The Pearl Wars (20 page)

His eyes narrow. “You’re still a kid. Place’s been deserted for going on two decades now. I don’t see any lesions on your skin. No chemical stain.”

I tug at the chicken on my plate, tearing off a hunk and shoving it in my mouth. “I don’t know. My school found me when I was just a toddler, walking in the middle of the rubble. I don’t know my parents. I don’t know why I was there, but if I can just see the ruins … maybe it’ll jog a memory. Or maybe I’ll find something.”

Bobby stares at me, mouth agape. “They found you living in Seattle? Like, chemical
wasteland
Seattle?”

I take a long drink of water. “Someone could have brought me there. Maybe they dumped me. I don’t know. I keep having these dreams. They’re connected.”

George grunts. “That’s ridiculous.”

Avery scowls. “Why would we be here if it wasn’t true? You said it yourself … Shippers stay away from the Surface.”

“Nobody survived the bombings,” George says. “I should know. I had family out west. I’ve seen the aftereffects f
irsthand. Even fifty miles outside the city there were people dying from chemical burns. There’s no way a child could survive conditions like that.”

I shrug. “I guess I wasn’t an ordinary child.”

He runs a finger along his bottom lip. “You’re serious, aren’t you? You really believe this.”

I nod. “If you’d seen what we’ve seen … ”

He laughs. “Thought I’d heard it all. You kids are something else.” He drums his fingers on the table.

Avery glances at me, then back to Mr. Barkley. “So … ”

“So,” he begins, “if I were to believe you … let’s say I even drove you over … there’d be no coming back. I need the space in the van for supplies.”

“That’s all right,” she replies. “We’ll find a way back on our own.”

“And if the government showed up—not saying they would—but if they did, I’d have to turn you over. I don’t want no trouble.”

I look over to Avery, smiling. “We’ll take our chances.”

He sighs. “Awfully strange seeing Skyship kids here in Lenbrg. If this is some kind of trick, I guarantee you’ll be paying for it.”

“It’s no trick,” I say.

He frowns. “Eat up. I’ll show you the van when we’re finished talking.”

Avery beams. “Thank you!”

“Didn’t say I was takin’ you yet,” he grumbles. “Now hurry. I should be leaving soon.”

37

After lunch we exit the comfort of the dining hall for the oppressive heat of Lenbrg’s northern sector. We pass the town farm before coming upon what’s left of a torn-down apartment complex.

Avery scoots closer to Bobby as we cross a lonely cul-de-sac. “So, we’ve met your dad. Where’s your mother?”

“Bovine flu hit real bad a couple of years ago,” he responds.

“Oh,” she whispers. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey,” he shrugs, “no biggie.”

We turn a corner and George’s house comes into view—a ramshackle country barn, augmented with its own personal wind farm in the neighboring field.

George pauses in front of the building, resting his hands on his hips. “Don’t like livin’ inside Uni. Rather be my own man, know what I mean?”

Nobody answers, but he doesn’t seem to expect a response. He leads us up the front lawn in silence. Moments later the door swings open and a scrawny, mean-looking boy steps onto the porch.

George smiles. “Hey Danny. Didn’t see you at lunch.”

“I grabbed some stuff and left,” the boy responds quietly, never taking his eyes off of us. “Who are they?”

George heads up the steps and rustles the boy’s hair. “Change of plans, son. We’ve got passengers comin’ with us this afternoon.”

The boy glares at me like he’s possessed by a demon. I half expect his head to start spinning in circles.

“Relax Danny boy,” Bobby leans against a wide post supporting the canopy. “They’re just Shippers.”

The kid’s eyes widen at the word. He steps away until he’s back inside the house.

“Just a little skittish.” George motions toward the front door. “Can’t say I blame him.”

We follow him into the house. Ceiling fans push the warm air around in funnels. It’s not as bad as outside, but nowhere near as cool as the cafeteria.

