Fractured Futures Read online

  She doesn’t answer, just levels a glare right at Denver.

  He looks at me and shakes his head.

  “What’s the plan here?” I ask him. I’m not sure letting the guards leave was the best idea, either. At least they could have babysat this woman while I found a seat somewhere with far less drama.

  “Let’s start with the truth.” He folds away the center table and takes a seat across from the woman. He pats the seat next to him. Once I’ve sat down, he leans forward and rests his hands on his knees. “So, you stand with the Resistance, huh?”

  She spits. Lucky for Denver, she’s not a very good spitter. The thick drop of saliva falls short and lands on Denver’s shoe.

  “Lovely.” He grabs a tissue and wipes it off. Then he pulls his feet clear of spitting range. “How did you find out about the Resistance’s broadcast plans anyhow?”

  She doesn’t answer.

  “Fine, but you should know you don’t have your facts straight.” He sits back and purses his lips, probably considering what to do with her. Then he leans forward. “I’m going to tell you a few things that are top secret, and if you repeat them to anyone outside of this cabin, they’ll either tell you you’re nuts or have you locked up for knowing too much. Okay?”

  She hocks some snot and winds up for another spit.

  Denver and I both pull our feet back as far as they can go.

  He turns to me. “Why do I bother, kid?”

  “Ummm… I’m asking the same question right now. Why tell her anything?”

  “Because I think avoiding the truth causes more problems, and this whole diruo fuse drama pretty much confirms it.”

  It’s hard to argue with that.

  He turns back to the woman. “The thing is, you’re right. Earth Force feeds the public lies. They call it the narrative.”

  She eyes him skeptically. “The narrative?”

  “That’s right. But here’s the good news: things are changing. The Resistance was successful at the Americana East rally. They did kidnap me, and they sent me and Jasper here to Gulaga, where they’re headquartered. Sure, I was mad at first, but I was also mad at Earth Force because I’m not real happy having to lie for them all the time. So now, Jasper and I are trying to change things.”

  “Why would I believe you?”

  “Why would I lie?”

  “How many reasons do you want? Everything you said out there was a lie.”

  “Fair point. Kid? Got any ideas here?”

  Me? He was the one who decided telling his attacker the top secret, level-one-clearance truth was a good idea. Still, I can almost hear Addy in my head lecturing me about keeping secrets. I take a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

  “Have you heard of my sister, Adeline Adams?” She doesn’t show any sign of recognizing Addy’s name, not that she should. Addy hasn’t been involved in the protest movement here in Americana East for a few years. I’m sure things have changed. Grown. “Addy could have been you. She’s a Bounder, like me, but before she left for the EarthBound Academy, she got involved in the protest movement. She didn’t like how Earth Force wasn’t being straight with the public, and she felt the way they treated the Bounders was wrong. In some ways, I felt the same, but I wasn’t ready to stand against it the way Addy was. The way you are.”

  Maybe I’m imagining it, but I think the woman’s face is starting to soften. “Why are you telling me this?” she asks.

  “Addy isn’t in Earth Force anymore,” I continue. “She deserted. She’s a Resistance fighter. When I found out where she was, I helped the Resistance transport Captain Reddy to Gulaga. Everything he told you in here is true. The Resistance is strong and is forcing Earth Force to negotiate. We’re optimistic that we’ll soon reach peace with the Youli and our planet will finally enter the Intragalactic Council.”

  “The… what… council?”

  “Intragalactic Council.” I smile, remembering Waters’s words from years ago, when he first gave me a glimpse of the world beyond the Earth Force narrative. “As someone once said to me, the galaxy is more vast than you ever imagined.”

  Soon, the captain comes on over the intercom announcing our approach to the space station. Before long, the woman across from me will be taken into custody. She’ll most certainly be jailed for treason for acting against Earth Force, maybe for the rest of her life. With all the witnesses to her actions, there’s nothing Denver and I can do about that. But maybe we’ve given her a dose of hope that the world she longs for may be dawning.

  “I can’t bring myself to believe you,” she says, “but I want to.”

  “I can’t blame you for doubting us,” I say, “but we’re telling you the truth.”

