I pointed at the little map. "It"s Leech," I said. "Those maps we found in the temple. Paul didn"t draw them. Leech did." As I said it I thought, No way No way, there was no way, and yet I felt like I knew it, for sure. "Paul knew. He even had Leech try to open the skull chamber. That"s why his hand was bandaged the other day. He must be the Mariner."
"So what does that mean?" Lilly asked.
I sighed. "It means we can"t leave without him."
"Let"s go tell the others," she said. We headed outside.
"That kid?" said Evan when Lilly broke the news. "It was bad enough when it was just kid?" said Evan when Lilly broke the news. "It was bad enough when it was just him him," he added, pointing at me, "but that little runt, too? Why them?"
Guess it wasn"t based on who had the biggest shoulders, I thought to reply, but instead I just pointed. "And Lilly."
"Well, yeah, but..." Evan trailed off and looked at the ground like he really was disappointed. Maybe he"d just realized that everything that had been happening here wasn"t about him. That he was basically a side character in someone else"s story. In my my story. That was something I still wasn"t used to, either. story. That was something I still wasn"t used to, either.
"It wasn"t a contest, idiot," Lilly added, scowling at him.
"So now what?" asked Aliah. "Don"t we need to get to that south door if we"re gonna get out of here?"
"Yeah," said Lilly. "You guys should get going."
"Wait, what about you?" Marco asked.
Lilly looked at me. "We"re going to find Leech. Then, I don"t know."
I thought about how Lilly had called the CITs her family. "You can go with them, if you want," I said to her. "We can find each other outside."
Lilly"s mouth twisted, like she was considering it. Then she shook her head. "I"m going with you," she said. "We"ll find another way out," she told them.
"That"s stupid. You guys should come with us now while we have the chance," said Evan.
"Listen to you," said Lilly, "Mr. I"m-never-leaving-Eden."
"Yeah, well." Evan glanced at me, and looked around. "Things changed."
"They did," said Lilly. "And they just changed again. So get going."
"Maybe we should help you?" said Evan, almost like he was asking himself.
"No," said Lilly. "Look, someone needs to get to the Nomads and tell them what"s really going on in here. If we don"t make it out, then, well, I don"t know, go tell the ACF if you have to, and come back for us. Now go, and don"t ask me if "I"m sure" or any of that. This is the plan, got it?"
I listened to her and felt like I was falling for her all over again.
"Fine," said Evan.
"Good luck," said Marco.
"Yeah," Aliah added.
I saw Evan catch Lilly"s eye and make a little motion with his head, like he was saying, Be careful Be careful.
Lilly made it back. I made sure not to react.
Then, the three CITs turned and ran into the woods.
Lilly took my hand. We started back down the path toward the fields. "Now what?" she asked.
"Not sure," I said. My heart was pounding, though. We wove through the trees, and stopped in the shadows just before the fields. No one was out playing. It was early afternoon. They"d all be at electives and free swim.
I stared out at the sunny field, a moment of exhaustion rushing over me, my thoughts spinning around.
I felt Lilly watching me. "Tell me what you"re thinking."
"Ha," I said. "Nah."
She grabbed my arm and twisted it, like she was going to break it if I didn"t tell her. "Or, yes. Spill it, Parker."
"Well... honestly, I was thinking that I wanted to run back and join the others and get out of here. And then, I don"t know, just take off. You and me, like..." I stopped, because I knew we needed to keep moving, needed to keep our guard up, and yet, everything was so dangerous now, and what if there wasn"t ever going to be the perfect opportunity to tell her the things on my mind? What if all our quiet moments, like on the island, our chances to really talk, were already gone? "What if... ah, never mind."
"Excuse me, you can"t say that and then not not finish." Lilly was doing that thing again where she was staring at me and her eyes were being all blue and white and too much to look at. finish." Lilly was doing that thing again where she was staring at me and her eyes were being all blue and white and too much to look at.
"Fine. Well, it doesn"t matter now, "cause my gills are gone, but I had this whole idea where you and I could run off and find our own little bay somewhere, you know, just us, a place where the coastline was clean, and there were still fish, and stuff. And we could catch them, and, I don"t know, just be there."
Lilly smiled. "You want to catch me fish? Like, with a spear?"
"Sure, or, you know, a net."
She stepped toward me. "So underneath that quiet exterior, you"re a romantic."
I shrugged. "Who knows what"s under here anymore?"
Closer. "I"m starting to think I do."
