by H. A. Swain
I toss my arms out to the sides, motioning to the city whizzing by in a green and silver blur. “When I’m with you, I feel like a spoiled, greedy little brat who thinks she is entitled to everything she’s ever wanted.”
“No, Uma,” Talitha says. Her anger seems to break a bit. “That’s not greedy. You deserve to get what you want.”
“And what I want is you.” I lean forward and lower my voice. “When I kiss you—” I inhale sharply at the memory of the taste of her. “The world seems possible to me in a way it never did. I broke a lot of rules when I ran away, but the truth is, I don’t regret a thing, because it means I got to be with you. At least for a little while.” I tilt my head to the side and begin to close my eyes, but Talitha rears back stunned as if I’ve slapped her.
“I can’t…” she says.
My face burns, and my guts churn. “I’m sorry.” I shrink down in my seat. If I could stop the Pod and jump out right now, I would. “I thought you felt the same—”
She grabs my hand, sending a tiny jolt across my skin. I look down at her fingers on mine. It’s hard to tell where my hand starts and hers ends. Our skin is nearly the same tone now since mine has become burnished in the strong sun of the Earth.
“I do feel it,” she says. “It’s just, everything is a mess! It’s all so complicated right now. My brother…” She stops and searches my eyes. “I have to help him and…” Her face crumbles. “And to do that…” She hesitates and gulps. “I can’t…” She stops and grimaces as if she’s fighting something that she can’t let out. “I can’t explain it all.”
“It’s okay,” I say gently, and stroke her arm. “You don’t have to explain to me.”
“I wish I could.” Talitha draws in a ragged breath and squeezes my hand. “I wish we could tell each other everything.”
“Do you know what I wish?” I ask. She shakes her head. “I wish that door in the multiverse between your world and mine had opened at a different time. A time when both of us could do whatever we wanted in life.”
“Same,” she says.
I take a deep breath, and I look out the window again. The Pod has slowed, and I realize we’re pulling into the long, winding drive of the Pink Palace. I sit back, confounded.
“Talitha,” I ask, “what are we doing here?”
TALITHA NEVA
ALPHAZONIA, EARTH
“I’M SORRY, UMA,” I say, and hear the tremble in my voice as the AutoPod meanders up the Pink Palace drive. “There’s something I have to take care of here.”
“Please, stop! Let me out, okay?” Uma claws at the door, but it’s locked tight on my command. “I’ll wait for you down here away from the grounds.”
“No,” I say, and lay my hand on her arm. “I need you with me.”
“Yeah, but…” She looks around. “It’s not safe—”
“I have to make a trade with D’Cart to get my brother back.”
“The stuff you got at the Dumps yesterday?” she asks.
I nod and bite my bottom lip to keep it from quivering as the Pod pulls to the side of the drive. We idle near the hedge of purple-blossoming rhododendrons and giant palm bushes.
“But why do I have to be with you? Do you need me to help you carry it?”
Uma searches my face, trying to understand. I feel terrible and can barely look her in the eye. I know I should be loyal to my brother, but betraying Uma is too harsh a consequence. If I don’t do it, though, I’ll be the reason Castor is shot up to the Moon. My mom’s words come back to me again, We always have choices. There has to be another way. A way to save them both. I just don’t know what it is yet.
“Listen,” I say urgently. “Will you wait for me here? Please? I won’t be long.”
Uma takes a long, deep breath, then squares her shoulders and sits up straight. “Okay,” she says, but I hear the uncertainty in her voice. “If that’s what you need me to do, then I’ll wait for you here.” Then without warning, Uma darts forward to kiss me.
That kiss catches me off guard. I press my fingers to my buzzing lips to seal in the feeling before I turn away and climb out of the Pod. I can’t say anything just now because my voice might give away my near panic and spook her into bolting.
“Talitha,” she calls after me. I hesitate, then turn around and see fear in her eyes. “Please hurry!”
I run away with the canister of the goo in the red knapsack bumping against my back and Castor’s hat pulled low on my head.
