by Wesley King
Jonah just stood there.
“Salute, you nincompoop,” Willona said sharply.
Jonah quickly saluted. He’d never done it before, and he hit himself in the nose.
The commander raised a thin black eyebrow. “And you are . . .”
“Jonah the Now Incredible,” Willona announced behind him.
“I see. Well, let’s get down to business,” the commander said. She spoke like someone who was used to giving orders. Every time she looked at Jonah, he felt like she was staring right through him. “You told Lieutenant Gordon you’d like to call your parents. Is that correct?”
“Yes,” Jonah said.
A few of the other Space Raiders in the room whispered among themselves.
“When was the last time you saw them?” she asked.
“The morning before I was abducted,” Jonah said.
The commander tapped one of her slender fingers on the table. “And he was the special recruit?” she asked a girl with sandy-blond hair to her right.
The girl nodded.
“First things first,” the commander said, her eyes back on Jonah. “Our lives before joining the ISR are all classified. Not to be spoken of. Ever.”
Jonah opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it.
“But more important,” she continued, “I’m not sure that Jonah the Now Incredible is supposed to be here. And that would be a problem.”
Everyone in the room stared at Jonah, frowning.
The commander looked at the girl to her right again. “Samantha the Bravest and Most Daring Adventurer—”
Jonah glanced at Alex, who rolled his eyes.
“I need you to get to the List,” the Commander continued. “It won’t be easy.”
“It never is,” Samantha said, shooting Alex just the slightest of smirks.
“Good,” the commander said. “We need to see if Jonah is supposed to be here. Until then, Jonah, you may continue your training for hall guard. But you are to be given the lowest priority area: brig-duty. And until I order it, all—I repeat: all—information is classified. Especially concerning the Entirely Evil Things from the Dark Zone.”
Jonah looked at Willona, who bit her lip and dramatically looked away.
The commander leaned forward, and a lock of that lighting-streaked black hair swept over her face. “If you are the special recruit, I apologize. But we have to be sure.”
When Jonah looked around the room, he saw a lot of unfriendly eyes. Even Willona and Alex had taken an almost imperceptible step backward.
“Does this mean I can’t call my parents?” Jonah asked.
The commander sat back and sighed.
“I wish I could swear right now,” Willona whispered.
• • •
Jonah was starting to really dislike the Incredible Space Raiders from Space. First of all, Erna the Strong was currently pushing him down Squirrel Street toward Sector Three’s brig. She had her hands on his shoulders, and her fingers were digging in rather uncomfortably. It was official. She was even stronger than she looked.
Second, Willona and Alex, who had so far been his only companions, were walking about twenty feet behind him and doing absolutely nothing to help. They looked a bit upset. Jonah hoped it was because they disapproved of how Erna was treating him.
But worst of all was that he was apparently not even supposed to be here. It wasn’t much better, but when Jonah thought he’d been specially chosen for the ISR, that was at least something. Now he was just a possibly accidental passenger who apparently didn’t listen to the rules very well and needed to spend a few hours in the brig to consider what he’d done.
They finally reached the brig, and a young boy quickly moved out of the way as Erna the Strong pulled the door open and shoved Jonah inside.
“He stays for three hours,” Erna the Strong said gruffly.
The brig guard quickly nodded. He looked petrified.
Before Jonah could say anything else, the door slammed shut, and he was plunged into almost complete darkness. Just a bit of light emanated from one flickering glow panel over the door. Jonah stared at the door for a moment and then turned to find a seat.
“Hello,” someone said, and Jonah almost fell backward.
A small boy was standing directly behind him. Jonah couldn’t see him very well, except for his very white teeth that caught the light.
“What did you do?” he asked, staring up at Jonah.
“Uhh . . . I mentioned my life before I came here,” Jonah said, squinting in the darkness. “Are you Martin the Marvelous, by any chance?”
