Nick James - The Pearl wars

He doesn’t give me a chance. Before I can move out of the way, he lays on the accelerator.

My legs buckle as the bumper slams into them. I’m thrown up onto the hood, yelping as my ankles seize with pain.

Cassius accelerates again, sending my body flying against the windshield. I grab onto what’s left of the wipers to avoid flipping over the vehicle altogether. Face down, I hunker against the car, staring at Cassius through the glass. Our faces are a foot apart now. He doesn’t smile. His expression is blank. Terrifying.

I bang on the window with my fist, shouting for him to stop. Instead he rockets down the pathway into the city. The wind beats against my back, tearing through the legs of my ripped up slacks.

Just as I’m about to balance myself, he makes a sharp left at the bottom of the roadway to avoid a massive pile of boulders. My body lurches sideways, feet hitting the passenger-side mirror as I struggle to hold on to the wiper blades. They bend to the point of snapping off until Cassius straightens out the car and I twist back to the left, colliding with the windshield again. A crack spreads from the middle. One more direct hit and it’ll shatter.

Piles of rubble fly by on both sides, dwarfing the speeding car. The mist settles in around us. All I can see is the hood as I desperately cling on. The engine heat roasts the skin under my shirt.

We travel until the overpass is long out of sight. It feels like hours. Slow motion. But it’s over in seconds.

Cassius slams on the brakes. The force flings me back instantly. The wiper blades snap and I fly over the trunk. Landing on my feet’s not an option. With the moments I have, I cover my head to minimize injury.

I hit the pavement hard. And it isn’t like Syracuse. This time it steals my breath. This time the pain rings through my body with such intensity that I’m afraid I’ll pass out.

I let my limbs fall to the side and lie on my back, struggling for air. My shoulders throb. Everything throbs. It feels like somebody punched me all over with a concrete glove. My head spins. The thick smog threatens to reach down and choke whatever’s left of my lungs.

All it took was two moves for Cassius to completely immobilize me.

Cassius shuts off the car and bounds from the driver’s side, slamming the door behind him. The sound echoes along the ravaged buildings.

I move my fingers, trying to lift my arm. My legs are brittle and useless, but I pull them in anyway, pushing at the ground with my heels. Anything to get away.

Cassius marches toward me, faster than I have any hope of escaping. In one violent movement he reaches down and grabs the front of my shirt, yanks me from the ground, and pushes me into the pile of rubble behind me.

“What the hell did you do to me?” he shouts, his face red, eyes ablaze.

I grab onto his wrist, trying to pry myself from his grip. My body feels like a rag doll, muscles shut down.

“I told you,” I stammer through fractured breaths. “I don’t know what happened.”

“Why would she lie to me?”

“Madame?” I kick at his shins. “Madame’s crazy. She’s not who you think she is.”

He lifts me up another inch until the shirt starts to cut into my neck. “Don’t talk about her like that!”

“I’m… I’m serious,” I choke. “She’s using you.”

The com-pad at my belt hisses to life. Eva’s voice comes out muffled and small. “Jesse, are you okay? Jesse? Avery’s coming down after you. There are-”

Cassius rips the device away, chucking it into the rubble. “Back in Portland you said you were sick, like me. Why haven’t you exploded?”

I cough as the smog creeps into my lungs. “Put me down and we can talk.”

His eyes narrow as he considers it. With a sigh, he lets go of my shirt. I crumple to the ground. Not exactly what I meant by “put me down.”

I pull my aching body to a crouching position and rub my shoulder. My knees are raw, my scuffed slacks stained with blood. “What do you mean, exploded?”

“On the Chute,” he mutters. “Fire.”

I stare up at him, searching his stony face for an answer. “That was you? You blew up the train?”

“Every time I get close to you,” he continues. “Ever since the rooftop.” His fingers clench into a fist at his side. “Fire. From everywhere. From inside.”

I take in a mouthful of air. “You’re… you’re not exploding now.”

He looks down at his hands, shaking. “She said if I found you I’d be cured. She said you were the reason, that you’re dangerous. What the hell’s so dangerous about you?”

I frown. “My incredible knack for getting my butt kicked?”

He scowls. “You think this is funny? I crawled through the desert because of you! I… killed an entire train of… ” He trails off.

I sit in silence, watching him control his expression.

He crosses his arms. “So what happens to you? What happens when you get sick?”

I look over to the side. I shouldn’t tell him. It’s stupid to reveal anything that could be used against me, but there’s a desperation in his eyes that even he can’t control.

“Pearls.” I hold my fist in the air, letting my fingers fall open. “They explode. Boom. Then they’re gone.”

His eyes widen. “You can destroy Pearls?”

I nod.

His expression becomes cold once more. “She’s right. You’re a danger to the country. You’re just what the Shippers need to weaken the Unified Party and gain control.” He reaches forward.

“She doesn’t love you,” I say, hoping that I can get him to pause for a second. I remember what Avery said outside Lenbrg. Madame’s really done a number on Cassius. I can’t take him physically, but maybe there’s another way.

His hand freezes.

“You’re not her son,” I continue. “Not really.”

“That’s none of your business.” He sneers. “Why did you come here? Why Seattle?”

“Skyship found me here when I was a kid.”

He shakes his head. “Madame knows. She’ll be here. She’ll find you.”

I grit my teeth, inching back against the rocks, building up what little energy I have left. “I’m a good hider.”

He chuckles. In that instant, for the split-second he’s unguarded, I kick him right in the stomach. He staggers back a few paces, out of breath. It’s long enough for me to push myself up and limp around the nearest boulder.

“Big mistake!” He wheezes behind me.

I keep my attention forward, dipping under a crumbling entryway into a narrow, dirt-stained alley. Strength failing me, I dart behind a piece of wall, clutching my chest. My organs burn, working overtime. The air stings as it hits my skin.

It’s quiet for a moment.

Cassius flies around the corner of the wall and punches the side of my face. I lurch farther into the half-building, feeling around the inside of my mouth with my tongue to make sure I’ve still got all my teeth. I gag on blood. Metallic. It tastes horrible.

Cassius smiles. “Time’s run out.”

I hunch over, breathing hard. He approaches slowly and watches me struggle.

“Help me find the lab,” I choke. “Maybe there’ll be a cure.”

“Madame has the cure.” He pushes me backward. “All she needs is you.”

I trip over a beam sticking out from the ground. “She’s playing you. It’s all for Pearls. I can control them. Once you bring me to her she’ll forget about you.”

Before I can stand up, Cassius grabs my arm and twists it behind my back. I shout out in pain. He twists harder. “Prove it.”

“That girl I was with,” I sputter. “Her name’s Avery. She’s like you. Madame trained her, raised her, and got rid of her. You’re just an accessory.”

“I’ve never seen that girl at the Lodge,” he whispers. “I don’t believe you.”