  She looks out the window; the space station is a flicker of lights in the distance. “I never meant to hurt anyone. I just wanted to get my point across.”

  Denver shakes his head. “I’m not sure that distinction is going to matter much to Earth Force. What’s your name?”

  “Bria.”

  “I can’t say I like you, Bria,” he continues, “but you deserved the truth. Frankly, every citizen on the planet deserves the truth.” He kicks his feet up on the opposite bench.

  “Why did you get your picture taken with us?” I ask, remembering her coming through the line, sweating profusely. I thought she had a virus, not a diruo fuse.

  She shrugs. “I wanted a memento.”

  I look at Denver. He shrugs, too.

  “Hey, kid, you got those chocolate chip cookies?”

  “The ones the guest baked for me?” I ask. “You’re not actually going to eat those, are you?”

  “Why not?” When I hand him the cookie tin, he pops one in his mouth and gives me a thumbs-up. I guess that means they’re edible.

  Yeah, why not? I grab a cookie and take a bite. It’s kind of stale and way too light on the chocolate chips, but I know it’s ten times better than the food we’ll get at the space station.

  * * *

  Our craft was scheduled to land in the hangar at the space station. After Earth Force was informed about the Bria incident, though, they raised the alert status to orange. All outside crafts are required to dock remotely and subjected to all precautionary inspections.

  Originally, Denver and I were the only passengers who were supposed to disembark. The rest of the passengers are continuing on to the Paleo Planet, including Florine. Her contract with Earth Force was only for the duration of the Lost Heroes Homecoming Tour. Now she’s back to being a tour guide, hotel voice-over artist, and, if she has her way, web star reinvented.

  Now, though, we have Bria to deal with.

  We anchor a thousand meters out from the station and are soon boarded by an Earth Force fueling vessel. Florine’s excited greeting just outside our cabin lets us know Admiral Eames is on board before she comes into view. That’s odd. Why on earth would the admiral join a fueling and disembarkation party, especially now, with a prisoner transfer and heightened risk?

  “Cora!” Denver jumps to his feet.

  Okay, I take it back. I know exactly why Admiral Eames decided to board, and his name is Denver Reddy. His voice is a painful mixture of delight and desperation. I’m not the best at romance, but even I’ve heard enough of their exchanges (even their fights) to know that whatever used to exist between them before Denver was lost in the rift hasn’t fully faded for either of them, although their romance hasn’t rekindled.

  She steps into the doorframe. “Captain Reddy, you’re to address me as admiral.” She sounds exasperated. I’ve heard her tell him this half a dozen times, so the count is probably at least twice that. Still, there’s a softness—or maybe a sadness—in her voice that’s not normally there.

  I’m definitely not on a first-name basis with the admiral, so I stand and salute.

  “At ease, Officer Adams.” She waves two Earth Force officers into our cabin. They secure Bria and escort her away. Bria glares at the admiral as she exits. Once they’re gone, Admiral Eames closes the cabin door. “Tell me what happened.”

  Denver describes how Bria threatened the ship with the diruo fuse. He mentions that I disarmed her, but he omits any reference to my gloves. He also says nothing about our conversation with Bria in our cabin.

  “It’s just like Jon Waters to pull a stunt like this,” she says once Denver has finished.

  “Waters?” I ask. “He had nothing to do with this.”

  She scoffs. “Don’t be naive. Of course he did. He’s pulling the strings in all of this.”

  “Jasper’s right, Cora… or, uh… Admiral,” Denver says. “Bria was acting on her own initiative. She knows about the Resistance and is obviously sympathetic to their cause, but as far as we can tell, she has no meaningful connection to them.”

  “Bria? You’re calling the terrorist by her first name?” She shakes her head. “You were in the rift so long you forgot the basics of handling war prisoners.”

  A shadow falls over Denver’s face. “She’s not a war prisoner. She’s an angry citizen. And you want to know why she’s angry? It’s because you keep pushing out these ridiculous ‘narratives’ that have nothing to do with the truth. You’re supposed to represent the people, Cora. You’re supposed to protect the planet. From what I can tell, you’re more about fueling your ambition than representation or protection.”

