“I’m sorry… She got away, again.”
Arya tries to speak, but the words fail to come. Nerissa’s stolen one more thing from Arya—her voice.
A tear rolls from the corner of her closed eyelid. She doesn’t have to say it. I know exactly what she’s thinking. As long as that woman is out there, she’ll find a way to continue torturing kids to satisfy her insanity, but there’s one thing I can do to make it just a bit harder for her. Something that can give Arya a small piece of closure.
I scan the corridor that leads to Nerissa’s research vessel. It’s time to end this horrible chapter in our lives.
“I need to do something,” I tell Arya.
She cracks her lids open to squint at me. I place my arm beneath her neck and the other under her legs. Lifting her, I rise to my feet and fly out the way we came in.
I follow the corridor until I locate an office a few turns ahead. It will do. There’s a loveseat in the corner of the dimly lit room I gently place Arya down on then I twist to head out. She stretches up and grabs my wrist, getting my attention. Her eyes are narrowed on me, confusion filling her face.
“Just rest here. I’ll be back soon. There’s a task I need to take care of. I was designed for this.”
She holds on for a second, then releases me and nods. I smile and race out the door, closing it behind me.
Releasing from gravity, I lift up inches, skimming above the floor and jetting back to the dock entrance. Several turns later and I reach the familiar metal door. Inside, I pass the bodies of the mutants and drift over them, making quick work of the distance between the initial entrance and the docked vessel.
There it is, smaller then I remember, but just as cold looking as it was when I escaped. It’s about three times the length of the Tiger Lily, and as high tech as the Scylla. Darker, but still smooth, with no exterior edges. This must’ve had the same craftsman that designed Arya’s vessel.
The cool breeze from the water hits my skin, goosebumps prickling over my limbs either from the chill or the anticipation of what I’m about to do. The outer hanger door is closed, making it shadowed in the enormous, enclosed shipyard. This vessel is too important to Nerissa to be docked with any other boats. It’s time to get down to business.
First things first. I fly to the back of the boat where the engines are. I’m tempted to go into the research vessel to see my old stomping grounds, but there’s no time, and it will only bring back bad memories. I lower a bit to the level of the engine systems and find the service hatch. It’s shut and locked, but I don’t care. Digging my fingers into the seal around it, I get a good handhold. I use the thought of Nerissa nearly killing Arya as fuel to awaken the strength I need.
A warmth in my chest builds as anger fills my body. Adrenaline surges through my veins. I plant my feet on the outside of the hatch and yank with everything I’ve got. It takes less than a second and a creaking reverberates through the panel. The metal ripples beneath my fingers and the door loudly pops free, taking me with it. I drop it into the water before the heavy hatch drags me below its surface. Zipping back up, the large opening exposes the critical components that lead to the engine system. I hover inside the opening, filled with thick cabling that lines its sides.
Following the cabling, I finally reach the main engine room. Even with the engines off, it’s extremely stuffy in here. Dim, red lighting hazes over the four hulking engines that fill the entire space. Lifting the back of my shirt, I pull out the gun and turn it over, looking at the plasma cartridge under the short barrel of the pistol. I remember when Elijah used one of our rifles cartridges as a makeshift bomb by simply overheating it. It should be enough to start a chain reaction. I pull the cartridge from the gun and expose the wires. Now I think I just need to locate an electrical outlet and stick the cords in ... I hope.
A minute later I find one at the base of a pillar in the middle of two of the engines. This will do—again, I hope. Taking a deep breath, I jam the wires in the free slots of the outlet. They begin to warm up, and that’s my signal to go.
I lean in and let my friendship with gravity do the work, bursting out the hatch and soaring back to the docking corridor. Floating over the mutants, I sort of feel bad for them. They probably didn’t ask for this life.
A distant boom breaks me from my thoughts. I need to move.
I exit the large hatch and close it behind me as a cascade of explosions rumble from within the dock. The door rattles, but keeps the chaos contained. I pause until the sounds calm down and then I reopen the door to see it.
