“It’s a nickname,” Beau says. “Because of his dad.” He swipes his palm over his spiky hair. “Mine is Hedgehog. We all have them. Niall’s just sensitive about his.”
The man in question tenses as if he’d like to punch Beau in the face. Beau raises his eyebrows in a I’d-like-to-see-you-try invitation. I suspect there’s history between these two idiots.
I drop Beau’s arm, mutter, “boys” and stride down the corridor, forcing them to hurry to catch up with me. Then I ignore them. My thoughts loop back to the confirmation that my brain is still not working properly. It’s worrisome, but not as scary as dangerous shadow creatures haunting the pits. At least I’m not having as many nightmares about them. My recent dreams have been focused on a certain person, who I’d like to lose another wrestling match to.
After we enter the security wing, Beau stops outside Radcliff’s office. “Lyra, now that you’re feeling better, can we continue plugging those worm holes?”
I glance at Niall, but his face is a stone mask. “I’ll have to check with Officer Radcliff and probably my doctor, but I don’t see why not.”
“Great. Later.” He ducks into the office.
Niall and I continue to Radcliff’s unit. When I press my palm to the lock, Niall asks, “Do you really believe you imagined those shadow-blobs?”
I sigh. “What else could it be? No one has seen them but me. It has to either be the concussion or PTSD.
Doesn’t that make more sense than shadow-blobs?”
“Remember Xinji.”
Remember Xinji. Remember Xinji. Remember Xinji. Those two words repeat over and over in my mind during dinner. I’ve lost track of the conversation as I struggle to recall the little bit of information I’d read about Xinji. One descriptor stands out. Eviscerated. I rub my stomach. No. The looters killed the scientists. Not shadow-blobs with razor-sharp blades.
As if reading my mind, Radcliff pulls my attention back to him when he says, “DES performed another scan of Xinji. This one more comprehensive. Still no life signs. If anyone is there, they’re deep underground.”
“Then that worm must be exceptionally talented to use the planet’s satellite to hide his or her tracks,” Dad says. “Are there…super wormers in the Q-net?”
“It’s possible,” Radcliff says. “There’s been no indications of one, but if the person is that good then he or she wouldn’t leave behind a trail.”
Mom shoots me a glance. She’s been quiet during dinner. Too quiet.
“Any leads on who has the resources to fund the looters?” Dad asks Radcliff.
“DES has narrowed it down to three people. Madrea Javier, Anders Knut, and Hudson Tsang. Anders has hired Osen Vee in the past, and Madrea funded Warrick’s campaign to free the star roads. Hudson is our prime suspect, but he very recently left Earth and is in a time jump—very convenient for him. We’ll be able to interview him in twenty-four years when he reaches Planet Beta.”
“That gives DES plenty of time to build a case against him,” Niall says.
“His lawyers are already causing problems, protesting everything, finding loopholes.” Radcliff’s disgust is evident in his voice.
“Was there any evidence that points to Hudson in those recovered files from Xinji?” Dad asks.
“Not that we could find. There may be something in the files from Xinji’s last ninety days, but the files from that time period are almost useless.”
“Wait. I thought those files were classified.”
“To everyone except DES security, who I work for,” Radcliff says.
“That’s great!”
“They’re still off limits to you,” he says dryly.
“Of course.” I consider the information. “It makes sense that the looters wanted to erase the data and they used that super worm to do it. It’s only because of Jarren that we have any info from that time at all.”
Niall gazes at me. “And you almost caught it. Can you dig up the rest of those missing files? The ones Jarren couldn’t access?”
Everyone is staring at me. And I’ve a sudden feeling Niall’s question isn’t due to the current conversation, that he’s been doing some extracurricular research.
Remember Xinji.
“I can try,” I say into the silence.
“How dangerous would it be, Tace?” Mom asks.
He considers. “It might alert that super worm—make him or her more cautious. Other than that, I don’t see how anyone could harm Lyra.”
“What about the looters?” Dad asks.