Once again, I stand beneath the black-and-white-striped awning of the Pink Palace portico, where I don’t belong. The last time I was here, with Castor, my heart pounded, my palms sweated, and my hands shook, because I was certain someone would realize we were imposters. This time, I’m not trying to be anyone I’m not. I’m a thief and a liar, and I’m here to make a deal. But like last time, the closer I get to the door, the more I want to run away from the terrible choice I have to make. Give up Uma to save my brother or save Uma and never see my brother again. Last night I felt certain about what I should do, but now neither option is acceptable. When I get to the door, a red SecuriBot wheels out to stop me.
“I’m Talitha Neva, here to see D’Cart,” I announce.
“Talitha Neva is not on the approved guest list at this time,” the robot says.
“She is expecting me,” I insist. “She asked me to come.”
“Talitha Neva is not on the approved guest list at this time,” it repeats.
“Ping Mundie,” I request, but the robot tells me once again that I’m not on the list.
“Damn it, nanobrain!” I growl. “Go get Mundie, or I’ll pull out your CPU and shove it up your—”
“Talitha?” Mundie pushes through the door and stands next to the SecuriBot. He’s flushed and out of breath. “I saw you on the security cam and ran up here.” He peers around behind me as if I’ve hidden something in the potted plants. “Where’s the Moonling? Did you bring her?”
“I have the goo.” I wrestle the knapsack off my back and take out the container with shaking hands.
“But where’s the girl?” Mundie reaches for the canister.
“No!” I snatch it away. “Before you can have this or the Moonling, you have to…” I pause and look around for anything to buy me some time while I think of a decent plan. “Let me see Castor.”
“That wasn’t the deal,” Mundie says, arms crossed.
“Well … as D’Cart said last night, the situation has changed, and…” I take a deep breath to calm my shaking hands as I clutch the container, my only bargaining chip. “I want to make sure that my brother’s safe before I’ll give you anything.”
Mundie shakes his head.
“I’d be a fool to give you everything right now. For all I know, D’Cart could have conscripted Castor into a ReConstruction crew or sold him off to MUSC like she threatened.”
“He’s here. You just have to trust me,” Mundie says.
“Trust you?” I snort, which makes Mundie flinch. “You lied to me. You said you’d keep him safe.”
“No,” Mundie says, shaking his head. “I said I’d try.”
“You should have tried harder.” I take a step closer, leaving enough distance between us that he can’t grab the container. “You owe me this,” I say quietly.
“I don’t owe you anything!”
“You’re supposed to be my friend!”
“I wanted to be more than friends, and you know it!” Mundie stamps his foot, which makes me jump back.
We stare at each other, then I inch closer. “After everything we’ve been through?” I ask, knowing more clearly what I have to do. If I can parody a CelebriStreamer, then I can pretend to be a girl in love with a boy. It’s just another character. I soften my face and look at him pleadingly. “The late-night talks beneath the stars? The time you kissed me?” I say the things I wish I could say to Uma. “Those mean nothing to you?”
“I saw you with that Moon girl,” Mundie says. “The way you held her hand so tight. H
ow you looked at each other. You’ve never looked at me like that.”
“She means nothing to me,” I lie. “I’ll bring her to you, but only after I have ten minutes alone with Castor to make sure that he’s okay.”
Mundie sighs and shakes his head as if he’s fighting with himself. “You can see him on your iEye—”
“No! Not good enough. I want to see him in person. Please.” I reach out to stroke Mundie’s arm. “What’s it going to hurt?”
He sighs and says, “Okay, but—” Then something strange happens to his face. It goes weirdly slack, as if he’s not in control of the muscles anymore. His eyes are blank as if he’s dazed.
“Mundie?” I withdraw my arm. “Are you okay?”
Without a word, Mundie turns on his heel and walks back toward the door.
“Mundie, wait. Where are you going? Should I come with you?” I take a step, but the SecuriBot blocks my path.
“Mundie, come back!” I yell, but he doesn’t flinch or slow down. The door opens, and he walks inside, leaving me stunned and confused.
Now I have no idea what to do. The one thing I thought I could count on, Mundie’s feelings for me, didn’t work. Trying to trade the goo for a chance to talk to Castor didn’t work either. I feel sick. The only choice I have left is giving up Uma to get my brother back.
