The soldiers’ faces are shielded by government gas masks, their bodies hidden behind thick, genderless uniforms. They’re completely anonymous.
The ones in front reach in to grab us but the leader motions them to stop, stepping forward and extending a gloved hand.
“The Pearl. Surrender it.” The voice sounds robotic and alien from behind the gas mask.
I glance over to Skandar, who clutches the green orb close to his chest.
“Count of three,” the soldier warns. The mass of weapons beep and whirr as they lock onto our chests. “One… ”
I turn to Skandar, motioning for him to toss the Pearl to me. He shakes his head. “I’m not letting them have it.”
“Two… ”
I dart over to him, yanking it from his arms. The soldier stops counting and watches me scoot forward.
“Place it in my hand.” The soldier takes a step forward.
I look up at the gas mask, searching for a face behind all the hardware. Eyes, a nose… something.
They don’t know who I am.
The thought strikes me out of nowhere. If they knew that Madame wanted me, they’d forget about the Pearl altogether and pull me from the trailer without hesitation. Of course, it doesn’t change the fact that as soon as they get the Pearl, they’ll drag us all off to a Security Center anyway. If they don’t shoot first.
Not gonna happen.
“Get behind me,” I motion to the others.
Avery grabs Skandar and Eva by the shoulders and pulls them to the empty boxes at the front of the trailer. Eva tries to fight her way back to me, but Avery pins her down.
As soon as they’re safe, I close my eyes and focus, hoping that Portland wasn’t a fluke.
My body’s not screaming bloody murder like it did back in the alleyway. I know this is a crap shoot, trying to control something I don’t even understand, but I continue on, feeling the Pearl’s energy meet my own.
“Weapons at the ready,” the soldier orders. I do my best to ignore the sounds of the battalion.
I hold the Pearl in front of me, feeling it grow warmer with each passing moment. I press in on it with my hands, squeezing between my fingers, and imagine a straight line from my chest down through my arms and into the Pearl.
And then it happens. I open my eyes and watch the Pearl drift away from my fingers, floating toward the open trailer door. The closest soldiers take a cautious step back.
I squint, eyes fixed on the hovering Pearl. When it reaches the back end of the van, I ball my fingers into fists.
The Pearl explodes, shooting a wave of green energy out into the city. The soldiers topple over in its wake, pushed to the ground like paper dolls. The sides of the van bubble out in an ear-piercing grind of metal. But behind me, it’s still. Like last time, my body deflects the energy.
I claw my way forward, watching as a pair of legs disappears up over the top of the trailer, soaring into the air and out of sight-just like in the Portland alley. I catch sight of the figure just in time. It curves up past the layer of chemical smog and out of sight. Definitely humanoid this time.
My fingertips pulse like they’re ready to shoot lightning bolts. I feel like I could single-handedly power an entire Chosen City.
The others stumble out from behind the pile of boxes, mouths agape.
Skandar moves to the edge of the trailer, staring down at the sea of unconscious bodies before looking over at me, dumbfounded. “Jesse, you’re the man.”
Eva moves to his side. “Have you done this before?”
I ignore her, and turn to Avery. “It didn’t hurt this time.”
She nods, flashing an encouraging smile.
Eva steps down from the trailer, laying her hand on the unmoving shoulder of the nearest soldier. “Jesse, you just destroyed a Pearl.”
I scoot closer to the edge. “Now you can see why I have to find answers. The Unified Party’s not gonna like what I can do.”
Avery joins me. “Neither is the Tribunal, for that matter.”
“You’re like a human bomb or something,” Skandar whispers.
“I have to have a Pearl,” I reply. “But I can sense them… control them. I brought one straight to me in Portland, without even realizing what I was doing.” I step out onto the pavement, trying to ignore the bodies below me. “And I think there’s something inside.”
“Inside what?” Avery follows me.
I turn to face her. “Pearls. Something or… someone. I’ve seen it twice now, with both explosions. Flying up out of the energy, there’s a figure. It’s like I’ve hatched something.”
Skandar cranes his neck to look at the sky. “I don’t see anyone.”
“It’s gone.” I stare at the wispy layer of clouds above. “If it was ever there.”
Avery backs away, curving around the trailer until she comes upon a pair of bodies lying on the ground beside the cabin. She crouches, pressing her fingers on George’s neck. “They’re stunned. Both of them. They won’t be waking up for a while. I hope they get some good dreams out of this.”
