Crimson Rising (9 page)

“Go, go!” I push Skandar back to the passenger seating before we’re close enough for Morse to see inside.

Eva mutters something in Spanish. She turns to me, whispering. “You better be working on a good excuse.”

I grit my teeth and hope for a perfect landing. Adding a scuff to the underbelly of our shuttle would only make things worse.

“You do have a good excuse, right?”

I bring the shuttle down—a little wobbly, but we make it without any scratches. “That’s your thing, Eva. You’re Excuse Girl.”

I turn to see Skandar secure the floor panel and flash a thumbs-up. I scan the seating for any hint of a red glow. There’s nothing. As long as nobody looks, we’re good.

Agent Morse doesn’t move. He’s like a chess piece, all still and intimidating but ready to end the game. A knight. Alkine’s knight.

Our eyes meet through the windshield. His expression reveals nothing.

Knowing I’ll look more suspicious the longer I stay in the shuttle, I push the button to open the side door, remove my belt, and step outside. I can’t say I’m nervous exactly, not in front of someone like Morse. I’ve gotten in trouble too many times these past four months to be nervous about it anymore. Now it’s disappointment. Annoyance that I’ll have to wait to see what’s inside the Pearl.

I stand in front of him, separated by about a dozen floor tiles, for what seems like minutes before either of us talks.

Morse lets out a dramatic sigh. “Evening, buddy.” He clasps his hands in front of his waist and shakes his head like he’s staring at a two-year-old. “It’s a shame, isn’t it? And you had such a good day, too.”

I swallow. “I don’t suppose we can just forget about this.”

“Afraid not,” he replies. “Captain Alkine’s already waiting. You’re coming with me, kid.”

––––

It’s our first training mission all over again. We sit in the middle of a plain meeting room, not unlike the one Mr. Wilson had picked to give us the better-start-working-asa-team lecture last spring. We’re lit by a series of bright ceiling panels, making it difficult to gauge time. But I know that it’s still dark outside. Most everyone’s asleep.

It’s the first time I’ve seen Alkine since the incident in the reactor three nights ago. He barely looks at me.

Morse sits across from us at the table. Alkine stands, unable to keep still. Like last night, he’s wearing his official Academy suit, which makes me question whether he sleeps at all.

Eva cracks her knuckles, nervous. If I had to pick between her and Skandar, she’s the one who could betray me here. After all, she’s spied on me before—reported back to the teachers in secret. She swears she’d never do it again, but I’m not sure what Alkine’s going to throw at us yet. She might be easy to persuade.

Alkine stops pacing and leans his hands on the table. “I’ve got no other choice,” he says finally. “I give you a chance to obey and you do the opposite. You’re constantly putting yourself in danger, you and the Academy as a whole. I can’t have that.” He pauses, staring directly at me for the first time. “You’ll be spending your nights in the brig from now on.”

My mouth drops. “What?”

“I can’t trust you.” He shakes his head. “During the day, you’ll be in classes. The teachers can vouch for your whereabouts. Agent Morse can escort you through the hallways. But at night? You’ve found our weakness, Fisher. It just isn’t safe.”

Eva clears her throat. “We were only getting some air, si r.”

“Quiet.” He frowns. The creases in his face become more visible. “Be thankful I’m not confining the two of you as well. You should be ashamed of yourselves, encouraging this kind of reckless behavior.”

I slap the edge of the table. “It’s done, then.” Alkine sighs. “Excuse me?”

“I’m a prisoner, now. You’ve been building up to it for weeks and now it’s done.”

“You’ve been building,” he responds. “Do you think I want this for you?” He turns his back and paces to the wall, muttering to himself. When he faces us again, his expression has calmed. “There are ways to go about this. Procedure. Anything less will get you hurt.”

Eva frowns. “You can’t tell me you have a procedure for how to deal with aliens … ”

“Exactly,” he replies. “That’s why we have to be careful. And hijacking a shuttle, even to get some air, is not careful.” He glances at Morse, then back to us. “You’re a minor, Fisher. All of you are. You’re under my protection. My responsibility.” He pauses. “We could have thrown you out. After what happened in Seattle, after we knew what you were capable of… I could have left you there. Instead, I’m taking care of you. Don’t throw it in my face.”

Skandar leans forward. “But ever since we fled from the Tribunal … ” He stops himself. “You don’t have to take care of us, sir.”

