Skyship Academy tpw-1

by Nick James

  I meet his eyes for a second but don’t respond. I’d like to see him survive what I’ve been through. Bet he wouldn’t think it was so funny.

  “Relax.” He slaps my shoulder, nearly knocking me to the ground. “And don’t die, okay? Don’t be your usual stupid self.”

  Then he’s gone. I look around for Madame. A hand grabs onto my arm. I push away before realizing it’s Cassius.

  He frowns and motions for me to follow him between two walls of fighting soldiers. I watch as beams of energy shoot from cannons emerging from the hull of the Academy.

  Cassius releases my arm. We squeeze between the remaining soldiers and sprint through what’s left of an empty alleyway. On the other side I see a line of cruisers, also empty. Every soldier Madame’s got has joined the fray back at the intersection. The alleyway’s dark, shadowed by the Academy overhead. Cassius cradles the cube under his arm. I grab him by the shoulder, stopping his mad dash to freedom.

  He spins around, glaring. “What are you doing?”

  “I can’t leave without Avery.”

  “Madame’ll kill you,” he responds, keeping one eye on the far-off intersection.

  “I thought that’s what you wanted.”

  He shakes his head. “We have to get away.”

  “Alkine will-”

  He grabs my arm and yanks me backward, just as Madame bursts into the alleyway.

  Her jacket hangs halfway off her shoulders. Her hair is mottled with dirt and sweat. She breathes heavily, aiming the pistol at my heart.

  “Come on,” Cassius coaxes, pulling my arm.

  “Don’t move,” Madame warns as she steps forward, “or it will be the last thing you do.”

  Cassius releases me, clutching the cube tightly under his arm.

  Madame sighs. “My dear Cassius. I have regrets. I should have kept you out of this. I should have let you stay at the Lodge. You’re confused, as you have every right to be. We’ll sit down and talk when this is over. I’m sure that-”

  She’s interrupted by Eva, who stumbles into the alleyway holding Alkine’s dark bag. Her arm restraint hangs from her left wrist. A large scratch runs down the side of her face.

  Madame rolls her eyes, pivoting slightly and pulling the trigger. Eva lunges toward the wall and presses herself against the brick. The bullet whizzes past her and into the intersection.

  “Don’t hurt her!” I shout. “It’s me you want.”

  Madame turns back around, reloading the pistol and aiming it at me. “There are cruisers directly behind you. Step into one, and we can continue this conversation elsewhere.”

  I watch as Eva tiptoes forward, grabbing something from inside the bag. A faint green light illuminates the back of the alley. Madame doesn’t see it. Yet.

  “Okay,” I respond, trying not to stare at the Pearl Eva’s holding. “Okay, I give up. Just don’t shoot.”

  Madame’s head cocks to the side, a suspicious frown on her face. “Into the cruiser.”

  I nod and take a small step back. Eva comes closer.

  Then Madame sees the glow coming from behind her. She spins around, but before she can do anything Eva hurls the Pearl into the air. It makes a wide arc above Madame’s head and shoots down to me.

  I stretch out my right arm, tense my fingers, and stop it in mid-air.

  The Pearl hovers between Madame and me, nearly blinding us in the dim alley. I motion for Eva to run back to the intersection. She lingers for a moment, watching me, before backing away.

  Madame keeps her aim steady, approaching cautiously. “This isn’t funny, Jesse.”

  I back up, focusing on keeping control of the Pearl. I wave my hand back and forth. The Pearl follows like a pendulum swinging in the air. Left, right. Left, right.

  Madame watches, and for the first time I notice fear in her eyes. She knows what’s inside the Pearl, but I bet she doesn’t know what happens when it’s freed. Not firsthand.

  I move my hand more dramatically and the Pearl follows course, slamming into the brittle walls on either side of us. Loose brick tumbles in piles onto the ground as the alley starts to cave in before me.

  Madame stumbles back. “Stop it.”

  I don’t. The Pearl continues to smack the walls with the force of a wrecking ball, adding to the pile of rubble in front of us. It’s nearly up to Madame’s waist now, blocking her path.

  Then, just as I’m about to bring the entire alley down around her, I hear a gunshot and feel something prick my shoulder. I look down to see a silver dart lodged into my skin. She shot me. She actually shot me!

