Cypher- Revolution Page 6

  He bought a shirt and a pair of pants, not wanting to wear the academy trousers with the stripe down the leg.

  They found a food counter with high bar stools, the lighting reminiscent of midday. She ordered a hearty sandwich with planet grown vegetables, and he did the same. She swiveled absently on the chair as they waited for their sandwiches to be made by the girl behind the counter, checking her wrist cell for messages.

  “Don’t respond to any of your friends,” he said.

  “I know. We’re on the run.”

  He assessed her cool confidence. He had not yet decided that they were fugitives, but he had to admit that running off planet and harboring paranoia about who they talked to might qualify as being “on the run.”

  The thin girl with dark skin behind the counter finished the sandwiches and wrapped them to go. He placed his hand on the payment pad. It blinked, and the girl frowned. “It didn’t go through.”

  Caina’s eyes widened, and Joshua bit down on an appropriate curse. Caina put her hand on the pad and payment was accepted. Joshua’s mind raced as he took the sandwiches, blushing under the girl’s curious gaze. It had been a long time since he’d known what it was like not to have credits. His parents were generous, and he never abused their trust, so they had always kept a more than adequate amount in his account. Had someone blocked it? It was the only explanation. Had they forgotten about Caina’s?

  Nervous now, he jerked his head at Caina and picked up their pace. She followed, keeping up, her long hair swishing behind her. His eyes picked out several security guards but they were milling around, bored, not looking for anyone.

  He casually snagged his sister’s elbow and steered her to a store window. She munched on her sandwich and stood next to him without being told to act inconspicuous. “We should go separately,” he said under his breath. “They won’t be looking for one of us, they’ll be looking for two. You go first and message me if you can’t get in the skiff.”

  She wiped her mouth and sauntered away to the elevator transport. He watched her out of the corner of his eye. She waited at the elevator, and when the doors slid open, two security guards exited. Joshua ducked his head, hoping to keep his red eyes from view.

  Caina stalked on board, her head held high, though he knew how afraid she was. He had never been more proud of her. The doors closed, and he felt a stab of anxiety once she was out of sight.

  He finished his sandwich, and with the back of his neck prickling, walked to the elevator. He stood, listening. His first year at the academy, his instructors observed that he had above average hearing and sight. It proved to be an interesting new angle for tactical exercises. His eyesight was not just good, it was telescopic. They didn’t even have a scale for what he could see. Before the academy, he didn’t realize how different he was in that respect. Oddly, his parents never mentioned the report from the academy physicals when he came home that first year. He didn’t bring it up, not wanting to brag. He and Cristian had a bit of fun with it, though.

  While he waited for the doors to open, he picked up a lot of security chatter, muffled so no one else would hear. At least, that’s what they thought. They were definitely looking for a tall young man with red eyes and a girl with long, blonde hair and green eyes. Great.

  The doors opened, and to his relief, there was only a group of five teen girls, talking loudly to each other as they left the elevator. He knew they saw him, but he also knew they would ignore him unless he spoke to them first. Teen girls had some code about not acknowledging boys. Also, he was pretty sure he was too old to attract their interest, though he couldn’t be sure. One of the girls bumped into him as she walked by and giggled an apology. He smiled politely and stood aside to let them pass. So he wasn’t too old. Oh well. It wouldn’t hurt him, he hoped.

  The doors closed, and he let out a breath. His cell buzzed, and he looked down at the message from Caina. There are security guards watching the skiff. I’m at another dock. B219.

  Thx, he responded. They could track him on his DNA alone if they wanted, so it was only a matter of time before they nabbed him. He had to move fast. What he really needed was a Licentian merchant ship. The Licentia Colony had a large independent population that refused to use biorecognition. They hated being tracked and wouldn’t register their DNA for any biorecognition programs. It made their ships easier to steal, but if they caught you, they had little mercy. Most would-be thieves steered clear of their ships, but Joshua didn’t have much choice. He needed to get off this station, and he didn’t want anyone tracking him. He searched his cell band for a map of the docks. He found the few marked “docked – unidentified” and picked one out. He texted it to Caina.

  See you there, she answered.

  He directed the elevator to the dock and scanned through his cell messages for one in particular. He and a few friends had taught themselves how to jack a ship. Not because they intended serious mischief; they just wanted to know if they could. He never dreamed he would actually use it.

  The elevator opened, and he walked down the walkway. An unidentified ship didn’t necessarily mean it was free of biorecognition; it could also be that someone wanted to be anonymous. Most people were so accustomed to having their DNA identified and their movements tracked, no one cared. He’d never given it a second thought until now.

  He approached the airlock to the ship he’d selected. He had no idea how big the ship was or if it was occupied. He couldn’t see much of it from here besides the airlock door. He took off his cell band and held up his palm for a recognition scan in case there was one. The program said there was no biorecognition, but it required a code.

  He liked codes. Codes could be broken.

  He activated the hack on his cell band and pressed it to the pad on the airlock. He leaned back against the wall. This would take a while. Caina walked into the corridor, her hood drawn up over her hair.

  “What are you doing?” she asked in a low voice.

  “Hacking.”

