Speaker says, “It is a sad day for our people. Her death will be mourned across the rings.”
I watch him carefully. He’s lying again. I don’t call him out on it, because I don’t understand. Why would he need to lie about this? It takes a few seconds to remember where we’re standing. Myriad is one of Babel’s only strongholds on Magnia. Is that why? Is he trying to mislead them? A staticky voice cuts through my thoughts.
The screen behind Parvin blinks into existence. Requin’s staring out at us.
“Genesis crew,” Requin says in greeting. “We just watched the footage of Corporal West’s capture. Have the Adamites offered any explanation?”
Speaker steps forward. I’m watching him more closely now, looking between the lines. Since our introduction, he’s been the perfect diplomat. He frames every response with a smile. The sight of Requin tests his abilities as an actor. I note the narrowed eyes and the pulsing vein at his neck, visible for just a moment before he steps into character.
“An outlying faction,” Speaker says. “They exist outside of Sevenset’s governance.”
“They’re still Adamites,” Requin replies. “Will you activate the Erone Provision?”
That name thunders through me. Erone. I’m the only Genesis member in the room who knows his name. Marcus Defoe let that detail slip in the discussions after Kaya’s death. Erone is the captured Imago. What’s the provision? What does that mean? Speaker glances back to the entrance. Beckway and Bally nod their encouragement.
“This interpretation stretches the intended purpose of that provision,” he says. “But as a sign of good faith, we’ll accept the provision and activate our new request: Sevenset.”
Requin mulls that over. I watch as he fakes discomfort. Like Speaker, he’s setting up a well-manicured lie. “That’s far too soon. It’s one-third of the expected timetable.”
“And right now you’ve offered only one-third of the expected protection. Holly’s mistake occurred because of inadequate training. Corporal West died, and you are fortunate none of the Genesis suffered the same. Our one core agreement still stands, the one statement present in every clause of the treaty: the children must survive.”
My mind races. We mean more to them than we know.
“Very well,” Requin replies. “But under two conditions.”
“Give them and we will decide,” Speaker replies.
I’d forgotten that Speaker has another side. We’ve never asked him about the name he gave during his introduction: The Daughter’s Sword. Occasionally, the quiet and soft-spoken version vanishes beneath something far fiercer. Right now he looks just like he did when the sling appeared outside Foundry in search of blood. It’s nice to see Requin meet his match.
“They travel in our trucks,” Requin says. “There are some inherent defenses that would make us more comfortable. Feel free to accent that protection with whatever patrols you think necessary, but it allows us to extend safeguards and ensure their arrival in Sevenset.”
I glance over at Morning. She’s sifting through the request just like the rest of us. I see her raise one eyebrow and I know she sees what I see: using the trucks keeps Babel in the loop. Whether they have cameras on board or just some standard tracking coordinates, it allows them to stay more in the know than any Imago-provided travel would.
“We accept your request,” Speaker says. “What’s the second condition?”
“Ophelia Station,” Requin says. “I want my teams to personally confirm that Corporal Ava Rahili hasn’t been compromised. If she’s not there, we have the right to pull half of our team from the planet.”
He’s bluffing again. They don’t want to pull us from the planet. Besides, they clearly have eyes on all their bases. If what he said about West is true, they’re on a delay, but they still have footage. Babel would know within twenty-four hours if someone was dead or alive in their base. There has to be some other reason for sending us there.
“Extending their time outside of Sevenset endangers them,” Speaker says simply.
Requin smiles. “We’re not the ones trying to kidnap them. The slings have attacked twice. During our last discussion, you assured us that they were a limited threat. How can we trust that they won’t attack again once you’re inside the city?”
“The odds of a successful attack decrease in Sevenset. As you are well aware, the contract between us demands a minimal Adamite presence while your crews work the mines. This was against our advisement. We wanted contingents of five or six soldiers with each of your teams. You denied that request. Their security details in the city will be much larger.
