Nick James - Crimson rising

Agent Morse.

Skandar and Eva met him briefly this morning during breakfast, but they’d seen him at his best. Heck, I think I’ve only seen him at his best. By the way he’s standing now, I can tell that this is going to be anything but.

I slap Skandar on his shoulder. “Quick. Lock the Pearl in the floor panel before he sees.” There’s no way I’m getting this thing up to my room tonight, whether I can touch it or not. And the last thing I want is for Morse to tell Alkine about it. He’d want to analyze it, hold meetings about it- do anything he could to keep me from having it.

“Go, go!” I push Skandar back to the passenger seating before we’re close enough for Morse to see inside.

Eva mutters something in Spanish. She turns to me, whispering. “You better be working on a good excuse.”

I grit my teeth and hope for a perfect landing. Adding a scuff to the underbelly of our shuttle would only make things worse.

“You do have a good excuse, right?”

I bring the shuttle down-a little wobbly, but we make it without any scratches. “That’s your thing, Eva. You’re Excuse Girl.”

I turn to see Skandar secure the floor panel and flash a thumbs-up. I scan the seating for any hint of a red glow. There’s nothing. As long as nobody looks, we’re good.

Agent Morse doesn’t move. He’s like a chess piece, all still and intimidating but ready to end the game. A knight. Alkine’s knight.

Our eyes meet through the windshield. His expression reveals nothing.

Knowing I’ll look more suspicious the longer I stay in the shuttle, I push the button to open the side door, remove my belt, and step outside. I can’t say I’m nervous exactly, not in front of someone like Morse. I’ve gotten in trouble too many times these past four months to be nervous about it anymore. Now it’s disappointment. Annoyance that I’ll have to wait to see what’s inside the Pearl.

I stand in front of him, separated by about a dozen floor tiles, for what seems like minutes before either of us talks.

Morse lets out a dramatic sigh. “Evening, buddy.” He clasps his hands in front of his waist and shakes his head like he’s staring at a two-year-old. “It’s a shame, isn’t it? And you had such a good day, too.”

I swallow. “I don’t suppose we can just forget about this.”

“Afraid not,” he replies. “Captain Alkine’s already waiting. You’re coming with me, kid.”

– It’s our first training mission all over again. We sit in the middle of a plain meeting room, not unlike the one Mr. Wilson had picked to give us the better-start-working-asa-team lecture last spring. We’re lit by a series of bright ceiling panels, making it difficult to gauge time. But I know that it’s still dark outside. Most everyone’s asleep.

It’s the first time I’ve seen Alkine since the incident in the reactor three nights ago. He barely looks at me.

Morse sits across from us at the table. Alkine stands, unable to keep still. Like last night, he’s wearing his official Academy suit, which makes me question whether he sleeps at all.

Eva cracks her knuckles, nervous. If I had to pick between her and Skandar, she’s the one who could betray me here. After all, she’s spied on me before-reported back to the teachers in secret. She swears she’d never do it again, but I’m not sure what Alkine’s going to throw at us yet. She might be easy to persuade.

Alkine stops pacing and leans his hands on the table. “I’ve got no other choice,” he says finally. “I give you a chance to obey and you do the opposite. You’re constantly putting yourself in danger, you and the Academy as a whole. I can’t have that.” He pauses, staring directly at me for the first time. “You’ll be spending your nights in the brig from now on.”

My mouth drops. “What?”

“I can’t trust you.” He shakes his head. “During the day, you’ll be in classes. The teachers can vouch for your whereabouts. Agent Morse can escort you through the hallways. But at night? You’ve found our weakness, Fisher. It just isn’t safe.”

Eva clears her throat. “We were only getting some air, si r.”

“Quiet.” He frowns. The creases in his face become more visible. “Be thankful I’m not confining the two of you as well. You should be ashamed of yourselves, encouraging this kind of reckless behavior.”

I slap the edge of the table. “It’s done, then.” Alkine sighs. “Excuse me?”

“I’m a prisoner, now. You’ve been building up to it for weeks and now it’s done.”

“You’ve been building,” he responds. “Do you think I want this for you?” He turns his back and paces to the wall, muttering to himself. When he faces us again, his expression has calmed. “There are ways to go about this. Procedure. Anything less will get you hurt.”

Eva frowns. “You can’t tell me you have a procedure for how to deal with aliens… ”

“Exactly,” he replies. “That’s why we have to be careful. And hijacking a shuttle, even to get some air, is not careful.” He glances at Morse, then back to us. “You’re a minor, Fisher. All of you are. You’re under my protection. My responsibility.” He pauses. “We could have thrown you out. After what happened in Seattle, after we knew what you were capable of… I could have left you there. Instead, I’m taking care of you. Don’t throw it in my face.”

Skandar leans forward. “But ever since we fled from the Tribunal… ” He stops himself. “You don’t have to take care of us, sir.”

Alkine sighs. “I wish that were true.” His eyes meet mine directly and linger for a moment. I can’t read him exactly, but for the first time I see something that could be fear. Fleeting, but it’s there. Then he glances to the far wall, breaking our connection. “Maybe we’re out of Skyship Territory at the moment, but that doesn’t mean we’re without rules. Things continue as normal, even in Siberia.” I try to meet his eyes, challenging him as I say the words he wants to hear. “You’re the commander.” “Yes,” he says. “And more than anything, it’s my duty to move us into a position to reconnect with the rest of the Skyship Community with as few consequences as possible. This was never meant to be permanent. We need allies.” I lean my elbows on the table and rest my forehead on my clasped hands. “They’re burning Pearls. All of them. I don’t want to reconnect just so we can kill Drifters.” He shakes his head. “Well, we have to do something. Do you think we can stay here forever? Even if they’re not looking for us, we’ll run out of resources eventually. My crew is working on a presentation to the Tribunal explaining why we crossed the Skyline. This is a delicate situation. Pearls mean so much to so many people. We can’t expect them to believe anything we say. We need to prove our credibility first.”

“We’re wasting time.”

“It was wrong,” Alkine continues, “the way we went about rescuing you. No matter how noble it felt. You forced me into making a rash decision. Don’t do it again. I won’t be able to forgive you the second time.”

I could argue this. I could argue that it was because of the lies Alkine and the others told me that I went running to the Surface in the first place. I could point out that it was Alkine’s lack of security that let Cassius board our ship and drive me away. But anything I say will only be denied.

Alkine glances at Morse. “Escort Fisher to the brig.” He motions to Skandar and Eva. “Harris. Rodriguez. You may leave. We’ll talk about consequences in the morning. This was severely boneheaded of you both.”

Eva stands. “Look, Jesse may not always know what’s best, but don’t you think it’s a little-”

He extends his hand, silencing her. “I’ll make the decisions, Rodriguez. Thank you.” His eyes fall squarely on me. “This is what happens when you back me into a corner, Fisher. Don’t push me again.”