I knew I’d been thinking about Beth when I’d brought the computer to life, but I hadn’t wanted to call her! I didn’t have a clue that this console doubled as the galaxy’s largest phone. Now I was face to screen with my sister—I mean Beth. At least she couldn’t shoot me through the screen. Just seeing her sent a trickle of pain through my shoulder.
“Your sister collaborates with the Aggressive Intellectuals?!” Dylan looked at me then at the giant-screen version of Beth then back at me. “Evil just runs in your veins, doesn’t it? Are you with us just so you can spy for her and Frost? Where does your allegiance lie, boy?”
“As if we care about you specks of dust,” Beth said as she rolled her eyes. Her voice boomed through the room, but I didn’t see any speakers. “I wouldn’t even know who you Oppressed were if you hadn’t announced your presence back in Red City. Dumb move for such a tiny organization, by the way. I guess I should be thanking you.” She met my gaze and smirked. “Now I know who Alpha’s hanging with these days.”
Kaela and Dylan looked at me like I was a ticking bomb. I was now. If Beth was still after me, she’d plow through anything to get me. That included the Oppressed. Did I want that to happen?
“Even if you know who I’m with, you don’t know where I am,” I said. “By the time you mobilize AI to this base, we’ll be long gone.”
She frowned. “Observant as ever, aren’t you, Alpha? Always saying smart stuff for the sake of it. If only you’d been smart enough to save your family!”
I flinched like she’d hit me. “You are literally standing beside the monsters who killed them!”
“Actually, I’m not. I already took care of the Kilo who did it.” She clenched her jaw. “You’re the only one I need to take care of now. Can’t wait to get payback for that stunt that”—she looked at Kaela as if she’d just realized she was there—“you pulled. You’re one who shot me that day; you ruined everything!”
Kaela’s eyes widened with realization. “Oh yeah, I did do that. Wander, you didn’t tell me I shot your sister. I feel bad now, even if she’s the AI’s lapdog.”
“Taunt while you can. I can’t kill Alpha, but General Peta doesn’t care about you two.”
General Peta? I’d never heard that name before. He must have been an AI, but I couldn’t imagine an AI stronger than a Kilo. I’d heard about Megas but never seen them. Just thinking about this was spiking my anxiety.
Dylan slammed his fist on the panel. “If you want my team, you’ll have to kill me first. Sure, I hate them as much as you do, but I’m their leader: they’re my responsibility. How about you tell us where your little planet of cowards is so we can settle this in person?”
“I hate to turn down a fight, but I think we’re done here.” Beth reached up and tapped the shoulders of her Kilo companions. Both of them let out low screeches as their arms moved offscreen. They must have been using keyboards from their end. “If I were you, I’d really dread our next meeting. See you around, Alpha.”
“Beth, wait.” I reached out just as the screen turned black. It then fizzled and blinked back to life, but now it only showed a galactic map adorned with multi-colored blips. No sign of Beth. “No…”
“Wait a second.” Dylan squinted at the screen and grabbed one of the six computer mice. A small red cursor inched over to one of the blips. He clicked it, filling the screen with words and pictures. “Yes. These are locations that these monsters deem important. If I sift through enough of them, I may find the location of—”
“Beth!” I slammed my palms onto the console. I couldn’t let her get away again. Hadn’t I lost her one too many times already? If she walked away, I’d just drag her back. “Get back here!”
“What are you—ah!” Kaela covered her eyes as my hands crackled with blinding electricity.
I was looking right at them, but they didn’t hurt. The light was warm; it was inviting. It wouldn’t leave me. I knew that Beth was dangerous, but talking to her again had stirred up all my complicated emotions. I had to do something. I focused on the idea of reconnecting with Beth’s console. It was like a chain connecting us. Perhaps she hated me, but I still loved her.
“You idiot, I can’t see anything.” Dylan was presumably covering his eyes as well. I was too focused to look up.
