I regain my senses as the energy dissipates around me. As soon as I feel capable of standing, I peer at the dome, half a mile above my head. There are visible cracks, even from this distance. I shouldn’t have broken them all at once. I should’ve known there would be consequences.
But that’s just it. I didn’t feel like I was in control. It’s like they were breaking me.
Without looking at any of the fallen Shippers that litter the plaza, I take off at a sprint, following the flow of energy down the city.
I soak it in and let it push my feet forward. I run faster than ever before. It’s half me, half the Pearls. That’s okay. If I’m going to round up the Drifters, I’m going to need as much strength as I can muster.
The streets of Altair are empty. Pedestrians have filtered to the lower levels, forced downward by the unstable air pressure. It’s all deserted. The Pearl blast took care of anybody who was left.
As I continue forward, the ground darkens underfoot. My right wrist feels heavy. At first I’m convinced it’s exhaustion and nothing more, but then something forces my arm down. It’s desperate to join the black pavement below me. Ridium, and it’s everywhere.
I hear footsteps behind me and speed up. Then a voice. “Jesse!”
I glance over my shoulder and watch Avery come after me. I slow for a moment and let her catch up.
I pant. “Where did you come from?”
“I lost the Drifters, Jesse.” She struggles to match my pace. “They flew up the stairs. They’re here, somewhere, on the upper level. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I say. “I think Theo’s here.” She glances at the ground and her eyes widen. By now, we all recognize Ridium. Nothing on Earth is that black- that pure.
We take the next few streets in silence. At this speed we’ll clear the top level in under five minutes.
But it’s not to be.
At the next intersection, we begin to slow. Half a mile later, we keel over. I lean my hands on my knees and cough. It’s the air pressure. The dome’s coming down. The wind now pushes on us with powerful force, swirling trash around the intersection like a cyclone. And there’s smoke. I don’t notice it at first because it’s so transparent, but the atmosphere’s definitely heavier. Multiple explosions throughout the ship have freed gases that we shouldn’t be breathing. I glance at the sky and notice ships and shuttles all around us-dots in the darkening blue. Passengers are evacuating in all directions, heading toward safer ships. We’re standing in the middle of approaching disaster.
“We’re sinking,” Avery says. “Can you feel it? What’s happened to the emergency thrusters?”
I turn and stare at her in silence. Part of me knew this from the moment the ground rocked back in the storage center, but there were too many other things to worry about. And now, the Ridium. Not even someone like Cassius could deal with all of these factors at once. Not even someone like Alkine.
I think about the people unable to evacuate. The docking bays will be the first to hit the ground, and the worst damaged when they do. There’d be nothing left. No survivors. It had been the Skyship Community’s biggest fear since the fleet first launched into the stratosphere. A ship couldn’t be allowed to crash. And if it hits anywhere but the Fringes, the casualties could be in the thousands. More, even.
I cough. It’s a struggle to keep standing, let alone move forward. If Theo’s here, as powerful as he was back inside the vessel, there’s no way I’ll have enough energy to fight him.
Just then, I notice a flash of green out of the corner of my eye. I peer at the sky, searching for its origin. Before I can spot it again, the entire street’s lit up.
I watch as a crowd of Drifters join us in the middle of the intersection. They descend from the sky like angels, landing gracefully on the pavement. I see Sem and Talan among them, carried to safety. Instantly, I feel stronger. I arch my shoulders and take a deep breath, spinning in a slow circle to take them all in.
They’re as unique as human beings in shape and size. The elderly stand next to children, next to adults and teenagers. They are my people-more than I’ve ever seen in a single spot. And without saying anything, I know they’re here to help.
They step forward until they’re close enough to touch. None of us speak. We don’t have to. We know what we need to do.
I take a deep breath.
With a renewed sense of purpose, I lead them out of the intersection toward the rapidly disintegrating blanket of green beyond. We may not be much of an army, but the knowledge that they’re behind me gives me the confidence I need to keep going forward.
Several intersections later, I see Cassius.
My first instinct is to run and check if he’s alright. Then I notice Eva and Skandar standing several yards behind him. Alive.
Their expressions transform when they see me. I know how we must look-Avery and I the focal point of an army in green.
I stop and study the scene. Cassius jogs up to me.
