Strikeforce (22 page)

43

My controlled, eye-on-the-target veneer cracks as soon as I see Avery.

It's many minutes—maybe even an hour—since our confrontation with Matigo. She emerges at the bottom of the stairs as I trudge my way through the corridor, entire body shaking. She runs at me, arms outstretched. I let her pull me close, tears staining my face.

“Oh my god,” she says. “Are you okay?”

“No,” I respond.

And it's the truth. I couldn't be less okay. Not only is my greatest enemy loose, with more power than I ever dreamed of, but my parents—and all the hope they held—are well and truly gone.

“I'm such an idiot,” I whisper into her shoulder.

“No, Jesse.”

“Yes,” I continue. “I'll believe anything anyone says. Isn't that how it's always been? I believed you when you were really working with Madame. I believed Alkine when he said he wanted to help with Pearls. And now … now … I'm so stupid … ”

Avery pushes me away, holding onto my shoulders, looking straight into my eyes. “Jesse, he fooled everyone. There was no way you could've known.”

I shake my head, my voice catching in my throat. “I'm never gonna see my parents.”

Avery sighs, biting her lip. There's nothing she can say to change things, and she knows it. “No,” she says finally. “But you can defeat the son of a bitch who killed them.”

I close my eyes. I have no choice now. After what we just witnessed, I'm not sure that Cassius and I have a chance against Matigo. But I have to try. I have to do it for my parents. They died for what they believed in. I can't let that be in vain.

“Madame's dead.” The words spill out of my mouth without my realizing it. I can tell instantly that they catch Avery off guard. Her lips part. Brows furrow in confusion. It's like she can't even believe that Madame was capable of dying. Or maybe she just isn't sure how she should feel.

“He killed her,” I continue, “back in the docking bay.”

She swallows, her face once again regaining composure. “How's Cassius?”

“Not great,” I respond. “He'll meet us in the Bridge soon. I think he needs some time. I wish we had more.”

She nods. “Jesse, no matter what happens, you've gotta know that you're not fighting this fight alone. You have friends—so many people who care about you—and we're not going to let Matigo win.”

“
Thanks,” I say, though it's completely hollow. She can reassure me as much as she wants, but somehow I kno
w that this is going to come down to me and Cassius, just like it always has.

––––

Fire.

I'm back in the fire.

I recognize it instantly as a dream, the continuation of the one I'd had before. I don't know where I found the time or space to doze off, but sometime after talking with Avery, sleep must have gotten the better of me.

The flames ripple around me, as if pushed by a vortex of wind. I spin, trying to get a good look at the entire perimeter, searching for a way out.

The fire's solid, so thick that I can't see anything beyond it. For all I know, it might stretch on forever.

“Cassius?” I shout his name, remembering what happened at the end of the last dream. “Are you there?”

No response.

Balling my fists, I take a step forward. The flames quiver but remain as a curved wall, blocking my way. Last time, I'd been able to touch the fire without anything happening. Maybe this time I can walk through it … see what's on the othe
r side.

I continue forward, not the least bit nervous or apprehensive. The flames continue to dance, crackling with a heat I can't feel.

Suddenly, a voice stops me in my tracks.

I turn to see Cassius, standing behind me, head bowed.

I swallow. “What are you—?”

He pushes his hand out in front of him, silencing me. His head rises, eyes lit by more fire.

“Cassius?”

He opens his mouth to speak, but instead of words coming out, a thick torrent of flames snakes from between his teeth, winding up in loops to meet with the rest.

Then he begins to disappear again.

“No.” I stumble forward, annoyed that he's leaving me once more. Why was he in this dream at all if he's just going to disappear every time?

As the fire continues to leave his mouth, his body disintegrates until there's little more than ashes left behind. I watch his face crumble, the last to disappear.

I freeze in the center of the fire ring, breathing heavy. “What are you trying to tell me?”

The flames quiver, as if in response. Before I can do or say anything, the ring begins to spin. It's slow at first, but soon speeds to a rate so alarming that I can feel the gusts being thrown off.

I stay completely still, watching in horror as the fire constricts. The ground disappears beneath it, eaten up. Soon, I'm left with hardly any room to stand. The flames push in at me from all angles. Suffocation.

I open my mouth to scream. It's a mistake.

As soon as the opening's there, the fire funnels into a thick tendril of orange—the same sort that I'd seen come from Cassius.