The light peaked, washing out everything else. It was the moment of blindness you got after glancing at the Sun. Lightning spread around the screen, but it also bounced off. It shot behind me.
Then it all faded away. The electricity was gone. My body ached like I’d just left the gym. Had it worked? I looked at the screen, but all it showed was the map. Nothing had changed. My stupid powers had failed again.
“That should have worked.” I shook my head as frustration flooded me. “That should have brought her back.”
“Get a hold of yourself!” Dylan grabbed me by the shoulders. “Maybe your abilities don’t work because they know they’re attached to a child. This is no time to lose control.”
“I—I didn’t. I just wanted her to come back. All this time, I’ve had to deal with the fact that my sister turned to the freaking dark side. I was so confused, but she was still my sister. I can’t let her keep getting away.”
“She’s going to endanger us all, and you actually want to be near her? You’re more mental than I thought. Listen, you need to—”
“AHH!”
Kaela? I whipped around, and froze. A piercing blue hovered over her shoulder. Attached to it was a rusted and metallic body. It was blue. A blade protruded from her arm, with blood dripping off its tip. Kaela’s face was pale; her mouth gaped open in a silent scream. The Kilo yanked its blade out and raised it over her head.
“No!”
I reached out for her. Electricity crackled between my fingers. My hand flashed before a bolt of lightning erupted from my palm. It struck the Kilo in its damaged face, blowing off its faceplate. Kaela wrestled out of its slack grip and held up her staff. She transformed it into a rifle with one hand, pressed the barrel against what remained of the Kilo’s face, and fired. The beam ripped through the metal, and shot through the ceiling. Pale gas funneled in through the ceiling’s wound. The Kilo released a garbled screech and fell back. Its eyes dimmed for the final time.
My legs went slack, tripping me. I fell like the Kilo. I took shallow breaths, filling my helmet with warmth. That bolt was the most draining thing I’d ever done. I grabbed the side of the console and pulled myself up, but my legs were jelly.
Blue lights decorated every dark spot in the room. The Kilos were all reactivating. A couple of bronze lights popped up as well. The illuminated parts of their faces were tan. They weren’t Kilos. They must have been Megas.
“Guys, this would be a great time to leave.” Kaela clutched her bleeding arm and winced. “I can barely hold up Gamechanger with this arm.”
“We can’t leave until I find what we’re looking for.” Dylan dragged the mouse across the console, flinging the cursor. “Otherwise this was all for nothing.”
Kaela sucked in air as she forced herself to aim. She shot a beam at a Mega. The beam punched a dent in the Mega’s rusted chest, but it only stumbled. It didn’t fall. My jaw fell. Kaela’s rifle could annihilate Kilos but could only dent Megas? Why did the AI even bother making Kilos?
Kaela gasped. “These guys are out of our league. We can’t fend them off.”
“I don’t expect you too. Just a few more—I don’t care about the bases on Mercury, stupid computer!”
I lifted my hand and willed electricity. It crackled and spurted off my palm, but it was nothing big enough to take anything down. Kaela shot two Kilos in quick succession. Both faltered but continued to limp toward us. The Mega’s arm rearranged itself into a barrel. A tan ball of energy formed in it and zoomed at us. We jumped out of the way. The shot continued until it buried itself in the computer screen behind us. Sparks bathed all the keyboards. The screen fizzled and flickered. Was that how it had gotten the first hole?
“No!” Dylan slammed on the console.
“There are bigger issues, you idiot.” Kaela shot the Mega again, pushing it back a few feet. “Forget the mission. Forget Surge. Let’s just get out of this, together. Or are you so dedicated to this mission that you’d die for it?”
Dylan opened his mouth then shut it, like he’d had a response but had decided against it. He gritted his teeth as he gazed at the holes in the screen. If we stayed a moment longer, we’d end up being the swiss cheese.