“Thank god,” he says. “Theo’s down, but I don’t think it’s permanent. You’ve gotta move.” He glances at my wrist. “On second thought, you’ve gotta get out of here.”
I squint to see past the wreckage. At first I don’t notice Theo against the expanse of blue. Then my eyes settle on a body. Small, right at the edge of the ship. One strong gust and he’d be pulled past the dome, shattering the glass and falling to his death.
“The Pearl energy,” Cassius continues. “The blast was strong enough to knock him down. But he wants your-”
My bracelet flies from my wrist and transforms into a black ball. It sails across the length of the ship to Theo’s outstretched hand. He stands, legs limp and crumbled, shaking with exertion. But he wears a wide smile as he knocks the ball of Ridium high into the air. In seconds it hits the dome. Unstable cracks shatter. I feel the breeze, unnatural against my bare wrist.
“No!” Cassius turns, and I see that his bracelet is gone, too.
I meet his eyes. “What happened?”
“He’s got them both.” Cassius curses. “They’ve been programmed to block the Authority’s signal. They were keeping the red Pearls at bay!”
I look down at my bare skin, then back at the Drifters. The ground pushes up on us as the Skyship continues to sink.
I watch Theo sink to the ground in the distance. He’s on his knees now, smirking.
A shadow falls over him. I crane my neck to see a dark ship approaching. A round of detonations rings against what’s left of the dome, breaking the remaining glass. A Unified Party Cruiser flies into the city, so low that we’re forced to duck as it comes barreling overhead.
It loops around, just above the buildings of the city, and opens fire.
The Drifters shoot up from the ground one after another behind us, darts of green piercing the sky with staggering speed. In seconds, they’re out of sight, taking Sem and Talan with them. I wish I had time to tell them to stay, but they’re frightened. It’s instinctual.
We’re alone.
I pull energy from all around me-what’s left in the air, what’s left in the ship itself-and prepare for an attack. But the cruiser doesn’t fire on us. Instead, it lets loose a barrage of ammunition at the edge of the sinking ship, carving enormous craters in the pavement. Theo disappears in a cloud of smoke.
The cruiser makes a diagonal descent, aimed at the widest portion of open space available. Just when I think it’s going to set down, it makes a sharp turn and crawls toward us, inches from the ground.
I see the outline of Madame’s figure behind the glass of the cockpit. I watch her grab a device on the wall beside her and hold it to her lips. The front of the cruiser hisses as the outside speakers switch on.
“I’m opening the side hatch.” Her voice is amplified as it streams from the cruiser. “I strongly suggest you come inside. Altair is poised to hit the Surface in less than a minute. I’m afraid there’s no time for dawdling.”
I glance at Cassius. We stand together. Us. Avery. Skandar. Eva.
The dome collapses completely. Shards of fiberglass rain on the decimated city, joining the rubble from the explosions. Theo’s body is somewhere behind the cruiser, though it may have fallen into the ship when Madame’s firepower crumbled the ledge.
“We have to go,” Cassius whispers. “We have to.”
I nod, then meet eyes with the others to let them know it’s okay.
It’s really not, especially with Madame in the pilot’s seat, but it’s our only choice. Escape with her or die in Altair’s imminent explosion.
I lead the charge toward the cruiser, hands over my head to shield from falling rubble. Madame is dangerous. We shouldn’t be allying ourselves with her like this, but there isn’t time. This is survival.
The inside of the cruiser feels clean. We pile in, all six of us, before the hatch shuts. Immediately the ship gains altitude. We’re thrown to the back as Madame climbs into the air.
When I’m able to stand, I rush to the nearest window and peer outside, trying to spot Skyship Altair.
I catch sight of it just as the lower levels plunge into the ground. An intense, miles-long fireball ripples from the underbelly and spreads up, demolishing every piece of the structure. Buildings collapse on the top level, pulled toward the surface, folding in on themselves. There were evacuees-I saw them. But there’s no way that every single resident found their way off the ship in time. There wasn’t enough warning. Nobody knew what was going to happen.
If Theo hadn’t perished before, he’s surely dead now. That’s a small consolation, considering the rest of the casualties. But it’s not enough.
Avery comes to my side and throws her arm around my shoulders. She pulls me close. We collapse on the floor, together. I’m done. I can’t do anything. I can barely move.
This is it. This confirms it.
I’m no hero.