The screaming was unbearable. I covered my ears as I ran. The stairs carried me up, but they didn’t need the stairs. I shouted as javelins soared past me. Any one of them would be fatal. I couldn’t let that stop me. I had to get her back. Where was that screaming coming from?

A door slid away, allowing me in. She had to be in here. I scanned the room. A control panel sat in the back. A stream of lightning burst out of it. It was the only source of light. A ruabrum writhed on the floor beneath the lightning. The source of the screams. Maybe he knew where she was.

I crouched beside him then noticed the wound on his face: an electrical burn that consumed his eye. The lightning had hit him.

“Where’s Beth?” I asked him as I avoided looking at his wound. “I know she’s here!”

The ruabrum covered his face and sat up. He’d stopped screaming, but the screams were still echoing around. He shot me a glare brimming with hate.

“Why would I help you after you attacked me?”

I looked at the control panel. The lightning wasn’t there anymore, but the light was still coming from somewhere. My heart pounded as I glanced at my hand and saw the lightning shooting from my fingertips.

I gasped for air as if I’d just stopped suffocating. Wiping sweat from my brow, I pushed myself up. The bed was more comfortable than anything I would have expected to encounter on a rebel base. A faint shaft of light illuminated the room through a window to my right. My space suit stood in my closet like a statue. Its dented torso brought a pang to my chest. It reminded me of my nightmares.

I was in my new room.

I sighed and buried my head in my hands. How many times had I assumed I was free from nightmares only to be proven wrong? Why was I surprised? The nightmares were inevitable after everything that had happened on New Earth. Everything from the ruabrum fight onward was bound to scar me for life.

I knew from experience that I wouldn’t be going back to sleep, so I guessed it was time to get up. It’d be a few hours before Kaela showed up. Time for my first real morning on the base. All those mornings I’d spent in the hospital didn’t count. I slid off the bed and approached my space suit. That was when Kaela’s warning played in my ears. The one about not wearing my space suit. Come to think of it, none of the people in the cafeteria had worn them either. Mine was damaged, but what if I needed it or the tools inside it? I’d just wear it for today, and, if anyone said anything, I’d take it off…

With my body encased in metal once again, I headed to the bathroom. The first area just had a sink and a mirror, but a second door led to another area with a toilet and bathtub. It all smelled like lavender, probably on account of a white air freshener on the wall. It was fancier than I’d thought.

I squeezed a pea of toothbrush onto my toothpaste. Wait, that didn’t come out right! It was hard to think while I was trying to comprehend all this. How was it that I was living in the fanciest house I’d ever seen because of the Oppressed? Things were getting crazier by the day. Well, the craziness had peaked a month ago…when I’d electrocuted Krim. Since then, his screams would always echo around my head. Sometimes they were just a little louder than usual…like now.

I gasped for air. It felt like my lungs had collapsed for a second. How had I started thinking about this? I didn’t want to think about Krim, or the ruabrum, or the time my own sister had shot me.

My toothbrush clattered in the sink after it fell from my hands. The paste smeared everywhere. I stared at it in defeat. Alright. I was done there.

I left the bathroom and made my way to the stairs. This second floor held about four doors; they led to the bathroom; my room; Laura’s room, which was next to it; and Manning’s room, all the way down the hall. I’d never felt so close to them, not even on the Eachtra. I allowed myself a little smile as I trod down the stairs.

The kitchen was just as clean as it had been the day before, allowing me to take out a carton of eggs and a skillet. I set the skillet down on the stove and turned a dial, turning the stovetop blue with heat. I was awful at making omelets, but it was a family tradition at this point. I picked an egg from the carton and examined it. All I could see was my sister’s face.

In the past, that used to make me sad, but now I felt conflicted. What was I supposed to do about my sister being with the AI? I was mad, I was confused, but I still wanted her back. She was still my sister. Even though she didn’t want to be around me anymore…

“Food!” shouted Laura from the stairs. Her eyes were shut, and her hand was glued to the handrail, but she was technically awake. “The only thing I get up early for! I’ll have all the omelets. Meaning that I want your omelets on top of my own.”

I scoffed. “Not this time. I skipped dinner, remember? I need my eggs.”

It was Laura’s turn to scoff. “Yeah, you skipped to hang out with Kaela, and then you invited her over so we could celebrate her birthday. We might as well just let her live here now. We have an extra room.”

