The Pearl Wars (5 page)

Nobody responds. We can barely meet his eyes.

He picks up on this immediately, crossing his arms and leaning against the desk. His lips shut and settle into a frown. The buzzing of the overhead lights is deafening.

He claps his hands together. I nearly jump out of my seat. “I guess we’ll get right to it, then. Where’s the Pearl?”

Crickets.

“The Pearl,” he repeats, like we didn’t understand the first time. “Come on, kids.”

I raise my head and meet his eyes. “We … um … we kind of don’t have it.”

His expression falls blank. “You
kind of
don’t have it, or you
don’t
have it?”

“We don’t have it,” I mumble. Might as well rip off the bandage all at once.

He drags his hand across his face, rubbing away the last remnants of anticipation. “I need to sit down.” He crawls behind the desk, grunting and sighing with dissatisfaction. “I told Alkine this was a bad idea,” he mutters. “What happened?”

“We were ambushed,” Eva replies. “Just after unloading the last of the rations.”

I wince. Technically,
Skandar and I
were ambushed, and we weren’t anywhere near the rations.

Mr. Wilson’s face drains of color. “Ambushed? Syracuse is deserted. We made sure there weren’t any hostiles before sending you down.”

Eva frowns. “He was one of Madame’s. No older than us, sir.”

Wilson leans forward. “By himself?”

I glance over at Eva. It would be so easy to concoct a dramatic story with government blockades and cruisers and tanks. It’d be less embarrassing, too. Less consequence. Less lectures. But by the time I open my mouth, it’s already too late.

“Yes, sir,” she says. “By himself.”

Mr. Wilson shakes his head. “So let me get this straight. Some fifteen-year-old punk from Madame’s crew shows up in the middle of the Fringes and manages to single-handedly take on three of my trainees
and
steal our Pearl?”

“It was Fisher’s fault!” Skandar points at me.

“Hey!” I glare back. “It’s not like you weren’t tied up on the ground!”

“I had it in my hands,” Eva interrupts, “but Jesse got himself in trouble with some of the locals and I had to help him. The guy snuck up on us. I did everything I cou
ld, sir. It wouldn’t have happened at all if Fisher and Harris h
adn’t been screwing around. I would recommend—”

Wilson holds up his hand to stop her. “All right.” He sighs. “Enough. I got it. You’ve had a very long day. As much as I’d like to, this isn’t the time to run through all of the mistak
es that could have been prevented. Eva, Skandar, head over to the canteen and get something to eat. We’ll talk about this in detail tomorrow.”

I glance around the room. “What about me?”

“
You
stay here.” His eyes pin me to my seat. “Alkine wants to talk to you.”

Skandar flashes me a sympathetic look, but wastes no time slipping out the door. Eva follows right behind.

“I think a round of Bunker Ball is in order tomorrow, so get some sleep!” Wilson calls after them as the door shuts. I sink down into my seat, barely able to make eye contact.

A silence falls over the meeting room. My heart does somersaults. Sweat drips down the sides of my torso. Usually when I’m forced into a meeting with Captain Alkine I layer on a gallon of deodorant beforehand. I may smell like a flowery garden, but at least he doesn’t see what a nervous wreck I am.

“Fisher, Fisher, Fisher.” Mr. Wilson shakes his head. “What are we going to do with you?”

The scary thing is, I don’t know. I don’t know what the hell they’re planning to do with me. Alkine’s a busy guy. He doesn’t have time for unscheduled meetings.

I contemplate bolting for the door and locking myself in my bedroom, but before I know it, Captain Alkine enters the room. His heavy combat boots clomp on the floor as he walks to the desk. He’s gotta be a full foot taller than me at least. Impossibly tall. His skin is weathered from years of living on the Surface. A scar runs down his left cheek—a battle wound from his days as a soldier. His dark hair is all but gray now, turned by years of overseeing a Skyship full of children.

Mr. Wilson stands, whispers something in Alkine’s ear, and leaves. Alkine moves behind the desk and stares off into the corner of the room for a moment. Then his eyes fall squarely on me.

“Jesse Fisher.”

I bristle at the sound of his deep voice. I try to look anywhere but at his face. It’s not that he’s a bad guy. It’s just that, well, he scares me. And not knowing why he’s here? That’s even scarier.

