I can see a sliver of the Academy from where I stand. From here it blends in with the surrounding mountains. Dirt and rust covers the hull, eliminating any reflection. My eyes trace the pathway up to the opening I’d fallen from only minutes ago. It’s tiny from my vantage point, but I remember what I saw before the guy tackled me. Heavy damage, inside the brig and throughout the corridor. To say I really screwed up doesn’t even cut it.
I back away until the peak of a neighboring mountain blocks the Academy from sight. I can’t return after what I’ve done. There’s no proof of the red Pearl, and even if there was, it’s my fault for bringing it onboard. The brig would seem like time-out compared to what Alkine would do now. August Bergmann was right. In their eyes, I look like a traitor. I’ve damaged my own home more than once. I’m dangerous.
Hand shaking, I dig into my pocket and retrieve my com-pad. I switch to Eva’s code, hold it to my ear, and wait for her response.
It comes almost immediately. “Jesse? I heard the explosion. Are you okay?” Her voice is frantic. Anger will come later.
It takes a moment to compose myself and form words. “I did something stupid, Eva.”
“What? Where are you?”
“Outside,” I stammer. “I don’t know the coordinates. Maybe a mile or two north of the ship.”
“By yourself?”
I glance at the sky, still expecting the stranger to come back. “Yeah. I need a shuttle.”
There’s a long pause on the other end. I can tell she’s fuming. “Jesse-”
“Look, we can’t talk about this. Who knows if they’re tracing my CP. Just get me a shuttle. Please.”
She sighs so loud that it breaks up communication momentarily. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks, Eva.”
The reception fractures again halfway through her name. I listen for a second more before bringing the compad back to my waist. Gripping it tight, I pivot and chuck it through the air. I watch the device land a dozen yards away and slip between rocks. If Alkine wanted, he’d be able to pull up the tracking system and trace me. I can’t give him the chance.
I glance around one more time for the man from the red Pearl before sinking to the dirt.
I wait.
I’m not sure how much time passes. Without the screen of my com-pad, I can barely see anything. I rest my forehead against my knees. All the while I imagine the stranger, plunging downward, gripping me in his arms. Had he recognized me? It was impossible to tell. His eyes seemed lost in the distance. He stared without any actual recognition.
If he’s really a friend, he’ll come back. Once he realizes what’s going on, he’ll turn around and find me. After all, the red Pearl found me. It weaved its way into my vision. It was meant to break in front of me.
But that’s the scariest part. I didn’t break it. It exploded.
I don’t look up until I hear the sound of an engine in the distance. The atmosphere trembles. I try to trace where the sound is coming from. The horizon is still-triangle shadows against the night. A distant flash blinks in the sky. I watch a circular blotch, slightly darker than the mountains, cruise around a crest on its way toward me.
Spotlights. A pair of blazing beams ensnare me. I hold up my hand to shield my eyes.
A shuttle pulls in overhead. There’s no telling who’s inside. By the time it gets close enough, I won’t be able to escape. If it’s Alkine or another teacher, it’ll be too late.
I stand and back up, squinting against the light. I have to take a chance. There’s nothing I can do out here by myself without transportation. I wave my arms above my head.
Suddenly, I realize how tiny I am. If the Academy is an insect compared to these mountains, then I’m microscopic. I can flail about all I want. It doesn’t guarantee that anything’s going to happen. I try to imagine if I was in that shuttle, looking down. At this time of night, the landscape would be a black, lumpy carpet with far too many hidden places.
By some miracle, the shuttle continues forward in my direction.
I continue to jump around, loosening dust and dirt from my clothing. The spotlights fall directly on me again. The shuttle settles on the ground. Its thrusters kick up a cloud of dirt as the landing gear extends. The lights dim. I grit my teeth and wait to see who comes out.
The side door pulls open. Two figures bound onto the dirt. My heart floods with relief. Even without seeing their faces, I can tell it’s not Alkine.
