“Welcome to the savior planet,” she whispered into the dead silence, broken only by her classmates’ rasping breaths.
Something in the bright, sweet-scented jungle they entered made Yalena feel she may have overreacted before. After all, how could the Farsight crew have explained this fantasy land to her when it had to be seen to be believed?
The others jumped out after her, drinking in every inch of the new environment with their eyes. Taking slow paces, Yalena wanted to explore this forest forever, but she had to force her brain back into strategizing. This was an incredible opportunity to examine the new world on their own terms, and it was imperative that she take advantage of it.
“All right, everyone, take a couple of minutes to browse around, enjoy this, take a picture or whatever, but then I need you on your respective tasks,” Yalena reminded.
Her eyes roamed around to a low-lying bushy tree with black branches hosting a few big and light purple leaves each. They moved slowly, as if touched by a gentle breeze, but in the hot, humid air, there was none. Yalena approached, captivated by the sight, until she realized they weren’t leaves. They were butterflies. Slowly, the closest one flew from the branch toward Yalena’s outstretched fingers.
“In the name of the Moon, woman!” Natalia snapped at Yalena, slapping her arm away from the butterfly quickly and hard. “You don’t poke an unidentified new species on an alien world just because it’s there and looks pretty.” She then stormed off to dig for an earth sample, mumbling “Wonderful. My boss has a death wish.”
The swooshing sound of something tearing through the air toward them made Yalena turn her eyes to the sky, stomach plummeting. Faster than she could make out what was happening, something small and metallic fell, attaching itself to their Eagle.
“It’s the black box,” Nico said, motioning for Michael and Dai to climb up the Eagle and retrieve it.
“Did Eric send this back through the wormhole?” Yalena asked, swallowing hard.
“It can’t be. Sure, they could have programmed our black box to get back to Apollo, but it wouldn’t have the intelligence to go through a wormhole.” Nico turned to her, his face twitching with a nervous tick. “They must have followed us through.”
“Find Artemis.” Yalena let exasperation escape her lungs.
“They’re here.” Nico motioned to a satellite view of the area around the science center. “They didn’t land on the advised spot either. They’re on the other side of the building.”
“Can we play the message?” Heart thumping in her head, Yalena felt a stab of guilt. If she hadn’t led Apollo through the wormhole, Eric and the others wouldn’t have followed. Even so, she couldn’t believe they had risked coming after them. That was not what she had intended with the message she’d left for them.
Nico connected the black box to his Berry, and after some frantic typing, turned the device so Yalena could see Eric’s face on the screen.
“Yalena,” he said, “we had to go after you. We had to warn you. We retrieved the satellite, but we found no malfunction. If it’s been sent through the wormhole, that didn’t damage it.” Eric hesitated, his wide forehead creasing. “They could have sent us a real message if they wanted to.”
He paused for a second, during which Yalena’s head spun. Nico asked, “Does he mean that they...?” but the recording continued and Yalena shushed him.
“Farsight landed on this world, but for whatever reason, they never went back for the rest of humanity. Again, it doesn’t explain why they’d send a deformed signal which was difficult to decipher. If they’ve been hiding, they wouldn’t have sent any message at all. And if they had wanted to get in contact with us, then a normal message would have sufficed.”
Yalena pursed her lips as Eric, in the recording, ran his fingers through his sandy hair.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “None of it.”
“It’s like they don’t know what they want, or they have a split personality,” Yalena said. Deciding to land in the forest, even though it wouldn’t hide them from these people for long, gave them exactly the extra time they needed.
“Stefanie couldn’t figure out how to open a channel to the satellite around the new world, but we see where you’ve landed, and we’ll be close by. Jen thinks this is a science center, so we’ll try to go in under the radar to see what they’re hiding. We need to gather proof of what’s really going on here.”
Yalena opened her mouth to disagree, but she couldn’t argue with a recording. Nor could she escape the idea that the quickest, albeit riskiest way to find out what was going on here would be to meet the locals at the agreed spot.
