Skyship Territory, 800 feet above the Skyline.
After taking over the chartered sky taxi, Cassius blasted off from the docking bay. Reinforcements barged in to stop him, but they were too late.
Piloting such a lengthy ship felt unnatural, but he’d always been a quick study. Though his trajectory was wobbly, he dipped beneath the clouds until the Surface came into view. No sign of Fisher’s shuttle. He cursed. They’d gotten a head start.
Fisher was off the Skyship, but he could have headed anywhere… even to Atlas. He could have alerted the Tribunal.
Cassius fumbled with the control deck, searching for a radar or tracer or anything that would allow him to pinpoint the shuttle.
The com-pad on his belt beeped. He removed it and held it before his face, grimacing as he read the code on the screen. It was Madame.
He toyed with the idea of ignoring it. A failure like this could derail him entirely, and he couldn’t afford disappointing her. She knew more than she was letting on. She knew about his parents.
Still, ignoring her would be worse. She’d be angry. Anger was more dangerous than disappointment.
As much as it pained him to do it, he pressed the touch screen. “Hello?” His hand shook as he waited for her response.
“Cassius,” her cold voice filled the cockpit, “tell me where you are.”
He considered lying, but didn’t. “I’m in a sky taxi heading away from the Academy.”
“And Fisher? Is he with you?”
“Uh-no, Madame. He’s on another shuttle.” He paused. “I took down one of their teachers.”
The truth was, he hadn’t meant to. He hadn’t wanted to, but the old man had gotten in the way. Cassius had acted on instinct and pulled the trigger. Before he knew it, the guy was dead.
He gritted his teeth, waiting for Madame’s response. After an agonizing silence, her voice continued, steady as ever. “I appreciate your honesty, Cassius. I stationed two of my cruisers beneath the Academy in case something like this were to happen. They’ve driven Fisher’s shuttle to Portland, Oregon-a short distance from your coordinates. I’ve put a hold on the city’s defense canons. I’d like you to follow him. Contact me when you land. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”
“Yes, Madame.” He barely got the words out before she hung up. He stared at the blank screen. “Hello?”
He held it to his ear, wondering if he’d accidentally silenced it himself. She was gone. No “Good job” or “Did you run into any trouble on Polaris?” or anything. Not that he had expected warm congratulations, but she hadn’t even seemed to care.
He brushed the thought away, eager to land on the Surface.
Folding the CP and attaching it to his belt, he charted a course for Portland at double speed.