Crimson Rising (19 page)

Cassius sighed. “Set a southbound course down the coast.”

“Swarms?” Fisher asked.

Everyone knew that the nearer you got to the equator, the more bugs you’d find. There were parts of the Fringes that were uninhabitable down south—too hot and clogged with insects.

“They’re less likely to follow us south,” he said. “And it will give Ryel here time to tell me everything he knows.”

The air begins to darken once we cross the border into Georgia. It’s got nothing to do with the sun. It’s the swarms. We’re high enough to dodge most of them, but they’re still visible—dark blotches of prickly movement knocking against the sides of the cruiser like spitballs.

I watch Cassius’s face as Ryel recounts everything he’d told me.

Haven. Ridium. Matigo.

Despite all the crap we’ve just been through, his tone is more patient than it had been with me and Eva.

Cassius doesn’t interrupt once. That’s probably the biggest contributor to Ryel’s improved mood. He listens with a blank expression, like a soldier waiting to hear his orders.

As I stare at his face—impenetrable, hard—I wish I could be like that. This is big, emotional stuff. But from the outside, at least, Cassius is able to compartmentalize it. Instead of emotional outbursts, he sits calmly in the copilot’s chair. Even at the mention of our parents, his expression never wavers. He glances out the window at times, closes his eyes here and there, but never speaks until Ryel’s finished.

And when he does, it’s clear and confident. “So what do we do?”

Ryel turns back to the console. “The only thing we can do. Free an army of Drifters and hope that we’re not too late.”

I stand from my perch on the floor and stretch. “Tell us more about Haven. What was it like?”

Ryel’s brows raise. I haven’t been able to get much out of him this far, but now that Cassius is here, he seems more willing to talk.

“I suppose it wasn’t completely unlike Earth,” he starts. “At least in the beginning. Rural towns and cities, usually separated by vast fields and forests. It wasn’t until the first Shifter was born that things really started to change. It’s unclear exactly why those on Haven began to evolve with the ability to manipulate Ridium, but the gift was bestowed upon only a few. A recessive gene, I suppose.” He glances at Cassius’s bracelet. “Before Shifters, Ridium had been a natural part of Haven’s crust for hundreds of years. It didn’t have much of a purpose … or so we thought.

“Shifters ushered in a new era. Those who could harness Ridium changed our planet. They were revered. Before long, the element supported our buildings… developed our technology. It was everywhere. Small farm towns transformed into vast metropolises of dark uniformity in a matter of years. In fact, many in the Resistance would argue that the harvesting of Ridium was what destroyed our planet in the end. Without it, the planet’s crust began to decompose. All of our cities were built on a collapsing world. Like laying a rock on top of a tower of paper.”

He sighs. “In its dying decades, Haven became a dry, lifeless planet. That’s the only way I’ve ever known it to be.”

“Like the Fringes,” Cassius says.

“I suppose. In the beginning, the majority of us supported the Shifters and the dynasty they’d built for themselves. It was all we knew. In fact, up until the last few months, I was a pilot in Matigo’s army against the Resistance myself. But I defected. Thankfully.”

I run my hand across the cold, black bracelet around my wrist. “I can’t believe—”

A flash of red overtakes the windshield as something darts in front of us. The bracelet shudders, then shakes uncontrollably. Cassius’s too. Our ship lurches.

It’s over in a second. The sky clears and the cruiser levels out.

“What was—” I stop myself as I notice Ryel’s body, slumped over on the console.

The cruiser dips.

Cassius springs from his seat and places a hand on Ryel’s neck. After a moment, he glances at me. “He’s unconscious.” He reaches to take hold of the steering. “Whatever that was, the sight of it knocked him out.”

I move to the front of the cockpit and stare out the window, searching the blue sky for a hint of crimson. “I know what it is. It’s from the red Pearl. He followed us all the way from Siberia.”

“Red Pearl?”

I grab my hair. “I don’t know … It wasn’t this bright last time.”

Another flash, and this one is twice as blinding. The Drifter soars right in front of us, lingering long enough that I see the outline of his body.

Just as he moves out of sight, my bracelet yanks forward and throws me into the windshield.

Cassius manages to hold onto the steering, even as his bracelet pulls to the side. “I’m taking us into the swarm.” He struggles. “Nothing would be stupid enough to follow us there.”