Before I know it, the flames plunge down my esophagus, taking residence in my gut. My arms instinctively fling out to my sides. My head's pushed back. I feel my eyes widen as I stare up at a bed of stars, finally revealed behind the extensive blaze. They're the only comfort I have as the fire continues to snake its way into my body, more and more. Faster and faster.

When it's finally over, I collapse into the dirt, darkness all around me. The stars pulse above with an added brightness.

I pull in my arms, clutching my stomach. It doesn't feel hot, or particularly uncomfortable. But I feel full. Bursting.

I sit on my knees for minutes, maybe longer. It's hard to get a sense of time with nothing but the stars to guide me.

But the stillness doesn't last. Soon I feel it rising in my gut. A million stars bursting inside of me. I reach down and push on my skin, willing the pain to go away.

Tears lash their way across my insides—fissures so deep that I have no hope of stopping them.

I crane my neck, look up into space, and scream. There's no one around to hear me. Nothing responds.

The fire works its way up my throat, sizzling muscle and organs on its way. I close my eyes and try to go someplace new. Somewhere with no pain.

It isn't to be.

Seconds later, I explode.

Ashes. That's all I am now.

44

Dawn.

The sensations in the dream stick with me, even hours after I've woken. I feel the heat inside my body, as if it never left. I replay the visions in my head. The stars. Cassius. The ring of fire. Each time I think about it, I feel like I'm going to throw up.

Better not to think about it, then.

We stand in the Bridge at the very top of the Academy. The sunrise beams through the 360-degree view behind us.

We're all here: me, Cassius, Eva, Avery … even Alkine, along with dozens of Agents and pilots and technicians and who knows what else. The rest of the Academy waits on the lower levels. I wonder how much they know. I wonder if they're aware that they could be mere hours away from total destruction.

“Colorado,” someone calls from behind me. They've been doing this with each state we pass.

Alkine stands beside me, arms behind his back, leg in a cast. “This good?”

“No,” I respond softly. “Wait until Kansas. Kansas will be better.”

Cassius and my plan is twofold. The fact that we have a plan at all seems to impress everyone around me. It's definitely not my normal way of functioning, but this isn't a normal situation.

One: If Matigo's tracking us, I want to make it hard for him. Every moment we're apart is a moment I'm building up my strength. I'm gonna need it all. Cassius too. I can feel it in my gut. The connection with Pearls around the world grows the more I concentrate on them. What I'll need to attempt here, I've never attempted before.

Two: I want to cast a wide arc—pull from every corner
of the country. I can't do that on the coast. I need a reach, a breadth of land big enough to compile an army. We'll see how that w
orks. Right now, it's theory. The most Pearls I've ever broken at once was back in Portland. They were in one room. On
e
huge
room, yes, but one room all the same. This will be different. This, if necessary, will be nuclear in force. This I might not recover from.

Cassius closes his eyes beside me, then begins to speak as if he's channeling words from another universe. “Everything's in place,” he says. “The Shifters are pulling Ridium from the ground. The first places to be hit will be the coasts, and it'll make its way inward. And quickly.”

“We're broadcasting to anyone who can hear us,” Alkine says. “Telling everyone left behind in a Chosen City to find all functioning ships and get into the sky.”

Eva cringes. “What about the Fringers?”

“Out of luck,” I mutter. “As usual.”

It's not meant to be insensitive, but sadly it's the truth. I picture entire towns covered in the thick black stuff. If what Cassius said is true, it will move too fast for them to run away. If they were to climb on top of buildings, arms and coils of Ridium would likely tear them down. Nobody will have seen anything like it.

Cassius opens his eyes. “Warning the Chosens is a start, but they won't all make it. The Shifters'll stretch the Ridium into the air—grab hold of tailfins and wings and pull ships back down again.”

“Oh man.”

I turn, drawn by the familiar voice behind me.

Skandar stands in the center of the room, arms crossed, shaking his head.

I gawk at him, like I'm staring at a ghost. He's dressed in an Academ
y suit, hair combed back and face clean from the Fringe dirt that covered it the last time I saw him. I notice a slight shine coming from where his left hand used to be. It takes me a moment to realize that the doctors onboard have replaced it with an artificial one. Strips of metal, yet to be cove
red with skin grafts, catch the reflection of the lights overhead.

