Fractured Futures Read online

  I take a deep breath and close my eyes. Even though I can no longer gauge our spinning, my stomach knows. I press my tongue against the roof of my mouth to ward off the pooling acid from erupting out of my throat. I knew I shouldn’t have choked down so many carob-coated fruit balls during my mad dash through the mess hall this morning.

  “Look!” Addy shouts.

  I open my eyes. She’s pointing ahead, over Lucy’s shoulder. Out that side of the capsule, there’s a place in space that seems to wave and bend, almost like a bounding port. We’re zooming directly for it.

  Before I can process whether that’s good or bad, we’re through. Now we’re in some sort gray, gauzy haze, like a thick layer of clouds.

  “I think this is a bounding shield,” Cole says. “More sophisticated than our occludium shields, obviously, but the same general tech. If anyone managed to track our capsule in orbit, I’m sure they’d lose us in here.”

  “No kidding,” Addy says. “This is thicker than Mom’s spaghetti sauce, right, J?”

  In response, I gag.

  “Don’t. You. Dare. Puke,” Lucy says.

  “Seriously, Ace,” Marco says, “who are you, Bad Breath?”

  When we bounded with Bad Breath on our way to Alkalinia, he threw up everywhere. The memory makes me gag again. I cover my mouth with both hands.

  We hurtle through the haze for a long time. It seems like nothing’s changing, but if Cole’s right, we’re gradually edging closer to the planet, where eventually its gravity will be strong enough to yank us down.

  “Something’s happening,” Addy says. Sure enough, the light outside the sphere is getting brighter and filled with color.

  “We must be entering the atmosphere,” Cole says.

  Out the window, the thick gray haze shifts to an opaque ice blue, getting brighter and pinker by the second. Our trajectory adjusts. We’re no longer spinning. Instead, we’re bulleting in one direction and gaining speed by the second.

  “And we have gravity,” Cole says.

  “Do we have to be upside down?” I ask, taking another deep breath to keep the nausea at bay.

  Before anyone responds, our capsule breaks through the cloud layer.

  Addy gasps.

  “Wow,” Marco says.

  Beneath us, the Youli home world glistens. It looks exactly like the picture Mira showed me in my mind. Crystalline towers reach up through the rose-blue sky like lances covered in ice. They stretch through a thick layer of pink clouds that covers the ground so that it looks like the planet is built on a field of cotton candy. As we close in, I see that pale green vines climb the towers and shine their leaves at the trio of stars on the horizon.

  “It’s gorgeous!” Lucy exclaims.

  We shoot down, gaining speed. We fly by the tips of the crystal towers with no sign of slowing. Soon, it’s clear we’re headed for large reflective disk built into one of the crystals.

  “What is that?” Addy asks. “A solar panel? A landing pad?”

  “I’m not sure,” Cole replies.

  As we close in, the disk appears to burp, emitting a giant bubble into the air. The bubble floats up to meet our capsule. The second they collide, the silver holding our capsule together vanishes, and we’re contained inside the transparent membrane of the bubble.

  As we’re lowered through the silver disk into the tower, the bubble’s membrane fogs. I can’t see through the opaque barrier, but I can sense when the bubble stops descending. Addy and I share a glance filled with nerves and curiosity for whatever happens next.

  The bubble pops.

  We are standing in an enormous hall with columns reaching stories high. The space we’re in is so grand there is nothing in my memory to compare it to. My closest mental references are pictures of temples built to honor the gods in ancient Greece or Egypt. We’re so small compared to the size of the room that again I feel like the bug under the microscope.

  Windows stretch so high, I can barely see the ceiling. On the other sides of the glass, crystal towers reach skyward and dense petals wave in a soft breeze. Inside, thick vines snake their way to the ceiling and out the windowed walls to wrap around the tower. The floor beneath us looks like marble but is so reflective that it makes me feel like I’m falling the second I look down. Everything has a greenish hue that reminds me of Youli skin, and the very air resonates with a subtle throbbing, like the unison beating of a communal heart.

  Addy elbows me in the ribs. I turn. Three Youli are approaching. Inside their translucent green skin, their pink hearts beat in time to the air itself.