“A better leader,” Dylan said to himself. I didn’t think he’d intended for anyone else to hear that. He whipped around and readied his pistol. I hated seeing that thing again, but maybe it’d come in handy this time. “All right, team. We need to get to my cruiser. Unfortunately, a few killing machines are in the way. Here’s what we’re going to do.”
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Dylan took aim and pulled the trigger. A green blast flew by the AI and exploded against the red screen in the back. Gas funneled in along with light as the front doors slid open. The Miasma lumbered in and screeched at the room. The AI screeched right back at them. The Mega blasted one, spewing gas everywhere. Thanks to the gas, I didn’t see what happened to the organic parts. Two Miasma swarmed the Mega next, screeching and pounding it with their giant gaseous arms.
This plan reminded me of every single plan I’d made back on New Earth.
“G-g-get away!” said the…Mega? Its voice was electronic and jittery (must have been the damage), but it had definitely just spoken. The glow in its eyes flickered with each word. That must have been its way of moving its lips since AI didn’t have movable mouths. “What are you Kilos looking at? Fire!”
The Kilos screeched and fired at the Miasma. Each one exploded in poofs of gas. The room was nothing but gas and flying balls of energy. Perfect.
“Quickly, while all the demons are distracted by each other,” Dylan said as he ran into the madness. I definitely hated this plan.
The three of us took off toward the cruiser. The roaring wind pushed back, but it would not stop us. The endless supply of gas made it hard to tell left from right. Though the wind blew some away, more gas took its place. The energy blasts missed us, but they were getting too close. On top of my exhaustion, I had to deal with this sensory overload?
“Wha—get off me!” Kaela tugged on her arm. A Kilo had taken hold of her wrist. The armor around its arm was missing, revealing gray skeletal metal and wires underneath. Its piercing eyes were fixed on her. “Guys?”
Dylan stopped. I expected him to turn around and keep running. Instead he shouted and shot at the Kilo’s face. The explosion flung its head away; its “hand” went slack. Kaela ripped her hand free and winced as fresh blood oozed from her wound. Dylan squeezed the trigger again and again, unloading a barrage of shots on the Kilo. One shot blew its eye from its socket.
“Can you move?” he asked Kaela. That must have been his way of asking if she was okay.
Her confused expression matched mine as she watched the broken AI stumble away. “Well, yeah. Dude, you actually saved me. I thought you’d leave me behind so you could escape.”
He rolled his eyes. “I don’t need your appreciation. Keep moving before I go with your idea.”
Dylan fired into the crowd as we shuffled back into the cruiser. I hopped into the passenger seat while Kaela got into the row behind me. Dylan swooped into the driver’s seat. I got out the keys and threw them to him. He caught them then shoved them into the ignition. I heaved a sigh of relief as the vehicle bucked to life.
Dylan slammed the pedal, shooting us into the storm. I’d never been so relieved to feel the wind assault me. I turned and watched as the infested base shrunk into the distance. Mission successful. Kind of. At least now I could quit stress-sweating.
“We did it.” I slumped against my seat. “I was scared for a moment there, but everything turned out okay. Mostly.”
Dylan slammed on the brakes. The force flung me against the cruiser’s gun compartment. I sat up and glanced out the window. The storm was raging on, and we were in the middle of it.
“Dylan? What’s the deal?” I asked.
He shoved me against my door. The cruiser bucked underneath my back. That couldn’t have been good for my spleen. I looked up into Dylan’s eyes and found them ignited with anger.
“Cut it out,” Kaela said.
She pushed his shoulder, but he shrugged her off and held up her arm. The one that was still bleeding.
“See this?” He pointed to the wound. “You did this. Your powers brought those AI back to life. All your sister did was taunt you, but you completely lost control. She defeated you without trying. If not for the Miasma, we’d be three new additions to that graveyard.”
“I get it, okay? It’s not the first time I’ve endangered other people.”