UMA JEMISON
ALPHAZONIA, EARTH
AFTER A FEW minutes of waiting for Talitha, I peer out the window and tell myself I’m being silly. The MUSCies who are looking for me have come and gone. The Pink Palace might even be the safest place for me, since they’ve already looked here. Plus, if I can find my device, this may be my only chance to check in with my mother. The truth is, I never imagined I’d be on Earth without out daily check-ins. I wanted to share everything with her. I know she’s got to be furious with me for all the things I’ve done wrong, but Rhea’s right—she’s probably also worried sick. It’s possible Mr. Chen-Ning found my device when he was here; then again, I only saw him carrying my flight suit, so I might get lucky. I know it’s risky, but if I can connect with my mom for a few moments, then toss my device away again and leave, I should be safe.
I figure it’ll take Talitha at least ten minutes to drop off the stuff and collect her brother, so I hop out of the Pod. Birds busy themselves on the dewy grass. Sunlight filters through the palms, and the sweet smell of honeysuckle permeates the air, cool from the night. Still, I feel uneasy. I run for the bushes, looking right and left for any bystanders, but there’s no one else around.
I find a break in the branches where I pushed my way through two days ago and wonder if there really is an invisible portal that opened between Talitha’s world and mine. I know it’s silly, but I like the idea and wish I could find that portal again to step through anytime I wanted to be with her, because at some point, I have to go back to MUSC, and she won’t be able to go with me. So what will we do then? I have no idea.
Behind the bushes, the ground is soft and damp. The air is moist. I search the area where I think I threw my device. If I remember correctly, it smacked the wall with a crack, then fell in the dirt. For all I know, it could be in a dozen different pieces. A flash of light catches my eye. I look up and see that, hanging over a branch at eye level near the wall, is my device, almost as if someone has picked it up and placed it there for me to find.
“No way,” I say, and can’t believe my luck as I strap it to my head. Darshan immediately comes online. I never thought I’d be happy to see him, but I am. Darshan, I command, ping my mother.
Pinging your mother, he confirms.
I wait, breath held while I pace. I realize then that I don’t know what time it is on MUSC. I’ve completely lost track of the days and nights up there. Then again, my mother won’t care. Day or night, she’ll be relieved to hear from me. Even if I only leave a short message.
My device pings and pings, no doubt working hard to reestablish a connection with the MUSC satellites. I get worried then. What if she doesn’t answer? What if Fornax has locked her up until I return? Or worst of all, what if she doesn’t want to speak to me? I feel light-headed as all of the problems I’ve caused line up in my brain. But then, to my relief, she appears.
“Uma!” she cries, peering into her Lenz, searching for me. “Is that you?”
“Mom!” I yell. “It’s me, and I’m okay! I just wanted to…”
I see her lips move, but I can’t make out what she’s saying because of some racket overhead.
“Hang on. Just a sec!” I try to move away, but the loud, driving noise won’t stop. Then the dry leaves in the bush begin to lift up and swirl past my head. The branches around me bend. A strong wind presses down, tossing dust and dirt in my eyes.
“What the hell?”
I throw my arm against my forehead to block the light and dust and look up to see what’s happening. Overhead, I see the silhouettes of four drones descending toward me, and I scream.
TALITHA NEVA
ALPHAZONIA, EARTH
“UMA! START THE car!” I run toward the AutoPod as four red SecuriDones the size of vultures hover in a diamond formation over the rhododendron bush. “Start the car! Start the car!” I yell, waving my arms in the air to get her attention.
Overhead, the drones plunge straight down into the bush. Branches shudder and shake. Small birds fly up and dart away. A whirlwind of leaves ascends. Then I hear screaming.
I watch, mouth agape, as the drones emerge from the top of the bush carrying a screaming person splayed out like an X, one drone on each wrist and ankle. I sprint for the car, commanding the door to open, hoping that Uma’s safely hidden, but when I get there, the car is empty.
“Oh no! Oh no!” I look up in the sky, realizing with horror that the drones have Uma. “No!” I shout, and bolt across the grass, waving my arms. “Uma! No! Let her go! Help! Someone, please, help!”