Danny’s already disappeared. He couldn’t have had a hard time finding a hiding place. There’s stuff everywhere. And not normal house stuff like furniture. Stacks of packing boxes and endless piles of metal parts form a veritable maze inside the living room. Four spare tires lie in one corner while a mountain of cans rests in another. It’s an indoor junkyard museum covered in a layer of dust so thick you could knit a blanket from it. I sneeze a
s soon as we enter.

George takes us through two murky rooms of this before heading out a back door and down into a sea of junk. Turns out the inside of the house was just the appetizer.

“Got most of this from Seattle,” he declares proudly. “City Center’s pretty much gone, same with the coast where the water rose. But farther out the impact wasn’t as destructive. Chemicals killed the people. Didn’t kill their stuff.”

“That crossbow was lame, by the way.” Bobby runs his hand along a pile of hollow window frames. “Ooh,” he pulls a roughed-up, stringless guitar from the next pile. “Can I have this?”

“Don’t touch,” George says without looking back. Bobby reluctantly lets go of the instrument.

Just beyond the piles of junk sits a large moving van. It was white once, but all the dirt and dust now make it an ugly tan color. It’s gotta be one of the oldest looking vehicles I’ve ever seen. Worse still, there’s only room for two in the cabin. Assuming George’s son is coming along, Avery and I get to be the cargo.

As we continue winding through the heaps of trash, I marvel at the different scents around me. None of them are pleasant. “This is quite a collection.” I stumble past a metal pipe sticking into the middle of the pathway.

“Not everything’s useful, of course,” George replies, oblivious to the sarcasm, “but Danny and me like to tinker around with it anyways. You never know what’ll come in handy.”

“Best place for hide-and-seek,” Bobby grins. “You get used to the smells after a while.”

I wipe the sweat from my face, wondering how any outdoor game could be fun in this kind of heat. The van won’t be temperature controlled either. This is gonna be a ride I won’t be forgetting for a long time.

When we finally clear the never-ending field of trash, George moves to the back of the van and unlocks the door, pushing it up to the ceiling. Avery and I peer inside the trailer.

There are boxes everywhere, stacked neatly along the back wall but becoming more of a mess the closer they get to us. At least the place isn’t crammed with junk. Boxes I can handle.

“It’s no luxury liner,” George starts, “but this is what you kids wanted.”

“Whoo, boy.” Bobby shakes his head. “Have fun, guys.”

“When are we leaving?” I ask, eager to get the whole thing over with.

George scratches the side of his head. “Soon as we can.” He cups his hands around his mouth. “Danny!”

The kid appears noiselessly from behind the nearest junk mountain, running to his dad.

“You got your gloves, boy?”

Danny nods and heads to the front of the van.

Bobby crosses his arms. “Good luck. I can’t say I envy you, being stuck in that trailer all afternoon. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

Avery grabs his shoulder. “Thanks for all your help.”

“Yeah.” I smile.

“No prob. Be safe.”

George rests his hands on his hips, eyes slit. “Don’t go stealing anything while I’m away, Henderson.”

Bobby sticks his hands in the air. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” He leans close to us, whispering. “Not like he’d notice.”

Then, out of nowhere, a loud rumble tears through the air above us. Thunder.

My eyes dart up to the sky. There aren’t any clouds. It can’t be thunder. Lenbrg’s the quietest place I’ve ever been.

Then I see it—a familiar green dot shooting down at us through the blue. Not again.

And just like last time, it’s headed straight for me.

My heart does somersaults in my chest, but the pain’s gone. I’m in control.

There’s only one problem. Pearls don’t make noise, not like the rumbling I just heard.

A shadow falls over the empty field beyond us as a government cruiser lowers to the ground a couple hundred feet away. Dust and dirt kicks up as the machine’s thrusters batter the earth. I cover my face as it settles down, peering through my fingers at the steadily approaching Pearl.

“Are you gonna catch it?” Avery steps away.

I nod. “I can use it.”

The cruiser’s engines shut off and the rumbling silences. The sunlight glints off the ship’s shiny black exterior. The windows blend seamlessly with the body—an ominous, impenetrable machine. It sits like a shark’s fin poking out from the ground, ready to attack. Whether it’s after me or the Pearl is the only question. Maybe it’s after both.