“Why do you hate her so much? She helped us out. She’s cool.”

“Yeah, she’s super cool.” Laura rolled her eyes as she sat at a wooden table beside me. “I love the way she thinks she’s part of our team now, even though she’s already refused to help. We’re supposed to be undercover here, why did you even ask her to help? What if she tells Surge?”

“She’s not talking to Surge. Come on, Laura. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but everything’s nuts right now. We were never supposed to be here. I’m just improvising.”

Laura huffed. “Well could you be less friendly when you do it? We’re not trying to befriend these guys.”

Laura chipped away at the table as she lowered her head. She really didn’t want to make any friends here. It was not like she or I had ever had any friends besides each other. Did that have something to do with it? I knew asking would be a bad idea while she was like that, so I dropped it. Besides, I needed to focus on our omelets.

After finishing them with only a few black specks (as long as you didn’t look hard enough), I served Laura her steaming plate of yellow fluffiness and sat beside her. The eggy scent really made me visualize those days with Beth. My appetite began to fade. Again. This endless cycle of having food in front of me just so I’d end up not eating it? I’d literally made this omelet. Screw it.

I slashed off a piece of the omelet and shoved it into my mouth. I’d used too much pepper as evidenced by the harsh spiciness that assaulted my mouth and nose. I chewed and swallowed the egg mush then raised my arms in triumph. The warmth of victory surged through me, and Laura looked at me like I’d just broken out of a hospital.

She snickered as she set her food down. “That’s one way to celebrate eating again. I’m proud of you, dummy.”

I coughed as my eggs scooted down my throat like a handful of pebbles. “Thanks. I can’t wait to not be so hungry and weak all the time.”

“You’ll always be weak, dude.”

“Hey!”

We laughed together before we went back to the omelets. Beth could have been here too, but…she preferred to be with AI. I couldn’t allow myself one happy moment, could I?

DING DONG!

There went the doorbell. I hadn’t heard a real one go off for over a year. Living in a house again was as terrifying as it was exciting. It was a miracle I hadn’t been kidnapped after living in my cruiser for so long.

“That’s Kaela, isn’t it?” Laura sighed before eating another piece of omelet. “Fine. Go get the door.”

“Glad you’ve come around,” I said. Laura stuck her tongue out.

I headed over to the front door and pulled it open. Bright morning light greeted me, but nothing else. What kind of monster would ring a doorbell and leave? I stepped outside for further investigation. Something struck my legs. I fell forward, barely catching myself before I was planted into the ground. I wouldn’t be doing that anymore. Whatever had swept my legs proceeded to stomp my back, forcing me against the ground. The pavement scratched my face. This prankster had a sick sense of humor.

“It’s way too early for this; what do you want?” I shouted with one cheek squashed against the ground.

“What I want? No, you can’t give me that. I’m here because of what Surge wants.”

That annoying, poisonous voice was far too familiar. It felt like just yesterday it had threatened to kill me. If it hadn’t been for Kaela, maybe the owner of the voice would have done exactly that.

“Dylan?”

“So you remember. Good. I’ve no idea why Surge let you have a house instead of a jail cell, but that’s a talk I’ll be having with him. Wha—oh, hello.”

I rolled out of Dylan’s reach and sat up. Laura’s fist was in Dylan’s grasp. He was sneering, but her teeth were clenched. That greasy black hair, that chunk missing from his right ear, and that revolting breath that I could smell from my position on the ground: definitely Dylan.

“You Oppressed jerks never quit!” Laura yanked her fist back and launched a kick.

Dylan dodged and grabbed her arm. He pulled her closer and hooked his arms over her shoulders. It was like she was strapped in to ride a roller coaster and the restraints comprised Dylan’s arm. She struggled, but neither of them budged. Surge must have been a great self-defense teacher.

“Relax, I’m not here to fight. I’m not even here for you, child.” Dylan steered Laura toward the door and kicked her away. She collapsed in the doorway but immediately jumped back up and charged again. Dylan whipped out a pistol and shoved it in her face. She froze. “That’s more like it. I’m only here for the boy. Go back inside and don’t concern yourself with the affairs of others.”

“Leave them alone,” said a new voice. I turned and spotted Kaela peering through her rifle’s scope. It was hard to see, but it looked like the scope had a crack. She was back in her blue and yellow space suit. Had she anticipated this? Her black and yellow cruiser sat behind her, next to a green and black one. That must have been Dylan’s. “I won’t hesitate this time. Whatever Surge wants, get someone else to do it.”

