“You did all that, but you didn’t retrieve what I sent you to get?” Surge reached under his desk as he spoke. I couldn’t believe I was glad to be back in his office. Heck, I was happy to be back on Earth. Jupiter had been a nightmare. “That was our only lead on an abandoned AI base. The AI destroyed all the other ones. Remember when they destroyed Pluto? Imagine that on a lighter scale, and that’ll be the Jupiter base in a week. Next location we search will be populated for sure. Now the intelligence team has to scout for one that’s not too dangerous.”
Pale light shone through the windows in Surge’s office. It cut through the nighttime darkness. Our mission had taken all day to complete. We’d driven straight to his office as soon as we’d landed. Surge sprayed Kaela’s arm with vita-spray, which had the hilarious side effect of turning it green. Now she looked like she’d gotten an arm transplant from an alien. Those fictional aliens in the vintage movies, not the ruabrum…was that an inappropriate comment?
“I’ll assist with that,” Dylan said. “While we don’t have anything concrete, I spotted numerous bases of elevated importance before the screen was damaged. Even if they’re dangerous, one of them is destined to lead to answers. Shall I report my findings to Intel?”
“Well done, Dylan. I’m sure they’d love to hear about your findings, but I want to test something first.” His eyes locked onto me. I flinched and stood up straight. I’d been spaced out the whole time. “Kid, I hear your abilities caused some trouble for your team. Seems you brought a base of dead AI back to life.”
I sighed. “I was standing right here when Dylan explained that two minutes ago. I messed up, but—”
My words caught in my throat as Surge held up what he’d been searching for. He plopped a vase-like machine onto his desk, rattling its contents. The shield generator. The one device we needed more than anything had been underneath his desk the whole time?
“You located the base using nothing but your own willpower, just as I thought you would. Impressive.” He held up the shield generator. “You want this, don’t you? It’s yours. I just need you to do something first. Locate Epsilon.”
“Epsilon?” My heartbeat spiked just because of that word. “The AI’s home planet? The one planet in the galaxy that’s said to be impossible to find?!”
“Oh, so you’ve heard of it too.” Kaela massaged her broccoli arm. “Its coordinates were what we were trying to find at that base, which you found with your mind.”
“Yeah, I sure did. Even though Surge didn’t tell us that was the plan.” I glared at him, but he didn’t even budge. “You told me you weren’t sending me there because of my powers, but we would have died if I hadn’t used them! What’s wrong with you?”
“Apologies for the ‘manipulation,’ but you wouldn’t have gone if I’d told you my true intentions,” Surge said as though it were logical reasoning. “The important thing is that we’ve confirmed how powerful your connection with the AI is. You can resurrect them, sense them, and I even wonder if you can get inside their heads. Let’s focus on your sensory power for now. You sensed that base, which only had a handful of destroyed AI. What’s stopping you from sensing Epsilon, which holds millions if not billions of them?”
“Millions if not billions of miles is what’s stopping me.” I clutched my head. Our helmets were down, so I could grab my hair again. “That base was around the corner, but Epsilon could be in another galaxy. My sensory power doesn’t extend to Andromeda, Surge.”
Surge cradled the generator as he sat down. “We won’t know if you don’t try.”
Why did these people even want to know where Epsilon was? How would that help any of their objectives? Whatever. If it meant getting that generator, then I had to do this.
I shut my eyes and turned my nose to the ceiling. I focused on the image of a giant planet populated by little metal monstrosities. I imagined it as hard as I could…and got angry. Dylan had been right when he’d called it a planet of cowards. Why did they get to hide after hurting so many of us? Why was it that they could guess where we were but we had no clues regarding them?
“It’s not working,” I said as I shut my eyes tighter.
“Maybe focus on your sister?” Kaela said. “She’s on Epsilon, right? Can you sense her suit?”
“She’s a Hybrid like him,” Surge said, “so locking on to her should be even easier. Try it.”
I focused on Beth—
BRRRT!
“Whoa!” I swatted my crackling hand. The built-up electricity faded away. There weren’t scorch marks anywhere, so I’d caught it before it could discharge. Kaela and Dylan were wide-eyed, but Surge’s look was more quizzical. I should have known that thinking about Beth would have had that outcome. “Sorry…that’s not going to work. I can’t find Epsilon.”