His words sit in the air, detached. I can’t tell if they were supposed to be a statement or a question, so I keep my mouth shut.

He sighs. “For god’s sake, straighten up in your chair. You look like you’re about to drip onto the floor.”

Amazing. He’s managed to put into words exactly how I feel inside.

“So you lost the Pearl.” He clasps his hands in front of him. “Big deal. It’s happened before, it’ll happen again. It’s only training.”

My shoulders relax. Maybe I’ll get away with this after all.

He clears his throat. “Do you want to be an agent, Jesse?”

Crap. I give my best fake nod, wondering if he can see through it.

“Then you’ve got to focus. And work hard.”
He pauses. “What’s on your fac
e?”

I touch my cheek, still tender and warm from the brick wall. “It’s … uh … a burn.”

“Clumsy,” he replies, shaking his head. “I regret that I haven’t been able to play a more active role in your life, Fisher.” He scoots closer to the desk. A shiver runs down my neck at the thought of Captain Alkine wanting any part of my life, or even thinking about me at all with the hoards of trainees running around up here.

He sighs. “Your parents would have wished for you to realize your full potential, you know. I’m concerned that without a steady guide things are becoming … stagnant.”

I look down at the table at the mention of my parents. I can count on one hand the kids at the Academy without family. No need for Alkine to remind me.

“I never thought I’d be taking care of children up here,” he continues, “but let’s face it, children are our greatest
hope.”

I nod, unwilling to make eye contact.

“The Tribunal’s been on my back about getting all of our medical reports in order. There are some additional tests I’ve arranged for you at the beginning of next week, things you’ve missed.”

I groan inwardly. It’s been the same since I was a kid. The Academy loves its checkups. Something about the Tribunal wanting to make sure trainees are in tip-top shape, they say. All I know is that I hate needles, especially when they’re poking into me.

He pauses, waiting for me to say something. I keep my eyes on the table.

“Aside from losing the Pearl, how did it go today? Did it feel different being on the Surface?”

My mind flashes back to the rooftop. Falling off. Living.

“Hotter,” I reply.

He smiles. “Yes, yes of course. That certainly can’t be helped with the Unified Party in charge.” He laughs, though it’
s more like a grunt. “
Unified
. What a joke. Unified in veng
eance, maybe. It’s ironic, you know? In fighting their so-called terrorists they’ve only become more like them. Secretive, scared—a silent dictatorship. They’re like a bug turned over on its back, wiggling its little legs, lashing out at everything el
se in hopes of flipping back around.” He chuckles. “If the Tribunal gave me the go-ahead I’d be down there right now, with a big boot to squash them before they turn themselves over. Sometimes I feel ridiculous up here, running this school. I’m not a teacher. I’m a soldier.”

I want to point out to him that an illegal training base isn’t technically a “school,” but I keep it to myself.

“Did I ever tell you I served in Operation Blackout?”

“Several times, sir.” In fact, during school lectures he never shuts up about it.
The defining moment that turned the tides of the Chinese-American War
, he says.

Alkine nods, crossing his arms. “Best days of my life. I guess some of us are just born for battle.”

I glance at the door. Some of us were born to get out of this room.

“We came so close to a nuclear war,” he continues. “Thirteen years later … we thought it was all over and
bam
!” He pounds his fist on the desk. I jump in my seat. “Guess that’s what you get for turning a blind eye. Never look away, Fisher. Nev
er.”

Taking the cue, I meet his eyes for a moment and keep my attention glued to his face. Well, more like his shoulder. The face is too threatening.

He laughs. “I remember this one night on the Chinese border, decades before we nuked them. There was this kid, couple of years younger than me at the time. Come to think of it, you remind me of him. Not a soldier in the strictest sense, but the potential was there.

“Anyway,” he continues, “the two of us were on a rendezvous assignment … guy from inside the country was meeting us with schematics, stuff we’d need to get in and out of their facility alive. It was a simple mission, just waiting around t
o grab a bundle of papers. But as you discovered today, simple missions are never as easy as they sound. Turns out someone tipped off the border patrol. We were outnumbered. But worst of all, we were unprepared.”

My eyes stray back to the table. “What happened to your friend?”

