“The portal is on standby,” Dad says. “Go ahead and let go of us.”
I release my grasp and the cyan haze around us vanishes. Immediately, Alina and Madan’s attention snaps to us.
Madan waves us in the ship’s direction. “We must go.”
I look to Dad, unsure I want to trust them so quickly. My heart pounds. This could be a trap. But we knew of this possibility coming into this meeting.
“The portal can open anywhere,” Dad whispers.
I gulp as we jog to Madan and Alina.
“Being out here in the open is risky,” Alina says as we stop in front of them. She looks around, her face tense. “We’re in the middle of nowhere. But I’d rather get you three to a securer location.”
“Fine,” Dad says. “We’re the ones who called you. We’re ready now.”
Madan taps his Connect and the hatch that closed behind them rises. The inside fits no more than seven, including the pilot, even though it’s just us. At least for now, we’re safe.
“Checking us for weapons this time?” I ask. “Because we’re all armed.”
“As well you should be,” Alina says. “Arcadia has gotten pretty dangerous.” She pulls back her light jacket and reveals a holstered laser gun. “We’re all armed.”
I don’t know if her words make me feel any better, but at least she’s not hiding anything.
“You’re taking us to the Senate members, right?” Max asks.
Madan bows his head slightly. “We wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
“Then let’s go,” Dad says and gently touches my shoulder to move me forward.
Despite the swirling pit in my stomach, I follow his encouragement and board the ship, taking the last seat on the right. Madan follows me and heads for the pilot seat. He plops into the chair and runs his fingers across the front panel. The interior illuminates as the hover hums to life.
The other three follow and strap into seats as well. Across the way, Max’s face has paled, and his usual air of confidence is diminished.
“How long is the trip?” Dad asks Alina. Under the light, I see a trickle of nervous sweat trailing down the side of his face.
“We’re forced to travel some distance around Primaro to ensure we’re out of Hammond’s patrol range,” she answers. “So, the estimate is an hour. Your pickup point was nowhere near the secured location.”
“Where is it?” he asks.
Alina lifts a shoulder in a slight shrug. The hatch suctions closed in a hiss while the lock secures. “I can’t tell you. Not yet, at least. Honestly, the only one here who knows the exact location is Madan.”
Madan nods from the front and taps the control screen in front of him. He places a helmeted headset on that covers his eyes and ears. The ship’s front window darkens. Now we have no chance of seeing where we’re going. The hover lifts off and propels forward, jostling my stomach with the motion.
“Those we work for want to keep the location a secret from as many as possible, in case of capture. The fewer who know, the fewer who can give the coordinates away.”
“Sounds official,” Max says.
“It is.” Alina leans toward us. “This place was built with the knowledge of only a few in the World Senate, and no one on the Board.”
Dad’s forehead wrinkles in confusion. “But I designed Primaro and everything about living on Arcadia.”
“There were others with additional ideas,” Alina says.
Dad flares his nostrils, but instead of asking further questions, he settles in his seat. Up front, Madan speaks in a low tone into a comm. I can’t make out what he says or hear the reply feed into his earpiece.
“What’s the status on the aggressive Alku?” I ask. My stomach twists with the question, but I must know whether they’re alive or dead.
Whether Javen is alive or dead.
“After the massacre at the mine, Hammond retreated,” Alina says. “The Alku have yet to attack Primaro. But they stayed in the battle area to guard the mine.”
“Do you know if any of the humans escaped the mine?” Dad asks. “General Atkins was one of the people helping to lead the attack.”
“We know there were miner deaths, and the Alku destroyed several incoming ships, killing most of those on board. But not much else at this point. Any ships or drones that have been sent into the area have been destroyed. The satellite views haven’t shown that any humans are left. There are no signs of anyone but the Alku.”
My heart sinks at her words. Did Wirrin and Javen go so far as to kill everyone?