“Yep. Did they tell you I was bad?” he asked, sounding very concerned.
“No,” Jonah said. “Just that you took an extra food bar.”
Martin nodded and walked toward the shadowy cot in the corner. “I did. Old habits. I mean . . . I was hungry. Actually, it wasn’t even for me. I took it for Whiskerface.”
“Who’s Whiskerface?”
Martin sat down on the cot, sliding back against the wall and hugging his knees against his chest. He couldn’t have been much older than eight or nine.
“The sector rat. Well, he’s his own rat. Comes and goes as he pleases. But he seems to like our sector. Probably because I feed him. He’s been looking a bit thin.”
Jonah sat down beside him. “When did you get here?”
“To the Squirrel? Three or four weeks ago, I guess.”
“And where did you come from?” Jonah asked.
Martin glanced at him. “I can see why you ended up in the brig. But I guess we’re already here, so why not? I came from Ganymede.”
“And how did you end up here?”
Martin shrugged. “I went to sleep. Same as always. But when I woke up, I was on the Squirrel. Sitting down on the floor. Hurt like a bugger. Willona was standing there, smiling at me and saying welcome to the Incredible Space Raiders. And here I am. Not off to a flying start, I guess. But I’ll be good now. I’ve been in the brig for two days. Not fun in here, let me tell you. Besides, I have to be ready when we hit the Dark Zone.
He leaned in a bit closer.
“Has Alex told you about the scratches on the blue door?”
“I saw them,” Jonah whispered.
He nodded. “They say those weren’t made by the Shrieker. They were made by the EETs. The ISR barely fought them off that time. And now we’re going back. To fight creatures that can make claw marks in solid steel. So ask yourself: Are you ready? ’Cause we’re going to be there in less than a month.”
Jonah sat back against the wall, staring into the darkness.
“I really need to get off this ship.”
CHAPTER SIX
* * *
* * *
THREE HOURS IN THE BRIG felt like three days. Jonah spent a lot of time thinking about home, and Martin just sat there with his eyes closed, like he was meditating.
Jonah looked at him. “How come the sectors don’t talk to each other?”
Martin’s eyes blinked open. “They do once in a while, but only on official business. The commander is in charge of all the Space Raiders, but to make it easier to keep everyone in line, she assigned a lieutenant to take care of the other three sectors. I guess it’s easier to control smaller groups.”
“Have there been problems before?”
“Not that I know of,” Martin said. “Besides me. Well, a few adventurers broke the rules and went traveling through the ship without permission. But they were eaten.”
“How do you know?”
He shrugged. “They never came back.”
Jonah looked at the door, thinking about the ship. It was all so strange. He still had so many questions. Who had sent them here? How were they supposed to kill EETs with metal pipes?
But there was one question in particular he needed to ask. The one he’d been thinking about ever since he’d gotten here.
“Has anyone tried to go home?” he asked quietly.
Martin laughed. “Of course not.”
“Why?”
Martin looked at him, his eyes catching the faint light from the glow panel.
“Because we are home.”
Jonah was just about to ask another question when the door finally slid open again. Jonah shielded his face from the light and stood up, eager to be out of the small, stuffy room.
Willona stood there, looking sympathetic. “How was it?”
“Dark,” Jonah said. He glanced at Martin. “Can he come?”
“He has one more day,” Willona said. “Lieutenant’s orders.”
“It’s all right,” Martin said stoically. “Do the crime, pay the time.”
Jonah nodded, then followed Willona out into the hallway. With a screech, the door was slammed shut again. He caught one last glimpse of poor Martin before it closed.
“Three days in there is a long time,” Jonah said.
“Food preservation is important,” Willona replied. “Though I do like Whiskerface.” She started marching down the hallway. “Now that your imprisonment is over, we can get back to training. Well, limited training. Sorry. But brig duty is honorable. You can’t let the convicts escape.”
“You mean Martin?” Jonah asked.
