Crimson Rising (33 page)

This war was always coming. One way or another, Matigo would have found a means to invade. In the long run, there was nothing either Cassius or I could do to stop it. At least that’s what I repeat in my head to make myself feel better.

The Unified Party bunker is remarkably spacious, much more than the Academy’s holding pen back in Siberia. The eerie stillness makes it difficult to imagine that the events of the past few days actually happened. After a night of drug-induced sleep, it feels like I might have dreamed the entire thing. Even the scars on my chest are beginning to fade.

But it wasn’t a dream. The destruction of Skyship Altair was only the first strike.

The door to my room opens and Avery enters. I feel stupid, sitting on the corner of my bed like a little kid when I should be out acting like the hero I’m supposed to be, but she caught me at a bad time.

She joins me on the bed. “The Drifters are all awake. We’re calling a meeting in thirty minutes.”

I sigh. “I wish I knew what was happening up there.”

She bumps my shoulder. “The Chosen Cities has been fending off Fringers for years. The Skyship Community has their defenses. You can’t worry about what you can’t control. You need to get your strength up.” She pauses. “Look at you, you’re malnourished.”

I shrug. “I’ve always been skinny.”

“Madame sent Talan and Sem up to the Surface to report. They haven’t come back with anything major. No Theo, either.”

“He’s dead,” I mutter. “I’m sure of it.”

“Maybe.” She sighs. “The world will do without us for a little while longer.”

“I don’t like this place.”

“Neither do I. It reminds me of the medical labs under the Lodge.” She shivers. “Bad memories.”

“Madame’s still okay?”

“She hasn’t tried anything yet. Cassius is keeping an eye on her.”

I grip the edge of the bed. “Of course he is.”

“I think she’s just as shell-shocked as we are, Jesse. This is new territory, even for her.”

I glance up at her. “I still don’t like being this close to her.” “You think I do? I was under her control for weeks. She’s done horrible things to me, and I feel like punching her in the face every time I see her. But she knows how this place works. And more importantly, she’s got contacts and access to the Unified Party. I think we’re going to need everything we’ve got at our disposal.”

“Yeah,” I reply. “I understand it. That doesn’t mean that I have to like it.”

She lays her hand on my knee. “Are you okay, Jesse?”

“It’s all real,” I say. “Ever since Syracuse. There’s no putting this off or forgetting about it. It’s real. I mean, I always used to procrastinate at the Academy. I wasn’t anybody’s idea of anything. Not a good student, not a good agent. Not even a very good friend.”

“Stop.” She squeezes my leg. “Jesse, don’t say things like that.”

“I’m not even a good Pearlbreaker,” I continue. “Think about it. There’s only one of me in the universe—only one person who can do what I can—and I screwed it all up.” I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. “There was supposed to be an army waiting for them, and what have we got instead? A bunch of Drifters, two of them kids. And … and our greatest enemy down here looking after us. It’s ridiculous.”

Avery leans back with me. Her hair falls against my shoulder. She whispers, “Theo was more powerful than anybody could imagine, maybe even more powerful than you and Cassius combined. But you beat him. You lived.”

“Yeah, but we—”

“Never mind the buts,” she continues. “You beat him, and that’s what we’re going to do to the Authority. This is our planet, Jesse. We have the upper hand. It may seem dark now, but when we climb up to the Surface, we’re going to be ready. You and Cassius? You’re the champions. You don’t get to be called that without a reason.”

I close my eyes and let her words filter into my brain. Part of me doesn’t want to hear it, but the other part pulls it in like a drug. I need to hear it, even if I don’t want to.

“Avery?”

She smiles. “Yeah?”

“I love you.”

Her smile turns into a laugh. “Shut up, Fisher. Don’t you go getting all mushy on me. That’s one thing champions don’t do.”

I give a hollow chuckle. It falls silent for a moment. Then, just as I’m about to fall asleep again, I yawn. “I guess I’d better get up.”

“I guess you should. You don’t win wars sitting in bed.” I nod.

She smiles. “You know, we’re not letting them take our planet.”

“No,” I whisper. “We’re not.”

I repeat this mantra in my head, and wonder if my parents had to repeat something similar back on Haven. They were able to lead a Resistance against Matigo before I even knew what a Pearl was. I’m not them, but if they could do it, I must have that same strength of will in me. Somewhere, buried like the Ridium under the Surface.

I stand and stretch. One step at a time. Breakfast.

It’s easier to focus on small things. If I linger on the bigger picture for too long, I start to freak out. I have to sit down and close my eyes and remember that I’m still alive.

I’m Matigo’s biggest enemy. Without me, Pearls are just useless balls of energy. Ryel wanted me to build an army. I wasn’t fast enough. There are twenty-eight of us down here, waiting. We’re small, but it only takes one to make a wave. Altair was just the beginning. We’ll do what we have to. For Ryel, and Morse. And Mr. Wilson and all of those people brought down by Theo. We owe it to them.

We may not like it, but we are the Resistance now.

When he was a young boy, Nick James’s collection of battle-scarred action figures became the characters in epic storylines with cliffhangers, double crosses, and an unending supply of imaginary explosions. Not much has changed. The toys are gone (most of them), but the love of fast-paced storytelling remains. 

Working in schools from Washington State to England, Nick has met thousands of diverse students since graduating from Western Washington University and braving the most dangerous job in the world: substitute teaching. Luckily, being dubbed the “rock star teacher” has granted him some immunity. He currently lives and teaches in Bellingham, Washington.