“Yes, he's fine. I'll just be glad when all this is over.”

  The vehicle stops next to a checkpoint manned by armed soldiers. Max activates the window on his side of the car. When the guard sees Max's face, he waves him past.

  “The building we're in has a lot of security, so everyone should be safe,” he says as the window moves back in place. “But before the truce, there was an attack.”

  I peer out the front window and study the char on one of the nearby buildings. A smattering of plants growing up the side are partially burned away, too. More soldiers patrol the streets nearby.

  The vehicle rolls into an underground parking structure and locates a slot to park in.

  “Support for Hirata is growing,” Max says as we exit the car and head toward the building entrance. “But there are still a lot of patrons and members of the World Senate who support Hammond. So, many of us are trying to stay off the common streets. Right now, a group of us are working and housed here. It's not as comfortable as I might like. But it's all right.”

  “And you said Irene is here, too?”

  “Yep. You'll see her in just a few minutes.” Max taps on his Connect as we approach a door. A hologram of Irene's face appears. She smiles when she sees him, her white teeth offset by her dark skin.

  “Has the eagle landed?”

  Max chuckles. “Yeah, I have her. Can you open the door?”

  He swipes off the display and the door pops open. Max ushers me through. Inside is a well-lit hallway with white walls.

  “This floor has been converted into sleeping quarters. Above us is where everyone works. When your dad had these buildings constructed, he apparently ordered them to be built into the ground. The area we are in now is nearly bomb-proof. I guess he knew there was a chance for war.”

  “Human habits seem to die hard,” I say.

  Max leads me up a single flight of stairs and into another larger hallway. We pass a partially cracked open door. Inside, a group of people works on computers and several others bustle around the space completing their tasks.

  “Come on.” Max waves me toward an open door about ten feet ahead.

  I pick up the pace, and inside I see the back of Irene's dark hair while she works at a computer. A giant holographic screen wavers in front of her. On a computer next to Irene is a man, maybe in his sixties. I'm not sure. But he's partially balding and paunchy.

  “We're here,” Max says, and Irene spins in her chair toward us.

  “You're okay,” Irene says with a sigh of relief and stands.

  I reach out and pull her into a hug. “You too.”

  She squeezes me. “Yup. But I'm stuck here with this rowdy group.” She gestures with her head toward the man still sitting to her right. “Right, Howard?”

  The man grunts but doesn't look up at her. Instead, he just keeps tapping his virtual keyboard and occasionally swiping at information on his screen.

  I raise my eyebrow at Irene.

  She smiles and glances at Max. “I need to get back to work. Why don't you give Cassi the rest of the tour and show her our quarters?”

  “Are we still roommates?” I ask.

  “Yeah,” Irene says. “But don't expect the luxury accommodations we had before. There are two extra beds in the room, and I'm sure the higher-ups will move another roomie in soon.”

  I think back to our dorm room that was little more than a box and a tight squeeze for the two of us.

  “Hey,” Max says to Irene. “At least I've been able to give you a couple days of privacy.”

  Irene tips her chin at Max. “It pays to know people.”

  “Yes, it does.” Max chuckles and looks at me. “Let's head out.”

  I start to follow him when my Connect vibrates. I raise my wrist, and an auto hologram plays. The same thing happens to everyone in the room.

  The Board’s symbol of Earth and Arcadia overlapping while surrounded by stars appears and then vanishes, replaced with the head and torso of a man dressed in a suit and tie. His hair is neatly combed.

  “This is a broadcast announcement where we take you to Skybase and the recently adjourned World Senate gathering,” the man says.

  I lean in and ask Max. “What's this about?”

  “The Senate was voting on a new President of the Board today,” he says.

  “They officially removed Hammond?”

  “Currently Hammond is missing. No one knows where she is or if she’s even alive.”

  My heart picks up the pace, and I return my attention to the holographic man.

  “In a thirty-one to twenty vote, Lia Hirata has been named our next Board President.”

  Cheers erupt from outside the room we're in, and even Howard lets out a soft, “Whoop.”