“They’re always a concern, Spencer. And if they’re still hiding in our system, I’d love to draw them out.”
Mom slams her fork down. “You’re not using our daughter as bait.”
“I was not suggesting that,” Radcliff says in an even tone. “I merely wish to be more proactive. Waiting for another ambush is…tough.”
“I understand,” Mom says. “But I don’t want Lyra to draw attention until we have a better idea of who we’re dealing with.”
“If I do it right, no one will know,” I say.
“Not even that super worm?” Radcliff asks.
Good question. “Depends on if he or she has rigged the buried files with alarms, which considering they’re about what happened to Xinji, then the worm would be an idiot not to. But…” I drum my fingers on the table. “If I assume there are alarms, then I might be able to bypass them.” It would be an exciting challenge.
“Not worth the risk for a might,” Mom says.
My excitement fizzles.
“Do you think you could teach Beau?” Radcliff asks me.
I consider. The man is good with closing the security holes, but isn’t subtle when he worms. “I don’t think he’ll have the right…touch.”
“Then we’ll just have to wait on that for now.” Mom resumes eating, ending the conversation.
Too bad we have no clue where the looters are. If we can prove they’re in a time jump, then my mom wouldn’t be so worried. Neither would I.
Niall meets my gaze. And from his half-smile, I know the matter is far from settled. At least if I get thrown into detention, I’ll have company.
After dinner Niall and I go to Radcliff’s office. Under the watchful eye of Officer Morgan, we access the Warrior files for Xi’an—might as well start at the first Warrior planet that was discovered. The Q-net rips through the first pit, then the second and the third. Niall draws the symbols on the grid paper. Like with Yulin, each pit represents a Warrior planet—sixty-four in total. But Pit 1 and Pit 2 of Xi’an don’t match the planets represented in the two pits on Yulin.
I say, “We should do Planet Anqing and see if it matches Xi’an.”
As we work through Anqing, once again each pit represents a planet, but the pits don’t match the order of either Xi’an or the two on Yulin.
“It’s still pretty significant,” Niall says. “There must be a reason. It’s important.”
True. Too bad I’ll probably never learn why in my lifetime. Pah. I can’t believe I just thought that! My parents would be signing me up for archaeology school if they heard that.
“Do you want to start Bazhou?”
Niall glances at the clock. “Not tonight, I’m beat.”
We say good night to Morgan and head back. Niall’s still in his uniform. Poor guy doesn’t get much time off.
“I’ve read through those recovered files from Xinji, too,” Niall says oh-so-casually.
I tense. “Legally?”
He huffs. “I am on the security team.” A pause. “There’s not much there.”
“Is that why you suggested I dig for more?”
“Yes. Also it’s hard to tell for sure, but I think the looters didn’t kill everyone. There seems to be a gap in time and people died later.”
That’s terrible. “Because of their injuries?”
“Hard to say for sure. But I found a reference to an unknown assailant with a knife.”
Oh boy. I stop and turn to him. “Niall,
that’s sweet that you believe me about those shadow-blobs, but, think about it, it’s insane.”
He reaches to touch my arm, but catches himself. “You need to watch the feed of us in Pit 4.” Before I protest, he asks, “Have you seen any of those shadow-blobs in the base?”
“No.” Thank the stars.
“So if it’s trauma-induced, you won’t see anything since you won’t be in the pits.”
He has a point. “All right, I’ll watch the feed.”
Niall smiles and I think I’d do just about anything for one of his smiles. Besides, what harm can come from watching myself freak out?
We continue down the corridor. I mull over Niall’s comments about the files. Having all the information would certainly answer a ton of questions.
“Would your dad let me search for those deleted files if my parents agree?” I ask Niall.
He doesn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
Guess they’ve been discussing this. “What if they don’t approve?”
“No. Not until you’re eighteen A-years.” He glances at me. “When’s your birthday?”