  She searched his face, and he wondered if he was doing the right thing. Shaking off the guilt, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and watched the program break down the entry code.

  They waited in silence, trying not to count down the seconds. The cell band emitted a low tone, and Joshua lifted it. The airlock to the ship opened. Elated, he stepped through.

  Long, narrow arches in shining black melted into a sleek cockpit. Every inch was seamless, the ceiling flowing into the walls and the walls flowing into the floor. From what they could see out of the windows, the exterior had lean, aggressive lines. Everything about it screamed money.

  Caina’s mouth dropped open. “What is this?” she asked.

  “I think it’s a Suki,” he said in a low reverent voice, hardly daring to believe his good fortune. Famed starcraft engineer Sasuke Koto had designed his dream ship a hundred years ago, and it still held its mythical appeal. They weren’t rare, but they weren’t on every colony either, and they were jump ships, able to travel at hyperspeed.

  “We should check to see if anyone is onboard,” Caina warned.

  Joshua went to the front console, sitting almost gingerly in the pilot chair. He touched the glossy screen, and it came to life under his fingers. “Beautiful,” he said, scanning through the commands until he found what he was looking for. “No one is on board but us.”

  Caina sat next to him, her hands searching the seat for places where the restraints might be. Joshua quickly acclimated to the display and turned on the engines. “Let’s not waste any time getting out of here,” he muttered.

  As soon as the engines came on, restraints slid out from the seats, locking him and Caina in.

  An automated voice spoke. “Are you disembarking from the station?”

  Glancing out the window at the mechanical arms holding the ship in place and praying they would be able to leave, he answered, “Yes.”

  The voice spoke again. “You are being released. Thank you for staying at Hadrian Space Station.”

/>   The arms moved from the ship, and it floated away from the dock. He quickly set a course and the ship obeyed, shooting out of Hadrian’s solar system.

  From what he knew about a ship without biorecognition, the owners could still track it if they wanted to. It might only be minutes before whoever owned the ship knew it had been stolen.

  It might even have a self-destruct mechanism if the owners decided they couldn’t retrieve it. Sukis were beautiful and dangerous. He would have to find something less exotic as soon as possible, but for now, he unleashed the hyperdrive towards the Benning galaxy. At least while in hyperdrive they were impossible to track. It would only be a few hours now until they were on their cousin’s home planet.

  Caina explored the small ship, marveling at the luxury of it all. She eventually settled in a small gaming nook and found a game to play, her feet propped up in a hammock.

  Joshua did some exploring of the ship on his own. He went down a small passageway that ended in a dark alcove filled with dimly lit compartment drawers. Curious, he opened one of them. The drawer slid out to reveal a plasma gun. Surprised, he reached down and picked it up. The weight was familiar, as was the manufacturer. He had learned to use them at the academy, though they used uncharged plasma.

  His finger found the switch that opened either the d-plasma or the red chamber. Laying it back down, he allowed the drawer to close. He couldn’t help imagining what would have happened if he’d had this a few hours ago.

  He opened another drawer and became even more anxious about stealing the ship. Inside the drawer lay a tidy ball of transparent threads. He picked it up and let it unravel. Onix. Made of light refracting threads, it made the wearer invisible, even to infrared. It defied even thermal vision. Licentians were a fiercely independent lot, and although they were mocked for their paranoid defense of their freedom from biorecognition, he wondered if maybe they were right. He sat down and pulled the threads over him, feet first and pulling it all upward until it covered his body. Sliding his hands over the onix, he activated it, feeling the faint buzz that told him the connecting threads were working. He deactivated it, his mind wandering. It might come in handy. At the very least, he could sell it since his credits were blocked.

  Two hours into the solar system his cell band vibrated with a message. He turned his wrist and looked at the dimly lit words.

  Don’t go home. It was from Cristian.

  Chapter Seven

  Saida

  JOSHUA STARED at the words. The icon next to the text let him know it had been a voice message translated into a written message. He touched the icon, and Cristian’s voice whispered, “Don’t go home.”

  A chill ran through him. He’d been through a lot with Cristian, but none of it had been serious. He almost didn’t recognize his friend’s voice, the familiar timbre altered by a hushed tone. Was it fear?

  He hit call and waited. The small symbol swirled, indicating that the signal was being sent. A voice answered.

  “Joshua?” Cristian’s face flickered on the small screen. The resolution was sharp enough that Joshua could see dried blood on Cristian’s mouth and one eye was darkened by a bruise. He looked like he’d been knocked around.

  “Are you all right?” Joshua asked. “Are you with my parents?”

  “Y-yes. W-we escaped to Saida.”

  The rush of relief was so sharp it hurt, and his eyes watered. “Who attacked us? How did you escape? Why are we being chased?”

  “I can’t say right n-now.”

  “Where are you?”

  “At my house…your parents w-went out, they were…they’re…” Cristian turned and looked behind him again.

  Joshua wondered where the stuttering had come from. “What is wrong with you, man? And why haven’t they tried to contact us?”

  Cristian bowed his head. “Your parents are out with m-mine right now, trying to talk to the Council. I’ll let them know right away. You should be hearing from them s-soon.”