  And Mira leads the way.

  12

  THE MOMENT I SPOT MIRA, her eyes light up, and she practically radiates with energy that showers my brain patch with shivers.

  I don’t even think. I just start running… right into an invisible wall. I roughly crash and fall on my butt.

  Mira flicks her wrist and steps through the barrier. Rumblings on the edge of my mind let me know the Youli aren’t too happy that she waved away the wall.

  Before I can scramble to my feet, Mira’s standing right in front of me. She leans over and extends her hands.

  Her fingers are cold as always, but as I fold her slender palms into my own, a wave of warmth spreads through me. When I’m on my feet, I sweep my arms around her and wrap her into a tight hug.

  She pulls back. Her face is damp with tears. Her dark brown eyes find mine, and it’s almost too intense to hold her gaze. So much emotion pours off of her—happiness and longing and relief and despair, all interwoven like a giant ball of rubber bands. I couldn’t begin to separate or decipher them, so I don’t even try. I just stand still and stare and try to take it all in. Take her in.

  Lucy clears her throat. “Hi, Mira.”

  That’s right. We’re not the only two people in the galaxy.

  I blink and step to the side. I reach down and grab Mira’s hand, not wanting to let her go for even a second. She’s wearing a long white gown like the one she wore when she met us at the bounding base a few weeks ago. Her blond hair hangs in a braid down her back.

  Lucy, Cole, Addy, and Marco greet Mira. Unlike me, though, they’re wary. They barely take their eyes off the three Youli standing behind her.

  My pod mates probably haven’t seen a Youli this close since the Intragalactic Summit at the end of our tour on Gulaga. And they definitely haven’t seen one under supposedly peaceful conditions. As far as I know, the only Youli that Addy has ever seen were from a distance during the Battle of the Alkalinian Seat.

  While my friends talk to Mira, I eye the Youli. They’re green, big-headed, and tall, like aliens straight out of classic sci-fi films. I wouldn’t be surprised if secret Youli visits to Earth inspired some of the original drawings of aliens and UFOs. They weren’t as secret as they thought. And now, for reasons I don’t totally understand but probably have to do with Mira, they aren’t nearly as scary, at least to me.

  Somehow I instinctively know that these three Youli are the ones who rescued us from the rift. Since they kept their word and got us out of there, I at least have some reason to trust them. And since the whole point of us traveling here is to lay a positive foundation for Earth-Youli relations before the Intragalactic Summit, with me as the neutral guy and de facto leader, I decide I should be the friendly spokesperson.

  Hi, I say to them. Thanks again for rescuing us from the rift.

  Addy eyes me sideways. “Are you talking to them?”

  “I’m just saying hello,” I tell her.

  “You’re actually talking to the Youli?” Lucy asks.

  I smile. “Yes.”

  Marco nods. “Cool.”

  Cole’s eyes light with fascination. “Jasper, you need to translate everything.”

  The Youli in the center steps forward. Jasper Adams, we meet again. I could never forget that voice. It sounds like wind chimes. Welcome to our world.

  The other two Youli don’t send words, but positive, welcoming vibes radiate from their core.

  Marco elbows me and eyes the Youli. “Well?”

  “They’re just welcoming us and stuff,” I tell my pod mates.

  Lucy steps forward. “Jasper, please translate.” She flashes her signature smile before continuing. “Greetings from planet Earth. I am Captain Lucy Dugan. It is our utmost pleasure to meet you. We appreciate your hospitality, and we commit to doing everything in our power to facilitate the relations between our peoples.”

  I look at Mira and the Youli. She says it’s nice to meet you.

  They don’t need you to translate, Mira says. They understand.

  “Oh,” I say.

  “Did you tell them what I said?” Lucy asks.

  “Sort of,” I say.

  “Well, tell them, Jasper. It’s very important that you translate what I say word for word.”

  “They heard you, Lucy. I don’t need to translate.”

  Can you please ask the others if we can form a brain connection? Mira asks.

  You mean you can talk directly to them? I ask her. Like at the bounding base?

  When she nods, I relay the request to my pod mates.

