Superluminary

by Olivia Rising

  “Takes them where?” Sarina asked.

  “Who knows? They just … poof.” Ace wriggled his fingers in the air, and then turned around and grinned back at her.

  She must have made a face, because Jasper laughed. “She doesn’t poof people, don’t worry.”

  At least he seems more at ease now, Sarina thought. He was reclined in his seat, one arm extended along the seat back while remaining mindful of Sarina’s space.

  “And the rest of you? I know what Jasper does, and Sunny. And Jasper said that Tess is good with tech, like Athena?”

  “Sorta, but not quite,” Ace explained. It seemed that he was doing all the talking for the front row while Tess drove. Not that Tess seemed all that interested in talking to her in the first place, though. “Athena does drones and communications, and Tess likes cars and modifications.” Ace rapped the window beside him with a knuckle. “This baby here ain’t as boring as she seems.”

  “What about you, Ace?” Sarina asked.

  “Ace likes to cheat,” Tess said with her Irish brogue. “Used to be a professional card shark, go figure. He plays the odds. Takes on risks no one else will take, knowing he will come out on top.”

  Risks? Is she talking about me? Sarina wondered. Then it dawned on her. If the Covenant was after her, then the heroes were after all of them now. And while she could relate to the idea of facing some personal risk to make sure a friend was safe, Jasper had pulled the entire group into a life and death situation to save her. Which she hadn’t even realized it until now.

  She looked at Jasper and managed a smile. He grinned reassuringly back at her, wriggling his eyebrows. It reminded her of something David would do.

  Tess cranked the AC and white noise filled the space. Nobody said anything else.

  Sarina peered through the window as the car rolled towards the small manned checkpoint meant to restrict access to the military compound. The car rolled over the hard-packed dirt beside the barrier, unnoticed by the guards. After passing through the checkpoint, Tess reached for a heavily altered device that had probably been a cell phone at some point. She handed it to Ace, her eyes never leaving the road. “Don’t forget to text Gentleman,” she said. “Let your man know the six of us are on the way.”

  2.5 Dancer

  On the road to Paris, France

  Wednesday, the 6th of June, 2012

  11:05 a.m.

  “Who is Gentleman? Another one of your Nameless?” Sarina asked as the car rolled on, away from the military barracks that had been her home for the last four days.

  Despite the fact she’d focused much of her Evolved research efforts over the past days on heroes rather than rogues—which was probably why she’d never heard of Ace, Tess, Sunny, or Snow before—the name Gentleman had a familiar ring to it. She remembered a magazine article about a theater actor who had gained trickster powers.

  “Gentleman’s an ally,” Ace said. “You get to know a whole bunch of people when you travel around like we do.”

  “He’s actually the reason we’re headed to Paris,” Sunny added.

  Sarina craned her neck to face the boy. “He is?”

  Sunny nodded. “We had some problems about a month ago—someone could actually see us, if you can believe that—and he helped us out. The Rogues we’re meeting up with in Paris all know him. They’re gonna introduce us so we can figure out how to work together to deal with the trouble we’re facing.”

  “What kind of trouble?” Sarina asked, interested. This was her world now.

  Sunny shrugged. “Trouble that affects Evolved all over the world. Power surges and all that. Gentleman knows a lot about everything.”

  Hopefully he’ll be able to explain it to me, then. She hadn’t been able to get the power feedback theory out of her head ever since her brother had told her about it last night.

  Jasper didn’t have anything to add, but he reached over to offer Sarina something in his open hand. Looking down, she noted a piece of Swiss chocolate on his palm. She smiled, then picked it up. He smiled back.

  How does he always know when I need cheering up? she wondered. He was just a nice guy like that.

  She sank into her seat and nibbled on her piece of chocolate, watching the mountainous landscape drift past the car window. Steep, rocky mountainsides gradually gave way to gently sloping hills and leafy trees with vivid green canopies, marking the season as early summer. As they traveled, her old life drifted away from her like a windswept leaf.