  “This is so strange. We’re being chased by someone I think. Maybe Colonial Security, and I don’t know why.”

  “Is Caina w-with you?”

  “Yes.”

  Cristian was silent for a moment. “Maybe she shouldn’t come.”

  Joshua’s red eyes narrowed. “Why not? She’s worried about our parents, too.”

  Both of them stared at each other and then Cristian swallowed, looking away. “Nevermind. I’ll s-see you soon.”

  His face flickered out and Joshua sat back, trying to take it all in. To call the exchange odd was an understatement. He knew Cristian inside and out. He’d seen him at his worst and his best, but he’d never seen him like this. The stuttering was especially puzzling. Joshua wanted to be relieved that his parents were all right, but part of his brain felt nothing but foreboding.

  Another message arrived. From his mother.

  So glad to hear you are all right. We were worried sick. Is Caina okay? There was no voice icon with this one. Confused that she would text rather than call, he tried to call but the screen never opened up. Frustrated, he spoke the message and watched the words appear. Mom, we were really worried. Why don’t you call?

  The message came back instantly. We can’t. Hurry to Saida. We’ll see you soon. Be careful. The signal icon faded.

  If she was so worried, why didn’t she call? If she was concerned about being tracked, a text was no safer. Something wasn’t right.

  He slid his finger on the console, drawing a line across the screen, redirecting their course for Saida. He drew the line slowly, the surface of the screen smooth under his finger. He should be thrilled. What was wrong with him? It was instinct, he knew; that indefinable inner voice that haunted him in odd moments. It gave him an edge in school, even beyond all his heightened senses. It was almost a disease, prompting him to do things that didn’t make sense, and forcing him to make up explanations even he didn’t believe. Whatever it was, the voice was screaming at him to delete the line and run.

  He looked back at Caina. He should tell her that their mother had contacted them, but he kept delaying. Caina had fallen asleep in the hammock, one of her legs dangling off the edge. She looked peaceful, and he didn’t want to wake her.

  She slept for a little while longer and then woke up halfway to their new destination. She rubbed her eyes and stretched, her face pale and sad. He should tell her their parents were all right, but didn’t. She blinked at him and then asked, “Is that Onix?”

  “Yeah. I found it. It might come in handy, now that I’m a thief.”

  She sat up and looked out the window at the unmistakable green and red ring around the planet. “This looks like Saida.”

  “It is.”

  She stared at him. “Why are we here?”

  “Cristian called me and he said…” It felt like the words were being pulled out of his guts, stretching and stringy until they broke free with a snap. “Mom and Dad are with him.”

  They both sat, unmoving as her eyes filled with tears. “They’re okay and you didn’t tell me? What is wrong with you?”

  “I don’t know. I just….I wanted to wait until we saw them.”

  “What are you talking about? You knew they were okay and you didn’t wake me up? You…” she was gritting her teeth now. “What is wrong with you?”

  It took all his restraint not to snap back at her. She had every right to be angry. He answered quietly, “Look, something about this feels really wrong. I just have this feeling…you’re going to have to trust me.”

  She shook her head at him, the contempt in her face twisting her mouth. “Really? Our parents are all right and you keep it to yourself?”

  Losing his composure, he turned away from her, too irritated to explain what he couldn’t anyway.

  “Don’t turn away from me, Joshua. That was a complete jerk move and you know it. I don’t understand.”

  If only she would listen to herself, he thought. She kept saying things like, ‘what is wrong with you’ and ‘I don’t unders
tand’. She had all the answers right there and she just didn’t know it. There was something wrong with him, and she was right, but there was no way she could understand it. He sighed. He had to at least try.

  “Okay, listen.”

  Her anger seemed to freeze, which was a start. She was willing to hear him out.

  He continued, “When I was at the academy, I learned some things about myself that I didn’t talk about. To anyone. Not even to Cristian. Understand?”

  He could see she was more curious than angry so he kept going, hoping it would all come out right.

  “You know about my sight and hearing, right?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Uh, you have them? Like everyone else.”

  Startled, he had to regroup his thoughts. Had his parents kept the academy reports to themselves? He’d never talked to them about the tests. He just assumed they knew. Caina didn’t, apparently.

  “No, not like everyone else. I can see and hear farther than most people. A lot farther.”

  “Okay.” She wasn’t impressed. She didn’t get it.

  “What I didn’t tell anyone was that I also get…feelings, or premonitions.” He stopped, watching her reaction. The confusion on her face didn’t change. Either she didn’t believe him, or she didn’t understand what he was trying to tell her.

  “Something about Cristian’s call is not adding up.”

  The confusion cleared on her face, but now she seemed alarmed, her eyes suddenly wary. “I see. So finding out about our parents is creeping you out, not making you happy.”

  “I’m creeped out because I know Cristian is lying about something—possibly about our parents. I swear you have to trust me. I’m not crazy.”

  Her face didn’t move, but a tear trickled down her cheek. “You think they might still be in trouble. Didn’t you talk to them?”

  “Texting. I couldn’t talk to them, even though I talked to Cristian. It’s strange. Bad strange.”