"Okay," I said. Heart starting to sprint. Fingers tingling. But this time I was going to be the one who took that final little step, the one that made our bodies press together. I put my arms around her, and even as our faces were closing in on each other, I was still having that old thought like, This can"t be right! You This can"t be right! You must must be doing be doing something something wrong- wrong- But then we were kissing. Lips moving in waves. Her tongue found mine, two warm creatures playing, and I tried to sense what hers was doing and do the same, and make the same lip movements too. And it worked, at least I thought it did, because we were still kissing, and it was amazing, and seconds were pa.s.sing, now a minute....
"h.e.l.lo? h.e.l.looo?"
The phone. The d.a.m.n phone.
I pulled away. "Sorry." I dug the phone from my pocket. Aaron was on the screen, peering frantically into it. He didn"t look happy. "Hey," I said, "this is Owen."
"Owen, Owen, Owen," Aaron muttered. "Why is it that I"m sitting here, or should I say huddling in an empty office corner to avoid detection, and watching a team of Nomads sneaking between the solar panels on their way to hatch six, while simultaneously keeping this fact a secret from the rest of EdenWest, mind you, only now I"m noticing on the hatch camera that there are three three young people approaching the door, not five. Please tell me this is because my above-average vision has suddenly and inexplicably deteriorated, and not, I repeat, young people approaching the door, not five. Please tell me this is because my above-average vision has suddenly and inexplicably deteriorated, and not, I repeat, not not because you and that girl are still inside somewhere." because you and that girl are still inside somewhere."
"You"re not going blind," I said. "Lilly and I are looking for Leech."
Aaron"s face darkened. "You"re looking for Leech."
"Yeah," I said, "he"s the other Atlantean."
"Oh." Aaron rolled his eyes. "That." "That."
I stared at the phone. "You knew knew?"
"Obviously," said Aaron.
I felt like screaming at him. "Why didn"t anybody tell me?"
"Well, for starters, so that you wouldn"t feel compelled to do something inane like go find him instead of heading for the nearest exit like I told told you." you."
"Well, sorry, that"s what we"re doing. You can see inside the temple, right?"
"The Eye sees all," said Aaron. "Actually, that"s not completely true. The cameras in that temple place are still down. And, it"s not like there are cameras in any of the showers or bathrooms in camp. I swear." He made a noise like he was amused by his own joke.
"You"re creepy and disgusting!" Lilly shouted toward the phone.
"So, you don"t know where Leech is," I said.
"Not only don"t I know," said Aaron, sounding angry now, "but I"d have zero reason to tell you even if I did."
"We can"t leave him," I said. "He"s the third Atl-"
"Kid, spare me. I know the whole deal already, and what I also know is that we can get Leech out later, some other way, but the best way to get you you out is currently arriving at the south hatch. So, turn around and get moving." out is currently arriving at the south hatch. So, turn around and get moving."
"But-," I started to say, except then I heard a soft footstep. And a click.
I looked up at Lilly and she was looking right back at me. Her face had gone cold.
The soldier was a few paces away, rifle raised at us. "Don"t move!"
I heard Aaron swear to himself, and the phone went black, then suddenly sprouted sparks in my hand, the screen cracking. I dropped it, smoking, to the ground.
More Security Forces arrived, breaking cover from the trees and sprinting toward us.
"And here we are, finally," said Cartier, following close behind. He held up his own phone. "Mr. Jacobsen, it"s me. We have them."
Chapter 25
THEY TOOK OUR BAGS, TOOK LILLY"S KNIFE, AND marched us out across the fields to the swimming area. A long, sleek-looking motorboat was tied up at the dock, right where Lilly and I had first met. There were younger kids and CITs all around, stopping what they were doing to watch us go by. marched us out across the fields to the swimming area. A long, sleek-looking motorboat was tied up at the dock, right where Lilly and I had first met. There were younger kids and CITs all around, stopping what they were doing to watch us go by.
"Owen!"
I glanced over to see Beaker on the far side of the dock, sitting in his bathing suit with his feet dangling over the side. The rest of my cabin was scattered in the water, their heads turned.
"I"m sorry!" Beaker shouted. "I did what you wanted!"
"It"s okay!" I called to him.
"Quiet," said Cartier.
"Owen!"
I saw that now, of all people, it was Mina, looking over from a group of Arctic Foxes who had conquered the floating trampoline. "Are you okay?" She had this worried look on her face like she hadn"t recently hated me. For a second I considered that somehow, by blowing her off and then being missing, and now being captured, I seemed to have won back her interest. None of it made any sense to me, and none of it mattered now.
I wondered what they all must have been thinking, what they"d figured out. Did any of the others in my cabin, in the Foxes, have even a clue what was really going on here? Seeing them there, just doing their normal camp thing, I shouted, "It"s all a lie!"