“But there was mining going on underground,” Max says. “Irene and I saw the operation. It’s still possible that some of the humans could be held hostage, right? Out of sight.”
Alina shrugs again. “Possible, but the Alku don’t appear to be negotiating, and I’m not sure what value Atkins’s group is to Hammond. They were the enemy to Hammond, remember. But after the initial survivors were accounted for, no other bodies have been sighted.”
My hands shake slightly on my lap. To calm them, I press my palms into the tops of my thighs. All I can hope is that there’s a shred of the Alku’s goodness left and that the Starfire hasn’t changed their personalities completely.
“And the second Starfire mine?” Dad asks.
“For now, Hammond has abandoned setting up full production at the second site,” Alina says. “Until she manages to drive off the Alku, she won’t risk permanently losing access to the Starfire. I think she feels that she has time and doesn't want to make another rash move.”
For the rest of the trip, no one speaks except for Madan’s occasional mumblings into the comm. Finally, he turns to us. “Seatbelts, everyone. We’re about to land.”
I tug at my seatbelt and give Dad a small, hopeful smile. He returns the expression, but something in his eyes tells me he’s worried.
My ears pop as the hover drops in altitude, and I force myself to yawn to ease the pressure. The vessel makes a whirring sound, and then metal scraping on metal screeches outside. Ahead of us, the pilot’s window goes from black to clear again. I can’t see much, but we appear to be inside a large, stone cavern. A floating, white AI with a green flashing light guides us into the hanger.
“Are we underground?” I whisper to Dad.
“Don’t ask too many questions,” Alina says. “Not knowing benefits you.”
The hover settles, and Madan removes his helmet and moves his attention to Alina. “Well, we made it this far.”
The hatch hisses and pops open, revealing more of the stone-walled docking bay. We’re either underground or inside of a mountain. I unlatch, as does everyone else, and we file from the cramped hover. Outside, no one greets us; only a few floating AIs and several workers are scattered around the large bay.
“Follow me,” Alina says and waves us forward.
Madan clears his throat and catches her attention. “I’m staying behind to evaluate the hover and ensure there are no issues getting back into Primaro.”
“Comm me if you need me.” Alina lifts her wrist and taps her Connect. “We’re on our way.”
Madan heads back inside the hover, and Alina directs us toward an exit.
The rough-walled corridor she leads us through is tunneled into earth and stone. From the ceiling, lighting casts a white glow onto the space. When was this all built?
“Is Luca here?” I ask.
“Luca has a difficult time getting out of Primaro,” she says. “Too many eyes are on him, and Hammond has tightened up security more since the mine. But I can still get out of the city with a little finagling. Especially in the middle of the night.”
“Is that why it took you so long to respond to Dr. Foster’s message?” Max asks.
“Exactly the reason,” she says as we pass a solid door set into stone. A few more doors come into view, and Alina stops at the third one. On the face is a thumb scanner. She presses her thumb to the pad, and with a hiss, the door slides away. Inside, a group of five nervous-looking men an
d women peer our way.
Alina gestures toward them. “Your missing World Senate members.”
Chapter 5
“Dr. Foster?” asks an older man with a southern lilt to his voice. “We thought you were dead.”
Behind us, Alina’s Connect buzzes, pulling my attention from the Senate members. She taps the face.
“We could probably say the same thing for you, Senator Simmons,” Dad says as he walks to the conference table.
I leave Alina near the doorway, and Max and I follow behind Dad. The Senate members chuckle in agreement as Simmons reaches out and clasps Dad’s hand. He quickly pulls him into a brief embrace before Dad sits in an empty chair.
A bronze-skinned woman clears her throat. She has dark hair with a silver streak. The strands of light hair graze the side of her face. Honestly, being seventeen, I rarely paid attention to the World Senate members. But Nora Ward’s unique hair always caught my attention when I saw her on video feeds. Her platform was often advocating for the underprivileged and refugees on Earth, so it makes sense that she’s among the Senate members who do not support Hammond’s agenda. Her wrist is wrapped as if she had a recent injury.