I sigh, relieved that the soldiers hadn’t killed George and his son. Without them, we’d have never made it over here. Without a word, I make my way through the pile of soldiers, stepping over limp arms and dodging legs. The air’s thick with remnants of chemical smog. Not enough to be lethal-at least for a couple of hours-but enough to keep a deep, sulfurous smell in the air.
The van had stopped on top of a maze of crumpled roadways and overpasses surrounding the city. Colossal slabs of concrete rest in heaps around us, crushing anything beneath them. Colorful bits of vehicles lie smashed between boulders-confetti on an ever-dark background.
We stand on one of the only remaining elevated highways. The ground’s caved in from the dividing lines on, joining the pile of jagged boulders below us. The road itself has a nasty slope to it. A narrow strip of concrete travels down into the city to my right. It’s the only accessible route.
I move to the edge of the highway cliff, staring down at the remains of Seattle. Several skyscrapers stand like skeletons around the edges of the city, chunks missing from all sides. Most buildings are toothed stumps now, poking up from the carpet of rubble lying in piles around them. Farther away, water seeps in from the coast, creating dark, disease-ridden rivers between islands of junk. A gray smog hangs over the city-an incessant, unmoving drizzle replacing the once-red chemicals from the bombs. I can’t see much beyond the water.
Far off to the right, surrounded by a septic sea of green, are the remains of the famous Space Needle, reduced to a pointed spire. There’s not a hint of vegetation in sight. No trees, no bushes, no grass. The clouds keep their distance but the dark mist drifts into the city like a runny watercolor.
I try to picture the city that once was. People lived here-and worked and went to school. Then came the Scarlet Bombings. No warning. Not one person knew what had happened. One moment they were going about their normal business, the next they were dissolved into nothing. I can’t imagine being dissolved from the outside in. Can’t even go there.
The others join me at the edge of the cliff, staring out at the wreckage. Nobody says a word. Words can’t really describe it.
After a moment of silence, I turn to face them, speaking softly. “We’ll need weapons.”
Eva nods. “There are plenty back there with the soldiers.”
“Find a pair of com-pads, too. You guys need to stand watch up here.”
Skandar groans. “Man, that is not cool. I wanna do something.”
“If anyone shows up, I’ll need to know,” I say. “If all four of us are down there, it’ll be too easy for them to take us by surprise.”
Avery grabs my hand, clutching it tight. “I’m going with you, Jesse.”
I nod. “Avery and I will go down alone.”
Eva glances at our hands, muttering. “Yeah, I bet you will.”
“Please don’t argue,” I reply. “For once.”
She sighs, reaching over to Skandar and pulling the com-pad from his belt.
“Hey!” He scowls.
She ignores him, tossing the device to me. “You don’t want Pearlhounds tracing you. It’s safer to use Skyship-issue.”
“Fine.” I clip it to the side of my frayed pocket.
“I don’t like this, Fisher,” she grumbles.
“Yeah?” I let go of Avery’s hand. “Well, you’re gonna have to deal. All this time protecting me, you should be pretty good at it. Protect me now by standing watch.”
Skandar frowns. “No offense, buddy, but maybe you need us down there. I mean, that Pearl trick was mass impressive, but you’re running on empty. We can help.”
“You’re more helpful up here,” I say. “You can see everything. Once we get down below the smog it’s gonna be a mess.”
“Jesse’s right,” Avery starts. “We need eyes above the city.”
Eva sighs, crossing her arms. “You’re right. For once in your life, you’re actually right.”
I smile. “Right when it counts, huh?”
She lays her hand on my shoulder, shaking her head. “Just… be careful down there. Keep in contact. If you need us, don’t hesitate.”
I nod.
“Come on, Harris.” She turns to the pile of soldiers. “Time to get suited up.”
Skandar pauses for a moment, then steps forward and smacks my arm. “Good luck, mate. I hope you find what you need.”
Then he’s off, joining Eva beside the van.
I meet Avery’s eyes. She smiles, weaving her fingers between mine. “You ready?”
I reach up and tuck the silver key under my shirt. “Let’s go.”
We stumble down the road, careful not to wedge our feet in any of the cracks.
Five steps down and the screeching of tires on pavement interrupts us. Something screams from the top of the highway.
I spin around to see a red sports car come speeding down the uneven road like an out-of-control monster. A cloud of dust trails its pathway, kicked up into the already coarse air.
I don’t have time to think-to move, even. The strangeness of seeing an old-fashioned car in such nightmarish terrain knocks me off guard. For a moment, all I can do is stare.
But as the vehicle draws closer, shock turns to dread. I recognize the driver immediately. No mistaking the gritty expression on his face.
It’s Cassius, and he’s headed straight for me.