“Not for another one hundred and fifty days.” Which doesn’t sound that far away but… “I’ll talk to my parents. Maybe if I promise to back off if I think I’ll alert that super worm, they’ll agree.”
“Couldn’t hurt.”
When we arrive, Niall follows me in. Radcliff is sitting in the common room and Niall asks him permission to show me the feed.
“Why do you want to see it?” he asks me.
Ah. “I think it’ll help convince my brain that what I saw wasn’t real.” Lame. Really lame. I try not to squirm when Radcliff studies me.
“All right. You can use my terminal.” He tilts his head toward his bedroom.
Now? For some reason panic snakes around my throat.
“Thank you,” Niall says. “Come on, Lyra.”
But… I reluctantly join him. Guess I didn’t think Radcliff would agree. Radcliff’s bedroom is rather utilitarian. The bed is bigger than mine, which makes sense since he’s taller and broader. There are almost no decorations except for one painting of dense dark green foliage. A thin vine of tiny orange flowers weaves through the leaves. It’s very soothing.
Niall catches me staring at it. “The Pavartian Jungle on Planet Gamma. It’s one of my mom’s.” He lowers his voice, “You’ve been a good influence on him.”
“Me?” I squeak in surprise.
“When we lived on the ship, he wouldn’t enter my room because of her paintings. He refused to look at them. A few days ago, he asked me for this one. His favorite.”
“I still don’t understand how I’m connected.”
“He told me you said something that got him thinking.”
“Did he say what it was?” Could it have been when I talked to him about Niall’s sketchbooks?
“Nope. I was just happy he wanted the painting.”
Niall sits at the terminal and soon a picture of Pit 4 fills the screen. “Ready?” he asks.
Am I? Worst case, it’s another confirmation that I’m seeing things. Best case… Actually there is no best case. “Yes.”
I stand behind him as he starts the feed. Everything looks normal except for the shadow-blobs. Grabbing the back of the chair, I lean forward. There are more than the one I spotted. My fingernails dig into the fabric as I count. Four. No, five. My attention focuses on me standing next to Menz. And sure enough the shadow-blob knocks me down as it slashes at me—just like I remembered.
Niall turns around. “Now do you understand why I believe you?”
“Yes.” But it’s not for the reason he thinks. “Can you play it again?”
“All right.”
When the shadow-blobs do the exact same thing, I know they’re not in my head. My memory just isn’t that good. I have him play it a third time just in case. Yup. Not my imagination. So what does it mean?
That there are invisible and dangerous alien creatures in the pits. The thought is terrifying.
“You’ve convinced me,” I say to Niall. “But we’re not going to convince anyone else without proof. How does this help?”
“We really need those deleted files. Consider this extra motivation to persuade your parents to agree.”
“My mother can be quite stubborn,” I warn him.
“But you’re Lyra Daniels, Refuses to be Ignored. Use your superpower.”
I laugh.
Early the next morning, I’m woken by a loud knock. Before I can even comprehend that the sound came from my door, it’s flung open. Radcliff storms into my room. Uh oh, what did I do wrong?
“The files are gone. What did you do to them last night?” he demands.
Confusion clouds my thoughts. “The Warrior files?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know.”
I push up on my elbow. “I’m not. What’s gone?”
“The Xinji files.”
Jerking up to a sitting position, I clutch my blanket with both hands. “Are you sure?”
He ignores my question. “Nice try, Daniels. I knew you were up to something. Distracting Niall with symbols and octagons. Really?” Radcliff gestures to me. “Get dressed.”
Nothing is making any sense, but after he leaves, I throw on a pair of jeans and a shirt. Radcliff’s waiting in the common room.
“Why—”
He grabs my wrist and drags me from the unit. I stumble along just behind him with my thoughts whirling. The only thing that might explain this is that the super worm wiped the files and framed me for it. At least Niall can vouch for me. But then again Radcliff’s comment about octagons doesn’t bode well for my alibi. Perhaps he’s under suspicion as well. All the speculation in the universe isn’t going to do me any good right now. I’ll just have to wait.