  The admiral’s jaw is clenched, and her cheeks redden. I want to disappear. Yeah, they have a history, but I can’t believe Denver had the nerve to talk to her that way.

  They stare each other down for what feels like an eternity. Finally, she turns and exits the cabin without a word.

  I look at Denver. “That was gutsy.”

  He drags his fingers through his hair. “Everyone’s so caught up in the narrative, half the time I’m convinced they wouldn’t know the truth if it knocked them on the head.”

  “So that’s what you were doing? Knocking her on the head?”

  “Figuratively, yes.” He grabs his bag and tucks my cookie tin under his arm. “The truth could have avoided this.”

  “Maybe.” I pick up my blast pack and follow Denver out of the cabin. “Although I don’t give Waters as much of a pass as you. The terrorist tactics used by the Resistance—like the rally attack—will inspire copycats much more dangerous than Bria, copycats who don’t care about keeping civilians safe. Waters must know that.”

  “You think I give Waters a pass? Definitely not. Neither of them gets a pass on this. If you ask me, our people are due for some new leaders. I’m glad you and your friends are stepping up.”

  I look around, making sure Admiral Eames’s honor guard is nowhere close. “I doubt Eames or Waters will give up the reins. If they do, maybe you should take over?”

  He laughs. “No way, kid. As soon as we get through these negotiations, I’m done.” He pops one of the cookies in his mouth and takes off down the paw-print-lined hall. “Let’s go. This celebrity cruise has been a nightmare, and I didn’t even get in a good nap.”

  8

  FORTUNATELY, OUR BRIEF RIDE TO the space station from the dock is quiet and incident-free. Once we arrive, we’re assigned private quarters and left on our own. I’m relieved we don’t have chaperones like the last time we were here.

  After a short rest, I head down to the mess hall, hoping to find some familiar faces. I’m not disappointed. Most of my remaining friends in Earth Force are crowded around one of the orange tables.

  As soon as I walk in, Annette spots me. She marches right over with her hands on her hips. “I can’t believe you’re involved with Lucy. It’s so cliché.”

  Again with this ridiculous rumor? I was hoping the narrative had moved on here at the space station, or that maybe the Bounders had been told the truth. Obviously, that was overly optimistic. “Hi, Annette. Nice to see you, too.” She continues to stare at me with her expressionless face, so I add, “Lucy is not my girlfriend.”

  “Ri-i-i-ight,” she says, drawing the word out like she’ll play along if I want her to, but we both know it’s a load of crap. “It pains me to think I used to have crush on you.”

  Crush? On me? That’s news. “Believe what you want, Annette. At this point, I don’t care.”

  “The indifference ploy,” she says. “Don’t insult me, Jasper. I know what you’re about.” She turns and heads back to the table.

  “Ah, women,” a voice says from behind.

  I spin around to find Ryan standing much too close. I take a step back. He’s carrying a tray filled with tofu dogs and yogurt squeezies.

  I grab one of the squeezies and walk with him to the table. “Like you’re some kind of expert on women?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say that, exactly, but I have had my fair share—”

  “Forget I asked, Ryan.”

  Meggi jumps up and gives me a hug. “We’re so happy to see you, Jasper! Everyone was worried when we heard about what happened in Americana East!”

  “How’s your leg?” Orla and Aela, the twins from Addy’s pod, ask in unison.

  “My… oh, right, my leg. It’s fine. Healed up fast.” I can’t believe they swallowed the narrative without a second thought. I figured at least they’d be asking me if it’s true.

  Hakim slaps me on the back. “Glad to hear it, J.”

  Glad to hear it, J? Since when am I “J” to Hakim? He was one of Regis’s guys. My gaze passes between Hakim and Randall, Regis’s other sidekick. Do they even know that Regis is dead? Should I tell them?

  “Do you have any idea what happened to Jayne?” one of the twins asks.

  Jayne, Regis… I can’t say anything without crossing the ridiculous narrative. Maybe Bria is right. My whole life is a lie.