I don’t have time to argue before he begins the descent. The nose of the cruiser dips until what’s left of the sky outside is replaced by the dark, moving cloud beneath us.

I swallow, watching the swarm grow closer. Within moments, I can see the individual bugs. Locusts, mostly. Flies. What had started as a blob of movement is now an enormous hive of buzzing wings. Clicking, scratchy legs. And eyes. Thousands of them.

We plunge into the darkness. Torrents of insects slam into the windshield, popping into splotch after splotch of brown, goopy liquid. Cassius pulls up on the steering, trying to level us out so we can land, but we can’t see a thing outside. The cockpit lighting works overtime to compensate for the instant shade thrown over the room. The buzz, even muted by the cruiser, is all-encompassing. A surge of activity bashes the ship from every angle. When we hit dirt and settle down, I hardly notice. The engines die, but it’s still noisy. A chaotic pulse. Constant.

The cruiser suddenly seems ten times smaller—a tiny toy, easily broken.

The door behind us opens. I hear Eva’s voice before I see her.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She notices Ryel’s unconscious body and recoils. “Is he okay?”

Cassius rubs his bracelet. “We’re being followed.”

“So you brought us into a swarm? You think this is a good idea?” She points behind her. “With Unified Party boy tied up back there?”

“We didn’t have a lot of options,” Cassius responds. “At least we lost him. I think.”

My bracelet rattles. Cassius and I exchange glances. Neither of us has to say a word.

The maelstrom of sound outside intensifies. Avery steps into the cockpit, rubbing her arms.

“I hate bugs,” she says. “You guys better have a good reason for this.”

Eva frowns. “It was a hair-trigger response. How’s Theo?”

“Still unconscious.”

I hold up a hand. “Wait. Do you hear that? Is it just me, or is the buzzing getting quieter?”

We fall silent, listening to the sounds outside begin to fade. It’s still there, but more distant somehow—muffled. I rush to the console. “How do you clean the windshield?”

Cassius moves to my side and slams the top of a diamond-shaped button. I watch as a mist sprays over the outside of the glass. Four wipers slide across the glass, one from each corner. I peer through as the Fringe heat dries what’s left of the cleanser.

Then I see him. The man from the red Pearl, standing mere yards from the front of our cruiser. My bracelet hums, shaking against my thigh.

The others notice him too. Everyone freezes.

The sight steals my breath. The swarm is pushed back in a dome around him as if an invisible force is keeping them at bay. The entire cruiser’s surrounded by an air bubble of clear space, half a mile high and equally as wide. The swarm waits, pushed back against the sky like a living, moving Bio-Net.

The Drifter stares at me. Even from his distance, I meet his eyes. Connect.

I know what I’ve got to do.

Cassius pulls on my shoulder. “Back in the cabin. Now.” 

I allow him to guide me through the door, but I don’t take my eyes off the Drifter the entire time. Not until the panels close in front of me and block the view of the cockpit. He blocks the way, forcing me to meet his eyes. “What do you know about that thing?”

Eva moves past Theo’s slumped-over body toward the weapons cabinet. “That’s the guy who pushed you out of the Academy, isn’t it? What do you think we need … blasters?” 

I shake my head.

“We’re not going to be able to hide back here forever,” Avery says. “What about Ryel?”

She’s answered by a loud scrape along the wall, right behind her. She bounds forward, startled at the sudden noise.

Eva freezes. “What was that?”

I rush to the side of the cabin. A second scrape pulls along the hull outside, filling the cabin with an eerie squeal. I lay my shaking palm against the wall and close my eyes to see if I feel anything. My bracelet hums.

Cassius grabs his wrist. “Say something, Fisher.” 

I turn. “He didn’t kill me.” 

I’m greeted by incredulous looks from the others. “When we were falling from the hole in the side of the Academy, he could’ve killed me, but he didn’t. He saved me.”

The scraping stops. For a moment, it’s completely silent. Even the swarm is a hushed buzz in the background.

Then a pair of noisy thumps violently interrupt the stillness. Something slams against the wall. The cruiser shudders, then rocks gently back and forth. 

Theo’s head bolts up. His eyes widen as he comes back to consciousness. His arms tense, trying to lift through the bonds that keep him restrained to the seat. He takes sharp, short breaths. “Let me go.” His voice is a whisper at first, barely audible. Then he repeats himself, louder. “Let me go!”