"Quiet!" Cartier snapped again.
"They have Leech, too-" An officer"s gloved hand fell over my mouth. They shoved me into the boat. The motor revved to life, and we curved away from the dock, speeding out of the inlet.
Lilly and I were seated side by side, the wind slamming our faces. We crossed the wide body of the lake, between sailboats and yachts, even a water-skier, all of them oblivious. I wanted to shout at them, too.
I wondered what we were headed for, and if this was the beginning of a terrible end, if by this time tomorrow we would be on tented tables, Paul searching our guts for our big mysteries. I remembered what Aliah had said about test animals, and thought that the worst part would be not understanding why. Anna, Colleen, they probably never even knew why they were being subjected to such horrible things. And for as much as I knew, there was still so much more that I didn"t understand, and maybe never would.
Come on, think! I told myself. The boat was nearing the Aquinara. We were headed back into the temple. There had to be something I could do to escape. I told myself. The boat was nearing the Aquinara. We were headed back into the temple. There had to be something I could do to escape.
You should check out the new memories, advised the technicians. We think they"re fascinating! We think they"re fascinating! They all turned back to a flickering screen. They all turned back to a flickering screen.
Then show me! I shouted at them. I closed my eyes and slipped back inside my head, looking for that memory that I"d been unlocking, of learning to pilot the craft with Luk. I gazed into the spotted darkness behind my eyes, and then light swept around me and I was back there, almost like restarting a video that had been on pause. I shouted at them. I closed my eyes and slipped back inside my head, looking for that memory that I"d been unlocking, of learning to pilot the craft with Luk. I gazed into the spotted darkness behind my eyes, and then light swept around me and I was back there, almost like restarting a video that had been on pause.
I was in the boat on the sunny afternoon, cold wind whipping. Luk was above, his craft rising. Others were already higher, lifting up into the clear sky.
Put up the thermal! Luk shouted. Luk shouted.
I looked down at the pile of fabric in my hand, but put that aside. I was looking for something else on the ship. Where is that b.u.t.ton? Where is that b.u.t.ton? I asked. I asked.
b.u.t.ton? Luk asked. Luk asked. There is no b.u.t.ton. Just put up the thermal so you can fly! There is no b.u.t.ton. Just put up the thermal so you can fly!
I looked around some more. He was right. But there was a b.u.t.ton on the ship in the temple. That little gold one.
And these things, they always start in water, I asked, right? Just with wind? right? Just with wind?
Luk looked confused. You need wind to generate the initial momentum that activates the hydroelectric charge. That"s what ignites the heat cell. I"ve heard that some have been adapted to roll across desert plains and produce the same effect. You need wind to generate the initial momentum that activates the hydroelectric charge. That"s what ignites the heat cell. I"ve heard that some have been adapted to roll across desert plains and produce the same effect.
Okay, I said. Thanks. Thanks.
But the thermal is only for achieving initial lift, said Luk. There"s a second system- There"s a second system- "Out."
Back on the surface of my senses, I felt myself being grabbed. Gotta go. Gotta go. I could hear Luk protesting, but I pushed forward from the memory, back through darkness, and opened my eyes. We had arrived at a dock beside the Aquinara. Cartier led us inside, through wide gla.s.s doors, and across the plant"s main floor, where pipes and tubes of water twisted around in a huge s.p.a.ce above us, the guts of Eden"s breathing system. Workers in white jumpsuits walked along catwalks, checking monitors and panels. I thought of how I imagined my insides. It was weird how similar this was, just on a bigger scale. I could hear Luk protesting, but I pushed forward from the memory, back through darkness, and opened my eyes. We had arrived at a dock beside the Aquinara. Cartier led us inside, through wide gla.s.s doors, and across the plant"s main floor, where pipes and tubes of water twisted around in a huge s.p.a.ce above us, the guts of Eden"s breathing system. Workers in white jumpsuits walked along catwalks, checking monitors and panels. I thought of how I imagined my insides. It was weird how similar this was, just on a bigger scale.
We entered a hallway, pa.s.sed through keypad-locked doors, and took a staircase that dropped down five or six levels. A final door slid open into a large lab. The walls were covered with projections of maps, photos of ancient artifacts, and aerial shots of ruins. Pieces of rock were placed on tables, under giant microscopes. I saw holographic projections of rooms and mosaics, being rotated and studied by technicians.
At least there were no tented tables.
In the center of the room was the round hole in the floor that Lilly and I had seen from below, a ladder leading into it. The officers climbed down.