Nick James - Skyship Academy

He stares at me, smiling. “Bravo. Looks like you got me.”

Dang right I did. And it’s the first thing I’ve done right this entire time.

I feel the trigger against my finger, the same one responsible for shooting Mr. Wilson. “Stand up.”

Cassius’s smile falls to a sneer as he lifts himself to a standing position.

“Finally grew a pair, huh?” He leans against the wall. “Good for you. And that must be your girlfriend. That’s twice in one week you’ve been saved by a girl.”

“Shut up.”

Cassius shakes his head. “You’re just delaying the inevitable. We both know you’re not going to shoot.”

“I thought this was between me and you.”

“Who said it wasn’t?”

Before I can respond, Avery steps forward and grabs him by the jacket. “Where’s Madame?”

Cassius squirms in her grip. “Who the hell are you?”

Avery ignores him. “I know she’s pulling the strings. If you-”

I glare at her. “Stay out of this, Avery.”

After a moment’s pause, she lets go and moves behind me without a word.

“Whoa.” Cassius grins. “Guess things aren’t as rosy in the happy little sky community as I thought.”

I ignore him. “Ever since I met you things haven’t been right. Something inside me went crazy today… like a heart attack.”

His eyes widen for a second before he can control his expression.

“Jesse,” Avery whispers behind me, “if we’re gonna escape we need to do it now.”

“Quiet.” I keep my eyes pinned to Cassius. “What happened on the rooftop?”

He shakes his head. “You… you don’t know? Madame said-”

“Answer me. Or I’ll shoot.”

His expression softens. He shakes his head again, saying nothing.

Avery pushes me out of the way and grabs the pistol, keeping it pointed at Cassius. “Get in the cell!” She prods him forward. “Sorry Jesse, but we’ve gotta get out of here before the guards arrive.”

I sigh, watching Cassius move cautiously toward the cell door. “You heard her.”

Avery backs away from him, keeping the pistol out of reach.

Once he’s inside, I slam the door and turn the deadbolt, sealing him in darkness.

“Here.” Avery forces the pistol back into my hand. “I wouldn’t want you to think I’d use it on you.”

She takes off down the hallway. I stare at the weapon for a moment before following her, keeping an eye out for any movement. I’m not sure what I’d do if we ran across a guard. This isn’t a stunner I’m holding. It’s made to kill.

We tiptoe down the long, barren corridor, past a dozen cells just like the one we came from. A plain wooden door blocks our way at the end. There’s no telling what’s outside. Could be freedom, could be guards. I’m kinda doubting it’s freedom.

Avery leans her head against the door, listening for sounds on the other side. She glances at me with a doubtful look, but it’s the only way out. On the count of three, we yank it open and make a run for it-right into the belly of a security guard.

The guy grabs my wrist impossibly fast and sends the pistol flying to the ground. I cry out in pain. So much for the tough guy act.

Luckily, Avery’s on it, with a swift knee to the poor guy’s crotch. He loosens his grip, giving us the opening we need.

We push past him and careen through the small office, winding up on a rickety metal platform hugging the outside of the building. The night air’s cool on my skin. The city skyline surrounds us, window-shaped lights shining like a bright yellow checkerboard. The buildings stretch up too far to see the sky.

Below us zigzag several levels of equally rickety, rusty metal stairs. There’s no way they meet government standards, but the only way out is down. Cautious of the guy in the office, we wind our way down the steps, clearing two or three at a time.

When we arrive on the next landing, a squad of security guards pool around the ground level of the building. Several surround the bottom of the staircase. From two stories up they look like insects. Insects with guns.

Shining heavy-duty beams in our direction, the guards notice us and raise their weapons to shoot. We stop at the landing and squeeze together in the spotlight.

A voice bellows from below. I can’t tell which soldier’s speaking, but it’s mass loud. Magnified. “All you’re doing is making things worse for yourselves. You won’t escape, and even if you did you wouldn’t get through the Net. Give yourselves up before we’re forced to shoot.”

I look over to Avery. She shakes her head, muttering something to herself. It would be easy for her to turn me in, show her true colors and let the guards take me to Madame. I wait for her to do it, to betray me like everyone else.

“Thirty seconds,” the guard warns.

Then, picking the absolute worst time in the history of the world, my chest goes insane. It’s pain like back in Mrs. Dembo’s classroom. This time it forces me to my knees.

I sink to a crouching position, holding my burning chest. Low alarms blare somewhere off in the distance. I’m so disoriented, I can’t tell if we triggered them or if they’re sounding for a different reason.

“Don’t move!” the guard orders. I can barely hear him. I open my mouth wide, hoping to puke or scream or something to stop the throbbing. The alarms aren’t helping.

“Jesse!” Avery sinks down to my side, gripping my shoulders. I can’t feel her.

I shut my eyes, exhaling-pushing everything out of my system. But it’s not like back at the Academy. It doesn’t help.

And then, a flash of light.

My eyes dart open and I force my head up to look at the skies. A ball of energy hurtles down from the stars, lighting up the sides of buildings as it crashes down. Past the Bio-Net. Past security.

A Pearl, and it’s headed straight toward me.

I take a deep breath and push myself to a standing position. It’s like moving through syrup, muscles howling in pain as I watch the Pearl plummet closer and closer to the Surface. Avery and the guards notice it too. They pull back, dropping their weapons.

The alleyway glows a brilliant green as the Pearl’s light reflects along the windows of the towers. Its path stays fixed on me.

“Back up.” Avery grabs my arm, trying to pull me away. “Jesse! It’ll kill you!”

I keep my eyes on the Pearl, ignoring her. My feet are cemented in place, every bit of me hypnotized by the glowing ball of light speeding to the ground.

I reach out my arms, hands open.

One thousand feet.

My eyes widen. The pain shoots from my core and meets the Pearl head on, pulling it forward.

Five hundred.

“Jesse!” Avery screams behind me, pressed against the railing at the back of the landing.

Fifty.

My fingers tingle with electricity as the Pearl rockets toward them.

Then I catch it. I don’t even stumble backward. It lands right in my hands like it was always meant to be there.

I hold it out in front of my face, gazing at the swirling chaos within-an entire universe before my eyes. It should have burned right through me. I should be dead. Instead, I feel mass complete, like a part of me I never even knew was missing has returned.

I glance down at the dumbfounded expressions on the faces of the guards, illuminated in soft green.

“What did you just do?” Avery whispers from behind me, approaching carefully.

The pain is gone, absorbed by the Pearl in my hands. Without realizing what I’m doing, I push it away from my skin. It floats off into the night until it hovers inches before my fingers.

My senses buzz, on overload.

I ball my hands into fists.

The Pearl explodes, sending a shockwave of energy in all directions. The guards topple over into a heap. My body deflects the energy, sparing Avery and me. The alleyway cracks and hisses. Street lamps and windows shatter, raining shards of glass onto the ground. Everything beams a brilliant green for a second, so intense that I have to shield my eyes.