He hears the buzzing. I can tell because his entire expression changes. His mouth drops open as he glances from wall to wall. “Where the hell are we? Where did you take me?” 

Another heavy thump sounds on the ceiling. Everyone ducks. 

Theo’s eyes scan the cabin. “What’s going on?” He swallows. “What’s going on?”

“Shh.” I extend a hand to stop him, keeping my attention on the ceiling the entire time. The thumps turn into footsteps. The Drifter’s climbed onto the roof. Heavy boots tromp against metal.

Theo glares at Eva. 

His shrill voice pierces the silence. “You’ve got my knife. When I get loose, I’m gonna rip your throat out just for that.”

Eva grabs the knife and slips it in the side of her boot. “That’s not happening.”

My shoulders tense. “I wanna go outside.”

“What?”

“No. Listen, Eva. He’s followed me all the way here from Siberia. The way he looks at me … I think maybe there’s something he’s trying to tell me.”

Cassius shakes his head. “He knocked Ryel unconscious.”

“We don’t know that,” I reply. “It was the flash … the red energy or something else.”

“So if the energy can do that to Ryel, what’ll it do to you?” Cassius glances at the ceiling as another footstep reverberates across the metal.

“Besides,” Avery starts. “You can’t go into the swarm.” 

“He pushed it away for me.” I look around from cabinet to cabinet. “The bugs, they’re not close anymore. I’ll be safe. There’s gotta be some gear hanging around this place. I’ll suit up … even take a com-pad. I’m not worried about the swarm. I need to go. There’s something about him.” 

Cassius pushes past me and heads to a compartment at the far end of the cabin. “Then I’m going with you.” He pulls open the door and frowns. I move to his side and peer in.

A dark suit hangs against the wall, sealed into a tight line of plastic. Cassius bangs his fist on the wall. “There’s only one.” 

“It’s okay.” I pull out the bodysuit and tear at the bag. “I can do this. And if something goes wrong, I’ve got all of you to help me out.”

Before anyone can argue, I pull the suit over my clothes, zipping up the front and fastening the security locks. “Hand me the helmet.” I pull the thick gloves over my fingers. 

Instantly the suit’s temperature regulator kicks in, cooling my body to acceptable levels.

Cassius passes me the dark helmet. “You sure about this?” 

I grab it from his hands without a word and secure it over my head. My breath quickens. I can see out the circular window in front, but I still feel constricted. Small spaces have never been my strong suit. I blame it on all that time crammed inside a Pearl, rocketing toward Earth. It’s an unconscious thing. I need to control it. 

“I’ll open the side door.” My voice streams from a pair of speakers below my jaw. Everyone looks murkier with the helmet on, slightly darker and farther away. 

I step past Eva. “I don’t like this, Jesse.”

I pause, meeting her eyes. “You never do.”

Avery’s voice comes from somewhere behind me. “We’ll be watching out the windows. If anything goes wrong … ” Cassius grabs the security handle to open the door.

“Don’t do anything stupid, okay? Take it slow.”

I nod. Then, after a moment’s pause, he relinquishes his hold on the handle. I grab it immediately and swing open the door. Usually, in a place this close to the equator, we’d be greeted by an endless parade of locusts spilling into the cabin like a tidal wave. Right now, there’s nothing. I stop to stare at the swarm pushed back in the distance, a curved wall of buzzing wings stretched into a dome above the ship. As soon as my feet touch the dirt, I shut the door behind me. No sense risking it.

The ground feels distant under my boots. Inside the suit, I feel contained. Heavier. Taller. I see now why Unified Party soldiers have always been so intimidating. I feel more powerful standing here than I ever did in a Skyship uniform. Once I’m a few yards from the cruiser, I turn and peer up at the roof. The sound of the swarm drones around me.

I try to tune it out.

The red energy streams from the top of the cruiser like a beacon. Its rays pulse in every direction. Beams intersect the swarm wall like lasers pushing them back. I step away until the Drifter comes into view. I focus on the fragment of black hanging on the necklace at his chest and know instantly what it is. Ridium. Not a huge amount, but there’s got to be a reason it’s there.

I take a deep breath, keeping my eyes on his face.

“Hello?” My voice sounds robotic through the speakers in the helmet. Unnatural.