Eva rushes up to me, face filled with worry. “Jesse, what happened?”
Skandar stands beside her, brows creased.
I exhale deeply. “I’m so glad it’s you.”
“There’s a hole in the side of the Academy,” Skandar says. “I know.”
Eva grabs my arm. “You had something to do with it-”
“We can’t go back,” I say. “Get in the shuttle. I can explain.”
She lets go. “This is a horrible-”
“Stop.” My heart flutters. Everything warms. My head darts up to the sky and I lock onto it instantly.
Skandar moves to my side. “What is it?”
I don’t answer him. It’s as if I can’t even hear him. A Pearl. Green. Falling fast.
I’m exposed, I remind myself, standing directly in its path. It’s going to come straight at me.
Eva backs toward the shuttle. Skandar stays closer, keeping a cautious eye on the sky.
I watch the Pearl hurtle forward. When it’s close enough, I stretch my arm in front of my chest and point at the stars. I decide to free the Drifter inside before someone from the Academy sees it. And if it’s farther away, the blast will dissipate before it hits our shuttle.
I clench my fist. The Pearl explodes in the middle of the sky, a hundred yards above us. It ripples through the air like a firework-a bursting star. Energy spreads in bright green waves, illuminating the scenery around us. The flashes continue for several seconds before the light scatters. Soon it’s faded altogether, leaving behind a bright green figure that zips through the air like an oversized firefly. A Drifter.
I sidestep and run into Skandar’s shoulder by accident. I push him toward the shuttle. “Get inside!” I steal another glance at the Drifter to make sure I haven’t lost it. It does rapid curlicues in the sky. It seems agitated.
We shut the side door and rush to the cockpit. Eva moves to the pilot’s chair, staring out the window.
I grab the seat beside her. “Follow it.”
“What? Are you crazy?”
“I want to see where it goes.”
Without time for a defense, she powers the engine and we lift into the air. I secure my belt and dip low, scanning the corners of the windshield for the green figure. It’s easy to spot in the darkness.
“That way!” I point to the left. “Hurry, it’s moving fast.”
We move in a sharp loop, gaining altitude until we’re at the same level as the Drifter. Skandar pulls himself up to the cockpit and finds his usual spot between us.
Eva continues to lay on the accelerator. “I’ve got him no w.”
Skandar grabs my shoulder. “Hey, are you alright, Jesse?” “I’m fine,” I mutter, keeping my gaze on the windshield.
If the Drifter notices us following, it doesn’t show it. It doesn’t speed up or change direction or anything. Whatever it’s doing, its path isn’t being dictated by us.
Eva shakes her head. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
Skandar pulls something from his side and hands it to me. I glance away from the sky and see my old communicator. Cassius’s communicator.
He smiles. “I swiped it from your room before we grabbed the shuttle. Thought it would be important.”
“Are you kidding?” I set the communicator on my lap. “You’re a genius! Thanks.” After all that’s happened, Cassius has barely crossed my mind since I last contacted him. He’ll want to know about what’s happening.
The mountains give way to coastline, then water. The Drifter continues to soar northward. I wonder if it’ll keep on going until it runs out of energy. If that’s the case, we won’t be able to follow forever. Our shuttle’s solar reserves will be on empty before dawn.
Then, right in the middle of the ocean, it dips toward the water. Eva follows. She cranes her neck to see over the console. “What is it doing? There’s nothing there.”
“Are you sure? Check the map.”
Before she can, the Drifter makes a loop in the air, then makes a dramatic dive, like it’s going to plunge right into the ocean. I expect a splash, but the Drifter corrects its trajectory at the last moment and skims inches from the surface. It travels in a straight line, quick as a dart.
“Bring us down,” I order.
Eva grits her teeth. “Not too close. It’s dangerous.”
Skandar stands to peer over the console. “The little bugger sure is fast.”
“I don’t understand,” Eva starts. “There’s nothing here.”
