There used to be more of Japan. That’s what they say, at least. There are still underwater ruins, proof that civilization once existed here. But above the water it’s just a string of small islands. Once mountains, now buried.
Some are wide enough to land a shuttle or two. Most look more like oversized stepping stones. It’s a necessary pit stop for us-a chance to get our bearings. Away from the Academy, but not too far in case we have to turn back.
It won’t be long before they start tracing us after what happened on the island. We have a limited window to talk-decide what to do-before we’ll need to get airborne.
The shuttle sits behind us, empty and quiet. Waves lap upon the rocks at our feet. The Pacific stretches endlessly before us. This place is as silent as Russia, probably more. The grass that remains is eternally marshy. Sinkholes abound, but we’ve found a relatively stable piece of land.
Eva chucks a pebble into the water. She’s got a handful of them ready to go. I think it makes her feel better to be doing something. “They’ll take him back to the Academy,” she says. “That’s the first thing they’ll do. And knowing Skandar, he won’t talk.”
My leg shakes with nervous energy. “Alkine wouldn’t hurt him, right? I mean, it’s Skandar.”
“I don’t know.” She shakes her head. “At the very least, they’ll get a story out of him. I’m going to have to see if I can disengage the trackers on our shuttle. That’ll mean sacrificing our radar, but I don’t see… ” she trails off.
Ryel sits on the rock beside me, utterly still. His chin rests on his fingers. His eyes slit as he stares at the water.
“We found you,” I whisper. “I did it. Finally.”
He turns to look at me, his expression fragile. “I am… the only one?”
I open my mouth to speak, but end up swallowing my words before I settle on the right thing to say. “I’ve been trying… I mean, I’ve been doing what I can.”
His brows furrow. “I thought your leader was rational. I thought, if we gave him what he wanted-”
“Captain Alkine doesn’t know what he’s doing,” I reply. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“Does it matter? We weren’t sent to this planet to worry about our own well-being. He confined me.” His jaw hardens. “That was enough.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry for me,” he says. “Or for any other Drifter. Be sorry for the time we’ve lost. Those hours…those pointless video conferences… I prayed that something was being accomplished. That I was an anomaly.” He turns back to the water. “But you have nothing.”
“That’s not true.” I push my wrist in front of his face. The blackness of the bracelet reflects his worried features. “I have this.”
He glances at it, frowning.
“It’s been shaking,” I continue. “It won’t come off. Sometimes it’s strong enough to pull my entire arm. What is it?”
He sighs. “That material is called Ridium. It’s the most powerful element on Haven.”
“Haven?” Eva scoots forward.
“The name of our home planet,” he responds. “Or, rather, a rough translation.”
Haven. The word slots into the framework of ideas in my mind. Right now that’s all it is: a word.
“What’s it doing around my wrist?”
“Ridium can be controlled, but only by a chosen few. Shifters, they’re called. I am not a Shifter.” He meets my eyes. “Neither are you.”
He grabs my wrist and pulls the bracelet closer to his face, running a finger along the surface. “There are forces inside. I don’t fully understand them, but they go beyond what exists here on Earth. All Ridium is controlled by the Authority. And the Authority, in turn, by Shifters.
“In the end, it formed the very infrastructure of our civilization. Buildings, technology, weapons… they were all influenced by the endless powers of Ridium. It’s a synthesizing element, which means those with the power to Shift can bend it to their will. In addition to changing its physical shape, it can be imbued with programmed instructions. Like a computer. It can send signals, relay messages, store video or holographic information… the possibilities are limited only by its Shifter’s imagination.” He releases his grip on my wrist. “The Resistance risked great peril to create this for you. It must be important.” He sighs. “I was a simple pilot. I’m not qualified to be your guide.” I swallow. “You’re all we have. For now.”
He runs a hand over his face, exhausted. “Your parents wanted you to have that bracelet. That’s all I can tell you.” “My parents… ”
“Great leaders.” He shakes his head. “Strong.” My lips tremble. I can’t tell if he’s taking a dig at me or not. “What… what were their names?
He pauses in thought before answering. “Savon. That was your father. And Adaylla, your mother. Numbers 3,038 and 5,017. Founders of Haven’s Resistance.”
Eva drops her pebbles. Somehow hearing the names changes things. They’re real. People knew them. Savon and Adaylla.
Even with the string of numbers behind them, the words sit comfortably in my consciousness-missing puzzle pieces.
The crashing of the waves takes over the silence. The ocean brightens with the rising sun.
I choke back emotion. “What were they like?”
“I never met them,” Ryel says. “Not in person. I only know what I’ve been told.”
I pound the rock with my fist. “You can’t leave it at that.”
“I can’t?” He turns to me. “Don’t let yourself be clouded by the thought of them. It won’t serve any of us well.”
“Then tell me what they were fighting for. They started the Resistance, right? What were they resisting?”
Ryel’s eyes widen in disbelief. “You’ve been kept in the dark. It’s worse than I thought. Your leader has told you nothing.”
“Go on.” I grit my teeth.
“I am not a school teacher.” He closes his eyes, grunting in frustration. “Very well. A history lesson.”
He takes a deep breath. “Haven was approximately half the size of Earth.”
My brows raise. “Was?”
“Let me finish.”
I rest my chin on my knees, determined not to interrupt him again.
“Our climate was dry, but the resources bountiful. Ridium pits existed in the southern hemisphere, dark and endless before they were scavenged by the Authority. In the north, vast fields of gold-flecked grass. No oceans, but many lakes.” He pauses, as if recalling the scenery upsets him. “Your scientists would have never spotted us. Not with their… limited technology. The universe is constantly stretching. Mirroring itself. Haven existed more than fifty million of your light years away from Earth. But it’s gone now.”
