Cassius’s sky taxi pulled into Horizon College’s docking bay, landing smoothly on the ground as the overhead seatbelt lights flickered off.
Cassius undid his belt, thankful that the trip had taken under an hour. Colin had managed to find a seat next to him and rattle off questions the entire way, concerning everything from life on Skyship Orion to Cassius’s views on the Unified Party. Cassius had supplied mostly single-word answers. Halfway through the journey, he wondered if Madame had secretly sent the boy up to test him. It certainly wasn’t beyond her.
Luckily the taxi’s cabin was reasonably spacious, and newer than it looked from outside. Cassius had taken the window seat so he could stare at the clouds while Colin blathered on. His mind raced from thought to thought, mostly regarding his meeting with Madame in the infirmary. The shiny black cube. Fisher could open it, she’d said. He had some sort of key. Why he’d have anything to do with it at all was beyond Cassius. And why hadn’t Madame mentioned the cube before? If it really belonged to his mother, then he had a right to know about it.
When the last of the onboard lights turned off, the driver shut down the power and moved down the ship’s walkway.
“All right, kids. In a moment I’m going to ask you to quietly file out using the side exits-two in the front and two at the back. There’ll be folks at the far end of the docking bay to meet you and let you know where to go next. I’ll be onboard waiting for departure, so if you need to leave anything behind, that’ll be all right.”
With that, he walked back to the driver’s seat and pushed the button to open the doors. Those nearest to the exits stood, stretched, and filtered off the ship.
Cassius waited a moment for the cabin to clear, allowing Colin a head start before leaving the ship himself. As he stepped into the docking bay, a shiver ran down his spine. This was it. No turning back now. He cleared his dry throat and took a deep breath, trying to keep his hands steady. He couldn’t let his anxiety show.
Once ready, he followed the group to the far side of the bay. It didn’t take long. Compared to Atlas and Polaris, the Academy was nothing.
At the arched entrance to the bottom level stood two adults. Mr. Sorenson and Ms. Gray, senior teachers who would be showing Cassius and the others around the Academy. Cassius wondered what they really did. If Madame’s intelligence was correct, he was looking at a pair of secret agents.
The teachers distributed a pair of pamphlets and went over the rules of the day: stay with your guide at all times, don’t get lost, don’t head into the students’ quarters. With any luck, they’d be taking him right to his target. Maybe things weren’t going to be so difficult after all.
Then they were split into two groups. Cassius ended up in Ms. Gray’s. Colin, thankfully, was put into the other group. That would make things easier.
Ms. Gray took a quick head count and Cassius’s group left the bay, traveling to the elevators. All the while, Cassius considered ways to separate himself. First he had to find Fisher, which meant playing along a little while longer.
Soon they arrived in the center of a meandering hallway on Level Six. Posters, artwork, and faded maps hung along the curved walls. The gray carpet was noticeably stained. Ms. Gray wrangled them together in a huddle, keeping her voice low. “We’re heading by some of the classrooms on our way to the canteen so I need you all to be quiet, especially around open doors. The teachers are expecting you, but we don’t want to interrupt lessons.”
She turned and started off down the hallway. Cassius lingered by the elevators and stayed on the outskirts of the group in case he needed to make a quick escape. He closed his eyes for a moment, calming his racing nerves.
Then they wound down the most randomly designed corridor Cassius had ever walked through. What could have been a straight shot devolved into a series of twists and turns, alcoves and walls. Terribly impractical, but it would make hiding easier. He made a note of it.
They passed several closed, numbered doors before arriving at the entrance to a library. Cassius peered through a large glass window in the wall before traveling around the perimeter into another hallway. Several doors hung open before them. Ms. Gray raised her finger to her lips and moved forward.
As they passed the first open door, he hid behind a tall Asian boy and caught a quick glance of the room. Empty except for a few old desks shoved into the corner. Same with the next room. Where were all the students?
Then his chest tightened. Heat.
Not again.
He loosened his tie, struggling to block out the pain. His breathing shortened as he considered the worst possible scenario. Fire. Explosions.
Remembering the medication, he reached into his jacket and felt around for the pills. When he was sure no one was looking, he slipped the tiny white capsule from the packet and tossed it into his mouth.
They arrived outside the third door. His heart did a back-flip. The pain remained steady. A woman’s voice came from inside the room. Ms. Gray held out her hand to stop the visitation group and stepped through the open door.
Cassius gripped his chest, forcing the fire back inside of him. He was not going to let this happen. Not when he was so close.
Ms. Gray emerged from the room and ushered the group of eager students closer. They surged through the entrance. Cassius stayed back. He couldn’t risk any of the Shippers he’d met in Syracuse recognizing him. He settled just outside the doorway, ducking behind the group.
The teacher, a short African woman with a bright smile, stood facing them, going on about the merits of the college’s academic programs. Cassius tuned her out. The heat pounded through his torso but he held it at bay, peeping through cracks in the group. His eyes searched every row of the classroom, up and down, looking for Fisher.
In the fourth row from the doorway, two seats back, he found him-the same pathetic runt he’d met only days earlier on the rooftop, head resting sluggishly in his hand.
Cassius fought back a smile. He ducked away and detached himself from the group, tiptoeing to the next open doorway.
He slipped inside the empty room and darted behind a shelf, pulling the bag from his shoulder and unzipping it. He removed the pieces of the pistol from inside and attached them, hooking it onto the belt underneath his jacket. Just in case.
He leaned against the wall and controlled his breathing. The thudding in his heart grew fainter. The medication had begun to take effect.