“Wait.” I see it, suddenly-a dark shape in the distance, invisible except that it doesn’t reflect moonlight like the ocean. “What’s that?”
Eva squints, then consults the radar. “A small island, maybe. I don’t know. The topography’s pretty flat, but you’re right. There’s something there.” She tilts the shuttle just enough so we can look down upon the expanse of land. The Drifter slows as it approaches the island. I watch its body pivot. Its feet point to the ground. I wonder if this is where the man from the Red Pearl went, too. I hope so.
“We’ve gotta land. It’s slowing down.”
Eva hits a button. “Might as well. You’ve already dragged us out this far.”
I watch the Drifter meet the island with gentle grace, like a feather falling to the earth. After a moment’s hesitation, it walks forward.
“Set us down at the edge. We can follow it on foot.”
Eva winces. “We don’t know what’s on this island.”
“Calm down,” Skandar replies. “It’s probably deserted. Like every other lousy island out here.”
– We stay far enough behind the Drifter not to startle it. I want to run closer and ask questions, but Eva says we’ll learn more by keeping our distance. She’s probably right. After all, the Drifter hasn’t been on Earth long, which makes its behavior even more curious.
Each step is deliberate, like it knows where it’s going. But that’s impossible.
Beyond squat outcroppings of rock, there aren’t many hiding places for us. We move slow, sometimes on our hands and knees. It’s not long before the ocean disappears behind us, replaced by thin patches of grass. After half a mile’s walk, the Drifter stops and crouches.
It runs its hand over the ground. I poke my head up to see above my rocky hiding spot, but it’s useless in the darkness. The three of us huddle close together.
The Drifter bounds from its perch and staggers back, startled by something. Eva moves to grab my arm, but she’s too late. I move to my feet just in time to see the ground in front of the Drifter open up.
“Jesse!” Eva yanks me back behind the rock.
A man lifts himself from the dirt, just a foot or two from the confused Drifter. Then another.
There must be a trapdoor of some sort-an entrance to an underground room. The men emerge on the grass, dressed in light body armor. They each carry what looks like a large pistol. The polished metal glints in the moonlight.
“Those are agents,” Eva whispers. “See their uniforms? They’re Academy.”
I peek over the rock. “Do you think they know what happened back home, with the red Pearl?”
“Shh.” She leans forward, keeping her eyes on the action. “They could have gotten radio, I suppose. Or maybe they were stationed here already.”
I watch as the smaller of the two agents approaches the Drifter. He extends his hand in a calming gesture. His mouth opens. We’re too far away to hear what he says.
The Drifter waves its arms, motioning wildly. The agents back away. One leans in and whispers to the other.
Then, a shot.
I watch the Drifter slump to the ground. The larger Agent steps forward and catches the body before it hits the dirt. They drag it along the ground, hoisting the upper half and letting the feet lie still.
I stand again. I can’t help it. I want to shout. I feel Eva grip my leg and pull, trying to get me back on the ground.
“You don’t know what you’re-”
I pull free and stumble two steps away to steal a better look.
It’s a mistake.
As the agents force the Drifter through the trapdoor, the closer one turns and sees me. I don’t know how-maybe they’ve got high-range specs or something-but the way he pauses and stares, I know I’ve been spotted.
“Oh no.” I back up, nearly crushing Eva’s hand in the process.
Skandar flattens against the rock. “Don’t say it, man.”
“They saw me.” I risk another glance in the agent’s direction, only to catch him tromping forward. “They’re coming.”
Skandar winces. “But we don’t have any weapons.”
“They’re Academy,” Eva whispers. “We shouldn’t need weapons!”
I shake my head. “You’re wrong.”
And I know it in that instant. I know exactly what we have to do. Alkine and the others have been treating me this way for a reason. I am dangerous. I am treacherous. The way these guys are looking at me? They wouldn’t do that unless they considered me a threat. And when Skyship Agents target a threat, they defend themselves.
I turn to the others, hands shaking. “Something’s wrong here. We have to fight.”