  The Pearl wobbles in the air as my concentration fractures. Whatever’s in the dart races through my bloodstream. It’s all I can do to stay standing. Madame laughs. All other sounds fade into nothing.

  I clench my fists and the world explodes in front of me.

  A shower of rubble rains over Madame, burying everything in the alleyway-including her. The walls crumble around us as the Pearl energy tears through the derelict buildings, streaming out into the intersection. A glowing figure shoots into the sky, soaring up around the Academy and out of sight.

  I fall backwards, watching as the Skyship’s hull absorbs the brunt of the Pearl’s force. Sheet lightning dances along the dark underbelly, illuminating the mist around Seattle. Just like that day-the day Cassius and I first landed on Earth.

  Then, as the last of the energy dissipates, I lose consciousness.

  46

  She’s got me. She’s escaped somehow and she’s got me.

  It’s the only thing running through my mind upon waking. My back’s pressed against a leather seat. A belt stretches over my chest.

  I’m in a government cruiser. Never been inside one before, but the Unified Party emblems etched into the control panel are a dead giveaway.

  Dark sky forms a wall outside the window. I turn to my left, praying to see Alkine. Eva. Skandar. One of the good guys.

  Cassius.

  I jerk away from him, my mind still on survival mode.

  “Relax.” He glances over at me, frowning. “She’s not here.”

  I watch him pilot the cruiser for a moment in silence. His hands grip the wheel tightly. His steely gaze focuses on the path ahead of him.

  “You’ve been out for over an hour,” he mutters. “Tranquilizer. It’s meant to keep you down for longer.”

  I cough. “Where are we?” My throat’s still clogged with dust from Seattle.

  “Halfway over Kansas, according to the radar.” His eyes shift to my face, then back to the front window. “Wichita’s on your right-below us.”

  I look down at the Surface-an unending abyss punctuated only by pinpricks of light far off in the distance. Directly below us sits a cocoon of white lights, stretching up from the ground like a bee’s nest. Wichita. Chosen City #27.

  My mind flashes back to Seattle. The alleyway. “Are you-”

  “I’m not taking you to the Lodge,” he interrupts. “Nobody’s taking you to the Lodge from the looks of it back there. They’re outnumbered. Despite all of Madame’s planning, the Skyship took her by surprise. I didn’t think it was possible to surprise her.”

  I close my eyes and see the pile of rubble crashing down on Madame. The thought of it makes me sick. “Was she…? I mean, did I… ?”

  “I didn’t check,” he replies. “I just left.”

  I rub my eyes and try to wipe the image from memory. “She’s unconscious, that’s all. People like Madame don’t die.”

  He scoffs. “I wouldn’t have thought you’d care.”

  I look down at my lap for a moment. It’s not caring, definitely, but I don’t like the thought of killing anybody either. Even Madame. “Look, I didn’t want to hurt anyone.”

  “Don’t apologize,” Cassius says, and that’s the end of that.

  I shift in my seat, wondering if I should just shut up and let him do his thing. He’s not exactly the most approachable person in the world. But I can’t stay quiet. There’s too much I need to k
now. “So if we’re not going to the Lodge, where are we going?”

  He sighs. “Somewhere people can’t find us.”

  I groan inwardly. The last thing I want right now is another chase. My body couldn’t handle it. “Running again?”

  “You got a problem with that?”

  “I-” I catch myself and try to choose my words carefully, unsure what could set him off. “It’s just that… my friends. Avery.”

  “She’s gone,” he replies. “They could’ve dragged her to any of the Unified Party’s compounds by now. Finding her would be impossible.” He pauses. “Your friends will be fine.”

  I shake my head. “I should have been quicker. I should have stopped them from taking her.”

  He frowns, his voice devoid of any expression. “You did what you had to do. You saved yourself. Now take a look at this.” He reaches down and grabs something from beside his seat. Before I can argue, he tosses Madame’s small black cube into my lap.

  I catch it, expecting my muscles to strain. They don’t.

  The cube’s unnaturally light, like paper or cardboard. I run my fingers across the smooth, cold exterior. It’s solid as stone, and seems like it’s been the same shape since the beginning of time. Not so, if what Madame said is true.

