Strange Skies (5 page)

That wasn’t fair.
But it was true
. “It’s not like that. I—”

A ship came into view from over the trees. It was quiet, unlike the loud drone of other Consulate ships. I grabbed Alec’s hand back and tugged. “Run!”

He shielded his eyes and looked upward. “No worries. It’s one of ours.”

The ship landed on the sand a short distance away. Alec grinned. “Come on. Let’s get moving before the Consulate finds us.”

We ran to the ship and boarded. It was similar to Markus’ though a tad smaller. The pilot tipped his hat to me as I sat down. I pressed a button and a strap appeared around my waist to secure me in the seat.

Alec clapped the guy on his back. “Nice timing,
amigo
,” he said as he sat next to the pilot. “Tora, this is one of our best pilots, Max. Max, meet Tora.”

Max nodded in my direction. “I’ve heard all about you. Now let’s get out of here.”

We rose silently into the air. A million questions filled my head and started tumbling out. “Why didn’t Markus come? He’s a pilot. Where did you get a ship like this? How far away is Callie City? Are the guns there?”

Max turned to Alec, who frowned and shook his head slightly. What was that about? Max cleared his throat. “Markus hasn’t been doing well. These days, he’s usually too drunk to fly.”

Alec met my eyes. “Ever since Britta died, he’s been a mess. We can’t pull him out of it.”

I remembered the pain on Markus’ face after she was killed, how he’d touched her cheek before they released her body into space.

Max cleared his throat. “As for the ship, it was created by one of our Resistance members. It’s the only one like it for size and stealth. We need it in order to carry out our activities without Consulate interference.”

I scanned the skies, hoping one of their ships wouldn’t appear. Memories of them bombing the bunker until the door fell off weren’t ones that I wanted to revisit.

“Callie City,” Max continued, “is on the other side of the planet. As far from the Consulate headquarters as you can get without heading back into space.”

Alec turned around to face me. “Caelia is a little bigger than Earth, so the Consulate realized they didn’t have the manpower to patrol everywhere. They’ve claimed control of an area about equal to half the planet.”

I frowned. “If the planet is bigger than Earth, wouldn’t the days and nights be longer than on Earth?”

Max shook his head. “It’s more about the moons than the planet size. The moon on Earth was closer and slowed the rotation of the planet. The moons here are farther away.”

Good thing that Markus was part of the Resistance, otherwise I’d feel like the dumbest one around.

Max guided the ship higher until we were out of sight from the ground. I watched in awe as we moved through a wispy white intangible substance. These were actual clouds. So different from the empty red skies of Earth. It was exactly like the dream I’d had after James shot me when I saw Callie again. It had felt so real, but how could I have dreamed clouds when I’d never experienced them before now?

Thinking of Callie, I reached into the satchel and pulled out the picture she’d made. It had hung on our bunker wall and after she’d died, I’d faithfully straightened it every day, knowing how much effort she’d put into it. The pastel colors of the flower petals had faded a bit and one corner had bent from being jostled in my bag, but it was the most valuable thing I’d ever own.

Max’s words pierced my reverie. “Those burners
assumed that everyone else had died. They didn’t know the depth of the Resistance movement. Some were able to infiltrate the pod cities, blend in … even work at the Consulate.”

Alec cut in quickly. “Others lived in bunkers outside of the cities, like your family.”

I’d never even considered that there were other bunkers out here.

“Of course, they weren’t as high-tech as your bunker,” he added. “And they wouldn’t have had an Infinity like you, which is why you thought you were alone on the planet, but our Resistance network was able to get the word out over the com systems once Caelia was found.”

“So how many Resistance members are there?” I asked. “And didn’t they check the Net for survivors?” I thought of all the messages I’d posted that had gone unanswered until Alec had come along.

“About fifty in Callie City,” said Max. “We’re the biggest settlement. There are a few other colonies on Caelia and on a nearby planet and moon, but I’d say no more than a hundred Resistance members total.” He sighed. “And though I’d like to tell you that the Resistance was on the lookout for survivors, we were busy taking care of our own. We didn’t even use the Net for fear that the Consulate would locate us. Just used secret com channels to communicate.”