Willona paused. “Yes.”
A group of Space Raiders walked past, and Jonah noticed that not one of them smiled or saluted at him. In fact, they all pointedly looked away and stopped talking.
“What was that all about?” Jonah asked.
Willona hesitated. “They don’t think you belong here.”
“I gathered that,” Jonah said. “But why? Why is everyone acting so weird whenever I mention my parents?”
Willona glanced back at him. “We’re all orphans, Jonah. Every single Space Raider on this ship.”
Jonah stopped. “What?”
She just kept marching, and Jonah had to jog to catch up. “Every one of us,” she said, her voice a little strange, “even me. Did you think they were going to pick kids with families to fly across the galaxy and risk their lives? They needed kids, and we were the best choice. Not just that, of course. We were picked for a special reason. Space Raiders have already learned to fend for ourselves and face adversity and conquer fear. We were picked from hundreds of thousands of orphans because we’re the best of all. Except you.” She paused. “You have parents. And that’s why they think you’re a mistake.”
Jonah just hurried along behind her, trying to take it all in. It made a lot more sense now. But if that was true, then why had they taken him?
Willona smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you belong here. You must be extra brave if they picked you. You’re already saving lives, remember? You’re a hero.”
“Thanks,” Jonah said. “But I hope I don’t belong here.”
Willona glanced back at him, forced a smile, and kept walking. “I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear that. You were in the brig. I can see how that might make you unhappy. I haven’t been, though if you keep making me look bad, I’m sure they’ll move my cot in there.”
She led him to her room, which they’d been using for lessons. He sat down on the bed as usual and watched as she scooped up her notepad, adjusted her glasses, and found where they’d left off.
“How come you’re not avoiding me like everyone else?” Jonah asked.
She looked up. “Because we have work to do.” She returned to her notes. “The history of the ISR; Lesson Number One: The First Mission.”
“Is there going to be another test?”
She looked up again. “Of course. And try to remember to raise your hand.”
Willona kept reading. “ ‘Three years ago, the Commission for Human Expansion, or CHE, created the Space Raider program following the discovery of the EETs.’ ”
Jonah frowned. His parents often discussed the commission. The CHE was a well-known government branch created at the beginning of the space-colonization age. It was rumored to be involved in a lot of questionable practices, including environmental destruction on new planets, forced migrations, and strict new laws. The CHE was led by a man named Daren Elling, a shadowy figure. Jonah remembered his mom saying the entire commission should be shut down, and Elling thrown in prison.
“ ‘The first batch of Space Raiders was recruited from across the solar system. Only the best and brightest were chosen. The commander had already been chosen ahead of time, and she welcomed the new recruits to the ship and informed them of their noble task. They received uniforms and bonkers, since normal weapons don’t work in the energy void of the Dark Zone. And while some were afraid, they bravely accepted their mission, and they still fight on against the EETs. For no Space Raider will abandon their mission until the EETs are gone and the universe is safe from evil.’ Any questions?”
“Who wrote that story?”
Willona paused. “The commander, I assume. I copied it off a sheet Lieutenant Gordon gave me.”
“Were they all orphans too?”
“Yes,” Willona said. “We cover that in the next section; The Makings of a Great Space Raider: Courage, Intelligence, Teamwork, and a Hard Life to Make You Strong.”
“Which I didn’t have.”
“No,” she agreed. “But maybe you have other qualities. You’ll just have to figure out what those are.”
As she read on about the second mission of the ISR, Jonah thought about what Willona had said. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t think of anything that would make him a great Space Raider. He should have known better.
Jonah Hillcrest could never be a hero.
• • •
An hour later, Alex the Adventurer stood facing Jonah with a bonker in his hand. They were standing in the side hallway that ran off of Squirrel Street, and the two guards were sneaking glances at them, though they quickly looked away whenever Jonah noticed.
Alex was treating Jonah a little more formally than before, though he still snuck him a little smile when he handed Jonah his own bonker.