  I just abandoned my family. Despite the sweet taste of chocolate in her mouth, the thought filled her eyes with a burning sensation. She blinked, struggling against the urge to cry. She wondered if David had received her text by now. If he had, what was he thinking? She couldn’t imagine the Covenant openly admitting to any murderous designs on her.

  She still wasn’t fully convinced that these strangers would be able to hide her from the Covenant. Were Sunny’s powers really strong enough to outdo the world’s most powerful hero team? Sure, the Nameless thought so, but could she really trust their opinion of what was best for her? Sarina shook her mind free of the trajectory it was on. If Jasper trusts them, then that’s good enough for me.

  She glanced at her friend. He was leaning against the window beside him, relaxed, enjoying the patch of sunlight casting a warm glow over his gentle face. Sensing her eyes on him, he looked over and gave her a thumbs up. The MP3 player he pulled out of his pocket reminded her of something else she had meant to ask him about.

  “Hey, Jasper? You know that track you sent me?”

  He nodded, encouraging her to continue.

  “How did you think to make it for me?”

  “You said you were disappointed that your power stopped working, so I wanted to see if I could fix it,” he told her. It sounded just like something he would do.

  “Well, it worked. It made me change my room when I wasn’t even dancing. I didn’t try to do anything, actually. Just … bam!”

  He didn’t look at all surprised. “Cool.”

  “How did you do it?”

  “I just used the bass from your transition soundtrack, then mixed it up with something that sounded like it fit your personality.”

  “I sound like I’m full of chirping birds and flutes?” Sarina cocked an eyebrow.

  He grinned back. “Hey, it worked, didn’t it? Maybe you’re a Swiss child of nature after all.”

  Sarina feigned annoyance, but she couldn’t keep it up for long. Something about the way he sat there, with that goofy smile on his face, made it easy to forgive him.

  “Why no lyrics?” she asked, recalling something he had mentioned yesterday.

  “Because lyrics amplify the power-boosting effect, sometimes in unexpected ways. It’s safer to leave them out if there’s no time for testing.”

  Sarina was grateful for that. She could barely handle the change to her room that the instrumental track had brought on. Unlike most Evolved, she hadn’t been in control of the change; it was as if her power had a mind of its own.

  “What’s up with the number fourteen?” she probed. “You made thirteen others before sending me this one?”

  Jasper nodded.

  “That’s a lot of trying,” Sarina noted.

  “My power involves some trial and error. I didn’t think the others turned out right. I had a good feeling about number fourteen, though.”

  “Well, thanks for all the effort. I really appreciate it. But … why did you do it?” She didn’t want to sound ungrateful, but she wanted to know.

  “I’ll explain that one,” Tess cut in from the driver’s seat. Sarina hadn’t realized she had listened in on their conversation. “We gave your man one chance to convince us to drive all this way to pick you up.”

  They would only pick me up if Jasper could get my power to work? The words stung.

  “We’re no charity,” Tess explained. “Can’t pick up every kid along the way.”

  Sarina glanced to the side, waiting for Jasper to protest, but
he never did. He just fussed with his MP3 player, the humor gone from his face.

  Sarina figured that she should say something, vent her feelings in some way. She just didn’t know how to feel right now. Besides, this whole situation was already a lot to process. She had only just learned that her heroes wanted her dead, not to mention the fact that she’d just left everything and everyone she loved behind. All in less than an hour.

  Sarina decided to figure it all out later. She would pull Jasper aside for a private chat as soon as possible. She had to know what the Nameless wanted from her and her power because it was obvious they wanted something.

  Was I wrong about Jasper? After a moment of watching him hum along to the sound of his music player, head bobbing in tune like a metronome, she discarded the thought.

  He had mentioned he had known Tess for some time. But why he trusted the group as a whole, she had no idea. Sure, from her back-seat perspective, they didn’t look like bad guys. But Sarina didn’t know their goals and motivations.