“We will also have control over which routes we take through the city. We will know where they are going and how to defend each location from attack. That measure of control has been lacking in Grimgarden. Sevenset will be a safe option, you have my word.”
The room’s quiet as Requin considers the information. After a moment, he shakes his head. “I need confirmation that Ava Rahili is alive and well at Ophelia Station. The crews do not need to stay there for longer than a few minutes. Visit the location, confirm her presence, move on to Sevenset. I suppose we can make these days up after their visit.”
Speaker nods. “Agreed. So long as the trucks do not cross the barriers established in the Proximity Clause, we accept the two requests in exchange for an earlier departure date.”
“We accept too,” Parvin chimes in. “Not that either party asked our opinion.”
Speaker looks a little embarrassed about that. Requin just smiles.
“You’ll be the first explorers to ever enter the capital city of an alien race on a distant planet. I didn’t expect you of all people to complain, Parvin.”
She adjusts her glasses. “Point taken.”
“On to Sevenset,” Requin says. “I’ll await word of Corporal Rahili. Godspeed.”
The feed is killed. Speaker looks relieved as the group starts moving around the base. Most of the crew looks exhausted. I bump Morning with an elbow. “I want to go see Longwei.”
“You should,” she says. “I’m going to talk with Speaker. Do some digging.”
I lower my voice to a whisper. “He was lying. About Jerricho. I don’t know why. Maybe he thinks Babel’s listening. If they are, maybe it’s better we don’t dig right now. And Requin’s lying too. He wants us in the city just as much as Speak does.”
Morning nods. “I knew Requin was lying. Didn’t catch Speaker. I’ll proceed with caution.”
I shoulder my knapsack and we head in opposite directions.
I hate to admit how thankful I am for silence. Other members of the Genesis crew are moving through the halls, but it feels like we’re all in different orbits, gliding through our own temporary universes. A shiver runs down my spine as I think about the last time I visited the med unit. This time the door’s already open. Bright light filters out into the hallway. Longwei is lying there with his eyes closed.
Omar was right. It’s a nasty wound. The blow slashed the spot just above his eyebrow and all the way down to his cheekbone. Instead of sewing him up, someone packed the wound with a liquid form of nyxia. The substance gleams back like the surface of a black mirror. Longwei would have the most badass-looking scar.
I glance right and catch my own reflection for the first time in days. There’s dried blood under one nostril. I thought I had stubble, but it’s almost worked its way into a beard. There’s more of Pops in my face than ever. I’ve got his wide eyes and full lips.
The only difference is that time with Babel has carved a restless look into me. Pops always looks comfortable in the world around him. He has a way of blending into every backdrop. I look more dangerous. Put me back on the streets of Detroit and people would notice.
“Emmett?”
The voice is all rust. Longwei looks up with one eye. The other stays shut, even though I can see the muscles twitching around the wound.
“He’s alive!” I say, walking over. “I went and got kidnapped. You fo
und the wrong end of a weapon. We really gotta work on staying out of trouble, man.”
There’s the faintest hint of a smile. “How bad is it?”
“The wound? I think you’re disqualified from future space travel. Stuck here, man.”
This time he really does smile. “Do you think I’ll see out of this eye again?”
I can only shake my head. “I wasn’t the one who treated it. Maybe Speak did? They patched you up with nyxia. I’ll have to ask. I’m sure you’re going to be fine.”
Longwei leans back and sighs.
“And hey,” I continue, “it’s kind of like they made you an honorary Imago. It almost looks like one of those nyxian implants they all have. Maybe you’ll have superpowers.”
He nods once. “I forgot to tell you that I can read minds now.”
A snort slips out. Longwei telling jokes is very new territory.
“Yeah? What am I thinking about?”
“That’s easy,” he says. “You’re thinking about Morning.”
I laugh at that. “You came into your powers awful quick.”