  “Open it,” Cassius coaxes.

  I glance at him in confusion. But then I remember the silver key around my neck. I lift the chain over my head and feel around the top of the cube for a keyhole.

  Cassius reaches over and turns on the lighting panel above my seat. A dim glow falls on a narrow slit in the center of the cube. I grab the key and lower it into the hole.

  That’s all I have to do.

  Deep lines begin to form on the surface, starting from the center and spreading out on all four sides like a compass rose. It’s like watching an invisible knife cut through the material. Impossibly sharp. Within moments, the top of the cube’s portioned into four equal squares. The lines reach the edges and continue to cut down the sides of the cube. The key crumbles into dust, dissipating into the air. The roof of the cube blossoms out from the center, revealing an opening the size of my fist.

  Cassius keeps one eye on the cube the entire time. When all the fanfare’s over, I shift my attention to him. He glances up at me, then back to the crumbled cube in my lap. “Go ahead.”

  I nod, then cautiously reach through the hole and pull out a reflective disc the size of my palm. At first it looks like a hand mirror, but as soon as I touch it, an image flickers to life on the shiny surface.

  It’s an electronic photo. A man and woman sit together, smiling. I hold it closer and notice two bundles of cloth cradled in their arms. Babies. It’s a mother and father.

  Our mother and father.

  I can tell instantly. My eyes. Cassius’s chin. Both of us are right there, in our parents’ faces. Mom’s fair hair has a slight curl to it, like mine. The determined look in Dad’s eyes could set the world on fire. Both wear untroubled, cheerful expressions, but beneath their expressions is something else-a slight downward tug in the smiles, a hint of worry in the tensed eyebrows.

  Still, the four of us look like any normal, American family. No one’s got antennae or green skin. We aren’t wearing shiny silver jumpsuits or bulbous space bubbles.

  I hand the disc to Cassius without a word. He stares at it for a moment, eyes fixed on the picture. “It’s true, then,” he mutters, “what Madame said.”

  I nod, but before I can respond the open cube quivers in my lap. Worried, I lift it from my legs, but as soon as it touches my skin it melts like wax. Dark beads slide down the sides. My hand tingles with an iciness as the cube drips into a thick mess.

  I crouch on the seat as the dark liquid falls between my fingers, only to lift up again like a yo-yo. The puddle breaks into two. A glob of blackness shoots across the cabin and clings onto Cassius’s wrist. What’s left coils around my arm. Another second and the material hardens into two smooth bracelets-one for each of us.

  I claw at the thin band, searching for a break in the material to pry it off. It’s seamless, and too narrow to fit around my hand. For a moment my wrist is overcome by intense cold, but soon the temperature adjusts itself to meet the rest of my body.

  I sigh, digging underneath the bracelet. “Well, that’s just great.”

  Cassius places the picture-disc on the front console and flexes his arm in front of him, keeping one hand on the steering wheel. “What did you do?”

  “Me? I didn’t do anything!”

  He glares at me, but then something on the radar screen catches his attention. “We’re being followed.”

  I turn in my seat, craning my neck to see behind us out the window. Madame. It’s gotta be Madame.

  “It’s coming up fast,” Cassius continues. “It’ll be on us in a-”

  Before he can finish his thought, a brilliant green glow overtakes the cruiser. The cabin flashes dramatically as something hurtles overhead. We shake with turbulence, though I hardly notice it. I’m too focused on the green figure soaring through the air ahead of us. Losing altitude. Fast.

  I point out the window. “It’s the person I freed in Seattle! Follow him!”

  Cassius shoots me a questioning look but brings the cruiser down, speeding up to match the pace of the glowing traveler in front of us. I watch as the figure plunges to the dark Surface, leaving a trail of energy behind like a shooting star.

  “Pearls,” Cassius mutters. “I think I liked them better when they weren’t shaped like people.”

  The screens on the control deck flicker on and off as we follow the energy trail. The cabin lights power to full capacity until I have to squint to see through the brightness.

  “Power overload,” Cassius says. “The cruiser can’t take all this energy. If this keeps up we’ll have to pull off course.”

  I look down at the crazy light show in front of me. “Can’t you shut some of this stuff off?”