  She shifted her glance to Ace. It was obvious he was the leader, and he didn’t look concerned about anything they were up against. Since she had plunged headfirst into this trip to Paris without any concrete ideas on how to stay alive, she decided she had no choice except to trust the Aussie’s judgment for now.

  Jasper nudged her with his elbow, and held out an ear bud as a peace offering. She accepted.

  “Don’t worry about the playlist on this one. Nothing weird will happen. Promise.” He lifted the MP3 player from his leg, letting it dangle from his fingers. “Straight from iTunes. Totally kosher. No funny business.”

  When she put the ear phone in her ear, her consciousness was filled with upbeat tunes. The guy always knew how to cheer her up.

  For the next three hours, Tess drove silently, a smile visible on her lips whenever she shifted position to adjust the controls. Ace talked into the phone, discussing their current location with whomever had answered his call. Sunny slouched in his seat in the rear, one arm draped over his eyes, while the white-haired girl sat so quietly beside him that she almost disappeared.

  Her name’s Snow. Sarina shifted in her seat to get a better look at the girl, though she was careful not to be too obvious about it. She saw Snow staring out the window, watching the passing landscape without an ounce of interest in anything else going on around her.

  It’s like she’s in a world of her own, Sarina thought. She had once taken refuge by withdrawing in the same way. Worried that Snow might catch her staring at her, Sarina shifted her gaze to Sunny.

  He winked at her.

  “The kid is probably the most powerful of us,” Jasper told her, following Sarina’s glance. “He’s the reason the Covenant can’t keep tabs on us.”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty awesome,” Sunny agreed, putting words in Jasper’s mouth. “And I’m no kid. I’m sixteen, Pom.”

  “Sixteen? You’re full of shit,” Tess said. “Being a kid’s the only reason you get special treatment.”

  “No,” Sunny countered. “I get all that special treatment because I’m awesome, and you need me.”

  No one disagreed.

  Sarina made an attempt to soften the sudden shift in mood. “What’s a Pom?” she asked.

  Jasper laughed. “That’s what Aussies call us Englishmen. Mostly when we beat them in cricket or football.”

  “You’re Australian, too?” Sarina asked Sunny.

  “Nah,” he admitted. “I’m from Ireland, like Tess.”

  “I’m the only real Aussie here,” Ace said with pride.

  A small sound came from the seat behind Sarina, reminding her of Snow’s presence. Something about the girl made it easy to forget she was even there.

  “Where are you from, Snow?” Sarina asked, turning in her seat.

  The girl swept some alabaster tresses from her Asian features, but didn’t respond. Sarina shrank back down in her seat. Had she said something wrong?

  “I guess you all already know I’m from Switzerland,” Sarina said with as much confidence as she could muster.

  “Your English is pretty good,” Sunny said.

  “Strong accent, but understandable enough,” Tess agreed. “English-speaking family?”

  “Yeah, sort of,” Sarina told them. “Foster parents, some years ago.” She didn’t care to elaborate.

  Tess watched her in the rearview mirror, studying her. “Touchy subject, looks like.”

  You don’t know the half of it.

  “Let’s save the backstory for another time,” Ace suggested, saving Sarina some embarrassment. “I just got a text. The unrest in Paris is developing into a real mess.”

  “What unrest?” Sarina started, then corrected herself, feeling stupid. “They’re protesting about Shanti in Paris, too?”

  “Worse,” Ace grumbled. “The protests were yesterday. Now we’re in full-on riot mode.”

  “Preacher’s cult is probably making it worse,” Tess said. “Fanning the flames and all. We better just hope they don’t get their hands on too many firearms. Who knows what those religious nuts are capable of?”

  Riots and cult followers with firearms. How had things gotten so messed up in the four days Sarina had been in the army barracks? She closed her eyes, slipping Jasper’s earphone back into her ear, wishing for the world to make sense again.

  Jasper handed her the player so she could control it. She flipped through the tracks until she found one which suited her melancholic mood, replaying it over and over as the car rolled its way towards the French border. The tunes helped put her at ease, at least for now.