  “No,” I tell her. “I have no clue about Jayne.” I’ve suddenly lost my appetite. “Do you guys know where Lucy is?”

  “As if,” Randall says. “It’s not like she talks to the little people.”

  Ryan slaps the table. “We knew it was true!” At least, that’s what I think he says. His mouth is stuffed so full with tofu dogs, his words are hard to decipher. “You’re dating!”

  I roll my eyes. “Just tell me where I can find Lucy.”

  Ryan leans forward. The smell of tofu dogs wafts over me, and I nearly gag. “Come on, Jasper, give us the scoop!”

  I bug my eyes out at him and try not to breathe. “Where. Is. Lucy?”

  He puts up his hands. “Don’t be so touchy. No kiss and tell—I can respect that. Lucy’s probably in the public relations hall.”

  I ignore the kiss comment and stand. “Great, thanks.”

  “See you later tonight?” Meggi asks.

  I don’t think I have the energy to do this again in a few hours. “I’m kind of tired. Maybe tomorrow?”

  Hakim shakes his head. “We ship out first thing.”

  “All of you? Where are you headed?”

  “Paleo Planet,” Ryan garbles out through a full mouth.

  “It’s changed a ton since you were there last,” Meggi says. “Lots of new construction.”

  “At the mines?” I ask.

  Ryan nods. “Everywhere.”

  Really? So the admiral must want all hands on deck to make sure they get as much occludium ore out of the Paleo Planet as possible before a potential treaty with the Youli takes effect.

  I’m bummed I won’t be able to spend more time with them before they leave, but the idea of having to lie to my friends makes me grumpy. Maybe it’s better this way.

  I lift my hand. “If I don’t see you later, safe travels.”

  * * *

  I find Lucy in her pink office in the PR hall.

  She clutches her hands to her heart. “My boyfriend’s back!”

  “Don’t feed the rumors,” I tell her, crossing her pink shag carpet and giving her a hug.

  “Why not? We determined the story was actually helping our narrative. It’s given the public something to pay attention to. There’s less chance they’ll get intrigued with the conspiracy theories about what really happened at the Americana East rally.”

  “Those aren’t conspiracy theories, Lucy. They’re the truth.” I breathe through my mouth so the smell of roses isn’t as strong. “Maybe you haven’t heard, but the narrative nearly stranded us in space thanks to a would-be Resistance fighter and a diruo fuse.”

  She laughs. “Don’t be dramatic.”

  Me? Dramatic? “As if you have the right to say that.”

  “Drama suits me, Jasper. It doesn’t suit you.” She sits down on her furry pink desk chair and folds her pink-painted fingers on top of her crossed legs. “As for your so-called drama on the cruise ship today, I heard it was basically over before it began. The assailant was taken into custody and will soon be returned to Earth, probably never to see the outside of a prison cell again.”

  I flop down on her pink velvet love seat, facing the giant screen mounted on the opposite wall. “See, that’s my point, Lucy. Locking someone up and throwing away the key isn’t something to be proud of, especially since the thwarted attack wouldn’t have happened if Earth Force had decided to tell the truth about what happened at the rally.”

  “Is that why you’re here? To lecture me about the truth?”

  “I’m here to say hello to my friend. How’s your foot? You’re back to wearing those spikes, I noticed.”

  She circles her ankle. “Good as new. The doctors at the space station worked their high-tech magic.”

  “That’s great.” I kick her door closed and lower my voice. “Luce, I’m also here to see if there’s any news. Do you have more information about what we discussed on Earth?”

  She knows exactly what I’m asking. Is the admiral up to something? And has Lucy figured out what that something is?

  “No, and I wouldn’t tell you if I did. We’re in my office, Jasper.”

  “I know, but we don’t have much time before we leave for the Youli home world. If the admiral’s up to something, we need to know now. This isn’t a romance rumor, Lucy. This is our future. This is our planet’s future.”

  She makes me scootch on the love seat, then slides in beside me. “I’d accuse you of being dramatic again if you weren’t right. The truth is, I’m shut out. No one’s telling me anything. Our imaginary romance put a roadblock into some of my regular gossip channels.”