The old adviser seemed the most distraught about their departure. That’s why he took it upon himself to escort them back to their vehicle, even though they could have found it just fine on their own.
“I’m sorry your visit couldn’t have been more fruitful,” Orram said once they were close enough to open the autocar’s door. “I hope it doesn’t affect your opinion of our people.”
“Not at all, Orram,” Tera said. “We may not have gotten what we set out for, but it was hardly a wasted experience. Being in your kingdom will end up being one of my most cherished memories — second only to beating the Council, if we manage that.”
The old adviser nodded. “Don’t feel afraid to come again, should the opportunity arise,” he said.
“And if the king changes his mind,” Ethan started, “let us know.”
“I’ll be the first one calling, should that happen,” Orram said. “Don’t count on it, though. The young king is firm about his decisions. He doesn’t make them lightly. If he chose to deny your request, there must be a bigger reason than we are capable of seeing. It’s why God chose him to lead. I have nothing but faith in his instincts.”
“I wish we could say the same,” Ethan said. “Only time will tell.”
“Indeed,” Orram replied. He offered a warm smile. “Farewell, friends. I wish you luck against the Council. We will certainly celebrate your victory the day it comes.”
“Thanks, Orram,” Tera replied.
They climbed into the autocar and secured themselves in the seats. Both the I.I. and the human teenager looked out the window and stared at the Holy Kingdom of Opes for a moment before starting the vehicle up. Orram waved to them, joined by a couple of villagers who came to see the autocar fly away. Ethan gave a feeble wave back, but he was sure they couldn’t see him. With a simple command to the autocar’s main computer, they took off, leaving a cloud of dust behind them.
“That could have gone better,” Ethan commented after they were airborne for a few minutes. He rubbed his eyes as he spoke, realizing for the first time how tired he was. He had slept worse than he had thought during their stay.
“It could have gone worse, too,” Tera replied. “If King Hum was any dumber, we could have had a conflict on our hands.”
“He’s not dumb at all,” said Ethan. “He’s just looking out for his people — he’s wrong, but he thinks he’s right. There’s nothing we can do about that.”
“If only he could see it all firsthand. I thought for sure he’d be convinced by the recording of the lobotomy. Maybe he just has to see the horror for himself,” Tera said.
Ethan thought for a moment. “We did our best, Tera,” he said. “Maybe he’ll come round, but we can’t worry about that now. We need to focus on getting help from the other tribes out there. One of them is bound to join us.”
“Maybe.”
They flew in silence for what felt like hours. According to the computer, they were about half of the way back to Shell City. It would be dark when they returned, which should help conceal their entry into the geothermal system.
“Do you miss it?” Tera asked after what seemed like an eternity of silence.
Her question caught Ethan off guard. He cocked an eyebrow at her in confusion.
“The simulation, I mean.,” she said. “You said it was perfect. Do you wish you were back there now?”
Ethan sighed a little, then looked out of the window at the vast expanse of dirt that rolled below them.
“I dunno,” he replied. “It kind of feels like I was woken from a really good dream, one I was really enjoying. And even though I realize it’s not real, I get angry that it was taken away from me. I hate that I was lied to, if only because I wish the lie were true.”
Tera looked over at him with a plain expression. “We’ll make Councilman Harring and his pals pay, don’t worry,” she said.
“I know,” the human replied. “I just hate the waiting.”
Tera nodded, then caught a flicker in the corner of her vision. She turned her mechanical head to the autocar’s main console; the lights behind the controls were going on and off.
Ethan took notice as well, cocking his eyebrow at the display. “What’s that?” he asked.
“I’m not sure,” Tera said, her voice distant as she tried to figure out what caused the flickering. “Could be an electrical issue. Not sure where I’d start looking if I were to fix it.”
With a sudden whoosh, the low hum of the engine died, and they were left with only the sound of the wind rushing against the vehicle’s hull. The flickering controls stopped and the cabin went dark.
“What’s going on?” Ethan asked, panic in his tone.
“I don’t know!” Tera yelled back. “I think the engine died.”
“Why?”
Tera didn’t reply. Instead, she sat in the pilot’s seat and buckled herself in. She reached under the main console of the vehicle and pulled some sort of release lever. Like a mouse trap had been set off, a steering control popped out of the dashboard. Tera seized the device and tried to take manual control of the autocar. Ethan tried to find his way back to the passenger seat, but the autocar started to fall out of the sky and he lost his balance. He was tossed around like a rag doll as the nose of the vehicle pointed straight down.
“Brace yourself!” the I.I. said, trying to pull the control upward and bring the car out of its dive.
Ethan did his best to obey, but could do little more than clutch onto the back of the passenger seat for dear life.
The ground grew larger and larger on the windshield until they were engulfed by a shriek of metal and dirt. Everything went black.
Homecoming
Sharpe and Taylor stared down at