  The night is not aware,

  Listen to the song that passes through,

  These precious dreams we share,

  They’re alive with the sound of you,

  They approached the French border with very little fanfare. They didn’t need to stop at customs so Tess drove around the booths in a wide berth. None of the guards noticed them, and there weren't any howling sirens trailing in their wake. Sarina was getting used to the idea that maybe she had truly escaped the Covenant’s tracking powers for good.

  ***

  The Nameless reached the outskirts of Paris by late afternoon, and it was clear that despite the city’s reputation, there wasn’t any hint of love to be found in its traffic-choked streets. Even in the less crowded suburbs, where clusters of people marched around with raised fists and protest banners, the shouts of protest flooded through the station wagon’s closed windows, drowning out the honking of car horns.

  The UNEOA’s emblem had been defaced in many creative ways on signs that were raised throughout the streets. Images of Shanti also rode high above the crowd, reminding everyone of the Healer’s death at the Covenant’s hands. A group of students had gathered beside a fountain to burn a life-sized Radiant poster. The air resounded with cheers as it went up in flames.

  Sarina peeked out through the car window with mixed feelings. She hated when people’s emotions ran too hot, but she could relate to the protesters’ feelings. Shanti was dead. The world was changing, and not in a good way. Beside her, Jasper had sunk a little lower in his seat, the fingers of one hand draped over his brow as if shielding his eyes from the chaos outside. He noted her glance and brought his hand next to hers, the tips of his fingers just barely brushing her wrist.

  “Thanks,” she whispered, although she wasn’t sure what for exactly. The silent reassurance, she supposed.

  “It’s actually quite peaceful so far, considering how many rogues must be out here,” Tess said from the driver’s seat.

  “Good point,” Ace agreed. “How many are in France, anyways? Three or four dozen? Maybe more?”

  Sarina was confused since research indicated a few hundred Evolved worldwide, so that number sounded too high for one country. “Why are they all in Paris?” she asked.

  “Haven’t you heard, Wondergirl?” Ace pushed the hat up from his brow before turning to face her from the front passenger seat. “France is a special c
ase in Evolved politics. They never gave the Covenant full authority within their borders.”

  “And rogues like that they’re not under anyone’s thumb here,” Sarina guessed, recalling her own, all too recent experience with Covenant authority.

  “You betcha!” Ace confirmed.

  “So much so that half of Europe’s rogue Evolved immigrated to France,” Tess added. “Although the UNEOA has their panties in a wad over it.”

  “Wait. Does that mean the Covenant can’t kill me as long as I’m in France?”

  “You wish,” Ace replied. “But nope. It just means they don’t snoop around as much. Execution orders are still execution orders, girlie.”

  “But don’t worry.” Sunny rested a hand over his heart. “We’re protecting you!”

  Sarina had no reason to doubt him.

  They encountered their first roadblock a few minutes later. Tess stopped the car and turned to Sunny. “I’m not picking up enough area information with the car’s sensor range. No idea what roads are passable. Can you get anything useful, kid?”

  The boy closed his eyes, deep in concentration. He opened them about thirty seconds later. “My French sucks, but let’s stay away from Palais-Royal or Versailles. There’s a lot of chatter going on about them.”

  What? Can he intercept radio signals or something? Sarina’s attention drifted back to the boy. The more she learned about him, the more she had to agree that he was pretty awesome. His powers were way more useful than her own. She wished she could have done something useful to help the group navigate through the chaos, too.

  “Let’s hope this doesn’t end with any heads rolling,” Ace joked humorlessly. “You know, like the French Revolution. Get it?”

  Tess groaned as she tapped the steering wheel with her fingers. “We just have to get to the district of Passy. My guess is that we could go the long way around and drive in from Sainte-Germain-something-or-other to the west.”

  Ace’s nod as the decision-maker settled the matter.

  “It’ll set us way back though, timewise,” Tess muttered. “I hope our man’s in a forgiving mood today.”