Alkine sighs. “I wish that were true.” His eyes meet mine directly and linger for a moment. I can’t read him exactly, but for the first time I see something that could be fear. Fleeting, but it’s there. Then he glances to the far wall, breaking our connection. “Maybe we’re out of Skyship Territory at the moment, but that doesn’t mean we’re without rules. Things continue as normal, even in Siberia.” I try to meet his eyes, challenging him as I say the words he wants to hear. “You’re the commander.” “Yes,” he says. “And more than anything, it’s my duty to move us into a position to reconnect with the rest of the Skyship Community with as few consequences as possible. This was never meant to be permanent. We need allies.” I lean my elbows on the table and rest my forehead on my clasped hands. “They’re burning Pearls. All of them. I don’t want to reconnect just so we can kill Drifters.” He shakes his head. “Well, we have to do something. Do you think we can stay here forever? Even if they’re not looking for us, we’ll run out of resources eventually. My crew is working on a presentation to the Tribunal explaining why we crossed the Skyline. This is a delicate situation. Pearls mean so much to so many people. We can’t expect them to believe anything we say. We need to prove our credibility first.”

“We’re wasting time.”

“It was wrong,” Alkine continues, “the way we went about rescuing you. No matter how noble it felt. You forced me into making a rash decision. Don’t do it again. I won’t be able to forgive you the second time.”

I could argue this. I could argue that it was because of the lies Alkine and the others told me that I went running to the Surface in the first place. I could point out that it was Alkine’s lack of security that let Cassius board our ship and drive me away. But anything I say will only be denied.

Alkine glances at Morse. “Escort Fisher to the brig.” He motions to Skandar and Eva. “Harris. Rodriguez. You may leave. We’ll talk about consequences in the morning. This was severely boneheaded of you both.”

Eva stands. “Look, Jesse may not always know what’s best, but don’t you think it’s a little—”

He extends his hand, silencing her. “I’ll make the decisions, Rodriguez. Thank you.” His eyes fall squarely on me. “This is what happens when you back me into a corner, Fisher. Don’t push me again.”

––––

Agent Morse actually tries to make this imprisonment deal sound like a good thing.

“It’s so much quieter down there, buddy,” he says with a smile. “You should hear the guy in the room next to me. The snoring seeps through the wall. Maybe I should spend a night in the brig, too.”

His humor fizzles like dud grenades. I’m sick of how everything sounds like a camping trip with this guy. It’s like being escorted to the slammer by a Boy Scout.

Eva and Skandar stay with us until we reach the doorway to the brig, which is good because it takes me nearly that long to figure out what I’m going to do.

I smile and nod in Morse’s direction, all the while taking miniscule sidesteps toward my friends.

Morse’s eyes narrow as he notices. “Wait a minute.” He yawns. “You heard what the Captain said.” He gestures to Eva and Skandar. “Maybe you two should head to your rooms. I’ll take it from here.”

“Calm down.” I continue toward them, keeping one eye on Morse the whole time. “I just want to say goodnight.” He stops. “Say it closer to me.”

I ignore him and head toward the wall.

Morse shakes his head, visibly uncomfortable. “Thirty seconds, alright?” Then he mutters to himself. He thinks I can’t hear. “They couldn’t do anything in thirty seconds.”

I nod and move to Eva and Skandar, not wasting a moment before whispering. “There’s an old laundry bag in the corner of my room, stuffed between the dresser and the wall. It’s black, so it should block most of the light. Grab the—” I look over my shoulder to see if Morse is listening. “—the you-know-what and bring it to my cell.”

Eva’s face drops. “Jesse … ”

“Okay,” Skandar answers without hesitation.

“Good.” I meet his eyes. “If Morse is still here when you come back, skip the cell and bring it to my room. Just get it out of that shuttle before they find it.”

“Got it, mate.” Skandar grabs Eva by the shoulder and starts nudging her away. His eyes widen and his voice becomes slightly too loud. “Have a good night, Jesse. Don’t let the … er … don’t … be positive, okay? Smile.”

Eva pulls away from him. “Hands off, Skandar. I know how to walk.”

I watch them head down the hall, hoping that she won’t convince him to play it safe and forget about the Pearl. She’s mass good with that persuasive stuff, and Skandar’s good at falling for it.