Dylan smirked as he turned to Kaela. “A rematch? Now that’s tempting. Unfortunately, Surge would complain if this took too long. I’m glad you showed up because he asked for you too.”

Kaela’s face fell. “What? That jerk is calling me up on my birthday?”

“Oh, right.” Dylan lowered his pistol. “You were born today, weren’t you?”

“You…forgot?” Kaela’s finger dangled over the trigger.

“Stop!” I held out my hands. Everyone looked at me. I met their gazes, hoping that neither of them would try anything crazy. “Dylan, I can’t speak for Kaela, but I’ll go with you. I don’t see the big deal in doing an errand for Surge.”

Dylan raised an eyebrow as he holstered his weapon. “Good. Mikaela?”

She glared at him. “I still don’t feel like Oppressed agent of the year, but I guess I’ll see what Surge wants. I’d rather he nagged at me than Wander. Just make sure your mouth is shut the whole way there.”

Dylan shrugged. “As if I have anything to say to you. Let’s get going then.”

He walked over to his cruiser, ignoring Kaela’s cold shoulder in the process. Kaela glared at his back and opened the door behind the driver’s seat. If she was sitting behind him, then I’d probably have to be in the passenger seat. I could just sit behind that seat, but the empty spot would bug me.

“Wander, what the heck are you doing?” Laura whispered as she massaged her back. Could Dylan kick that hard? “You can’t go with them! If Surge wants something, it’s bound to be related to your powers. The ones you can’t control. Why humor him?”

“What part of ‘We need to pretend like we’re cool with these people until we can safely double-cross them’ do you not understand? If he wants something unreasonable then I just won’t comply. Either way, I’ll be back soon.”

Laura’s mouth quivered out of frustration. I prepared for an argument, but she just turned around and marched back inside. I was tempted to think that our exchange had been easier than I’d expected…but I would absolutely get an earful from her later.

Dylan’s cruiser smelled better than I’d imagined. It was cheap cologne, but that was better than the stench of grease I’d expected. He revved up his cruiser and pressed the pedal, setting us into motion. I enjoyed cruiser rides even when I wasn’t driving, but this one had an unbearable atmosphere. I could see Kaela sulking in the rearview mirror. Was I going to have to sit in this silence the whole way over?

I was thrown against my seat when Dylan slammed on the pedal. The corners of his mouth curled up as he accelerated without purpose. This was the reckless driving I’d been expecting. I glanced at the door handle and briefly wondered if jumping out would be better than this.

“Could we slow down a bit?” I asked as I switched between opening my eyes and keeping them shut. I couldn’t tell which was scarier. “If anything’s going to kill me, it’ll be the AI, not Dylan’s driving.”

“Sorry, Wander, but I think you’ll have to deal,” Kaela said with knitted eyebrows. Seeing a cheery person get so irritated was unnerving. Could this be her default state? “Dylan doesn’t listen to criticism. Surge never punishes him, so I guess he doesn’t have a reason to.”

Dylan eased off the pedal, slowing us down a little. He didn’t say anything about Kaela’s claim, though. His eyes were on the road, surprisingly.

“I mean, he’s the one who messed up, right?” Kaela continued. “He’s the one who forced the Oppressed to fight each other. Doesn’t seem like anything’s changed. He still talks to Surge, who sent him instead of contacting me himself.

“I’m not surprised though. Dylan’s always been the favorite child. Ever since the day Surge adopted him and left me behind. Then they came back for me in the middle of the night, like I was a forgotten wallet. Dylan was much sweeter back then too. I wish he could go back to to being the way he was then. It’d be so much better than the awful personality he has now!”

Dylan still hadn’t done anything but stare ahead and occasionally turn the wheel. We zoomed right by a crowd with cheerful faces. Their mood was the complete opposite of the one in the cruiser.

“Say something!” Kaela pushed against Dylan’s seat. “I’m spilling my guts, and you’re not even responding.”

Dylan sighed. “Because you told me to keep my mouth shut.”

Kaela’s face turned red as she crossed her arms and sulked. Yeah, there wasn’t much she could say after that. However, the silence that followed was more uncomfortable than the ranting.