  “We were pretty sure she was going to win,” Max says. “But this is great news. It means the World Senate is working toward a solution with the Alku. There have been rumors their leader even met with the World Senate.”

  “Vihann?” I ask. Maybe he's about to work this out peaceably. I wonder if Wirrin was there, too.

  Max nods. “Yes, Vihann.”

  I look back to the hologram still playing on my wrist as Lia Hirata is sworn in. I guess they're wasting no time. She raises her hand to take the oath, and the camera pans back. It's then that I see him. A tall boy in a sharp suit, with hair falling just over his forehead. Keeping a serious expression, he reaches up to move the strands off his face.

  Luca Powell.

  Chapter 9

  “L

  uca is with Hirata?” I ask, my chest tensing at the sight of him.

  Max turns his attention to me. “Immediately after the Senate split, Luca showed up and surrendered to Hirata. He confessed how he was never on board with Hammond’s plans but didn't have the power at the time to do anything to challenge her. Since he hasn't done enough for Hammond to remove him from the Board, he has pledged allegiance to Hirata.”

  My stomach churns at Max's words and my face must show my distaste.

  “Look,” Max says, “I don't trust the guy either. But Hirata and Cooper have spoken to him at length. And they do trust him. Enough, at least.”

  I glance at Irene, who's now watching us, and she mumbles under her breath.

  “You can talk to them yourself tomorrow,” Max says.

  “Tomorrow? I was hoping to see Hirata today.”

  Max gestures with a tip of his chin to Hirata's swearing-in still taking place on the screen. “You can see she's a little busy today.”

  I sigh. But I guess this will give me more time to figure out how I can leave this bunker of sorts, get to Dad's lab, and then find Dr. Owens.

  “Hey,” Irene says, interrupting my thoughts. “You mind if I steal Cassi for a bit? I’ve been up for fourteen hours, and I could use a break. Then I'll take her down and show her our quarters.”

  “Sure,” Max says and checks his Connect. “I have an appointment soon, and while I'm there, I'll confirm everything is set for you to meet with Cooper and Hirata tomorrow morning. First thing.”

  I nod as Irene takes my arm and pilots me out of the room, past Max.

  “I thought you had work?” I ask.

  Irene ignores my question. “So, what's happening on the other side?”

  Whoa. That's a big question I'm not sure I'm ready to answer. Javen, my dad— the Alku situation.

  “I don't feel like we're being told everything over here,” she adds.

  “I'm sure you're not,” I say while thinking of my father's whereabouts. “My dad is alive.” I admitted this to Max; might as well tell Irene.

  Her eyes widen. “Really? I thought he might be from the video feed. Do the Alku have him?”

  “Not exactly. But I need to get to his lab. I think there's information there I need.”

  “His lab?” Irene motions me through a door marked “Cafeteria.” Inside, a few people sit at tables, and up front is an assortment of prepackaged, shelf-stable foods. We grab a few items to snack on and then glance around. “Let's go to our quarters,” Irene suggests. “More privacy there.”

  She leads me down the stairs to the sleeping quarters floor and to a door marked “A-102.” After using the thumb scanner, she opens the door and then activates the light.

  The room is as sparse as Irene said, with only four cots and overhead lighting. Not very homey and way worse than the dorm ever was. Only one of the beds has been slept on.

  “You can take whatever bed you want . . . except mine of course,” Irene says with a smile.

  I plop onto the nearest cot, and the bed squeaks as I do. With a resigned sigh, I open my package of granola and set my box of water down beside me. Every bit of tiredness and stress that I’ve been bottling up inside suddenly seeps through my body. What I would give for a shower right now.

  “How is your family?” I ask, eating a bit of my snack while we talk. “Your aunt and cousins? Were you able to get a comm to them after everything went down?”