I turn to Agent Morse. He waits by the entrance to the brig, arms crossed. For once he’s not smiling. It’s not a frown, either. He’s concentrating on something. Hopefully it isn’t me.I march through the entrance, totally ignoring his presence. This breaks his concentration. He moves in behind me and leads me down a hallway to the left. “You should seriously consider some new friends,” he says. “A guy like you should be hanging with guys like me. Agent material, you know? You want to graduate, right?”

I don’t respond, which seems to throw him off. He bolts in front of me and leans on the nearest open door. “I don’t mean they’re bad people. I’m just thinking, wouldn’t it be cool for you to find some friends who will challenge you? Without some of my buddies, I could’ve made some very different decisions. It’s a slippery slope.” He nods to himself. He doesn’t realize that I stopped listening as soon as he opened his mouth. “Tomorrow I’m gonna introduce you to some guys I met back when I was your age.”

I point to the empty cell. “I’d rather go in there.”

He sighs. Then, after another moment of deep thought, he motions me forward. “Whatever you think is best, little man. You can’t fault me for trying to help.”

I walk into the cell and grab the handle behind me. Morse nearly jumps out of his shoes as I yank on the door and shut it myself. I watch his face appear on the other side of the barred window. He stares in disapprovingly. I stare back. It’s silent warfare.

He blinks. A minute later, his face moves out of my sight.

Footsteps. He leaves.

I win.

Of course, I’m the one stuck in a cage, so maybe it’s more of a tie.

It is quiet in here, like Morse said. Too quiet, really. The kind of quiet that’s begging to be interrupted by something horrible. It will be hard to fall asleep like this, but I need to be awake anyways. Eva and Skandar will be here any minute. That is, if she hasn’t convinced him otherwise.

I wait at the far end of the cell, back against the wall, sitting. A square of moonlight hangs on the door in front of me.

We don’t use the brig often. Every once and awhile, a minor offense onboard will result in an overnight stay, but we’ve never harbored any real criminals. The thing is, Alkine could’ve chosen to stick me in the gray room again tonight. At least there would be that ugly couch for comfort. The fact that he chose a prison cell speaks louder than the crap he was spewing upstairs. He really thinks I’m going rogue.

Am I going rogue? I know so little, and all of it muddy. I’ve never seen my parents. The voice on the rooftop last spring could’ve been a fake. The picture disc could’ve been altered. I don’t know any specifics about this “Authority,” and I haven’t been able to ask the Drifters anything. I’m risking my life—and if Alkine’s right, the entire Academy’s life—on guesswork. Guesswork and hope.

And now, a red Pearl.

Alkine must know something. He wouldn’t be on me like this without a good reason. Instead of antagonizing him, maybe I need to find a way to interrogate him. Pick his brain without him knowing it.

Or spy. That’s what Avery would have suggested. She was always a snoop, even when I didn’t see anything worth snooping for. But I’ve isolated myself too much to start sneaking around. They’re on the lookout for me now.

Which leaves me with my third option.

Leave.

I can’t do anything here, not the way they’ve got me cornered. The only other choice is the most dangerous of all. If I cross the Pacific, I’ll have the Unified Party and the Tribunal after me. I’ll be like Cassius—living by my wits, struggling to survive without capture. And I’m not Cassius.

I don’t get much time to consider it before I see red.

Not a vision this time. It’s the real thing. Faint light beams through the window of my cell, too muted to cause commotion in the main corridors. But in the darkness of the brig, everything shows up.

I jump to my feet and rush to the door, craning my neck to look between the bars. Eva and Skandar stand just beyond my cell carrying a dark bag between them. A circular lump hangs at the bottom, radiating through the cloth. It’s not as obvious as a green Pearl would be. People won’t be looking for red.

“I pulled my jacket over it,” Skandar whispers as he shows me the zipper of a coat he must have grabbed from his room. “It felt good.” He smiles. “Warm.”

My hands recoil at the thought of the heat I felt when I touched it. Boiling water. Lava.

“Leave it here.” I keep my eyes on the bag the entire time.

Eva approaches the bars. “You’re in a prison cell. We can’t exactly get in.”

“There’s an electronic key system at the front desk. I didn’t see anyone sitting there when Morse brought me in. The brig’s empty.”

She leans against the door, staring sideways. “It’s not a good idea breaking you out. You heard what Alkine said. We’re lucky we—”