He smiles again, flicker and gone. It’s quiet for a while. This is new for us. Most of the words we exchanged aboard Genesis 11 were threats. That was what Babel wanted from us. Iron scraping against iron. They wanted us sharp and hard and cold.
This conversation feels right, though. Kaya offered comfort. Bilal offered kindness. Every time I offer the same, it’s a whisper of a promise that I won’t forget them, that they’re both with me now and forever. I pull a second gurney over and adjust the back into a sitting position. Longwei glances over with a frown.
“Are you sick?”
“Nah, not sick.”
His frown deepens. “Then what are you doing?”
“Hanging out with you, man.”
He swallows once and closes his eyes.
It takes a few seconds to pull my player out from the bottom of my knapsack. I scroll through songs before tapping his shoulder and offering one of the earbuds. He stares at it for a few seconds before fitting it into an ear. I play a soft song. It feels like hip-hopping down a river. Longwei actually starts to nod his head after the first chorus.
“I knew you’d like it,” I say.
“It’s better than the first song.”
I frown. “The first song?”
“You played it during our first meeting with Babel. It was so annoying.”
I laugh at the memory. “Sorry. I turned it up just to grind at you.”
“No worries,” he says, exhaustion in his voice. “I still beat you.”
“You were only up by two hundred thousand points at the end. I was totally gaining on you.”
That earns another smile.
We sit there, listening, until he falls asleep.
Chapter 25
Ophelia Station
Emmett Atwater
For the second time, we stand in front of a Babel stronghold and wait for the Imago to arrive. This time, though, Speaker stands formally at our side. It’s a reminder that we’ve already been accepted and welcomed. In the distance, twelve black dots loom larger. Dirt and dust spin skyward. We watch them each unfold like the wings of strange insects. Imago pour out from the linked vehicles in smooth formation.
I recognize Thesis from the first meeting. He’s smiling his too-wide smile like we weren’t just attacked by some of his people. All the guards, though, are new faces. Every one of them comes armed. A short gasp leaves Speaker’s lips. We watch him bow unexpectedly.
Our entire group goes rigid, unsure if we should do the same. The formation of soldiers fans out, and we finally see the reason for Speaker’s reaction.
“Genesis,” Thesis announces. “I present one of the Daughters of Sevenset.”
Thesis takes a knee as the woman strides forward. She walks with all the grace and bearing of a queen. Her dress takes the sunlight and spins patterns out of it. Flowers, abstract shapes, curling leaves. The shapes change and slash with each step forward, dizzying to the eye. Like Jerricho, she’s taller and slighter than the male Imago. Her wide-set eyes are the same color I saw as I fell from space: the deep and dangerous blue of their world’s oceans.
A veil of brown hair frames a full face. Babel hadn’t seen a female Adamite in decades, according to their reports. I’ve seen two in less than twenty-four hours. Thesis gestures to her.
“This is Ashling. Known as the Beckoning Star, the Bright Reach.”
Ashling’s smile is brief and stunning. “Welcome to Magnia. On behalf of the Daughters, I invite you to Sevenset. Our home is open. Our people await. Will you come?”
Parvin steps forward as our spokesperson. “Of course. Thank you.”
The Daughter’s smile brightens to blinding. She’s just as excited to meet us as the other Imago were, but she wears it regally. “You are a gift our people will cherish for generations. I understand that one of your number has been Gripped. Will she come forward?”
Before we can answer, Holly strides out, unable to resist the beckoning of a queen.
“She will come with me,” Ashling says, and it is not a question. It’s a statement that becomes reality. “I will watch over her with my own life. Arrangements are being made to treat her. The process will depend on her instincts and toughness. If it is in our power to guide her back, the next time you see your friend, she will be as you knew her.”
A whispered word from Ashling has Holly marching toward the nyxian carriers. Ashling eyes us for another moment, nods once in expectation, and turns. Two guards follow, protecting her flank. No one says a word as nyxia swallows them, as the vehicles become dark streaks along the distant hills. My heart beats hopefully. I have to believe Holly is tough enough to survive.