  She purses her lips. “I did. I guess the World Senate was able to intercept your broadcast. The message never reached Earth . . . only the people of Primaro and the Senate know about the Alku. All outgoing comms are being monitored and delayed so that Earth doesn't panic from the news.” She rips open her package marked Raspberry Protein Bites and pops a reddish cluster into her mouth. “I'm sure some information has gotten through. But it's not widespread yet. I was dying while holding back more info for her, but I knew my comm would only be deleted and I’d probably lose my privilege to send out any more messages. Everything is the same in LA, and my aunt was mostly just happy for the CosmicCoin deposit in her account. Helps take care of the rent.”

  I pause mid-bite for a second, stunned, before chewing once more. Earth doesn't know about the Alku? Or what bad shape their planet is in? I don't know if the lack of Earth’s knowledge makes the situation better or worse. But I guess there's not much the people can do. Why stress them out more than they already are?

  I swallow my bite and ask, “Extra Solar is still paying you?”

  “No. Hirata arranged for me to start officially working for the Board. Pay is the same as I was getting before.” Between bites, she asks, “So, you said your Dad had a lab in Primaro?”

  “No, it's outside of the city. I'm not even sure anyone on his team knows the location. But there should be some of his research housed there. He gave me the coordinates. But I have no idea how I'm going to get to the location. On the way in, I noticed so many guards outside the building and within the secured area, and I'm not quite ready to tell Hirata about the lab yet. Especially not after seeing how Luca is on the Board again.”

  Irene grimaces. “I get that.”

  “I can't prove Luca is doing anything wrong. But I didn't trust him from the moment I met him.”

  Irene holds her protein cluster in the air, ready to take her next bite, but speaks instead. “What about that Javen guy? Maybe he could transport you to the lab, like he did for me out of the detention center.”

  “Javen is on the other side of the Intersection dealing with his own problems.”

  “Things not going well for you two?” Irene sits on her cot.

  “What?”

  “I was pretty freaked out that day in the Capitol building, but I'm not blind. I saw the way you looked at him when we were in there. When he was hurt.” She raises her eyebrows at me as I say nothing. “You have big feelings for an alien.”

  My heart shudders. An alien? I haven't thought of Javen or the Alku like that. Aliens are little green men who take cows and unsuspecting people up to the mothership! But I guess he is an alien. That’s what the man behind Specter called the Alku earlier. Or since the Alku were here first, maybe we should be considered the aliens.

  “I do care for him. I think about him all the time. Feels as if we've always been together and shouldn't be apart.”

  “Sounds intense.” Irene takes the last bite of her meal, and I’m only halfway through mine. “Really intense for a person you just met.”

  “I know. The Starfire has something to do with the connection. But I'm not sure where the Starfire starts and where I end.”

  “I've had to trust my instincts my whole life. Being a poor girl from LA, a lot of people tried to take advantage. But my instincts got me here. Arcadia may not be perfect, but without it, I'd probably be on the streets in LA, and my aunt and cousins would be, too. Don't let this Starfire be your number one guide. You need to keep that position. Trust yourself.” Irene stands. “You should eat, take a shower, and rest. I have to get back upstairs, but after my shift is done, I'll come down here and we'll head out to find your dad's lab.”

  ∆ ∆ ∆

  The rest of the day, I barely slept—maybe an hour, tops. But I was able to shower and change into a fresh shirt and jeans and tame the snarled mess my strawberry-blond hair had become. Irene even brought a few of my jewelry-making supplies, and I was able to affix the Starfire that Dad gave me to a necklace. But she didn’t get Dad’s thumb drive since the device wasn’t in any of my things. Alina must have taken it. I touch my finger to the gem hidden under my shirt. It's still there. Could I just transport me and Irene to the lab myself? Without knowing more on how the Intersection Starfire affects humans, I want to use this crystal as little as possible. If we can get to the lab another way, I want to do that, even if getting there is more work.

  “You sure you got enough rest today?” Irene asks.

  “You’re going to be a great mom.” I smile and raise my eyebrow at her.

  Irene scoffs. “I'm so used to taking care of my cousins.”

  I pull up the coordinates to Dad’s lab on my Connect. “I slept fine. Feel good actually.” The statement isn’t a lie. I do feel great, at least healthwise.