“Skandar!” Eva bolts toward him, catching him off guard with a tight embrace.

He grins. “Relax. Everything's all right.”

Avery and I approach him, marveling at his new limb.

“Pretty flaunt, huh?” He maneuvers the fingers, clenching them into a fist and then back out again. “It's gonna take some getting used to, I think, but it's a lot stronger than my old one.”

“I'm so glad you're all right,” I say.

He smiles. “Wouldn't be if it hadn't been for you guys. Thanks for taking care of me out there. But I feel like I've been asleep for days. Some of the docs caught me up on what's been happening.” He meets my eyes. “How are you holding up, mate?”

I shrug. It's not worth rehashing my feelings one more time. I have to be the strong one, like Cassius, and keep my focus.

Skandar nods in understanding, then cranes his neck to look at Alkine behind us. “Permission to rejoin the team, Captain?”

“It's good to see you on your feet again, Harris.” Alkine gives a slight nod. “Permission granted, of course.”

“Look Fisher,” Skandar starts, “those bastards took my hand. I've got a score to settle. Just point me in the right direction. We're not going down without a fight.”

“Kansas!” The call comes from behind us, loud and confident. I look over to Alkine. He mutters something under his breath—a prayer, perhaps—and meets my eyes, waiting for orders.

Alkine, waiting for orders from
me
.

I shake my head, looking at Avery. “What about you? Are you ready to fight?”

She frowns. “Coming from you, that's an unexpected question.”

“It's our last stand,” I continue. “Right in the middle of the country, flattest state we've got.”

Alkine nods. “I'll see how many temp-regulator suits I can pull out of storage, get as many men ready to go as I can.”

Eva grabs onto Skandar's arm, dragging him forward. “What can we do?”

I stare at them for a moment, not used to so many people looking to me for instructions. Giving Eva orders is so twisted that it almost makes me laugh. She's been my protector for years, even when I didn't know it. Grade A. Trained beyond her years. I can't help but wonder how differently this all would have turned out if she'd been the one given my powers.

But I can't think like that. There's no benefit in playing the what-if game, and certainly no advantage to getting down on myself. Instead, I have to take strength from people like Eva—follow her lead and hope that I can be half the soldier she is.

“Go with Alkine,” I say. “Get suited up. And … and be safe, okay?”

Skandar squeezes my shoulder. “Be safe, man.”

“We'll be down there looking out for you,” Eva adds.

I offer a faint smile. “As always, right?”

They leave, following Alkine toward the center of the Bridge. The space around me is a sea of motion—Agents running around, specialists slowing the Skyship to a halt over the barren Fringe landscape. For a moment, I'm not sure what to do with myself. Pause, I guess. Let my strength come all the way back.

Cassius moves closer. His eyes shut for a moment before he speaks. “It's happening now. I can feel it. All along the coastline … they're pulling Ridium from the ground.”

“How long—?”

“Tidal waves,” he continues. “That's what it'll be. We better pray that there are enough ships … that people heard the warning and got into the air, high enough off the ground to be out of reach.”

I nod. “When we're down there … I'm going to try to target the energy—hit as many of the Shifters as I can. I don't know if I'll be able to do it from this far away, but I have to try.”

Cassius clasps his hands in front of him. “Matigo falls, so does the Authority.”

“That's what we've gotta keep telling ourselves.”

His eyes meet mine again. “Promise me one thing, Fisher.”

“Yeah?”

“We fight until the end. One of us goes down, the other keeps fighting. Until we've won, or we're both dead.”

I nod. “It's the way our parents would have wanted it.”

“It's what they would have
expected
.” He turns to move away.

“Cassius?”

He stops. “Yeah?”

“Whatever happens, I'm glad I ran into you on that Fringe rooftop.”

His brows rise. “You know, I was trying to kill you, then.”

“I know.” I shrug. “But I think under the circumstances, you're forgiven.”

A hint of a smile crosses his lips. He pats my arm. “You're a good soldier, Fisher.”

“Thanks. I've learned from the best.”

He laughs. I can't tell if it's genuine or self-deprecating. “C'mon, they're gonna want us down in the docking bay. You ready for this?”

My teeth chatter. Shoulders shake. I'll never be ready for this. But I know what good soldiers say. I know what Cassius would say. So I lie.

“Yeah,” I reply. “Bring it on.”