“Then why did you let it happen again?” He brought his face closer. If it hadn’t been for his helmet, I’d have had to smell his rancid breath. “Your powers in their current state are a hindrance, not an asset. You need to learn control. Otherwise you’ll fail over and over again. If I have the misfortune of being assigned on another mission with you, I’d better notice a major improvement.”
I pushed him away. “Who are you to criticize me? Have you forgotten the time you betrayed your own teammates? Right after trying to make them shoot me and Kaela? At least I wasn’t trying to hurt you guys!”
“Why do you think I’m giving this lecture?” Dylan raised a fist like he was about to punch me, but lowered it. “That conflict may end up being the Oppressed’s final coffin nail. We’ve been splintered for a while, but now a fracture has formed. I’ve been getting more glares than usual around base. I’ve never cared about my popularity, but when it affects the organization I’ve dedicated my life to…I can’t stand by and let it crumble.”
I couldn’t hear half of his words over the storm, but I got the gist. It was hard to accept that Dylan was taking responsibility for his actions, but his reasoning made sense. He had helped found the Oppressed, so why would he want to divide it? And if he of all people was owning up to his mistakes, then what excuse did I have for not doing the same?
I sat up and gazed into my lap. “I’m, sorry. I don’t know anything about these powers. Hybrids are created, not born, but I’ve never even met an AI before today. Manning helps, but our powers are totally different. So I have no answers and little help. It’ll be hard to master them, but I promise to try.”
Dylan scoffed. “You’d better succeed.”
“What he means is that trying is all we can ask for.” Kaela grinned as she wrapped her arms around both of us. Then she winced. “Can we get out of here? I can only bleed so much before I tear my own hair out.”
The drive out of the storm should have been tense and suspenseful, but I’d gotten used to the cruiser’s blender impression. Most of the Miasma were gone, so the way was clear too. As the storm assaulted the cruiser, I was lost in my thoughts. Dylan was right about the Beth situation. Her effect was on me was hazardous. Seeing her, hearing her…it was hard to even argue with her taunts. If it hadn’t been for my Alpha status, our family would be fine. I wouldn’t be halfway across the galaxy, and, going by the butterfly effect, maybe Red City wouldn’t be…whatever it was now. All of this had to do with powers I hadn’t asked for.
No, it didn’t matter if I liked them or not. They were part of me. I had to deal with them before I got anyone else hurt.
The wind died down as the odd colors faded from the windows. The swirling red trailed behind the cruiser instead of consuming us. That was fast compared to the eternity it had taken to enter the stupid thing. If Surge ever asked me to go back, I would leave on the spot.
Effluvium’s empty streets greeted us. The scorched and destroyed buildings were less welcoming. My stomach churned as I remembered that Frost might have done this. As long as Dylan drove us right back to the ship, there’d be no problem—why was he taking a left turn on this street? The ship was straight ahead.
Kaela looked around. “Uh, Jupiter to Dylan, where are we going? Did you forget where you left the ship?”
“No, fool,” he said. “I never plan on returning to this cursed planet, so there’s a location we should visit before we leave.”
Kaela raised an eyebrow but said nothing. She must have guessed what Dylan was talking about. I couldn’t because I was starting to feel like a third wheel to these guys. I missed Laura and Manning. What did they even do without me? They probably talked about how great it was that no one was around to accidentally electrocute them…
The scorched remains of houses fizzled out, a sign that we were getting away from the damaged parts of the city. We even passed a few cruisers, which showed that parts of the city were still alive. Worn down buildings replaced the destroyed ones. Their dark paint and pointy decorations gave them a Gothic appearance as did the boarded-up windows.
“Wait!” Kaela whipped her head around. “Dylan, you are not taking us there. We don’t even know if it’s still up.”
“No doubt they can afford to keep it up, and I doubt anyone cares enough to take it down,” he said.
Now I had some idea as to what I was about to see. My suspicions were confirmed when we pulled up to a castle-like building. It had way too many windows and floors. The building’s white paint had peeled so much that it seemed to be decaying. It must have smelled like death. I doubted that anyone still lived in it.