George jumps behind the wheel of the van. Bobby staggers back into the junkyard, taking refuge among the piles of rubble. The Pearl continues its path toward my hands.

A ramp lowers from the bottom of the cruiser and seven soldiers run into the field. With their dark bullet-proof uniforms, they look more like robots than people.

I gaze up at the Pearl, coaxing it forward. The soldiers sprint through the dying grass. Avery grabs my arm. “There’s no time! Get in the van!”

“No.” I stare up at the Pearl. “I can do this.”

She backs away as the energy draws nearer. My fingers buzz. The soldiers’ heavy boots clomp through the dirt. Thirty more seconds and they’re on us.

Then the Pearl lands in my arms and all hell breaks loose.

38

A line of bullets rains down from the sky behind us, puncturing the dry grass in front of the oncoming soldiers. Even though the guys are protected by bulletproof everything, they stop in their tracks and gaze up over our heads.

I spin around and cock my head to the sky. The underbelly of a second ship rushes over the barn, kicking up a fierce wind that nearly sweeps me to the ground. It’s tinier than the government cruiser, but majorly ticked off.

Spinning to the side, it plunges to the ground—landing mere feet from the cruiser.

“It’s an Academy transport!” Avery flattens against the side of the moving van. “Jesse, we can’t stay here.”

“Government
and
Skyshippers?” Bobby marvels from the edge of the junkyard, peering out from the center of a busted window frame. Then he turns to me and notices the Pearl in my hands. “Man, how did you do that?”

I watch as the side doorway’s pulled open from the Academy ship’s silver exterior. Unlike the dumpy shuttle Avery and I piloted into a building yesterday, this one’s a sleek, needle-shaped agent’s transport—more than a match for the cruiser.

The soldiers stop in their tracks, dumbfounded as they stare at me. With all the distractions, I hoped they wouldn’t notice my Pearl-catching trick, but it’s too late.

The energy from the Pearl intensifies in my hands, getting warmer by the second. Coupled with the triple-digit weather out here, it’s all I can do not to drop it to the ground.

Captain Alkine bounds out from inside the agent’s ship, landing hard on the grass. He wears a dark bulletproof jumpsuit underneath his long gray jacket—crazy-hot gear for the Fringes. I do a double take as I watch him step forward.

He notices me immediately, probably because I’m staring at him, mouth agape, holding a freaking Pearl. It’s not hard to miss. Our eyes meet for a second and I instantly pull away, pretending I didn’t see him.

“In the van, Jesse,” Avery coaxes beside me.

The soldiers split into two groups, one headed for Alkine and the other breaking off toward us. Alkine leaps into the fray, taking on three of the nearest soldiers with nothing but his fists. A roundhouse kick catches them off guard, followed by a series of lightning-fast blows that send all three slumping to the ground. Despite myself, I stand in awe, watching.

Half a dozen agents jump out into the field behind him. Right in the center are two slightly smaller one
s. I squint in the harsh sunlight to see them. Skandar and Eva, each wearing dark bodysuits just like Alkine.

They run through the chaos, separating from the others and heading for the van. Ahead of them rush four government soldiers, closing in on us.

Avery jumps into the back of the trailer, stretching her hand out to grab mine. Instead of grabbing hold, I turn and toss the Pearl to her. I could’ve exploded it and been done with everything, but I can’t risk hurting my friends. Even Eva.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” Avery rolls it from hand to hand, cautious of the growing heat.

A second Academy shuttle bursts into the sky above us, firing down at the oncoming soldiers. Half of them stagger backward and fall to the ground, hit by raptor bullets too powerful for their government battle suits. The two remaining soldiers duck out of the way and renew their frantic pace. Eva and Skandar take a longer route, circling around the battlefield to avoid the flurry of bullets.

“Bobby!” I turn to face the kid, still huddled in the safety of the junkyard. “Toss me something, now!”

He nods, prying a long metal beam from the pile behind him and throwing it to me. I catch it at the middle and wobble to the side, knocked off balance. It’s hotter than the Pearl, and much heavier.