He frowns. “Died. Round of bullets right through his chest. Wasn’t quick enough.”

I fidget in my seat. And this guy reminds Alkine of me? “Sir, do you … uh … want something?”

He blinks twice. “Am I boring you, Fisher?”

“No, sir,” I mutter.

“Well, you’re getting to that age where decisions must be m
ade. I don’t want you to end up with a round of bullets through
your
chest. Your peers and teachers are all well and good, but I want you to feel free to come to me if anything’s wron
g.”

“What would be wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing,” he says. “I just … well, I know how it can be, growing up with the pressure you kids experience. It’s a rotten card you’ve been dealt some days, being born into the program. I also know that Mr. Wilson isn’t particularly impressed by the limited progress you’re making. Frankly, neither am I. It’s important that you have a strong male influence in your life. I’m trying … that is, I
would like
to be
that person.”

I look up. A lopsided, uncomfortable smile sits on his face. It’s worse than his frown.

This is majorly screwed up. Alkine doesn’t interact with students. He leaves that for the teachers. He said it himself. He’s a soldier. “Does that mean that we’d have to, like, spend time together?”

He sighs. “Jesse, what I’m trying to say is: if you have a problem, you come to me. Should I make that an order?”

“No, sir.”

“Okay.” He slaps the top of the desk. “Then go join your friends. Get something to eat.”

Without waiting for him to change his mind, I jump out of my seat and head for the door. He doesn’t call after me, thank god. Forcing me to listen to old war stories is punishment enough.

I head out into the hallway, traveling double speed. Trying-to-be-nice Captain Alkine is ten times scarier than normal Captain Alkine and the fact that I’m on his radar at all is yet another thing to add to my list of reasons why I’m getting out of here as soon as I turn eighteen.

5

Cassius’s eyes parted to see Madame’s flawless face staring down at him.

She perched over his bed, her lips forming a grim frown that took a few seconds to fade into something less disconcerting.

“Cassius.” She smiled. “You’re awake. Thank goodness.”

He blinked several times to make sure it wasn’t a dream. His skin felt tingly and raw, like he’d been submerged in a bath of ice for the past week.

He sat up in the bed and analyzed the spare white room. A counter ran along the wall beside him. A chair stood vacant in the opposite corner with a freshly pressed uniform han
ging over the armrest.

An infirmary recovery room.

“We were very worried,” Madame continued. “A couple hours longer and you may have required serious medical attention. It’s lucky you’re such a strong boy.”

“What happened?” He hardly recognized his groggy voice. He looked down to see a hospital gown tied tightly around him. “What time is it?”

“You were unresponsive all evening after the accident.”

“Accident?” The ceiling lights above the bed forced him to squint.

Madame smiled. “You mean you don’t remember? Your room’s gone, Cassius. We’re lucky you didn’t take out the entire second floor while you were at it.”

“I don’t … ” He trailed off, trying to remember the events of the afternoon. Sneaking out into the Fringes, finding the Pearl,
heading back to the Lodg
e.

“Fire.” The word spilled from his mouth almost automatically. “There was a fire.”

“Yes.” She nodded. “There certainly was.”

“A blown circuit?”

“No.”

He stared up in confusion, waiting for her to continue.

“It was you, Cassius.”

“I’m sorry,” he stammered, realizing how mad she must be. Yet she didn’t seem mad.

“I don’t think you’re understanding me.” She laid her hand on his leg. “
You
started the fire. It came from inside of you.”

He stifled a laugh. He’d heard urban legends about people spontaneously combusting, but that’s all they were. Legends.

She frowned. “It’s really not a laughing matter.”

He searched her face for any hint of a joke. Then he remembered. Madame never joked.

“The damage is extensive,” she said.

He looked down at his still-tingling hands. His skin was abnormally smooth. Gone were the scrapes and sores from the day before. He was paler than usual, too. “That’s impossible.
I
caused the fire?”

Madame nodded, squeezing his knee.

“I … I don’t understand. I remember feeling sick when I left your office but everything after that’s a blur.”

She eased her grip. “I’m sure your body was struggling to keep control. Perception … things of that nature fall by the wayside during traumas such as these. After all, it was the first time.”