Radcliff practically shoves me into his office. Niall and Morgan are standing behind Beau, who’s sitting at the terminal.
“What’s this?” Radcliff demands.
“Relax, Boss,” Morgan says. “I asked Hedgehog to verify a few things.”
Radcliff appears far from relaxed. Tension fogs the room, making it difficult to breathe. Questions push up my throat, but Niall meets my gaze and shakes his head a tiny bit, warning me to keep quiet.
After hours of standing there…okay more like fifteen minutes, but each minute drags like an hour—trust me…Beau faces us. “It’s a masterpiece, but it wasn’t done by our girl.”
My legs weaken with relief, but I keep my stiff posture.
“Are you sure?” Radcliff asks.
Seriously? After I helped them with the holes? I scowl at him.
“Yes. And there’s another problem.”
“Do tell.”
Despite the fact I’m hating him right now, I’m impressed by Radcliff’s sarcasm.
“The files that Lyra buried—the ones about the symbols that her friend researched—they’re gone as well.”
Gasping, I cover my mouth. This is bad. This is really bad. If it was the looters’ super worm, then they know about the other undiscovered Warrior planets. Then I think about it. “I set an alarm on those files. Did it trigger?”
“No. But your secondary security measure picked up on a ripple and alerted Officer Radcliff just like you set up.” He gives me a sardonic grin. “It’s what caused this…” He sweeps a hand out, indicating everyone in the room. “Impromptu meeting. The boss checked to see what was going on and saw the Xinji files had been swiped. And you know the rest.”
Yeah, he automatically assumed I’m guilty. After shooting him another dark look, I ask Beau, “How did you figure out it wasn’t me?”
“I found your shortcut.”
“Shortcut?” Morgan asks.
“She set up a way to access Lan’s files without having to disable the security measures each time. If she’s the one who deleted those files, she wouldn’t have triggered the alarm.”
“That’s equally irresponsible,” Radcliff says. “What if the super worm found your sh
ortcut?”
I shove my hands into my pockets and keep my mouth shut.
“Technically it did,” Beau says. “But once you get into the shortcut, it acts like a trap so the super worm backed off and used another method to get to those files. When it backed out, it triggered that secondary alarm.”
While I’m happy my trick worked, that super worm still stole the files.
“Can you trace the thief?” Radcliff asks.
“No. But I think Lyra can.”
I step back with my hands up. “Oh no. Not me. Go find someone else. I’m done.”
Eighteen
2522:165
I head for the door. But it’s really hard to storm from a room when you’re on probation and need a chaperone to go anywhere. Hesitating at the threshold, I debate if my anger is worth being thrown in detention.
Without turning around, I say, “Officer Dorey, would you be so kind as to escort me back to my room?”
There’s a moment of silence. I imagine he’s looking to Radcliff for permission. Then he says, “Uh, sure.”
He joins me. Anger fuels my steps and it’s not long before we’re back at Radcliff’s unit.
I go inside. “Thanks.”
“Lyra-”
I close the door before I say something I’d regret.
Later, instead of helping Beau after soch-time, I head to the pits. He’s required to follow me and he’s not happy about it. Too bad. My mom and dad aren’t in the archaeology lab, but that’s okay. Taking a steadying breath, I enter the pits. I keep my gaze trained on the pathway and not on the dark shadows as I walk to Pit 4.
The General is just how I left him. I sort pieces with a single-minded determination, blocking out all distractions like the shadow-blobs flitting at the edges of my vision. The desire to yell at everyone to evacuate the pits because the shadow-blobs might attack builds in my chest, but no one would believe me, and I’d be escorted to the infirmary faster than a grain of sand in a sandstorm.
Instead, I work on putting the General back together. My fury at Radcliff fizzles with the exertion that it takes to muscle heavy pieces around. But that just means there’s more room for a mix of hurt and betrayal to fill my heart. I thought I was part of the team. This will teach me to let my guard down.
Navigating the Stars Page 24