Surge exhaled through his nose. “It’s fine. You risked your life out there for us, kid. I appreciate it. That kind of loyalty is exactly what I look for in—”
“Stop.” I crossed my arms. “I helped out so you’d let me into the forge.”
Surge lifted an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“I figured that if I helped you guys, you’d help me in return. You’re all supposed to be family, right? That means that as long as I’m here, I’m family too. Family helps family.”
I was really pushing it. I didn’t consider any of these people my family, but I really wanted to be part of the forge. How else was I going to prove to Nessa that I was better than her?
“I see. We didn’t agree to that, but you did help on the mission.” Surge picked up the generator and shoved it back under the desk. I’d just found it, but it was already out of my grasp again. “How was the mission? Seeing Effluvium like that couldn’t have been easy. Could you go back to Frost after seeing what she’s done?”
Now I understood yet another reason why Surge had wanted me on the mission. How many secret reasons did he have?
“I—I don’t know,” I said. “It might keep me up at night, but I’m not concerned about sides right now. I’m just doing what I have to.”
My stomach squirmed with doubt. I had no idea what I had to do. I wanted the generator back so that Frost would give me and my friends what I wanted. I just wasn’t sure if becoming an explorer was my best option anymore. I was mostly doing this for Laura and Manning.
Surge nodded. “Seems like you’ve got everything figured out. You start at the forge tomorrow morning. No later than noon. Dylan, get your information to Intel. Kaela, get some rest. I’m sorry we couldn’t spare a medic bracelet for that arm, but—”
“Save it.” She turned her back to him. “That’s the apology you give? Seriously? Seeing Effluvium just reminded me why the Red City stuff ticked me off in the first place. Thanks though…for the treatment. See you around.”
Kaela headed out the door, leaving us to stew in the awkward environment she’d created. Again. I was glad I’d helped her make up with Dylan, but Surge was on his own. Especially if he kept trying to manipulate me and my powers.
“Perhaps you should apologize,” Dylan said, surprisingly. “Mikae—I mean, Kaela is too hurt to understand why the Red City incident transpired. She just wants to be assured that we aren’t becoming the ‘bad guys.’”
“I know,” Surge said, “which is exactly why I don’t know what to tell her. What we did wasn’t right, but look at what it’s brought us.” He motioned to me. I wished he wouldn’t. “I’m just trying to salvage what I can from this mess.”
Surge held his phone. A gray burst of light spawned a set of keys over his screen. He tossed them to me, and I caught them effortlessly as Dylan had pulled the same trick earlier.
“Now you can drive public cruisers,” Surge explained as if I’d just unlocked a skill in a video game. “Drive one home so you can get some rest. Don’t worry about Kaela. You know how families can be.”
Unfortunately, I did. I was actually tired from all that electricity. I felt like I could sleep for a hundred years, wake up, and then go right back to sleep.
----------------------------------------
I walked out into the warm night. I hated that even the nighttime was hot during the summer. Now I saw where the Moon got it from. Which reminded me…I gazed up at it. It hung over me like a Christmas ornament. It was so much prettier as a giant lamp than it was as a home. It lit the way to a rickety, disgusting cruiser just a block away. It was gross, but what other choice did I have?
The cruiser rocked around me as I drove it down the pale street. It was great to hover above solid ground again, but this old thing made me feel like I’d never left Jupiter. Why did it smell like two raccoons had died next to each other inside it?
As I drove past the hospital, my thoughts turned to the Moon. All the crazy stuff I’d done made me feel like I’d crossed the galaxy. In reality, the planetoid I’d grown up on was right above me. It was like I only had my foot out the door. That was almost comforting. The Moon felt like my guardian: always watching over me. I hoped the AI would leave it alone now. The galaxy didn’t need more Wanders.
Even though my neighborhood was lively during the day, it was dead at night. I didn’t see a single person as I drove past the houses near ours. My cruiser was the only source of noise. After the day I’d had, that was perfect. All I wanted to do was go straight to my room, flop on my bed, and die.