I reach down with my other hand, stabilizing the beam and wielding it like a baseball bat. The soldiers don’t seem to notice or care. It’s just like August Bergmann back at Lookout Park. Let them underestimate me.

They converge on the back of the van, going for the Pearl rather than me. Muscles straining, I pivot sideways and swing the beam at them, letting gravity pull it forward until it connects with the backs of their knees. I hear the loud crack of bones. They tumble over backward, long enough for Avery to jump down and yank the gun away from the nearest guy. The other one loses grip of his rifle. It flies out into the dust. Avery cocks her weapon and points it straight at the two of them, Pearl tucked under her arm. “Back up. Now.”

Eva and Skandar sprint up beside me. Eva holds her arms out like she’s gonna give me a hug, but I dart out of the way before she gets close enough.

“Jesse,” she pants, “we’ve gotta get out of here.”

“Duh,” I reply. “That’s what I’m doing. You? I’m not so sure.”

She frowns, face shiny with sweat. “What are you talking about?”

I cross my arms. “No traitors onboard.”

An explosion sends a puff of dust rising into the air several yards away. Skandar grabs my arm and pulls me up to the trailer. “Get over it, mate. We’re here to help.”

Avery shoots me a questioning look, keeping the rifle pointed at the injured soldiers. There’s no time to argue. We dive inside. I spin around to take one last look at Alkine. There’s a whole squadron of Skyship agents around him now. Shadows fall over the field as more government cruisers converge in the air. Reinforcements.

Eva begins pulling down the back door. Before she can shut it completely I grab the rifle from Avery, lean outside, and toss it to Bobby. He catches it awkwardly, a scared, wild look in his eyes. I mouth the words “I’m sorry.” They wouldn’t be enough even if he could hear them above the rising din of battle.

Without waiting for a response, I yank down the rest of the door and secure it. Avery rushes to the front of the trailer and bangs on the wall. The engine rumbles to life and the van backs up and turns dramatically.

All four of us crash into the side wall, flung around like unsecured cargo. I land backward on my arm, twisting it. The Pearl rolls around, hitting wall after wall, leaving small dents in the metal. The inside of the trailer glows a soft green, humming with Pearl energy.

George guns it. Without a chance to grab onto anything, we’re thrown against the back door, settling in a misshapen heap. Gunshots and explosions echo all around us—some near, some far. Several shots rebound off the corner of the van as we speed away. We jostle up and down through bumpy, uneven grass. I dig my fingers into the metal floor, but there’s nothing to grab onto.

After a minute of stomach-churning mayhem, we roll onto steadier ground. Pavement, hopefully. The explosions fade behind us, replaced by the continuous grumbling of the old van.

Eva scoots forward and hugs me. I can’t get away this time. “Fisher, you’re alive.”

I struggle free and push her away.

She lands in the corner, rubbing the back of her head. “Jesse?”

I grab the Pearl from beside me, clutching it in my arms. “Why is Alkine here?”

She purses her lips. “He just—”

“And don’t lie,” I interrupt her. “I know everything. How did he find me?”

She moves forward slowly, crawling along the width of the trailer. I let her approach, cautious.

“Don’t move,” she whispers, then reaches up to the top button on my shirt and yanks it off, holding it in front of her face. “Microchip tracer. It went offline for a couple of hours last night, but it’s working now.”

I stare at the insignificant button. Tracked, all this time. “Disable it.”

She nods, twisting the button until it comes apart in two pieces. Inside is a thin round chip. She removes it and snaps it in half. “I was only doing what they asked.”

“Yeah.” I glance over at Avery. “Seems like a lot of that
going around.”

Eva sighs. “I’m sorry, Jesse. Skandar and I begged Alkine to let us come down with the battalion. I want to help
. I told him that we’d have the best chance of convincing you to head back to the Academy—”

“Wait,” I interrupt. “If you—”

“—but I’m not here to convince you of anything,” she continues. “We’re here to have your back. I promise.”

Skandar stares at the Pearl in my arms, laying his finger on top of the swirling energy. “Man, where’d
you
manage to get one of these?”

