Strikeforce (17 page)

31

Cassius had never felt such freedom before. Even piloting a government cruiser came with its own restrictions. In contrast, the Ridium board underneath him functioned as an extension of his own body. It took but a thought to control it.

Even so, he was forced to look away often during their Ridium-fueled trip cross-country. If it wasn't the Chosen Cities in the background, exposed and burning, it was the numerous Fringe Towns they passed through.

The Fringes weren't a nice place at the best of times. But now, it was clear that many towns had been the unlucky settings of attacks from the Authority. The smell of smoke and blood became a constant reminder as skeletal buildings passed by. Three times, they'd narrowly avoided crashing right into the middle of a conflict. Whether it was simply an uprising of sorts or a battle against the invaders, Cassius didn't know.

All he knew for sure was that they kept going forward.

He didn't have much of a plan, but he knew that they were heading west. And west, more likely than not, was where he'd find Fisher.

Their sleek craft moved at a remarkable speed—fifty times faster than any land transport he'd ever known, including the Unified Party's Chute system. Even better than that, his effortless control of the Ridium didn't leave him feeling any more fatigued than when they'd left the site of his submergence. Once he got it going in the right direction, the craft moved on its own, pushed along by some impossible inertia, as if nothing—even the particle-filled air—would get in its way.

They stopped once at an old storehouse to ravage through some food, but barely spoke. The entire situation was too hard to comprehend. Words didn't quite do it justice.

Soon, night came. Even though he could have kept their transport going, they decided to stop outside a Fringe Town, a place called Saint Francis—though several of the letters were missing from the city's sign. It was too small to be inhabited, but that didn't mean that there wouldn't be a Fringer or two around.

They found an old farmhouse on the outskirts of town, with a bed and a couch downstairs. Both had seen better shape. They decided to take turns keeping watch. Cassius elected to go first, partly because he wasn't particularly tired and partly because he wanted some time alone.

He sat on the wraparound front porch of the old farmhouse, his back against the outside wall. He'd allowed the Ridium to slip from his head, forming what looked like a combat bodysuit around the rest of him. From far away, people would probably mistake it for something as simple as a black shirt and trousers. In the darkness, there wasn't even much of a reflection off the material.

A Shifter.

He concentrated on the Ridium clinging to his chest. With but a thought, he could pull a strand of it into the air, thicker and longer until a trunk of blackness oozed from his chest. He flattened it into a shieldlike circle in front of him, then all at once snapped it back against his body to look like a suit once more.

He thought back to Theo—Matigo's son—and remembered how the boy had seemingly been driven crazy by the substance. For a panicked second, he wondered if the same could happen to him. But the kid had always been wrong in the head, and Cassius didn't feel like he was losing a grip on anything. In fact, it was the opposite. Everything seemed clearer, like the world had gone from flat to round right before his eyes.

“Cassius.”

He heard Madame's voice behind him, soft in the silence of the night air.

He didn't turn to look at her. “You're supposed to be sleeping.”

“Wishful thinking.” She moved beside him. “What's on your mind?”

He chuckled. Like she cared about anything that was troubling him. She'd never cared, only pretended to so that she could use him.

“This is a marvelous substance,” she continued, her hand reaching out to touch his arm before stopping inches away. “I remember when you first came to me, with that box made of Ridium. I labored over it for some time, trying to discern where it had come from. Imagine my surprise when I realized that it was not from Earth.”

He shook his head. “You could have done so much more.”

She paused for a moment in silence before continuing. “I've failed you, Cassius. I know you think me too prideful to make such an admission, but it's true. I'm understanding that more and more. Each time I see you in action, I see my own shortcomings.”

“Is this supposed to make me feel better?”

“No,” she said. “We're past that now, aren't we? No one feels good about anything anymore. We simply carry on.”

Cassius continued to look out into the night. Part of him wanted to flip the Ridium up over his eyes, just to get away from her, but he didn't.

“I'm not an apologetic person,” Madame continued. “You know that, I'm sure. I wouldn't have been able to get where I am today defending myself at every turn. But it doesn't matter anymore. What use is power if there's no one to wield it over? The Unified Party is in ruin. It may never be rebuilt. We've seen tragedy before, but nothing on this scale.”

Cassius's brows rose. “If you've come here looking for someone to make you feel better, you can save your breath.”

“No,” she replied. “I'm not that naïve. I've come to apologize, Cassius, for all I've done to you. For your entire life. For the façade I put up when you were younger, for the secrets I kept, and for using and abusing you these past few months. I was drunk on my own ambition. I couldn't see clearly.” She paused. “I hope you appreciate how difficult this is for me to say.”

He shook his head, chuckling. “It's always about you.”

Madame sighed. “There was a time, before Pearls started falling. Before the Scarlet Bombings. I was young. The government was already fragmented. The country was like a jigsaw puzzle, so close to falling into fragments. Many of us didn't want to see that happen. People like myself. People like Jeremiah Alkine.

“I was idealistic.” She scoffed. “Such a long time ago. I thought I could serve my people. Little did I know that serving anyone was not in my nature. Battle lines were already drawn deep when I arrived at the White House. Had our country been spared the initial attack from Haven—had we been forced to work together without the luxury of Pearls—that i
dealism I felt might have been enough to sew up the fractures. But idealism is the first thing to go when confronted with the horrors of war.” She paused. “Stark realism, and a need to survive. That's what I am now. That need quickly turned to desperation. Desperation turned to cold, calculated apathy. That's what I was when you came into my life, Cassius. I'd changed, and it wasn't something even you could undo.”

He shook his head. “That's a nice story, but I don't buy it.”

Her head bowed. She sighed. “Fine. I'm trying, Cassius. I don't want this to end without some sort of understanding between the two of us.”