Thesis steps forward in Ashling’s place with all the dramatic flair of an actor.
“If we want to start the entrance ceremony before nightfall, we should begin the journey. I believe you’re providing your own transportation?”
Parvin uses Corporal West’s glove to bring the trucks out of their loading bays. She’s savvy enough with the tech to preset our coordinates for Ophelia Station. She tucks the glove into her knapsack when she’s done. Morning gives her a look and she shrugs.
“You never know. Might be useful.”
I start to follow Morning into the nearest truck, but Omar cuts me off and climbs up behind her. I raise an eyebrow and follow. We take our seats in the cab and Morning actually groans when she realizes that he’s planted himself between us.
“Now this is a proper date,” he says, smiling.
Longwei’s helped into the truck in front of us. Jaime and Azima sit with him in the back of the truck bed. He actually waves at me. I grin and wave back like a little kid. It’s like we’ve summoned some new version of Longwei into being and I don’t want to lose him. Azima throws an arm around him. She whispers some joke and they laugh together.
Morning leans far enough forward that she can get a good look at me.
“We’re a family now, aren’t we?” she asks.
“Didn’t start that way, but yeah. Those are my brothers and sisters up there. Katsu’s more of a cousin, though.”
“Don’t forget,” Omar rumbles, “we have two more sisters waiting in Sevenset.”
“And a brother,” Morning corrects, just in case Babel is listening. “I haven’t forgotten them. Let’s just hope the Imago have helped all three come to their senses.”
The drive begins quietly. The rumble of the engines drowns out conversation. The hills of Grimgarden roll past. Black spheres ride in protective formations along both flanks. If the slings make another appearance, we’ll meet them with force this time. I try to glance over at Morning, but Omar’s broad shoulders are in the way. He shoots me a lopsided grin.
“If you want to write her a note,” he suggests, “I could review it before passing it on.”
I shake my head. “Back on Earth, Omar’s not allowed on any dates.”
Morning laughs. “D
ates? You asking me out?”
“There’s this restaurant in Detroit. It’s where my parents went on their first date. Burgers as big as your head. I thought we could go there. And if that goes well, I could take you over to the RiverWalk.”
Omar nods. “Sounds wonderful. Just send me a date and time.”
Morning leans past him. She’s clutching her dark braid, cheeks blushing.
“Are you asking me out? Or asking me out?”
I smile. “Both. You wanna go with me?”
“For burgers?”
“No. Like go with me. Dating for real. Boyfriend and girlfriend.”
She deadpans. “You’re seriously asking this with him right here?”
“We’re on an alien planet. You saved my life. And this is what bothers you?”
She snorts at that, sitting back. After a few seconds, I notice Omar elbowing her.
“Well?” he whispers. “You can’t just leave him hanging.”
“Whatever,” she says, and I can hear the smile. “Fine, I’ll go with you.”
The truck continues to thunder over the hills. I feel like I just launched into space again. Omar sits there looking pleased with himself. “This is nice, isn’t it?”
I roll my eyes at Omar, but there’s no way I could be mad now. It’s like Morning’s smile is the only thing that exists in the world.
It takes another hour to arrive at Ophelia Station. The building looms, identical to Foundry. We see the matching silo, the paneled tower reaching skyward. They’ve arranged the greenhouses differently, but otherwise it looks the same.
One noticeable change is the figure waiting by the front gates.
Corporal Ava Rahili. She flags us down as we approach. I remember that Requin’s reasons for sending us here didn’t even come close to lining up. I’m hoping our exchange with Rahili will shed some light on Babel’s real intentions.
Rahili sports the same glove that Kit did. As the trucks pull in across from her, she raises the digital interface and makes some adjustments. I glance around the base, looking for a response from the solar windows or the greenhouse roofs, but nothing happens.
Nyxia Unleashed_The Nyxia Triad Page 16