I parked beside another cruiser in our driveway. I recognized it as the public cruiser that Manning drove around. It couldn’t be very public if we could park it in our driveway, but at least everyone was home. I couldn’t wait to tell them about how horrifying the mission had been…tomorrow. The front door clicked as I unlocked it and stepped inside. My legs felt heavier as soon as I crossed the doorway. I froze when I reached the stairs. The living room wasn’t as empty as I’d thought it’d be.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Wander!” Laura ran up and hugged me. How was it that she still smelled like lemons after all this time? Manning waved at me from the couch. Laura let go, allowing me to take in her vibrant smile. Had they been waiting in the living room all this time? “It felt so weird not seeing you since this morning. How did the mission go? Did you guys fail? Did you get so mad that you punched Dylan in his stupid face? No, wait. That’d be me.”
“Did you face any AI?” Manning asked. “Did you get injured? Did you find answers to your questions?”
“I got new nightmare fuel, but no answers.” I leaned against the stair handrail. I’d planned on going to bed, but that clearly wasn’t an option anymore. “The mission wasn’t really a success. But I’m here, so it wasn’t a total failure. All right, so after that fight the four of us had…”
I explained the mission, while skimming over the less important parts. I kept in every part where I’d felt like I was going to die. Manning’s face was a rainbow of emotions as I talked. Nothing could beat the shock on his face when I explained how I’d resurrected the AI with my lightning. It sounded so insane when I recounted it out loud.
Laura was a different story. Throughout my explanation, she remained sullen. Her eyes stayed fixed on the floor, and she massaged her fingers. She was fidgeting because she was uncomfortable. That was troubling.
“So…what? Now you get to tinker with all the other rebels in their metal house?” Laura asked. There was a touch of venom in her voice that reminded me of Dylan. “Was that worth helping out criminals?”
“Laura, after what I saw on Jupiter, I think it’s too early to say who’s in the wrong.” I shook my head at my own words. I couldn’t believe I was suggesting that we give the Oppressed a chance. “Sure, they messed up with the barricade thing, but now I could say the same about Frost and Effluvium.”
“Yes, the Battle of Effluvium,” Manning said as he stood up. “A gruesome conflict that ended in the devastation of the city. Such a tragedy. However, the devastation was always blamed on the AI. If Madam President is behind it, well, that paints a different picture.”
I nodded. “I haven’t heard her side of the story, but I’ve seen the damage. It’s not looking good.”
“Can’t you see what’s happening?!” Laura’s face was turning as red as her hair. “You’re letting them get to you. They’re brainwashing you. I—I don’t think you should spend any more time with them.”
A shudder ran through me. The look in Laura’s eyes was terrifying. Not because she was scary but because she was vulnerable. It seemed like she was seconds away from shattering, and I held the hammer. I had to find a way out without accidentally using it.
“Laura? Are you, trying to keep me away from other people? Do you think I’m going to ditch you for Kaela or something?”
“You already did!” She curled her hands into fists, but then uncurled them. “Sorry, I didn’t—I’m just so tired of holding this in. I’ve felt like this all my life, but I didn’t feel like anyone would care if I opened up. Now, after what we’ve been through…” She clutched her chest. “We’ve only ever had each other. Why would we need Kaela or the Oppressed? Why would we need anyone else?”
“We don’t, but are you seriously telling me I can’t have other friends?” I averted my eyes so that they wouldn’t meet her gaze. “I never thought I’d hear you say something so…selfish.”
Even out the corner of my eye, I saw Laura’s expression shatter. They were just words, but they hit her like bullets.
“You’re…right.” Laura’s lips wobbled as she pursed them. She was holding back tears. “I’m just a problem. I always am. Ignore everything I said. It doesn’t matter. I’ll see you later.”
She passed me and sprinted up the stairs. I called out for her, but she didn’t even turn back. She disappeared around the corner then her door slammed. I knew I couldn’t be trusted with that hammer.
“Manning, analysis on all that, please?” I rubbed my forehead as I leaned against a wall. “Not that I’m oblivious to what’s going on…I’m just too tired.”
