded to Ajax. The emotions were new and wonderful and terrifying.

  I got out of bed and put on a long sleeve shirt and some tennis shoes, leaving my energy suit plugged in so I couldn't be tracked. Though I knew I didn't have permission to leave campus, I planned on doing it anyway. If I couldn't fall asleep, I might as well get something done and it was as good a time as any to pay the owner of the riderless bike a visit. If nothing else, I could confirm my hunch was correct. Since he often went to sleep as the sun started to rise, I needn't worry about waking him up. His propensity to stay up all night was one of the reasons a riderless bike would serve him well.

  I opened my door as quietly as possible and peered into the darkened hallway. It was empty. I stepped out and gently shut the door, careful not to make a sound.

  "What are you doing?" Ajax's voice boomed from behind me. I think I jumped three meters.

  "Geez, Ajax!" I cried out, my heart leaping into my throat. "You scared the heck out of me! What are you doing?" He stood close to me in the hallway, and I backed up against my door. In his gray t-shirt and shorts, his eyes look quite gray too. As usual, his hair was a little messy and it fell over his ears. It didn't look like he'd been sleeping.

  "I couldn't sleep," he answered, "and I heard you sneaking out."

  "You heard that?" With his super ears, it would be impossible to sneak out of my room.

  "Where are you headed, Kaia?" he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall next to my door. I stalled a bit before answering.

  "I saw a riderless bike tonight on the energy field," I admitted. There was no sense lying to him. Who knew when I'd be able to ditch him?

  "Oh yeah? Derek Bussey?" he smiled and we shared a little laugh. Ajax knew exactly what I was thinking. Of course he would. We'd had the same childhood for several years. "You're sneaking over to see him without me?" He didn't find that part funny.

  "Don't you think he'll be glad to see me?" I missed the neighbor who was like a brother to me almost as much as I missed Tiergan, and it hurt he hadn't bothered to visit.

  "Do I think he'd be glad to have a pretty girl knock on his door in the middle of the night? Is that what you're asking?" He smirked. I felt my cheeks color but I tried to ignore it.

  "So, you think I'm pretty?"

  "Not really," he smiled.

  "Then go back to bed and close your ears." He couldn't take it back. He said I was pretty and it made me happy.

  "No way. I can't sleep without you. You know it, I know it. What do you want to do about it?" His frankness surprised me, but it was nice to have it right out in the open. I felt a weight lift from my shoulders and I breathed a sigh of relief.

  "It's true, right?" I asked. He nodded, his arms still folded across his chest. "Why is that?"

  "I don't know," he shrugged and looked away from me. "But now that I know I can sleep, I can't just lay in there all night."

  "You'll come sleep in my room?" I was hopeful. I never considered the possibility.

  "No, you come sleep in mine."

  I thought about it. Ajax didn't have a roommate. He used to room with Cadmus and Tiergan, but now he was alone.

  "Are we allowed to do that?" I wondered.

  "What do you mean 'allowed'? Who's going to stop us?"

  "Gee, I don't know, your mother?" I couldn't imagine what she would say.

  "C'mon," he tugged my arm and opened up his door. "Quit worrying about my mother."

  Easy for him to say, getting in trouble with her was some
thing he was used to. I followed him into his room. It was dark, but he had his orb on top of his desk and it was illuminated, casting a faint glow to give the room a bit of light. I wished I had thought to do the same. There were three beds lined up under the windows against the far wall. They were spread out as far from each other as possible. It was obvious Ajax slept on the one to the very left; the other two were neatly made. I walked over to the middle bed and pushed it closer to Ajax's, leaving a little space between us.

  After I kicked off my shoes, I lay down facing him, but he lay with his back toward me. I reached out and touched his black hair. He jerked up and whipped his head around.

  "What are you doing?" he demanded.

  "Touching your hair," I answered.

  "Well don't," he insisted.

  "Why? Why does it bother you if I touch you?" He didn't answer, he just turned back around and put his head down. I didn't push the subject.

  "I'm going to go see him tomorrow." I told him. No matter what, I'd find a way to get off campus.

  "We're going to see him tomorrow," he corrected me. I sighed.

  I stared at the back of his head while my eyes grew heavy. Before I fell totally asleep, I rolled over so my back was toward him. Probably he had the right idea. We should stay away from each other, not touch. As I drifted off, I thought of him, lying next to me, and wondered what he was thinking. His feelings were guarded and he rarely let me have a glimpse of them. I wished we were closer and that he would talk to me, reminisce maybe, or try to form a friendship again, but he did no such thing. We kept our backs to each other until sleep took us.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Derek Bussey

  I was lulled awake by a feeling. It enveloped me, wrapping itself around my body like a cozy blanket and gently tugging me from my slumber. When I opened my eyes, I found I no longer had my back to Ajax. Instead, I was as close to him as possible and he as close to me. The chasm between our beds was larger than it had been in the Healing Rooms, where he'd butted our beds together, so I wasn't curled against his chest, but his arm reached across and lay over me. Ajax, however, was not the cause of the feeling. I jerked myself upright, and as his arm fell away, he opened his eyes too. Professor Baal stood peacefully at the foot of our beds and I had no idea how long she'd been there and how long she'd watched us sleep.