He closed his eyes, concentrating on the pulse of the Ridium against his body. It trembled along his skin, spiking upward and out, looping and arching in varying directions like he was some kind of moving art installation. When he opened his eyes again, the substance had settled. “I think it's too late for that.”

Madame nodded. “I see. Well, I can tell you this much. That old adage they say is correct. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Take it from someone who experienced it firsthand. Be careful what you do, Cassius. The road to forgiveness is long, and doesn't always end in the manner you'd hope it would.”

With that, she moved back into the house, leaving him alone with his thoughts. A gust of wind brushed past him. He hardly noticed. Within seconds, he forgot about her and returned to his post. Waiting.

32

I stand in the doorway to my dorm room, hair still wet from the shower, wearing a fresh set of Academy clothing.

As I stare into the room, I notice how small and dirty it is. Nothing's been tampered with since I last left it. The bed is unmade, blankets sculpted in hollow peaks. The blinds to the window are drawn, though lines of sunlight poke through, especially in the bent places.

That's where I head first, to open them and let some light in.

Savon enters the room after me. I watch his good eye appraise the place. I can't tell from his expression what he's thinking. Not that it really matters.

“This is it,” I say, somewhat embarrassed. “This is where I grew up. Well, for the last few years at least. I used to have a room down on the … ” I trail off. He doesn't care about these kind of details. Why would he?

My father takes a seat at the edge of my bed, finding the one spot where the blankets actually lie flat.

“Jesse,” he starts, “your brother is getting closer.”

I drop the wand connected to the blinds. “Cassius? How do you know?”

“I sense it,” he says. “Ever since we left the ground, I've had this feeling, like a homing signal in my gut. I don't know what happened, but he's coming to us. This is good news.”

“I hope you're right.” I push a pile of clothes into the corner with my foot. “Listen, I've been wanting to talk to you about something. I've been having these dreams. They started a few days ago, but back on the Surface, after I passed out, I saw the visions again.”

“Visions?”

“Fire,” I say. “I'm in the middle of it. Before, Cassius had always controlled it. But this last time, he wasn't even there until the end. And then … then he came running at me.
Right
at me. And he sorta disappeared. The fire turned green, like a Pearl, and that was it.”

Savon nods, though he doesn't look at me. “I wouldn't put too much stock in dreams, Jesse. You've been under a lot of stress lately. We all have. Your subconscious is likely to play tricks on you.”

“See, normally that's what I'd say.” I cross my arms. “But the past few months, these kind of dreams always lead to something. They're not normal.”

“Sit.” He motions to his side, waiting for me to join him. “Before long, we'll be joined in battle. There won't be time to talk … only to fight. I want you to know, Jesse … you and Cassius both.” He pauses.

“I haven't been around to watch you grow up. Trust me when I say there's nothing I would have rather done than follow you to Earth immediately. But it wasn't to be
. Still, I have a great deal of respect for you and what you've been through. I know it wasn't easy, what your mother and I asked of you, but our hands were forced. We needed to get you to safety, and we needed a way to ensure our allies would be able to fight against the Authority.”

I nod. “I understand.”

“All the sacrifices we made,” he continues. “All the doubt you harbored, will be for nothing if we let Matigo win. You and Cassius, you mean the world to me. So promise me this.”

“Anything,” I say.

“When the battle is upon us”—he turns to me—“look out for each other. It is vital that neither one of you falls. Absolutely vital.”

“Yeah,” I reply. “I get it. Neither one of us wants to fail.”

“No,” he says. “You must stay close. The Key and the—”

“Catalyst,” I finish.

“Yes,” he says. “Stay close to me.”

I rub the back of my shoulder, trying to work out a twisted muscle. “Of course.”

He nods. “Together, you're stronger than anything. Alone, you're a scared child. And scared children don't win wars.”

I grit my teeth. “So that's why we're waiting for Cassius.”

“Yes,” he replies. “That's why.”

“And if he doesn't come?”

Savon stands. “He will.”

I nod, taking a deep breath as my gaze falls to the floor. “What's the first thing we're going to do, after the war?”

“I don't understand.”

“It's a stupid question,” I continue. “I know. I just … I can't help thinking about what happens after the Authority is gone. We have … we have a whole life together. How's it going to be?”

Savon rests his chin in his hands. “I … I suppose we'll remain on Earth. Find your mother, if that's what fate has in store.”

“There's so much I can show you,” I say. “There's … this whole world is new to you, right?”

He nods.

“Cassius and I … we can both show you what it's like to be on Earth.”

“I'd like that.”

I bite my lip, shoulders slumping. “Me too. That would be … that would be pretty flaunt, huh?” I glance around the room as I try to think of what to say to him next. “There's nothing special in here, I guess. You want to see where I used to train?”

“Of course,” he says. “Show me your ship. It's best to know your surroundings in case of an emergency, right?”

“Yeah.” I stand and head for the door. “Yeah, of course.”

As we walk into the hallway, the image of our family won't leave my mind. What will we all look like together? How can we possibly live a normal life after all that's happened?

Then I remember. Cassius doesn't even know that Savon's alive. We've been out of contact for so long. I can't imagine what his reaction will be when he finds us, but I can't wait to see it. Having him here will make everything seem real.

Just as I close the door, I hear a beep from the com-pad Alkine gave me before leaving. He's ready for us.

I look up to my father. “Guess we'll have to take a rain check on that grand tour. We've got a meeting with Alkine.”

“So be it.”

“This way.” I motion. “The elevators are the fastest. You don't want to be late when Captain Alkine calls. Trust me.”

Savon follows me. “I'm not worried about your captain, Jesse. I've survived years under the Authority's rule. I doubt whether anything could intimidate me.”

I laugh. “Okay, then. Well, he still scares the crap out of me. So let's hustle.”