Smoke billows into the hall. I cough and cover my mouth with my shirt collar, heading forward, finally reaching the edge of the torn-up dock. The dark haze clears a bit, exposing the satisfaction I’ve been waiting for.
Fire roars from countless holes in the vessel’s hull as it dips in the back, water rising and putting out fires as it swallows the one thing that caused me greater pain than I’ve ever experienced. Each section that sinks brings more closure to me.
I wish Arya could see this.
It’s time to get back to her. Time to figure out what’s next.
The way to the office was a blur, my mind consumed with visions of the vessel falling apart. The only thing that dampens this is the thought of Lily. I still have no idea where she is; if she’s even on Neverland anymore, or if Nerissa took her.
I open the door to Arya sitting on the edge of the couch, her forearms resting on her thighs. She pops up when I walk in, a soft smile warming her face before it fades. She clutches at her throat, unable to say anything, and at this moment I understand why it’s OK I didn’t leave to find Lily.
My sister needs me, and I need her.
Chapter 27
Arya
I clutch my throat, then lightly stroke it. The skin on the outside burns, and I open my mouth to speak again, but nothing.
Where’s Peter? Why isn’t he back?
As my heart picks up speed, drumming in my rib cage, I throw my head into my palms. This can’t be how this all ends. Nerissa can’t escape. Thoughts of James roll through my mind. I must get back to him. See if he’s OK.
A screechy alarm fills the air and I drop my hands to my lap. The thudding of running boot sounds from the hall, and Peter appears in the doorway, his shoulders tense. Relieved, and without hesitation, I jump to my feet. ‘You’re back,’ I attempt to speak, but only a hoarse croak comes out and I reach for my throat.
Peter frowns and steps into the office. He grabs my arm. “We need to go.”
I nod, snatch my weapon from the ground, and allow him to pull me through the door into the hall.
“Listen,” he says, yanking me along. “Nerissa is still on the loose, but if we can lock down all the docks, she’ll be trapped on Neverland.”
I scowl. There’s no way we can get to all the docks before she escapes. A city this size has to have at least twenty.
Peter glances at me. “Yeah, yeah… I know what you’re thinking. ‘That’s impossible, Peter’,” he yells over the sounding alarm.
I nod.
“But I’ve thought this through. I know people on Neverland, loyal people. Now to find them.”
As if finding them is going to be easy.
Peter slows and whips out Smeid’s device. He swipes his finger over the display and starts scrolling. “Yep. She’s here. Dock eight. But first I have to make a stop.” He gestures to the right with his head. “That way.”
A stop? There’s no time for that.
I furrow my brows at him.
“Don’t worry,” he says. “It’s on the way.”
We should keep going, but since I can’t speak, it would require too much time to argue with him, and, to be honest, I’m sure there aren’t any right choices to be made now, so I do as he says.
We shoot down the hall, Peter holding out Smeid’s tablet in front of him, checking the map.
“I found where Nerissa houses the prisoners used for experimentation. It’s close,” Peter pants.
“I have to see if Lily is still there.”
We make a left at an unfamiliar corridor and burst between a pair of unguarded, unmarked double doors. Inside waits a sterile lab with six closed doors to the right and left, three to a side. A small window is set into each. Peter runs to the door on the left, waving me to the opposite doors.
“You cover the other side.”
I rush toward them and stand on tiptoe to see into the window off the first door. My heart plummets when on the bed lays a wilted pink flower, just like the one Lily had in her hair on the hologram. But she’s not here. The room’s empty. I pound on the door to get Peter’s attention and he one eighties and rushes to me.
“Is she there?”
I step aside. He peers through the glass, then turns to me, defeated.
“That’s her room,” he says, shaking his head. “We’re wasting time. They’ve already taken her.”
Peter waves for me to follow him from lab and through the double doors, leading us back the same way we came. Before us is the door Peter destroyed to get to Tug. He skids to a stop and mutters something to himself as he peers into the opening. I catch up and look in, too.
Tug’s gone.