“Wait,” he started, “did you know this was going to happen?”

She sighed and moved to the counter to pour a glass of water. “There are things we don’t talk about, Cassius. I’m sure you’ve noticed. And the truth is, I’m still not confident that I’m ready to address them.” She paused a moment in thought. “But you’ve forced my hand.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

Her eyes narrowed as she handed him the glass. “You went outside the Net, Cassius.”

“Plenty of people live outside the Bio-Nets.”

“You met a boy.”

“What? Who?”

She sat down at the edge of the bed “His name is Jesse Fisher, and he complicates things.”

“Jesse Fisher,” he whispered, searching his memory. “The Shipper on the rooftop … ”

Her eyebrows raised. “Rooftop?”

He took a sip of water and looked to the side, uneager to talk about his failure in front of her. “I had him hanging on—barely. He was about to drop off the ledge when he … I don’t know what he did. We separated and he fell twelve stories to the ground. I thought he was dead.”

She nodded. “But he wasn’t, was he?”

“It’s impossible. He was just a scrawny little coward.”

She laughed. “Impossible? Impossible like burning down a dormitory without so much as a matchbook?”

He met her reassuring eyes, shaking his head in disbelief.

“He’s dangerous, Cassius. He ignited this inside of you. This … sickness. And it’s through him that we’ll cure it.”

Cassius set down the glass. He held his hand in front of him, spreading apart the fingers, trying to imagine flames shooting from the tips. It was crazy. It couldn’t be real.

“In the meantime,” she removed a small envelope from her pocket and set it on the bed in front of him, “we can do our best to control the situation.”

He picked up the package, opening the top and peering inside to find three tiny white pills. “What’s this?”

“Insurance,” she replied. “Very expensive, too. The medication will slow your heart rate and calm your system to a level where you’ll be able to control any further outbursts.”

He winced, struggling to give voice to his next thought. The words came out slow and muttered. “I’m not sure I
believe you.”

Madame pursed her lips. “Cassius. I could be … very angry with you right now. Your lack of judgment in traveling to the Fringes has caused me a great deal of unnecessary stress.”

“Kids don’t burst into flames.”

“And planets aren’t meant to grow unlivable,” she countered. “We live in uncharted territory, and you’re going to have to accept that. Things happen. You’re a very special young man. You have a lot to accomplish yet. I didn’t want this to happen. Not until we were ready.”

“Ready for what?”

“It’s a numbers game. Always has been, ever since the Seps took to the sky. I’ve been lobbying the heads of the party to do away with the birthing limits for years now. We need bodies.” She crossed her arms, drumming her fingers on her cashmere jacket. “They’re right above us, Cassius. Have you ever actually considered what that means? We thought we had it bad with the terrorists, but they were half a world away. Shippers could drop down on us any m
inute. And to be honest, I don’t think we’re ready.”

“For war,” he whispered. “Like you were talking about last night. And this Jesse Fisher … him triggering this … thing in me
has got s
omething to do with it?”

She nodded. “It has everything to do with it. In fact, if we don’t take care of this situation quickly, he may just be the lynchpin that triggers the opening shot. I do no
t wish
that to happen. Not yet. Not while there’s a chance we could lose.”

He rubbed his hands together, trying to work some warmth into them. “Why’s he so special?”

“That is on a strictly need-to-know basis.”

He scoffed, then caught himself as Madame shot him an icy look. “Well,” he muttered, “considering the circumstances, I think I
need
to know.”

“You need to trust me,” she replied. “Fisher has his uses. He’s very important.”

“He’s just a kid.”

“Pearls,” Madame responded. “Without Pearls our empire would crumble. We would be left in the dust like the Fringers. They would tear us up and burn us all, Cassius. The Skyships would lower to the ground and reclaim the country. We need Pearls.”

Cassius winced. “So what’s Fisher got to do with all that?”

“Pearls,” she repeated. “That’s all you need know.”

He looked down at the bed sheet, avoiding her fiery gaze. “How are you going to capture him, then?”

“Not me,” she paused. Her expression softened. “
You
. I need you to help me with this. You’re going to make a detour after our meeting on Skyship Atlas.”

“You know where he is?”

She nodded. “I have operatives stationed all over the Skyship Community. How do you think I know he exists at all?”