  Marco takes a step back, like physical distance might prevent the Youli from invading his mental space. “I suppose no isn’t an option, huh, Ace?”

  “Just say yes,” Lucy says. “We’re here to form positive bonds before the Summit, remember?”

  “I certainly assent,” Cole says. “This method of communication is fascinating.”

  Addy looks to Marco, then to me. “I didn’t know ‘bonds’ meant brain bonds, but we’re in. It’s not like we have a real choice anyway.”

  I feel the Youli expanding our communication circle to include my pod mates. By this point, it feels pretty normal for me to be communicating brain to brain, but the same can definitely not be said for them. The small taste of it they got at the bounding base from Mira did not prepare them for the utterly foreign presence of the Youli in their minds.

  Marco clamps his hands against his head. “Whoa! Not loving this!”

  Lucy presses her lips together. Cole’s whole body is rigid with stress. Addy crouches and shields her face so we can’t see her reaction.

  Welcome, young ones, Wind Chimes says. We have been anticipating your visit with joy and intention of purpose. We want your stay to be comfortable and productive. Please let us know at once if any of your needs have not been met. We will let your comrade show you to your quarters. We have secured your mental network, so you will be able to communicate telepathically even when we are not with you.

  Mira smiles. I’m your comrade.

  As the Youli step back, preparing to leave, I sense a presence in our mental circle. I look to Mira, then to the Youli to see if they are going to say more.

  Thank you, the voice says. I know at once that it’s Addy. She pushes herself to standing and smiles. “That was hard.”

  “Nice, Ads,” I whisper. “It gets easier.”

  The Youli stop and incline their heads. Rather than words, they send us waves of gratitude and hospitality. They’re impressed by how fast my sister caught on to brain-talk. They indicate they’re about to bound, then in a flash they’re gone, leaving us alone with Mira.

  “How’d you do that?” Marco asks my sister.

  She shrugs. “I just gave it a whirl, and it worked. You should try.”

  “Next time the green guys show up, maybe I will.”

  “I knew you’d be a natural,” I say to Addy. “You and I have been communicating without words since before you could talk.”

  Mira clasps her hands in front of her chest. Come! I’ll show you around.

  Her smile is wide, and she radiates happiness. I know she’s glad to see me, but it’s more than that. For the first time, she’s able to talk to all of my pod mates, not just me. Her connection with them is expanding, just like we hope will happen with the connection between Earth and the Youli.

  I squeeze her hand. Let’s go!

  * * *

  With the Youli gone, I can relax and look around. The room we’re in is indeed cavernous. Bright light from the suns streams in, casting tall shadows around the room. The columns are spaced in a pattern, so the shadows reach across the room in long parallel lines. In the streaks of sunlight, tiny dust motes dance.

  When we first arrived, I thought the columns held up the ceiling, and they probably do, but now I see they’re also lattices to support the vines. Thick green stems wrap around each column, climbing to the ceiling above. Wide leaves reach like open palms, each angled slightly to catch the rays of the suns. Together they seem to pulse with that same subtle heartbeat.

  “The Youli like plants, huh?” Marco asks.

  The sparkly, bubbly sensation that I’ve come to know as Mira’s laughter fills my mind. Addy and my pod mates bristle. They don’t know what to make of brain-talk yet. Their reaction makes her laugh even more. It’s cool that we’re all connected now, but I can’t push away the pang of jealousy that’s batting at me. Brain-talk was Mira’s and my special thing. Our communication was secret, just for us. Now that the Youli expanded our circle, can the others hear everything I say to her?

  Mira’s gotten even better at decoding my thoughts, because she answers my question without me having to ask. Find the door and close it. See? First, I feel like a curtain is sliding across my brain, leaving a mental space that’s quiet and contained. Then the curtain opens, and I’m aware of the subtle mental self-chatter that must be the others.

  I grab the mental curtain and yank it shut. Just us? I ask Mira.

  She tips her eyes to me and smiles. Just us.

  Now that I’m thinking about it, this isn’t the first time I’ve sensed the mental curtain. When we were in the rift with the Youli, Mira used that same trick to shut me out. How did she know how to do that back then?