“No way that was an hour,” Peter says. “Tug never was good at math. I’m sure he’s lost somewhere, but I can’t do much about it right now. Hopefully he’ll stay out of sight.”
He leads me up a series of flights of a cramped stairwell. When we finally pop out the top, streaky, gray storm clouds loom over us. Not a great sign, but I ignore them and race to dock eight. Bustling citizens of Neverland scurry about, stiff and on edge from the alarm. One of them stops and stares at us a few feet ahead.
“Peter?” the man says.
Peter swings his attention to the stocky man dressed in coveralls, the Syndicate logo on the pocket. My stomach tightens upon seeing it.
“Jose,” Peter replies, adding a tentative smile.
“Why are you here?” Jose asks. “This is all about you, isn’t it?”
Peter's silent.
“Nerissa’s called a mandatory evacuation.”
Peter curses under his breath. “Of course. She’s not just escaping, she’s trying to take the entire fleet with her.”
“You going to get her?” Jose asks.
“Yeah. Me and Arya.” He tips his head my way, and voiceless, I wave.
Jose steps in toward Peter. “She doesn’t say much, does she?
“She’s fine. Arya just wants to get this over with. Can you help me, Jose? Have you seen Zoe?”
“Yeah, she’s over there.” Jose points to the edge of the dock where a woman with curly brown hair arranged into a low ponytail works at a display on the wall.
“Thanks,” Peter says. “Watch out for some fireworks.”
“Looking forward to it.”
Jose darts off, and we race for Zoe. She turns our way and her eyes grow wide. “Peter?”
“I need your computer access,” Peter says.
“So, you’re who they’re searching for. Nerissa’s guards are crawling the place, but no one knows what’s happening. We’re all supposed to board the ships.”
Peter raises a hand to quiet her. “There’s no time for that. I need you to lock down all the ports.”
Zoe furrows her brow and waves us into a small control room out of plain sight. “If I do that they’ll swarm us.”
Peter cocks his head. “You’re better than that. I know you can do it without them knowing the hacked location. It’s the only way we can keep Nerissa from escaping with all the ships.”
Zoe narrows her eyes at Peter, then sighs. “You gotta promise me you’re taking Neverland back. I can’t handle the Sea Witch any longer.”
Peter smirks and looks back at me. “I knew I could count on her.”
“It’s going to require time, though,” she warns us. “I can lock them down three at a time, and there are twenty-one. The safeguards are built in and it’ll take me too long to get around them.”
But that will tip them off!
“She’ll figure it out,” Peter says, voicing my thoughts.
Zoe’s fingers are already flying over the central display in the control room. “It’s the best I can do. I’ll use a secure comm to contact some … dissenters I know. They can help close the docks manually.” She leans her head down to the comm and whispers into it. “Okay. We’re good on that part. I got Becket to spread the word.”
Peter nods, as if he recognizes the name. “Yeah, he’s a good choice,” he mutters under his breath. I guess we’ll have to trust that these people know what they’re doing. He peeks over Zoe’s shoulder as she works. A map of Neverland shows on the screen. The docks on the screen she’s attempting to shut down blink.
“Once we trap Nerissa, we can form an army and go in. But first we need to radio our fleet,” Peter says to me. “I’m not sure the Tiger Lily can handle more fire, but if we can get the Scylla and Jukes over here, they can form a barrier to handle any escapees.”
I try to speak, but little other than a breathy air squeaks out. I nod instead.
Peter swipes on Smeid’s tablet again. “I’ll contact Jukes.”
Shots fire outside the control room and I whip around to see dock workers holding off a couple of Nerissa’s guards. I grip my pistol and make for the door, but a hand on my elbow stops me.
“Let me contact the Jolly Roger before you get out there,” Peter says. “We’re better as a team.”
Confused, I turn to Peter and tilt my head slightly, tightening my brow.
Peter turns to me. “Oh sorry, that’s the name of Smeid’s warship.”