  “How long is it going to take for us to get there?” she asks.

  “The lab is outside the city. Estimated time says thirty minutes by vehicle. You did get a vehicle, right?”

  “I did.” She throws a couple of water boxes and food packages into a bag and then slings the satchel over her shoulder.

  I roll my eyes. Irene really is like a mother already.

  “Oh, I forgot.” She reaches under her shirt and pulls out a pistol. Before she lowers the gun, I see that she has a second one still tucked in the waist of her pants. Irene tosses the weapon to me, and I catch it.

  My eyes widen. “What's this for?”

  Irene furrows her eyebrows and her lips form a thin line. “You know exactly what a gun is for. But the question is, do you know how to shoot it?”

  “No,” I scoff. “Why would I know how to shoot a gun? Why would you know how to shoot one?”

  “Lots of VR gaming.” Irene whips out her gun and activates the laser power. She throws the weapon out in front of her, pointing to my left. “It's that easy. Ready and shoot.” She lowers the gun, resets the safety, and then tucks the weapon at her waist. “But we should get going. I know the guard on duty, and he won't give us any trouble for leaving. The one coming on in twenty minutes will be more of an issue.”

  With reservations, I place my weapon inside my waistband as Irene and I exit the room. We head down to the parking garage. Ahead of us is a guard with dark skin and short-cropped hair. He smiles when he sees Irene.

  “Hey, Trav,” she says with a lilt in her voice I haven't heard before. Wonder if she's playing him or maybe she really likes him? “You got my quad?”

  “Yep.” Trav tips his chin toward an open-aired, off-road vehicle. “What do you need transport for?”

  “Research,” she says quickly. “My friend needs to get some organic samples. Hirata okayed the request.”

  Trav brings up the display on his Connect and gives us a thumbs-up. Whatever the screen reads must confirm what Irene says.

  “Just one quad?” I whisper to Irene.

  “All I could get, and you can ride behind me. We can deal.” She turns her attention to Trav and smiles. “Thanks.”

  “No prob,” he says. “But don't take too long out there. People are getting restless.”

  Irene pats the gun under her shirt. “No worries. We're prepared.”

  Trav green-lights us as Irene hops onto the quad. I sit behind her and show her the coordinates. She enters the numbers on the front display. The engine hums quietly to life as Irene starts up the vehicle, and then she turns the quad around.

  “Maybe dinner tomorrow?” Trav says to Irene.

  “Maybe,” she says, and then we jet off toward the exit.

  I lean into her. “You don't like him?”

  “Oh, he's fine. But I don't have time for relationships now.”

  The gate to the exit opens and Arcadia’s night sky greets us.

  The quad's computer system takes us east, mostly off-road. But luckily the terrain isn’t too bumpy. I'm aware the landscape is beautiful, but I barely notice. About two minutes out from our destination, I search ahead for what might look like a lab. But there's nothing. Just trees and underbrush lit by the moons. The quad slows, and Irene guides the vehicle under a tree and brings us to a stop.

  “You sure you got those coordinates right?” Irene asks.

  “Positive.” I tap my Connect and bring up my Earthscape Lite program. Dad had me download the topography of Primaro and the surrounding area last year. I enter the coordinates, and a glow appears on the hologram. I line the image up with the real thing. Something is there, but I can’t make out the specifics. “One hundred yards ahead. If the object isn’t the lab, then I guess we’re lost.”

  Allowing the quad to auto drive, Irene takes out her gun, but I leave mine in place and hope for the best. We follow the Connect’s trajectory, and as we get closer, the blurred lines of a building become more evident. The lab’s appearance is even more organic than the foliage-lined buildings in Primaro. This is more like the Alku's structures, blending almost perfectly with the surroundings. There are no apparent windows, only one door.

  “So, I guess we're not lost,” Irene says.

  “Yeah. I knew my dad wouldn't steer me wrong.” But the reality is I don't know.

  We approach the front, and a palm scanner lights up next to the door. I look to Irene. Dad didn't say anything about the design.

 

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