  Mira squeezes my hand. Just us, she says again.

  Right. Just us. And Mira’s ability to read my thoughts. I could press her about the rift or savor our connection. It’s an easy choice, at least for now. I’ve missed you.

  Me, too.

  I feel her brain against mine and close my eyes. “Missed” is such an understatement. It’s like she took a part of me with her that I’m finally getting back.

  Leave it to Marco to annihilate the moment. “Hey, uh, Mira? How is this brain-talk supposed to work? I’ve been shouting at Addy for the last two minutes, and she hasn’t responded.”

  “That’s because I’m ignoring you,” Addy says from the other side of the room. She has one hand on a vine and the other on a giant leaf.

  “Serves him right,” Lucy says, linking her arm with Mira’s. “Sweetie, why don’t we work on brain-talk later? Can you just tell us the plan? I’m tired and my feet are killing me.”

  “Maybe if you didn’t wear those spiky heels they’d feel better,” Marco says.

  Lucy glares at him and snuggles closer to Mira. “Please?”

  “I don’t understand how to do it,” Cole says, his face scrunched up in frustration. “Do we form words and send them through a link? Can you please give us step-by-step instructions?”

  “I think Lucy’s right,” I say. “We need to rest. And I’m sure there will be time to practice brain-talk later.”

  Now I’ll show you to your room, Mira says. Join hands, and I’ll bound you there.

  “How?” Cole asks. “Free bounding requires personal knowledge of the destination or use of a BPS.”

  “Mira has personal knowledge,” I say.

  “Yes, but we don’t,” Cole says through gritted teeth. If there’s one thing that stresses Cole out, it’s not understanding how things work. So far, this trip is proving to be pretty challenging for our Evolution of Combat expert.

  I try to make my voice sound quiet and soothing. “Cole, their technology is more advanced. Mira can link with us and direct the bound.”

  Cole shakes his head in tiny, jerky movements.

  “Umm… I’m not a fan of that idea,” Lucy says. “Can’t we just walk?”

  That’s not how it… works… here, Mira explains. There aren’t hallways or elevators. We just bound where we need to go.

  Wow. The only way to get around is by bounding? That’s both amazing and terrifying at the same time.

  “So, let’s do it,” Addy says. She grabs Mira’s free hand and extends her other to Marco. Lucy shrugs and takes Marco’s hand. Cole doesn’t move. I reach over and clasp his palm. With a final shake of his head, he lets Lucy take his other hand. Before anyone can change their mind, Mira bounds us out.

  We land smoothly, still hand in hand, in an extremely familiar room, one that I was in earlier this week, in fact. How did we end up in our pod room? Did Mira bound us off the planet? Are we actually at the space station? I turn in a circle, taking everything in, trying to figure out what just happened. “Is this really our pod room?”

  No, it’s—

  “Oh no, uh-uh,” Lucy says, shaking her head. “I am not staying in another VR prison cell.”

  “VR!” Cole says, intrigue now trumping frustration. “Of course!”

  “I agree with the Fresh Face of Earth Force,” Marco says. “No thanks. Don’t you have a hotel or a bed-and-breakfast or something?” He heads for the door, which, if what Mira told us about bounding is true, is probably a door to nowhere.

  There’s a ripple of anguish through our mental circle. Mira is upset. Her emotions are strong enough that even my pod mates immediately sense it. Marco backs away from the door. Lucy puts her arm around Mira.

  Addy, who’s been walking around the room, waving her fingers at the lava lamps and studying the starry ceiling, stops and turns to Mira. You made this space special for us, didn’t you?

  For you. And for me. Mira sends pictures—memories—through our mental link of her time on the Youli planet. Most of the pictures make little sense, but the emotions behind them have a common theme: loneliness. Then she shows us mental pictures of our pod room, or, rather, this replica of our pod room. She’s still lonely, but there’s an element of familiarity that wasn’t present in the other memories. This room brings her comfort. Her memories flash by quickly, like a roll of vintage film on fast-forward. For a second, I think I catch a glimpse of a second person in this room, but then it’s gone.