“We sent our black box to Unifier to explain about the satellite and the wormhole. My dad will have a heart attack.” Eric looked down, then scratched his chin for a second. “Whatever you do down there, be ready for extraction as soon as you get an idea of what we’re dealing with.”
Yalena pulled on her hair, realizing that she should have seen this coming. Even those on her team that had been rushing to collect samples now circled around the black box, faces smeared with worry.
“We can always pack up these samples and go back,” Alec said in a humble attempt to break loose from the uncomfortable feeling that was spreading, feeding on their doubts.
“And leave Eric and the Artemis crew alone while they scout the science center?” Yalena shook her head, trying to think. “We need to meet with the people of Nova Fia. Hopefully, that will give Eric and the others enough leeway to go around unnoticed.”
“Fine,” Alec said. “But we have to hurry.”
Yalena nodded and called her crew to regroup. “Nico and Alec, you’re coming with me to the meeting. Natalia, you’re in charge of gathering and preserving the samples. Do whatever you need to do as quickly as possible, and be ready to leave at a minute’s notice. Clear?”
Natalia confirmed and waved Carmen and some of the others over to divide tasks between them.
“Sebastian, I am leaving you in charge of the group. I don’t care if it’s a poisonous bug or a meteor hitting the planet, you keep them safe.” She paused for him to acknowledge the task. “Dave, I want you at the ready for take-off the whole time, and whatever happens, we leave no one behind.”
For a moment, everyone stared at Yalena, perhaps waiting for a preview of what she was about to do, but she couldn’t waste any more time. She signaled to Alec and Nico to follow her and headed through the forest in the direction of the science center.
Getting to the establishment took less time than Yalena had reckoned, perhaps because she was half-dreading what she would find and, at the same time, because she wasn’t completely sure what to search for. She wished they could have had the time and peace of mind to marvel at this new world, but like Nico and Alec, she kept quiet and alert as they stomped ahead.
When the lone, skyscraper-tall building came into view, Alec pulled himself onto the cement platform in front of the nearest entrance and offered a hand to Yalena. The emptiness of the agreed-upon meeting spot filled her heart with dread.
“Are we really going to walk in? Just like that?” Nico asked with a clear note of disbelief.
“Alec and I will peek in.” Yalena hoped she sounded more confident in that statement than she felt. “I want you to stay hidden here, just in case. And if you see anything, report back to Eric immediately.”
“Did you locate the science center Eric mentioned in the message?” Alec asked.
Nico nodded. “Don’t worry. I took some pretty decent high-res photos during our descent. I’ll find them.”
Yalena’s throat bobbed as she swallowed and watched Nico’s figure disappear behind the trees into hiding.
Alec turned back to the building with the tall, glass doors. “There’s no one here,” he whispered.
Yalena felt odd and out of place. While the building was a carbon copy of a regular skyscraper on Earth, the air stood still, and the feeling that they were intruding in someone’s terr
itory was hard to shake.
“I don’t think they’re very fast in mobilizing,” Alec said as the doors slid open automatically, and he and Yalena took a few steps inside the reception area. “They seem behind us in tech developments. Perhaps they didn’t realize how fast we could get down here?”
With a small beep, the elevator doors at the end of the corridor opened. Yalena swept a few stray hairs away from her face when she saw two men approach. Shoes squeaking against the glossy floor, they walked slowly, as if knowing the reaction their appearance would cause. Skin so thin, it was almost purple with the blood streaming beneath it. Ears, pointy and thin, seemed to twitch. And as one of them opened his mouth to say something, sharp and irregular teeth sparkled white.
Yalena’s feet felt glued to the floor, keeping her frozen in her place. Unable to ignore the chills running down her spine, she involuntarily reached for Alec’s hand.
“Welcome to Nova Fia,” one of the arrivals said. “We’re the Fians.”
