“Move it, Jesse!” Avery shouts back as we bound up a short flight of stairs to the Chute Station. I don’t know where she gets off throwing orders around after what happened in the cell, but right now my number one goal is to get out of this city. The two of us will talk later.
As I join her on the waiting platform, I watch the Chute crawl toward us, a thin white monorail approaching like a snake. They say these things can travel up to 150 miles an hour when they get out of the city. It’s a good thing, too. The speedier, the better.
Finding the nearest station had been a hassle in itself. Tight alleyways gave way to tighter streets, while monolithic buildings stood watch on all sides like sentinels. I don’t see how people know where they’re going around here.
The Chute blows my hair to the side as its front end passes by and stops beside the platform. Circular doors on each car whoosh open and crowds of people pour out, rushing past us to the exit queues. I spin around to see government officials scanning the wrists of the passengers as they exit the station and head into the city.
“You don’t have some fancy ID code, do you?” I whisper to Avery.
She shakes her head. “They removed it before I came up to the Academy.”
I groan. Without codes we’ve got no credit. This is gonna be a stolen ride.
A crowd of waiting passengers fills in around us. We stay in the center and join the current, hands in pockets. Boarding this thing probably isn’t the safest plan ever, but we don’t have a lot of options.
When the car empties, a pair of scanner guns pop out from inside. Travelers push their way onto the Chute, wrists up to display their ID sockets. Blue lasers brush over codes with a series of electronic beeps. Avery and I deliberately keep our hands in our pockets as we squeeze in between passengers, hoping that there aren’t any security cameras watching.
If they don’t catch us coming on, they’ll get us for sure when we exit. We might be able to fool a laser. A government official won’t be so easy.
We board the Chute without setting off any alarms and find two corner seats in the back. I slump next to the window, making myself as invisible as possible. I peer out at the city, focusing on the third-floor window of a neighboring office building. Rows of desks stretch beyond the glass. Late night workers plug away at computer boards inside. Mass joyless-kinda like Visitation Day.
An elderly woman takes a seat across from us as the circular door slides shut. The Chute remains still, waiting for the rest of the cars to fill up.
“Hey, Jesse,” Avery points at a small screen affixed to the front end of the car, “this one heads to Spokane.”
I look over to the screen. Sure enough, bright yellow letters flash Northwest District Line: Spokane — #46. I allow myself a sliver of hope. “That’s near Seattle, right?”
“Not really,” she says, “but at least it gets us out of the city. It’s better than heading south.”
I nod. South is no good. I don’t feel like being eaten alive by mosquitoes.
A pounding on the door causes everyone to turn. I crane my neck to see a face pressed against the window, inspecting the travelers around me.
It’s Cassius. How did he find us so quickly?
I try to duck out of the way but he spots me almost immediately.
He pounds his fists on the side of the car. The passengers stare at him in annoyance, especially the elderly woman.
“Frag it.” Avery flattens against her seat. “Persistent little bugger, isn’t he?”
I ignore her, wondering how he could have escaped the cell. This is getting ridiculous. It’s like trying to crush a cockroach.
A man in a government uniform grabs Cassius’s shoulder and spins him around, away from the door. I watch as Cassius motions with his arms for the guy to let him in, but the officer shakes his head and points toward the open cars at the back of the Chute.
Cassius digs through his jacket, searching for something. Before he can pull it out, the engine whirs to life and speakers around the perimeter of the Chute begin to beep.
With a frustrated glance at the officer, Cassius gives up and turns around, sprinting to the back of the Chute.
“He’ll get on,” I whisper.
Avery sighs. “I don’t doubt it. Just be glad he can’t get between the cars.”
“Unless we stop,” I remind her.
“There isn’t another Chosen between here and Spokane. It’s a straight shot. Relax.”
I recline in my seat. I could be lying in bed right now, safe and sound back at the Academy. Instead, I’m heading for a city I’ve never been to. On the run, chased by some psycho teenaged Pearlhound-and maybe even Madame. And Avery wants me to relax?
The speakers inside the cabin hiss to life, followed by a woman’s calming voice. “Welcome aboard this Northwest District Line to Spokane, city number forty-six. This is a non-stop journey with an arrival time estimated at eleven twenty-five.”
I glance at the digital clock beside the screen. About two hours from now. Two hours without any running.
“We hope your journey with us is a comfortable one,” the overhead voice continues, impossibly cheerful. “Our automated cabin crew is always available if you have any questions or concerns.”
The Chute begins to pull forward, slowly at first, but building speed until we’re rocketing along the track. The rapidly passing scenery outside is the only clue that we’re moving at all. Motion control.
The skyscrapers blur into a tapestry of fuzzy lights until we pass through the Bio-Net. Then nothing. No lights, no movement, just darkness staining every window.
The temperature control hums to life and stabilizes the air inside. During the night, it can easily stay above 100 degrees out here. And it’s not even summer yet. I hear it’s killer in the summer. Surface Tan turns to Surface Stroke. No wonder Fringers try to break into Chosens.
I stare out the window. The Chute dips forward until the tracks touch the ground. Dust kicks up from underneath our car, clouding the air before dissipating back into the blackness. We’ve officially entered the Fringes. Dustbowl territory.
“We made it.” Avery lays her hand on my knee. “Look, about what I told you back at the Security Center-”
I turn to her. “I don’t wanna talk about it. I don’t know what side you’re on, but I don’t want to do this alone. Not after what just happened.”
She leans closer, whispering. “It should have burned right through you, Jesse. You should be dead right now.”
I nod. It’s everyone’s worst fear. Even the crazy members of Heaven’s Rain wouldn’t want to be standing in front of an oncoming Pearl. But I’ve done it.
I pause in thought. I’ve done it twice.
The words spill out of my mouth before I even know what I’m saying. “When the Pearl almost smashed into Lookout Park, I stopped it. I caused it to veer off course somehow. It was me. I knew it wasn’t just a coincidence.”
“You think you can control them?”
“Or destroy them,” I reply, “like back in the alley.”
She nods. “It’s something you’re meant to do. They did something to you back in Seattle when you were little, didn’t they?”
I press my fingers against the glass, staring out into the nothingness. “A laboratory, with green energy. Pearl energy, like in my dream.”
“And a key,” she adds. “Maybe this lab’s in Seattle. Maybe that’s what Alkine’s key is meant to open.”
I frown, pulling my hand off the glass and sinking farther into the seat. “I need to trust you, Avery, if we’re gonna do this.”
“I don’t know what I can say… ”
“If I can really control Pearls, the government’s gonna want me. The Tribunal’s gonna want me. It’s just like Alkine said. They’d start a war over this.”