He stroked his beard. “It’s no secret that Ms. Genki has low self-esteem due to her parents. The only time she feels like she’s worth anything is when she spends time with you or me. That’s why the thought of you being close to other people upsets her. She’s afraid of losing you.”
I had been afraid of that explanation.
“Getting jealous because your friend has friends? Jeez. Where do I start?” I shoved a hand through my hair as I forced my tired brain to think. “We’ve got to help her beat that mindset. I can’t be her only friend forever.”
Manning sighed. “I agree, but this isn’t about logic with her. It’s about not letting demons have their way. I’m afraid Ms. Genki’s never been good at fending those off.”
If my recurring nightmares were any indication, then neither was I. Between the two of us, it was hard to tell whose mental health was worse. Not that this was a competition. It was more like…I could finally understand why Laura acted the way she did.
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Green sunlight filled my room. I blinked as I sat up in bed. Morning? I didn’t even remember going to sleep the previous night. I guess that was just how tired I was.
When I got out of bed, I went into the hallway. I knocked on the door next to mine, which belonged to Laura. No answer; big surprise. I wanted to talk to her, but I couldn’t just barge in. I’d have texted or called her, but my phone plan didn’t cover the supposedly uninhabitable planet, Earth. I still had access to the Internet thanks to the Oppressed’s Wi-Fi, but I hadn’t used it for much. I was too afraid of what I’d find, considering the condition we’d left Red City in…
I’d talk to Laura when she was ready, but, for now, I needed to get to the forge. Nessa already hated me, so I couldn’t afford to be late. I went back to my room and stepped into my space suit. I couldn’t keep from shuddering as it closed around me. I wouldn’t be activating my helmet for a while. It’d just remind me of Jupiter’s suffocating environment. The nightmare I’d had the night before hadn’t helped either. I wouldn’t have slept at all if I hadn’t been so tired, especially since I saw Miasma every time I closed my eyes.
I headed past my room and Laura’s to the third door: Manning’s bedroom. The door was shut, but I knew he was awake. I knocked, but, thanks to my suit, my knocks were more like pounds. Whoops! Now I just felt rude.
“Come in!” Manning’s muffled voice said from the other side.
I had a sense of déjà vu as I pushed open the door. A huge bookshelf sat beside a tidy bed. It was funny that I considered the bed tidy even though Manning was sitting on it. Perhaps that had something to do with the fact that it was much tidier than the bookshelf. Many of the books lay sideways like they’d been thrown onto the shelf. One was open with its pages spread out. I wondered whether the books had been in that condition when we’d moved in. There was no way Manning could have mistreated any book. He even had his head buried in one at that moment.
“You know you can use your phone for that, right?” I asked as I leaned against the doorframe.
“Of course, but where’s the fun in that?” Manning held up a thin piece of plastic and placed it in the book. That must have been a…bookmark? A physical book was one thing, but that? Barbaric. “I’m only borrowing these books from the library. It would cost too much to purchase them all digitally.”
“You got me there. Manning, I need a favor. I start at the forge today, I don’t have my own cruiser… and I’m sure your super intelligence can tell you where I’m going with this.”
“You’re asking if I’d mind driving you there,” he said with a neutral expression. “It’s no problem at all. I was just leaving for the library.”
“Yes! Thanks Manni—”
“But not before I make you a quick breakfast.” Manning smiled like he had sinister intentions in mind. What, was he going to use too much salt? “I’ve no idea how you survived on so little food yesterday, but it’s not happening today.”
I’d forgotten that I was trying to get my appetite back. I had just been eating to survive for so long. Now I had to get used to eating when I was hungry again. I nodded in agreement with his terms.
We relocated to the kitchen. I swiped my phone, while Manning flipped an omelet to perfection. The scent of frying eggs was appetizing, but not when it filled the entire kitchen. The sizzle of the pan made good background noise. Not that I needed it. All I was doing was refreshing my messages over and over. I couldn’t text Laura, but we both used some Internet messaging apps. Even that was dumb because we lived in the same house!
“Still no luck, I assume,” Manning said. I looked up to watch as a single omelet was shoved in my face. Red bacon bits broke up the yellow surface, and golden cheese oozed from it. Forget Beth, nothing was stopping me from eating this. “Just give her time, she needs to accept the changes before she can confront them.”