Chapter 25. The Vibe
ALEC SWORE UNDER HIS breath, while Yalena still couldn’t move or take her eyes off the two men. Mutation was a good enough reason to hide, and an even better reason to make sure no one would go back through the wormhole. The realization hit Yalena like a sudden wave, making her mind spin. The signal wasn’t the ultimate riddle; it was the tip of the iceberg.
When Alec pulled her back a little, she realized her hand was still in his.
“What do we do?” he whispered with a hoarse voice.
This discovery went far beyond her capabilities, and Yalena wished in the back of her mind that she and Eric hadn’t been so stubborn in their pursuit for answers. It was way too late for regrets, though. What she needed to do, first and foremost, was send word to the commander, to let the world know what the Fians were hiding, and to return her crew home, safely, if at all possible.
Eric would know what to do. Self-doubt simmered inside her. But Eric wasn’t here.
The Fians’ small noses sniffed the air, making Yalena uneasy as they approached. Her heart was beating faster and faster in her chest, and she was unable to shake off the feeling that she and Alec should have hidden with Nico.
“Elevators,” Alec whispered next to her. Panic shook Yalena like an electric current as she moved her gaze from the approaching purple pair to the six elevator doors that opened behind them.
“Didn’t you want to land in the designated landing spot?” one of the first two men said to Yalena, still a safe distance away. In his voice, there was a strange note of puzzlement that went beyond mere surprise.
Eyes fixed on the man, Yalena only shifted her attention when Alec tugged her by the hand. Rows of Fians emerged from the elevator doors, as if drawn to them by some sort of magnet. She had trouble catching her breath. As if two Fians weren’t enough, now a crowd of more than thirty came out of the shadows.
Something was making her chest feel heavy, and it wasn’t just the way the Fians looked. There was something she could feel about them. Their presence was overpowering and confusing, like an anesthesia that slowly spread throughout her body, paralyzing her muscles and impairing her thoughts.
“Do you feel that?” she whispered to Alec.
His eyes had that intense look Yalena had seen every time he was on to the truth. “The growing realization that we need to get out of here right now? Yes,” he said.
Yalena focused on his face. She couldn’t be alone in feeling that odd stir inside, could she? “No, this feeling,” she stuttered.
He shook his head ever so slightly. “Stay close,” he said.
Alec’s fingers closed around her hand tighter as the Fians approached. It must be nerves, Yalena thought. I must be in shock.
“Felix,” one of the first Fians spoke. “There is something about her...it feels like she is not quite...”
His head tilted from one side to the other as he gazed at Yalena, making her shudder. Then, a man who seemed to be in his fifties stepped out from the group to study her with curiosity. His hair was wet, or gelled up so well, it could have blinded them with its gloss.
“Yes, I can feel she is not quite...” The mustache on Felix’s lip moved as he seemed to think out loud. “Unless,” he said, seemingly amused by his thoughts, “unless it was true?” It was a question and a revelation for him at the same time. “That mad genius. That stubborn fool! He did it after all.”
Yalena watched Felix’s face light up with confidence, and he even laughed. She didn’t know what she was supposed to have expected from meeting the Fians, but it wasn’t this. At least they aren’t attacking us, she thought in the back of her mind, despite the strong feeling that whatever the reason they were leering at her like this, it wasn’t good.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it seems we find ourselves facing a new Troian,” he said. His tone was light-hearted, and he clapped his hands, peering at Yalena and seeing something she wasn’t aware of.
“She may be a Troian, but what about him?” another man by Felix’s side questioned, shooting Alec an unpleasant look.
“It appears you’ve placed us in a bit of a pickle, Troian. You had to bring them, too?” Felix sniffed the air in Alec’s direction with nothing short of disgust.
He kept on waiting for her reaction, but Yalena was struggling to take his words in. The uneasy feeling inside her had turned into a suffocating notion that grew stronger and stronger until it completely fogged her mind. She gasped for air, but there wasn’t any. Yalena’s knees wobbled. She felt so sick and weak, she had to put a hand on Alec’s shoulder to support herself.