  He shakes his head. “I didn’t turn it on.” He glances at the altimeter. “We’re getting close. Two thousand feet and dropping.”

  I keep one eye on the green figure-an oversized firefly shooting through the night. Then in an instant, it disappears. The energy trail fractures into tiny sparks of light around us, evaporating into the air. It’s dark once more. Mass dark.

  “Frag it.” Cassius switches on the emergency beams and pulls up on the wheel. I jostle in my seat as a wide rooftop comes into view just below us, spotlighted by our ship. We almost crash right into it, but Cassius stops us just in time.

  After a moment floundering in the air, we make a cautious landing in the center of the roof. The surface beneath us bows with the weight of the cruiser. I wait for it to cave in altogether, but it holds. For now.

  Cassius shuts off the power-everything but the emergency beams, which shoot across the rooftop in two horizontal pillars.

  We’ve set down in the middle of a Fringe Town, and we’re the only light for miles. I hope we’re alone out here.

  A man crouches on the rooftop between our beams. Back turned to us, he slumps over the ground, resting on his knees. His outline is utterly still. From what I can see, he looks human.

  Cassius raises his armrest and strides back to a small locker protruding from the wall. After plugging a code into a nearby keypad, he pulls it open and rummages around inside.

  I unbuckle my belt. “What are you doing?”

  He turns to face me, inspecting the barrel of a pistol. “Protection.”

  “No.” I stand, glancing back at the man on the rooftop. “Leave it.”

  His eyes challenge me, but he says nothing. After an uncomfortable silence, he sighs and returns the weapon to the locker. “Fine. We’ll do it your way.”

  I look down at his clenched fist. Sparks dance along his fingertips. Not enough to start a fire, but enough to tell me exactly how he’s feeling.

  He shakes his head and walks to the side of the cabin, punching the button to release the doorway. Sweltering night
air streams into the cockpit as the door slides open.

  I step out first, knees shaking as my feet touch the rooftop. The air is humid, without even a hint of a breeze. Apart from the distant chirping of insects, it’s silent, too.

  I round the front of the cruiser, eyes fixed on the figure spotlighted by our beams. Cassius follows close behind. As sneaky as we try to be, our footsteps echo like drumbeats in the tranquil night.

  “Uh… excuse me?” My voice breaks, barely above a whisper.

  The figure’s head darts up and slowly turns around to stare at us. He squints through the beams, his lips down turned.

  Cassius and I freeze. The man’s eyes drill into us. Then they fall on my wrist-the bracelet. He recognizes it.

  Immediately he jumps up and bounds toward us. A string of noise pours from his lips, nonsense words recited with the conviction of a lunatic.

  Cassius and I back away until we’re pressed up against the front of the cruiser. Cassius holds out his hand, trying to get a flame going.

  The man stops, inches away. He gapes at us for a moment, eyes wide and crazy. My breathing quickens. I try not to look at him, but his expression draws me in.

  I take a step to the side, trying to get away, but he’s too quick. He grabs onto our wrists, fingers wrapped around the bracelets. His head shoots back until he’s looking up at the stars. A trail of energy leaks from both bracelets, streaming up into the atmosphere and plunging into the alien’s open mouth. Then, out of nowhere, he speaks English. Or rather, the bracelets speak, channeling words through his larynx.

  “My boys,” his tone is robotic and expressionless, like a computer trying to recite a poem. It doesn’t fit. “If you are hearing this now, then you have safely made it to Earth. Your father’s transport system worked. You are the first, and the means of unlocking each that follows you.”

  He pauses. I glance at Cassius. Father. This is a message for us, a recording of some sort, from our…

  I don’t let myself finish the thought. There’s no telling who this is from. I can’t get my hopes up.

  The bracelet sends shockwaves up through my arm. It doesn’t hurt, but it keeps me frozen in place. “We wish we could be there,” the voice continues to spill from the guy’s mouth. “We should be there, but fate has not allowed it. In our stead, I have programmed this device to guide you until you are old enough to take care of yourselves. Any of our people will know how to activate it, though this message is set for playback as soon as the two of you reunite. It will lead you to food and shelter. You will be lonely until others arrive, but you will need that time to build trust in one another and develop your powers. One to create, one to destroy: a shared burden to channel and transform the transport energy. It will grow easier with time.”