“It’s funny. You’re not supposed to call them ‘orphanages.’” Kaela rested her head on the window. While she’d used the word “funny,” her expression indicated that it was anything but. “It’s supposed to be foster care. I never actually cared what it was called or what we were. It was miserable all the same, and so were the events that brought us there.”
Dylan nodded as if he shared the sentiment. “It was an overpopulated place filled with miserable children. I’m sure it wouldn’t have been so bad if it hadn’t been for the war. As awful as it was, it was where the Oppressed started. It was where Surge came to recruit the two of us.”
“He only adopted you at first. Y’all had to come back for me.” She placed a hand on her hip and squinted. “Why was that, Dylan? What made Surge change his mind? I’d appreciate it if you got to ’splaining. You’ve only had about eight years to do so. Don’t forget that I’m bleeding out here.”
He crossed his arms. “Quiet. When Surge adopted me, we had a little chat about his intentions. After someone explains that they’re raising you to overthrow the government, you realize it’s not a job for two. Especially when those two are one man and one kid. We needed more recruits, but Surge couldn’t keep adopting legally. Frost would trace it back to him.” Dylan lowered his head as his cheeks reddened. “I…convinced him to go back for you in the dead of night. Only because we needed more recruits. So yes, you have me to thank for your place in the Oppressed. You’re welcome.”
When he said it like that, it wasn’t very touching. Thankfully we all understood the point. Dylan had felt guilty leaving Kaela behind. Kaela’s smile told me that she thought the same.
“Back in that place, the only people Dylan and I had were each other. I was a lost little girl, but he became my shining beacon.” Kaela aimed her smile at him, but he turned away. “He may be terrible now, but he used to be so sweet. He’d see me crying by myself, so he’d come over and make these funny faces or tell a dumb joke. Your jokes sucked by the way.”
“I was an infant.” He crossed his arms and huffed.
“Wait, so Dylan used to be cheerful?” I pointed to both of them. “You two swapped personalities? Dude, what happened? When did you become the pessimist, Dylan?”
He gripped the steering wheel. “When I realized that my family wasn’t really coming back.”
That sure murdered the mood. We sat in silence as the implications set in. Dylan had acted cheerful around Kaela because he’d been optimistic, but when reality had settled in, he’d shut down. That was when Kaela had taken up his discarded mantle in an effort to cheer him up. When that hadn’t worked, she must have kept the act up as a coping mechanism.
And here I thought I had it rough.
“Well, we’ve come a long way.” Kaela rested her head against the back of Dylan’s seat. “We’ve got a new family. One that’s always going to be there for us. I’m sorry, Dylan. Sorry for fighting you back on New Earth.”
He groaned. “What in the galaxy are you apologizing for, nitwit? We never would have fought if I hadn’t opposed you. Next time you rebel, I won’t stand in your way. I will get Surge though.”
She chuckled. “I’m cool with that.” She leaned back and snapped her fingers. “Get us out of here, man. My arm’s going numb.”
“I’m going already…wait, reach into the row behind you. I almost forgot about something.”
My heart fluttered. I knew what this was about. Kaela turned and reached down behind her. She held up the wrapped object I’d spotted earlier. Her face lit up as she tore at the wrapping. She reached in and pulled out a…scope? It was sleeker and shinier than the one on her rifle, but, otherwise, it was the same. Kaela gaped at it like it was the secret to eternal youth.
“A brand-new scope?” She hugged it close to her chest. “You remembered!”
Dylan scoffed. “I had Nessa make it. Even though your constant whining about the crack in your scope was annoying, I agreed with your complaint. Our marksman’s sight shouldn’t be obscured by anything. So here you go.”
“I love it.” Kaela sat back down as she continued to clutch the scope. “Thanks…bro.”
Dylan didn’t respond…unless you counted his grin.