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.
The figure turns immediately. He steps to the edge of the ship, crouches low, and stares down at me. He’s got that same vacant look in his eyes. He’s reacting, not recognizing.
I don’t know what’s beyond those eyes, if anything. “Remember? You
… we… ”
The Drifter takes a high leap into the air and jumps from the edge of the cruiser. For a moment it looks like he’s going to fly again, but his feet touch the ground. It all happens in silence, like the pounce of a cat.
He brings himself to full height, arms at his sides. His thick brown hair, obscured by the red glow, blows gently in the breeze. He wears clothing like Ryel’s loose-fitting, lightcolored garments that suggest Fringe living. Except there’s no way this guy’s from the Fringes.
The humming of my bracelet intensifies under my glove. It thrashes around, irritating my skin. It doesn’t have much space to move, but the way it’s shaking I’m afraid it’s going to burn right through my suit. I glance over my shoulder at the swarm. The wall of insects stays intact, pushed safely away from us.
I approach the Drifter. Small, careful footsteps. “Who are you? Do you know my parents? Do you know who I am?” He cocks his head to the side like a dog might. Only it’s not cute. Instead, there’s a mild threat to it, like he’s sizing me up.
“Do you speak?” I remember the girl in Seattle last spring, and hope if I say the right thing his language processing will kick in. “English?”
His lips stay closed, body still.
I take another step forward. “I thought maybe you knew who I was, the way you looked at me. You’ve been following me. I… something called to me when your Pearl landed. I couldn’t touch it, but I knew it was there.” Still no answer. His brows furrow. His head remains still. The swarm drones on.
With a sigh I grab hold of my fingers and pull the glove from my right hand. My bracelet shifts uncontrollably now, spinning around my wrist so fast that it practically burns. I adjust the sleeve on my suit and hold my arm in front of my chest. “My parents gave me this. Ryel said it’s made from Ridium. Does that mean anything to you? I don’t know what it’s for, but it goes crazy every time you’re near. That must mean something.”
The Drifter’s head clicks back into place. He blinks and lowers his chin. The bracelet forces my arm back to my side. I shake my head. This is going nowhere.
Carefully, I remove the helmet. Maybe if he can hear me without the speakers, he’ll understand. I try not to look at the cruiser. I imagine they’re panicking right now, watching me slowly dismantle my suit. Cassius is probably about ready to jump out the door.
The moment the helmet’s off, the buzzing of the swarm becomes all-consuming. No wonder the Drifter couldn’t hear me before.
The heat’s more dense and humid than I’ve ever experienced. It’s worse in the southern Fringes. No wonder bugs are the only ones who thrive in it. I hardly want to open my mouth for fear of letting the thick air in.
But if I get answers, it’ll be worth it.
“Do you understand?” I shout. “Are you understanding any of this?”
The Drifter’s eyes widen slightly. His body shows no reaction.
“Please,” I continue. Sweat drips down the back of my neck. “Just tell me who you are.”
My bracelet stops. The Drifter raises his right hand and points at me.
I’m thrown off my feet onto my back. My hands fly over my head. The helmet rolls into the distance until it’s swallowed by the swarm.
Intense warmth pushes on my chest. I cry out in pain as something burrows under my suit and cuts across my skin. It’s like boiling water or the edge of a knife heated by flames. I grab the zipper and try to pull the thing away from me, but I know it won’t help. Whatever this is, it’s inside. Coming out. There’s no stopping it.
The pain continues, blistering and ceaseless. I fear I might pass out. I expect to feel the slick stickiness of blood under my shirt. But liquid would boil. There’s nothing. I writhe in the dirt, kicking up clouds around my feet, unable to stand. I manage to turn on my side and stare at the Drifter from the knee down.
The burning stops.
I grab my chest, heart pounding out of time. It’s reassurance that I’m still alive. I yell, but the Fringe air burns my throat, too.
I watch the Drifter’s legs pull out of sight as he rockets into the sky. Red energy blankets my vision for a moment before it disappears altogether. He’s gone.
The buzzing intensifies around me. I roll on my back in time to see walls close in. The swarm descends.