“Are you here to join us in hiding?” she asks in a thick Spanish accent. Her jaw grows tense, and any humor she had in her eyes a second ago falls away.
“I apologize,” Alina interrupts before my dad can answer Senator Ward’s question. “But I’m unable to stay here any longer.” She looks to Dad and me. “Madan is calling me. Apparently, I need to return to Primaro immediately.”
“Why?” I ask.
“I can’t say.” Alina turns to the Senate. “Hopefully, I’ll return soon. But we’ll be in contact.” Simmons presses his lips together until they form a thin line but nods to Alina. Alina taps on her Connect again and swipes a few times.
Max’s, Dad’s, and my devices buzz on our wrists. A symbol I haven’t seen before appears—a tree surrounded by stars. It must represent the group Alina and Madan work for.
“Use this link to ask for anything you need or to contact me,” Alina stresses. “If you need us, I’ll do my best to come or send a representative in my place.” With those last words, she turns and exits the room.
“Is it always like this around here?” Max asks as the door slides shut.
Simmons rubs his temples and replies, “Unfortunately, yes,” and the four other Senate members nod in agreement.
“So far we’ve been safe here,” says a dark-skinned man, probably close to fifty. “But that is the extent of our comfort. We do receive daily updates on Hammond’s activities, but that’s about it. Otherwise we risk giving away our location. Therefore, no communication with our family or contacts on Earth, most of whom probably assume we’re dead.” He frowns and lines groove his forehead. “For all we know, our families are dead or in custody on Earth.”
Dad wrings his hands together, obviously pained by these words. “Senator Simmons, going into hiding must be very difficult for all of you.”
The blonde Senator with a straight, blunt-cut bob across from me tips her head and studies Max. “You’re Kole Harris’s son.”
Harris? Max’s last name is Norton. Kole Harris is the CEO of the largest publicly funded space travel organization, Galaxis Corp. He’s one of the wealthiest men in the world. And Galaxis played a huge part in not only maintaining the Turner Space Fold but also getting us to Arcadia in the first place.
Max throws me a sheepish look. “I try to keep a low profile, Senator Gray. I go by my mother’s maiden name, Norton. But I’m not what we’re here for.” Max grins and defers to my dad.
But I stare intently at Max for a moment. What else is he hiding from me?
Simmons clears his throat. “Yes. Now that we see you are alive, Richard, why are you here? Do you bring news, or are you here with your daughter and Mr. . . . Norton to join us in hiding?”
Dad fumbles with his Connect and glances up to a holo-computer screen at the front of the room. With a few taps, the two computers pair and a topographic map of the Intersection appears. The map displays the same area I saw on Dr. Morris’s hand-drawn maps at the refugee camp. Dad must have uploaded the specs to the Earthscape program before we left.
Dad proceeds to explain to the Senate members about the Intersection and how, by using the Mother Starfire, we may be able to create a portal to Earth and bypass the Turner Space Fold controlled by Hammond.
“So, you’re saying there’s a way for us to return to Earth?” Gray asks. “What will we be able to do there? Hammond controls the World Senate now. Anyone who goes up against the new Senate risks their lives. And for what? Earth is just as dangerous as Arcadia—maybe more so.”
“There’s nothing we can do here but wait,” Senator Ward argues. “And this cowardly behavior is not why I am a part of the World Senate.”
“We’re of no benefit dead, either.” Senator Gray folds her arms over her chest.
“Listen,” Dad says. “Hammond is manipulating Earth by withholding information. I’m sure all of you had close political contacts that would back our cause, if only they knew the truth.”
“But the truth has changed,” Gray says, reclining in her seat, arms still folded over her chest. “I was willing to support the Alku when I knew they were peaceful. I understand they may have been protecting the Starfire at the mine. But so many humans died. General Atkins was with the resistance, and no one has heard from her or her people.”