“But the Hernandez Treaty—”

“Oh, Cassius. Nothing was ever gained by playing strictly by the rules. Do you think they don’t have people spying on
us
? They’re not that naïve.” She clasped her hands, staring at the empty counter. “Jesse Fisher’s training at an academy. They use schools because they think we’re stupid enough not to check up on them. Maybe the President’s that gullible, but not me.”

“Does the President know that they’re doing this? Using schools?”

She smiled—a cold, disenchanted smile. “There’s a reason the President’s in hiding, Cassius. He’d like everybody to think we’re as unified as our moniker suggests, but things are never that simple. Remember what I talked about last night? Small, unconnected moments. Sometimes it takes a person of fierce awareness to connect the dots. The President is not that man. He’s better suited to pacifying rebellious Fringers than worrying about Skyships and Pearls.”

“Well, if this kid is so important, why are you sending
me
to get him?”

“I trust you, Cassius. I wouldn’t be telling you any of this if I didn’t. I cannot trust anybody else in the Unified Party. As I said before, there are … things that we don’t talk about, that
I
don’t talk about. Things I’ve seen, things I know. Things I must keep a secret, even from you.”

He shook his head. “About Jesse Fisher.”

She nodded, glancing in his direction. “About a lot of things.” She cleared her throat. “Besides, an adult agent would never make it inside Skyship Academy undetected. They’re having a visitation day at the end of the week and
you’re going to board their ship as a prospective student. I’ve already arranged a passport for you. We’ll wire a skin graft over the identification code on your wrist. Luckily your little stunt in the dormitories seared most of the residual
Surface chemicals from your skin. Their scanners shouldn’t be a problem.”

“You really think it’s safe? You think I won’t be caught?”

She shook her head. “It’s as safe as we can make it. I’ve gone to a lot of trouble these past hours, Cassius. You shouldn’t have gone to Syracuse, for your own sake.”

He opened his mouth to apologize, but realized it wouldn’t do any good. As always, he couldn’t discern what she was really feeling. Her face remained stony and impenetrable.

After an uncomfortable gap of silence, Madame broke from her trance. “As Head of Energy, I have access to whatever military force I deem necessary. If anything goes horribly wrong, you will be well-supported. But I would prefer to keep this off the radar. For now.” She sighed. “Before I go, I’ve got something to share with you. If nothing else, it should inspire you to take on this mission.” She reached below the bed to retrieve a small black cube—about half a foot wide and equally as tall. “This is from your mother.”

“But—”

“Your
real
mother.” She ran her fingers across the smooth, shiny exterior. “When you came to me, so did this.”

Cassius analyzed it, trying to figure out what the cube had been carved from. It looked almost like marble, though it couldn’t have weighed much judging by the ease with which Madame had hefted it. The only mark was a small keyhole at the top center. No dings or scratches, though it was obviously very old.

“What’s inside?”

“A cure, I hope. For the fire within you.” She set the cube in front of him. “Other than that, I have no idea.”

Cassius touched the side of the cube. It felt colder than the rest of the room, like touching a tombstone. He glanced up at Madame’s face. His birth mother was certainly one of the subjects they never talked about. There wasn’t much to say. Why care about a pathetic junkie? But then again, he’d never known a junkie to carry around such a strange object. His mind raced with ideas of what could be inside. Inheritance, birth certificates, photographs. The last thought made his heart skip a beat. He’d never seen a photograph of his parents.

“Where’s the key?”

Madame frowned, pointing up to the ceiling. Cassius knew exactly what that meant.

Skyship.

He nodded. “Fisher.”

“Find Jesse Fisher, and in addition to a cure, we’ll get you that key.” She stood up. “Now if there’s nothing else, I’m going to see about getting you some food. We’ll start briefing tomorrow afternoon. I’ll need you strong from the get-go. I laid an extra uniform on the chair over in the corner. I’m sure you’re eager to get out of that hospital gown.”

She grabbed the cube from his lap and took a few steps toward the door before pausing and turning around. “And Cassius, remember this is just between you and me. Please keep it that way.”

He nodded.

“Fantastic.” She exited the room without a goodbye, leaving a mountain of unanswered questions in he
r wake.