“Nothing’s changing. We’d be hanging out right now if she wasn’t pushing me away.”
“Would you? You’re off to the forge while I’m headed to the library. Where is she off to?” He paused to let me think, but I already had my answer. She wasn’t going anywhere. She didn’t have any special interests or a will to leave the house like we did. “The longer we stay here, the more things will change. What’s the current plan, Mr. Locke? How are we going to retrieve the generator and make our daring escape?”
A twinge of doubt struck me. It was that feeling I got whenever I heard something I didn’t agree with. I’d been over my complicated feelings a hundred times, but one thing was for sure: we needed that generator. Frost had promised each of us something in exchange for its safe return. Maybe she really would help me get Beth back. Somehow.
“The plan…is to sit tight and wait for an opportunity to present itself!” I placed my hand on my hips as I imagined being taller and more muscular. The ideal image of a leader. “We can’t strike unless their weak spot is revealed. Learned that from video games. So, for now, we’re playing it safe.”
“Same as before then. So sitting tight includes joining them for missions when they ask us to?” Manning raised an eyebrow, but promptly lowered it. He walked over to the sink and turned a tap on then held his steaming pan under the water that rushed out of it. “I suppose I shouldn’t complain. Soldiers obey their leaders no matter what the order. I would have been lost without Michelangelo’s leadership. Oh, I apologize. I wasn’t attempting a comparison.”
“No, it’s fine.” I picked at my omelet as I collected my thoughts. “Manning…when I shut off the Blue Barricade, I was…transported somewhere. It was like another dimension or realm, and I saw him there. My grandfather…Michelangelo was there.”
Manning dropped the pan, which clattered into the sink. That was loud enough to wake our neighbors up. I probably should have been gentler with the news. Manning raised a shaking hand to turn off the tap, cutting off the water. He turned and studied me with eyes full of wonder.
“Are you sure it wasn’t a stress-induced hallucination?” he asked in a wavering voice.
“Yes. Well, no, but it felt real. He told me things that only he would know. He said he used to be the Alpha, so that’s why he could appear to me. Was he the Alpha?”
Manning rubbed his temples as his eyes grew. What kinds of thoughts were flowing through that evolved mind of his?
“That’s right. That’s why my memories of that day are so, bright!” Manning walked over to my table and sat across from me. “Whenever I try to remember the day Upton and I were rescued, the most prominent detail is how bright everything was. Now I understand why. Mikey’s electricity! He used that to fend off our foes, he—oh my goodness. This changes everything.”
I tapped the floor with my foot. “Yeah…like how could both of us be the Alpha? Do the AI have two sets of Alpha Implants? Could there be any number of Alphas?”
“No, no. If that were true, then your sister wouldn’t be after you. No use in chasing an Alpha instead of the Alpha. This makes little sense, but that’s nothing new for our reality. What we should be focused on is just how powerful your abilities are. Mr. Locke, you communicated with the dead. Even if it was just an afterimage left over in your Implants’ coding. If you gain full control over your abilities, nothing will be impossible for you!”
“But how do I do that? You already said you can’t teach me much, but—”
“You can use them easily now, it’s just mastering them that’s troubling you, isn’t it? Then listen to me. Your Hybrid abilities are a skill. You train skills. The more you use your abilities—and survive the experience—the easier it’ll be to master them. If you’re in a situation where you can safely use your abilities, then do so.”
The more I used them, the easier they’d be to control? Eventually, I wouldn’t feel tired after using them? Maybe being a Hybrid would be easier than I thought. On the other hand, where was this advice coming from? I’d thought Manning couldn’t tell me anything specific. I knew he sometimes forced his intelligence to…grow? However, that wasn’t on the same level as my powers. Something wasn’t adding up. But I had a lot on my plate, so Manning’s Many Mysteries would have to wait.
“Wander Locke, master of electricity.” I clenched my hand, and imagined streams of lighting coming from it. I stopped, because I realized I might accidentally cause that to happen. “I like the sound of that.”
“Good, now let’s get a move on.” Manning clapped. “You can finish—I mean, start your omelet in the cruiser. We can’t have you arriving late for your first official job!”