I grit my teeth at her words. She has a right to be scared. “The Alku are peaceful,” I interject. “Something changed when they used the crystals from the Intersection to regenerate. But the damage can be repaired.”
Gray scoffs. “And you want to use the same Starfire to power a portal to Earth? How do we know the crystals won’t have the same effect on humans or just kill us outright?”
Panic sets into my chest. So far, we've not seen any long-term negative consequences on humans. Dad was the only human the Starfire affected at all, and the effect seemed to pass with time. And now that the Starfire has become a part of me, I know there’s a balance. But I can’t tell them yet. Not before I even tell Dad. I close my eyelids for a second to center myself. How are we ever going to be able to defeat Hammond if our allies are becoming the enemy?
“Because,” I begin, “the Starfire is meant for good. The Alku at the mine simply experienced an overload—a glitch.”
Senator Simmons seems to consider my explanation. “And how can you be so sure?”
“Because the Starfire chose me,” I say without hesitation. Telling them is a risk, but I have no other idea how to convince them I know what I’m talking about.
Both Max and Dad shoot me a look of concern.
“Chose you?” Senator Ward asks.
“I can use the power of the Starfire in the same way the Alku do. Maybe more.”
Senator Ward furrows her brow. “I trust your father, but you’re just a kid, Cassi. Maybe you’re understanding this situation incorrectly.”
I walk over to her, pointing at her injured wrist. “What happened?”
She looks down at the wrapping. “When we were escaping, I fell. Bad sprain.”
I reach for lower arm, and before I touch her, ask, “May I?”
She shrugs. “Yes, if you are careful.”
I take her wrapped wrist in my hand and close my eyes. Warmth from the Starfire spreads from me to her, and behind my closed eyelids, a cyan hue lights my vision. The warmth dissipates, and I open my eyes. “How does your sprain feel?”
She studies at her wrist and rotates it. “Fine . . . it feels fine.”
As if a light goes on in each of the Senate member’s heads, their eyes brighten.
Ward peers up at me. “Thank you.”
I inhale sharply as I study each of them. I can’t go back now, but I also need to choose what I share carefully. I end up explaining how my abilities all started with being able to transport. And then by using the Mother Starfire, I had pulled the three
refugee ships into the Intersection and temporarily froze the battle at the mine.
“Everything I’ve been able to do with the crystals has only been for good. I haven’t felt any negative reaction. I was even able to summon Wirrin’s group of Alku and transport them to the Intersection before the first battle attempt at the mine. Just doing so changed them . . . as if my connection brought their minds into a peaceful balance. I think I can summon them and do it again.”
“If that worked so well, why didn’t you summon them at the second battle when they turned on you?” Simmons asks. “We heard all the updates.”
My heart sinks. “Javen—the Alku blocked me from connecting with them again.”
“So, you could be blocked still?” Simmons asks.
I fold my hands on the table and consider everything that has happened in the last twenty-four hours. “I won’t know unless I try.”
No one says anything for much too long, and my feet shift under the table.
“And you are still sure that if you can get through to the Alku, their aggression will stop?” Senator Gray asks, breaking the silence.
“I’m positive,” I say without hesitation. “At the core, the Alku want peace. They want to help Earth.”
“I have contacts on Earth who could provide us with a military force,” Simmons says.
Dad claps his hands together. “Thank y—”
“But,” Senator Simmons interrupts, “you must prove that the Alku will not retaliate against us. I will not risk bringing troops here from Earth only to be killed by the individuals we are attempting to protect. I also require a formal agreement that the Alku are willing to work with Dr. Foster.”
Dad sweeps a glance over the other World Senate members. Ward and Simmons nod in agreement. But Senator Gray sits with her arms crossed again, a stern expression pinching her face. Eventually, she unfolds her arms. “I can provide contacts from Earth as well, provided the terms are met.”
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