“I caught it,” I reply, keeping my attention on Eva. “So what’s Alkine’s plan now?”

“He was hoping to pick you up,” she responds. “I guess the Unified Party had the same idea.” She pauses. “Wait a second, did you just say you
caught
it?”

I nod.

Her eyes widen. “Alkine was right. There is something different about you. Back at Lookout Park … that was you, wasn’t it?”

Before I can answer, Avery swears, cradling her forehead.

Skandar glances at me. “What’s wrong with her?”

I lay my hand on her shoulder. “Headache again?”

Avery nods, speaking through clenched teeth. “They’re getting worse.”

Eva frowns. “Why is
she
down here, anyway?”

I rub Avery’s back. “She knows what’s going on,” I mutter, “from Madame’s side.”

“From
Madame’s
side?” Realization dawns on Eva’s face. “Wait, she’s a spy, isn’t she? I always thought there was something going on there. Flunked out of the program, yet you know how to hack into our com-pads.”

“She’s not a spy,” I lie. “She’s my friend, Eva. Drop it.”

Avery runs her hand through her hair, managing the pain. “I work for Jesse,” she whispers. “No one else.”

Eva nods. “Then I guess we have something in common.”

Skandar elbows my side, grinning like this is all some fun little game and I’ve just won them both as prizes.

Eva sighs. “How did you find out about Alkine, Fisher?”

“Air vent,” I say. “Your little closed-door meeting wasn’t as secret as you thought.”

“Then you saw how much it was killing me to do it, to follow you around like I was your mother. I swear I didn’t know anything. Alkine asked me to protect you. I thought it was some sort of mentor thing.”

“Yeah,” I reply. “Well, I don’t need your protection.”

She nods. “We’re going to Seattle, I assume.”

Avery takes a deep breath. “What’s left of it.”

“Alkine will follow us,” Eva starts, “with or without the tracer. Watching your path so far, he realizes what’s happened. He knows that you know. He’ll try to stop you from doing something stupid.”

Avery scoots closer to me. “With those cruisers dropping out of the sky one after another, he might not have a chance.”

“He’ll get there,” I say. “It’s just a matter of who gets there first. We’ll need to—”

A voice interrupts me, words I’ve never heard before, swirling around my head. Whispers. I close my eyes and try to focus on the sound. There’s no one else in the trailer. A string of nonsense echoes around me.

“We’ll need to what?” Eva asks. “Jesse, are you all right?”

I set the Pearl on the ground between my knees. The whispers stop. Everything’s quiet. I open my eyes. Everyone’s staring at me.

I glance around the trailer, then place my hand on top of the Pearl once more. Whispers again. Nothing but cryptic babble. I lift my fingers from the surface. Silence. Somehow, the voice came from inside the Pearl. These things just get weirder and weirder.

“I’m fine,” I mutter.

“Oh!” Skandar digs through his pocket, “I almost forgot.” He pulls a chain necklace from inside and drops it into my hand. Attached is a silver key. I run my finger over the curved metal head. It’s the same as the one from my dreams.

Eva clears her throat. “I swiped it from Alkine after the meeting. It’s important, I think. He always talks about it when he’s mentioning Seattle.”

I hold the chain between my fingers, allowing the key to hang above the Pearl, glinting with the reflection of the wavy green light. “Thanks.”

She shrugs. “I told you I was on your side.”

I pull the key up into my fist, clutching it tightly as our van speeds out of the city and toward the mountains. “We were so close to finding answers without the Academy.”

Eva sighs. “The Academy’s not your enemy, Jesse.”

“Yeah,” Skandar says. “Alkine’s worried sick.”

I scoff. “Alkine doesn’t get worried.”

Eva nods, her eyes pleading with me to understand. “I
know. And
that’s
the scary thing.”

I bow my head, getting lost in the Pearl energy, and try to convince myself that everything’s fine. But I can’t ignore the cruisers back in Lenbrg, or Cassius’s grim determination to find me. This isn’t just some fancy scavenger hunt amidst the ruins. There are weapons involved. Armies.

I
should
be worried. I should be mass worried.