“As you know, Sector Three has one main hallway,” Alex said. “Squirrel Street. All the bedrooms, the bathroom facilities, and the cafeteria are there.” He gestured around them. “But there is another hallway that intersects Squirrel Street in our sector and leads to the Haunted Passage. Each sector has one of these hallways. We don’t go down those. Well, you and I did, and you saw what happened. Each of those hallways is guarded. This one is called Death Alley.”
Jonah looked around in alarm.
“Don’t worry,” Alex said. “The other three are called Last Chance Lane, Terror Drive, and No Escape Avenue. Kind of a theme.” He pointed at the two guards with his bonker. “So that’s two guards on duty in Death Alley, and two at each double door. And one at the brig. Which is where you come in.”
“Yay,” Jonah said.
“Not the most exciting,” Alex agreed, “but at least you’re not in Death Alley. No offense,” he said to the two guards, who nodded.
“So I just stand in front of a door with this bonker?” Jonah asked.
“Well, there’s a bit more to it than that,” Alex said. “Sure, you’re guarding the brig for the trip, but you have to be ready to fight when we get to the Dark Zone. There are no guards and adventurers and greeters when we get there. Just Space Raiders.”
Jonah looked at the bonker. “Don’t I just hit things with it?”
Alex sighed. “No. There is an art to this. Watch.”
Alex stepped back and suddenly jabbed the bonker outward with a thrust. He quickly swiped an imaginary weapon aside, took a big swing with two hands, and then did a spin onto the floor, attacking someone’s imaginary legs.
“Impressive,” Jonah said.
“I’m not the third most important adventurer for nothing,” Alex said proudly, getting to his feet. “I’m also a weapons master. I was going to put it in my name, but I thought it would be too long. I still could, I guess. I have to talk to Lieutenant Gordon.”
“Who was that other girl with the commander?” Jonah asked. “Sam
antha the Bravest and Most Daring Adventurer—”
“That would be my sister,” Alex said sourly. “She would be back here with us, but she made one little trip to the List and now—”
“What’s the List?” Jonah asked.
Alex glanced at the guards and lowered his voice. “It’s a manifest. It has the names of all the Space Raiders on this mission. My sister went adventuring the first day we were here and found it on the third level. It was just sitting on the floor in the middle of the hall—one of the crew members must have dropped it. The commander told her to leave it there in case the crew came back for it, but she was so impressed, she gave my sister a promotion to first most important adventurer.” He made a face. “It was just luck. Anyway, let’s get back to—”
Suddenly, he was interrupted by shouting. This time it wasn’t coming from deep in the Wild Zones. It was coming from Sector Three.
“What the . . . ,” Alex said.
Space Raiders began running past Death Alley, heading farther up Squirrel Street. Willona suddenly burst around the corner, looking panicked.
“Jonah, get back to your quarters,” she said.
“What is—,” Jonah started.
“Now,” she said sharply. “Alex, they need you.”
Alex nodded, then hurried down the hallway. “Take him back,” he said to Willona.
She grabbed Jonah’s arm and pulled him toward his bedroom. He looked back down Squirrel Street and saw a group of Space Raiders forming outside Lieutenant Gordon’s quarters. The lieutenant was in the hallway, shouting orders.
“What’s going on?” Jonah asked.
Willona didn’t answer. She just pulled him all the way to his bedroom and pushed him inside. She grabbed the door, about to slam it shut, but Jonah stopped it.
“Tell me,” he said.
Willona glanced down the hallway and then leaned in. “Two guards are missing,” she said quietly. “From our sector. Gone without a trace.”
She tried to close it again, but Jonah stopped her.
“Is that what happened to the other kids?”
“No,” she said. “The other seven all disappeared in the Wild Zones. Never from the sectors.” She met his eyes. “Don’t you understand? The boundaries are broken. It’s war.”