“What the...” Alec’s voice sounded above her.
She hunched down, seeing nothing but the reflective surface of the floor, but he pulled her up. When she glanced at him, Alec was scanning the room, probably hoping to find the thing that had put her in this weakened condition. Yalena’s lip trembled as she realized that he wasn’t going to find anything. The invisible mist affected her and her alone. Alec could never see the suffocating fog. It was in her head, and it was growing denser with every centimeter that the purple-colored Fians tightened the semi-circle they’d formed around her and Alec.
A woman with straight, black hair stepped out of the crowd. “It’s the vibe, Felix,” she said. Her eyes were olive-black and wide with concern. “It’s the first time she’s ever felt it, and she’s not prepared.”
“Nonsense, Sibel,” Felix spat back at her before gawking at Yalena. “Do you feel the vibe, Troian? Maybe dear old Stan has been right all along,” he said, looking down at Yalena with obvious interest, like she was a particularly smart dog. “Get her inside,” he commanded to someone behind him.
“What about him?” One of the first Fians who had appeared pointed to Alec again.
Felix was quick to dismiss him. “Leave him. He’s as good as dead.”
Something broke inside Yalena at those words. Alec...as good as dead. She couldn’t let that happen. She would fight, with teeth and nails if she had to. But despite the resolve, her heart sank. She’d never be strong enough to fight the Fians off, no matter what they meant or wanted. No matter her fogged state of mind.
Only one thing was certain: they’d never let her and Alec go.
The signal was a test, a tool to summon her to their hiding place. The sickening feeling doubled upon that realization, and Yalena could no longer stand on her feet. Her legs felt weak, and pain shot through them as she fell hard on her knees in front of everybody.
“No, no, no...get back up!” Alec’s suddenly desperate voice sounded from above.
She could feel them, all the Fians in there, making tiny, steady steps toward her, crowding the room even more, breathing in all the oxygen, as if they were trying to leave none for her. It made her so sick that she couldn’t help but throw up in a small puddle in front of her.
Alec started cursing again, but the woman next to Felix interrupted him, raising her voice.
“We need to give her some space, Felix.” There was a note of
pleading in her voice.
“She doesn’t need space, Sibel. She needs to get used to it,” Felix barked at her before turning to Yalena, his sharp teeth muffling the sound coming out of his mouth. “Now, now, Troian, don’t be dramatic. This is all very natural.”
Yalena’s body shook as the pressure she felt on her ribcage only grew stronger. It was going to crush her. She couldn’t take being close to the Fians a second longer. In deranged desperation, she pulled her Berry out of the boot pocket she kept it in. Fearing she was about to pass out, she focused her final strength on three short, but precise movements. Lines of code activating the self destruct sequence ran on the screen.
“Yours, too,” she coughed at Alec.
They could have her. They could even have Alec, too, if he was stupid enough to stay and try to protect her. But they would never have any information about how she figured out the signal or any information about Unifier and Commander O’Donnell. Not if she could help it.
Alec stared down at her, confused. “Why are you doing this? You need to snap out of it. Now!”
A straw of smoke came out of Yalena’s Berry as its screen lit up brightly for the last time and then darkened forever. The Fians took a few steps back, as if scared that it was a weapon. Realizing she had to use this moment to try and get out, Yalena coughed, summoning enough strength to utter “Course Cattleya.”
Alec’s jaw fell slightly. Yalena saw the realization dawn on Alec’s face; this was her giving up. Not only giving up on being the leader, but surrendering to the Fians. Because as her friend and her first pilot, he would have never left her there, but as the crew leader, his first priority was to warn the others and get them out. He needed to think of them, too, not just her. Alec nodded, just barely, to acknowledge accepting his new role, his eyes searching for an exit.
The Unsound Theory (STAR Academy Book 1) Page 22