Alec agreed. “So they wouldn’t have saved me either if it makes you feel any better. You were my only hope. Also,
there are a few other colonies of people I told you about who aren’t Consulate or Resistance. We’re not sure of their exact numbers, but there can’t be too many of them.”

I sank back into the seat and tried to absorb everything Alec and Max had said. The Resistance movement was bigger than I’d realized. There had been other survivors with me on Earth, others who’d escaped the Consulate and had come to start a new life. I had no idea.

“But now there’s all the water and air anyone could ever want,” I said, confused. “So why is there still a Resistance?”

Alec shook his head. “Man may have traveled thousands of light-years from home, but what’s that saying? ‘Wherever you go, there you are.’ They’re still the same. We’re all still the same.”

Max looked back at me. “The Resistance doesn’t care about water now. They care about revenge for all the innocent people murdered by the Consulate. All the ones who were killed for their W.A.R. machines or left to burn outside the pod cities.”

Alec nodded. “The Consulate must pay for their crimes against humanity. They know we’re out here somehow, and that your father’s guns can be used against them at some point. They think the best defense is a good offense. They’ll stop at nothing to wipe us out.”

My father’s guns would never be used against anyone if I could help it.

So many more questions popped into my head, but my eyelids felt heavier every second. The running, hiding, and
drug withdrawal had wreaked havoc on my body.

“Rest,
ángel
,” Alec said. “We have a few light breaks before we’ll get to Callie City so you have time for a good nap. We’re going to rest, ourselves.”

Max flipped a switch that must have been the autopilot because he stretched his arms and leaned back in his seat.

I fought the exhaustion in my bones. A tiny voice told me what would make me forget about that exhaustion. The physical craving for the pain meds temporarily overwhelmed me. I shook my head. No way would I ever be that vulnerable again.

“What about Kale? Where’s he? Where are the guns?” Back on Earth, Kale had been so focused on defeating the Consulate and growing the Resistance that he had no qualms about disposing of me when I showed no interest in his war. Especially when he realized James could fire my dad’s weapons too, which I still didn’t understand. Kale wanted to use the guns to destroy the Consulate, where I just wanted the weapons destroyed, period, so they couldn’t hurt anyone again. I’d guess his goal of wiping out the Consulate hadn’t changed since then.

Alec yawned. “Wish I knew the answers. After we outran the Consulate ship and that giant bomb you detonated, Kale made it to Caelia, dropped Markus and me off, and left again with a pilot named Gunther. Said he’d be back though.” Alec patted Max on the shoulder. “After a few weeks in Callie City, Max brought me to the Consulate, and you know the rest.”

I let my head fall against the seat and closed my eyes. Unanswered questions still swirled in my weary brain, but what mattered now was that we were on our way to Callie City. And when Kale did return, which I knew he would, I’d be waiting.

We flew over miles and miles of thick forest before we slowed and started to descend. I stared out the window in awe of this foreign planet that was so alive and thriving. Something caught my eye and I leaned closer to the side window. Every once in a while I’d catch a glimpse of something between the trees—clusters of small, brown, box-shaped things.

“What are those?” I asked, pointing out the window.

“Huts,” said Max. “We live in small groups in the trees. Only about four or five huts each, that way the Consulate will have a harder time finding us all in a search.”

I peered into the forest. “The huts almost blend in with the trees.”

“Exactly. Natural camouflage,” Max said as he landed the ship in a small clearing. “Welcome to Callie City.”

Alec pulled his pack over his shoulder. “Thanks for getting us out of there, man.”

Max tipped his head toward Alec. “Anytime. I gotta go … see you at the meeting. Stay safe.” He turned and ran off into the woods.

I stared after him. “I’ve never seen so many trees before,
even on the Infinity programs. This is unbelievable.”

The fresh, earthy scent of the trees filled the air. After the deep sleep I’d had on the ship, I hadn’t felt so alive in years. My sister would have loved that such a beautiful place was named after her. We passed several of the clusters of makeshift huts I’d seen from the ship. “This is where people sleep,” Alec explained. “During the day, they’re usually in the middle of the city by the command center.”