Uma’s terrified screams echo off the Palace walls and reverberate through the air. The drones hover for a moment above the trees. Palm fronds whip like a hurricane is coming.
The commotion brings Mundie outside again. “What is it? What’s going on?” he shouts over the noise as he runs across the lawn toward me.
“They have Uma. Stop them!” I shout. “Make them stop!”
“You idiot!” Mundie screams at me. “You had her, and you lost her!”
I turn on him, blind with rage. I toss my knapsack off my shoulder and throw the container of goo aside, then run full force at him with fists closed. I swing wildly, catching him on the shoulder with one hand and the bottom of the jaw with the other. He jumps away, but I charge at him again, head down, shoulders rounded. I knock him to the ground, where we roll.
“This is your fault!” I scream at him. “You wanted this to happen. You led me here!”
Mundie is taller and stronger than I am. He pushes me off like a bug, then backhands me across the cheek. I roll into a ball and groan. The slap leaves me seeing stars.
“I did everything for you!” Mundie stands over me and shouts. Spit flies from his mouth. “But I was never good enough, was I? Well, you can kiss it all good-bye now. Castor.” He points to the Palace. “That girl!” He points to the sky. “Just like your dad. They’re going to the Moon.” He swoops down and grabs the canister of goo off the grass, then he storms back toward the Palace. “And you’ll be all alone!”
“Mundie! Stop! Please!” I push onto my hands and knees. Above me, the drones make another quarter turn and hesitate. Uma screams and screams. “No, please no,” I say, horrified and helpless as they lift up all at once and carry Uma away over the Palace.
I double over and vomit, then vomit again in the grass. I failed. Failed everyone I love. The doors to the Palace are shut tight with Castor and Mundie inside. Both Uma and the goo, my only chances to get my brother, are gone. I have nothing. Mundie’s right; everything I love is stolen away by that horrid sterile rock in the sky.
“Take me,” I moan into the grass. “Take me instead.”
/>
I cry this way for several minutes until I listen to the words I’m saying and I stop. I sit up on my knees. “It should be me,” I whisper, and pull myself together. “I should be the one to go, not Castor.”
I grab my knapsack and scramble to my feet. No one is around. Mundie is inside. The Palace SecuriBots and MUSC SecuriDrones are gone. There are no Yoobies in sight. I plunge headfirst into the bushes. As if I’m going back in time, I skitter past the place where the doors between the multiverses opened and I met Uma for the first time, past the place where Quasar waited, past the place where Castor talked me into the worst idea of his life. Then I make a wide circle, skirting the security wall once again, only this time in the opposite direction so I can return to the rear of the Pink Palace, where Mundie released me two days ago.
Lifeless bots stand dead-eyed on the rear loading bay. I find a bot that’s missing a wheel on one side with a crazy tangle of blue, red, and black wires sticking out of an open panel on its back. I pull two pins from my hair, twist them together, and jimmy open the CPU panel on the head. Kids like Castor, Mundie, and me learned a long time ago how to gut a robot in two minutes flat. And that’s all it takes for me to have my fists full of the motherboard, a handful of circuits, and the navigation system. I’m like a wolf, going for the heart and liver first, leaving the less valuable pieces for later vultures.
Next, I dismantle a service robot, removing its torso from its wheelbase. Then, hands out in front of me, I search for cloaked furniture. I ram my knee into an invisible chair, then hop around and curse until I run into two small cloaked end tables near the trash. If I hold them in the right way, I can see their pieces clearly. I wrench off the legs so I have the seat, seat back, and two tabletops. As I turn them over in my hands, I see they are made of a thin two-way mirror. From the back, I can see through them, but from the front, strong light reflects so they appear to blend into their surroundings.
Working quickly, I bang out a crude contraption with whatever scraps I can find. I wire everything together with the stolen nav system and CPU board, then connect the whole thing to the iEye, wrist cuff, and shoe insert Castor set up for me at the party. When I’m done, I have a makeshift mover, a cloaked box just big enough for me to sit inside and drive. I drag it over near the garbage dumpsters, climb inside, and wait.