“Three through eighteen locked down,” Zoe says. “Nineteen through twenty-one almost complete. One through three has me blocked, though. Probably where Nerissa is.”
“I’ll send Jukes there,” Peter says.
Zoe shakes her head. “Be quick. The three ships are pulling away.”
My heart sinks into my stomach.
“Come in Jolly Roger,” Peter says into the comm on the device. “Jukes, we need assistance.”
“Fine time to hail us,” a male voice sneers over the speaker. But it’s not Jukes, it’s Smeid.
“Uh, Smeid…” Peter’s voice quavers slightly. “You made it back to the ship.”
“No thanks to you, boy,” he growls. “I got James to the sub before he bled out—”
Bled out? What is he talking about?
I race to Peter’s side and try to speak. Nothing. I look to Peter, but he avoids my questioning eyes.
“Smeid!” Peter yells. “You and the Scylla to position yourself ahead of docks one through three. Ready yourselves to attack. Nerissa is escaping.”
Smeid scoffs. “I hate that woman, but right now I hate you more. And I have other problems, like dealing with James’s hand that you cut off.”
My eyes grow wide at his words and Peter recoils from the comm and grabs my arm.
“Wait, Arya, it wasn’t like that.” Peter’s voice raises in pitch as he panics. “James was enraged. He attacked us. It was an accident. I told Smeid to take him to a med station.”
But you left him. You didn’t tell me.
“Oh, Arya is there?” Smeid’s muffled voice comes from the comm. “James wants to speak with her.”
I snatch the tablet. The coordinates of the Jolly Roger show at the bottom of the screen in relation to our current location. They’re directly behind us, heading south.
“Arya?” James’s agitated voice sounds.
James, are you OK? I love you. I’m so sorry.
“I can’t get one through three, Peter! The ships are leaving!” Zoe yells.
“Arya? Talk to me!”
A staticky shuffling sound crackles on the device, then Smeid’s condescending voice is back.
“Oh, Arya’s not there? What, did you abandon her, too, Peter?
Peter rips the tablet from me. “You son of a—”
“I have to go,” Smeid growls. “I have people I
care for to attend to.”
The comm goes dead.
I glare at Peter, then burst from the station. Anger rages through me; anger at Peter, anger at Smeid, anger at Nerissa for stealing my voice, it's fire licking at my soul.
Shots come from the side and I whirl around to see the deck workers trying to hold off Nerissa’s men. I launch myself forward, weapon extended, and shoot.
The blast strikes the largest guard square in the chest and he falls backward. I turn my attention to the others and shoot—one, two, three—until they’re all down. I hit the ground and slide across the slick deck, then jump to my feet.
The dockworkers round toward me, their mouths hanging open. I doubt they expected a tiny redhead to finish their job for them.
“The other docks are secure!” Zoe yells from the side. “We’ve regained control of Neverland!”
“But for how long?” Peter's voice sounds from behind.
I twist, aiming my pistol forward. Peter stands there with an expression of stone, not even reacting to the weapon inches from his face.
“This is my fault,” Peter admits. “Everything is my fault. James, Lily … even Nerissa escaping.”
His admittance takes me back, and I lower the gun, tossing it aside. The metal cracks and slides against the deck floor. My eyes burn as I fall forward into Peter and wrap my arms around him, tears soaking into his shirt.
Without hesitation, he returns the embrace. “We’ll fix this somehow. We’ll get them back.”
I pull from him and position myself in the direction of the Jolly Roger’s coordinates. A stormy wind sweeps through my hair. On the horizon floats a tiny dot that can only be Smeid’s ship, taking James away, leaving us. Leaving me.
I turn back to Peter and square my jaw.
“Nerissa must pay,” I vow. Somehow, my voice is back and as clear as it’s ever been.
End of Book One
EPILOGUE
Minutes later…
Nerissa
Beep.
The heart rate monitor echoes slowly through the lab as I scour the supplies I barely escaped with. He doesn’t have long if I don’t do this soon.
NeverSea: Echoes of the Lost (Book One) Page 19