“How?” Eva asks.
He glares at her. “Our home became unstable years ago-tremors that evolved into great fissures. Haven was eating itself alive. Self-destructing.” He pauses. “Some blamed it on our actions. Others took a more philosophical stance. Everything has an expiration date. Either way, an evacuation was called for.”
My memory fills with historical videos the teachers made us watch about the founding of the Skyships, crowds of people taking off from the chemical-stained Surface in search for a better life. It helps me visualize Ryel’s words. Otherwise it’s too big to imagine.
“It was gradual,” he continues, “especially at first. Dayto-day, it was easily ignored. The Authority looked to the stars for suitable replacements. They found Earth. Led by King Matigo, they sought to send a battalion to conquer. This planet was large and plentiful with resources. With a few adjustments, we could live well here. At your expense, of course.”
“Tell me more about this guy,” I say, forgetting that I’m not supposed to interrupt. “Matigo.”
Ryel doesn’t seem angry. “Number 207. A rare name.”
“He’s a Drifter, like you?”
“Like you. Like us, yes.” His shoulders tense. “He’s a Shifter as well, and a very powerful one. The ability to shift Ridium guaranteed him an important role in our society. With his power and ambition, it didn’t take him long to become the figurehead of the Authority.”
“He’s the leader,” I mutter. “He’s the one.”
“He is dangerous. And he’s on his way.” Ryel pauses. “When Haven’s destruction became imminent, it wasn’t difficult for him to convince our people that invasion was their safest option. Behind closed doors, he’d been planning to conquer other galaxies for years. It was a convenient excuse to… how do you say it… get the ball rolling.” He turns back to me. “And that is what your parents were fighting.”
“I don’t understand,” I reply. “They’d rather die than come to Earth?”
He shakes his head. “They believed there was an alternative. Riskier, and far less luxurious. Others had discovered another planet in a neighboring galaxy. It was closer than Earth and held the resources we would need for survival. Managed right, it could have been a fine home for us. And, most important, it was uninhabited. No need for an invasion. They called it Haven II.
“But Matigo was intent on populating Earth.” He sighs. “The Resistance went behind the Authority’s back. At first they planned to splinter and take Haven II for their own. Start a new society, free from the Authority’s rule. But your parents were too honorable for that. They knew they couldn’t live their lives at peace while Matigo destroyed another planet. They waged war. Gaining supporters wasn’t difficult, especially among those in the outer regions, far from the central cities.”
“Are they alive?” The words pour from my mouth without me realizing it.
“I told you. I’ve never met them.” He leaves it at that and continues his story.
“Outnumbered at every turn, your parents devised the Pearl Transport System to get off-planet and warn the people of Earth. Though he had been born into a life of farming, your father showed a great interest in many of the sciences and eventually became one of the planet’s leading physicists. He found a way to reverse the body’s growth process and shield the resulting material in what has now become known as Pearl Energy. In a way, Pearls are like a portable womb, carrying and protecting bundles of genetic information. Atoms. Molecules.” He pauses. “Utilizing a wormhole at the edge of our galaxy, Pearls were sent to Earth.
“Your parents hoped that if they could get here first, they’d be able to fight back. With the help of humans, of course. When the Authority learned of this, your family was targeted. You and your brother were targeted. You would have been killed, too, if your parents hadn’t managed to get you off-planet before the Authority showed up.”
My whole body shakes. I didn’t notice it before, but my heart’s pounding like a drum. My mind hurtles back to the dream-memory-I had in the security center last spring with Avery. The syringe filled with liquid. The pops and hisses from the small laboratory. The cloudy green energy. There were soldiers there, when my parents put me inside the Pearl and set me loose. The door busted down. There were gun shots.
Ryel bows his head slightly. “That was the night the Authority discovered Pearl technology. They’ve been augmenting it ever since, playing around with the formula. Strengthening it. When they land, they’ll be more powerful than us.” He grits his teeth. “But you have no army. You haven’t done your job. Your parents would be-”
“Don’t say it.” My fingers clench.
“Your leader is incompetent. He fears that we are the invaders, that every Drifter is the same. You people have yourselves to blame for your destruction.”
I wince.
“Where’s your brother? Please tell me he’s still alive.”
“Cassius is… ” I look down at the rocks. “It’s complicated.”
“Can you contact him?”
“I can try.”
“Good.” Ryel stands. “We’ve much to do. Pearls aren’t meant to stay locked.”
I pull myself to my feet. “Don’t you think I know that?”
Eva slinks away. “I’m going to go see about disabling our radar. The longer we stay here, the more likely the Academy will-”
“No.” I hold out a hand to stop her. “I’ll call Cassius inside the shuttle. I want to be alone for a minute.”
Ryel crosses his arms. “You’re the Pearlbreaker, Jesse. Don’t forget it, even for a second.”
“Yeah.” I don’t meet his eyes. Instead, I turn and trudge to the shuttle. I can’t do this without Cassius. Not anymore.
My arms tremble. It’s real, now. These past weeks, it’s been all I can do to stay sane, but now that I know the truth, I’m not sure I can handle it. There are too many things coming at me at once, each stealing a piece of my attention.
Water surrounds me on both sides. My feet sink into the ground. Below me are cities, subway cars, and skyscrapers, all buried by time. A look at our future, perhaps.
There used to be more of Japan. Hell, there used to be more of me.