The huts were made of wood on three sides and a thermoplastic sheet hung on the front. I walked up and touched the thick, heavy sheet. I pulled it back and looked inside. Cots to sleep in just like in the containment center. Guess the small structures wouldn’t support the weight of the hanging sleep chambers that had been in the bunker and on the ships.

Alec pointed to a circle in the middle of the huts. “That’s the fire pit.”

I frowned. On Earth, everything had been so dry and scorched that the idea of intentionally starting a fire didn’t compute. “You make fire?”

“Yeah,” Alec said. “I know. It’s cool though, you’ll see.”

After another few miles, we reached a cluster of huts that lay along a small channel of running water. Alec followed my stare. “You might have seen something like that on the Net. It’s a creek. You can swim in it, bathe in it, and drink it.” He pulled a thermoplastic flask from his pack. “It’s where they get the Caelia Pure. Or rather, one
of the places. Freshwater creeks and rivers like this are all over the planet. The largest river is the one the Consulate built their city near.”

“Let me guess. They named it Consulate River.”

Alec laughed. “How did you know?”

“Just lucky.” I watched the water tumbling over smooth rocks and wanted to dip my hand in it. I couldn’t get over the fact that water was available everywhere. No way would I ever take this for granted.

“So this is us.”

I turned my head back to Alec. “Huh?”

Alec coughed and gestured at the group of four huts. “This is my group. I thought you’d stay here with us. Don’t worry. You’ll have your own hut. Mine is next to yours. Technically, yours is Markus’ but he never sleeps there.”

I raised an eyebrow.

Alec sighed. “He’s always either at the bar or passed out in … other huts.”

I shook my head. He was back to his womanizing ways. “There’s already a bar?”

Alec chuckled. “It was the first thing the Resistance built, after the command center of course.”

He led me to a tree near the huts that had orange ball-shaped things on it. “This is fruit. You read about it on the Net, right?”

I nodded but found it hard to comprehend that I could eat something that grew outside. All I’d ever consumed was the gel from energy packets. Alec pulled one of the
spherical orange objects from the tree and peeled off a skin of some kind. He handed it to me. “Here. It’s not exactly like anything that grew on Earth according to the Net, but it’s delicious. Might take your system a little bit of time to adjust to it, though.”

I studied and sniffed the fruit. It had a tangy, pleasant smell. “How did you know it was safe?”

Alec grimaced. “We’ve had a lot of trial and error in the last few months. Luckily, severe vomiting has been the only downside to unsafe food so far. This type is safe, and a favorite of the Resistance. They distill it for alcohol when they’re not eating it.”

I bit into the fruit and juice spurted from it and dribbled down my chin. It was the most amazing thing I’d ever tasted. “You realize I can never touch energy gel again after this?” Without waiting for an answer, I sank my teeth into the round fruit again and devoured it in minutes. My stomach gurgled like it had no idea what was going on. I didn’t care if I had adjustment issues with the fruit or not, no way was I stopping.

Alec’s eyes sparkled. “I like a girl with an appetite. Anyway, they grow all over the place. There are some leaves here that are good too … and some animals.”

My eyes widened. “Like dogs? You eat dogs?”

“No, no, never.” Alec waved his hand emphatically. “These are big animals, again not like anything I saw on the Net, but they are really good. Trust me.”

I crossed my arms. “I’ll stick to these orange things,
thank you. I am not eating animals.” My chin was sticky with juice. “I’m going to the creek.”

“Suit yourself,” Alec said.

I placed my satchel inside Markus’ hut, then marched down to the creek and took a tentative step into the stream It was cooler than the ocean, and I reached down and splashed some on my face. I took another step and then another. Even standing in the center of the creek, it only reached to my knees. I sank down and sat, not caring about my clothes, and let the stream rush over me.

After a minute, I leaned back and let the water close over my head. Bubbles filled my ears and I realized that I couldn’t breathe. I sat up, coughed, and gasped for air. Being underwater would take some getting used to. I tried again. After taking a deep breath, I lay back in the shallows then opened my eyes and stared up. The distorted images of trees and the sky swam in front of me. The grime, dust, and dirt of the last few years slid away. It was so quiet under the surface, only the gurgling around me. I’d never felt anything so peaceful yet so powerful.