Dylan pulled up at a short rectangle of a building. It had two huge windows, but there wasn’t much to see through them. I caught a hint of a desk and some pictures. A black and white cruiser sat beside ours. That must have been Surge’s.

“My two favorite colossal jerks are about to be in the same place,” she said as she squirmed. “I can’t wait. Let’s get this over with. My birthday only comes once a year.”

We climbed out of Dylan’s cruiser, but something caught my eye. A wrapped object lay in the back of Dylan’s cruiser. It was well-hidden behind all the seats, but there was no mistaking that blue bow.

“Hey, get over here.” Dylan motioned to the front door. “Quit ogling my cruiser. You’ll earn your own later—oh no, you won’t. Only true Oppressed members get cruisers.”

Dylan was already on my last nerve, which was impressive because I hadn’t known I still had one. I walked up beside Kaela as he reached for the doorknob. The stench of smoke wafted under my nose when he pulled the door open. I coughed and covered my face, but I was the only one who reacted. A pack of cigarettes lay on a white desk, behind which Surge sat. None of them were lit.

Surge peered down at a stack of paper. So he was a barbarian like Laura. Why did he use paper when there a perfectly good tablet beside it? A handful of framed pictures lined the desk. His walls were adorned with the same pictures. I’d seen the people in the photos before. They were the Oppressed members I’d seen in the massive crowds thronging around the base. So Surge kept pictures of the Oppressed in his office? That was surprisingly heartwarming.

“Here they are: Traitor and Spy.” Dylan motioned to Kaela and me. “I can’t imagine why we’d need them for this mission, but it’s your call. As long as I’m the leader.”

“First off, I’m usually the leader.” I pointed at Dylan, who just rolled his eyes. “I don’t know what this mission entails, and I don’t want to be on it, but I’m the one who leads. Second, I already know why I’m here. Surge only wants me here for my Hybrid powers. Otherwise I’m just another one of Frost’s lackeys to him.”

Surge shuffled the papers, evidently more interested in them than in this conversation. “Why would I be after your powers? You can’t even use them. I brought you here to be a mediator between Dylan and Kaela. If they’re going to be on a mission together, they need to get along.”

“I knew it was a mission.” Kaela heaved a sigh. “Fine, I’m already here. Spit it out, old man. I’ve got a birthday to celebrate.”

“Fine by me. What I’m after is an abandoned AI base on a planet that you know very well. We’re hoping to find that thing we’ve been looking for there. You three are to investigate it together, as a team. The planet…is Jupiter. Any questions?”

Had I heard any of that correctly? An AI base, on Jupiter, and he wanted the three of us to go there together as a team? I wasn’t going anywhere near the AI; those guys were after my head. Or, to be specific, they were after my electricity-producing hands for some reason.

“Jupiter?” Kaela curled her hands into fists. “You’re asking us to go back there? What is an AI base doing on Jupiter?”

Surge’s expression softened. “Their ship was destroyed during the battle. They must have seen some sort of opportunity because, instead of calling for reinforcements, they set up near Effluvium. I know how you two feel about that place, but this is important. We need something from them, and what better place to look than an abandoned AI base? Also, sorry kid, but I want Dylan to lead this mission.”

Everyone recoiled in shock…even Dylan. This came as a surprise to him too?

“Me? But—I mean, ha! Just as expected.” Dylan smirked as widely as possible, clearly forcing his smugness. I didn’t know much about him, but Dylan didn’t seem like the kind of person who would pass on a position of power.

“I am not going on this mission.” Kaela crossed her arms. “I’m not going to Effluvium on my birthday. I don’t ever want to go back. Ugh, I can’t believe I thought you brought us here to apologize for what happened to Red City.”

Surge grimaced. “I can’t believe that either. I did what had to be done. You have to understand that Frost would have done so much worse. I was trying to liberate the city. I wanted to free its citizens from her.”

“You can’t justify everything by saying it’s not as bad as what Frost does!” Kaela yanked her own hair like she was trying to pull it out. “You’re gonna sink to her level because you keep justifying these awful things. ‘Sure, I murdered a guy, but it’s not as bad as what Frost does.’ You sound like a child.”

Surge gritted his teeth. “The plan may have failed, but I still managed to rescue Wander and his friends from her. I count that as a victory, so if sinking to her level means beating her, then perhaps it’s something I should strive for.”

Kaela’s eyes bulged out of her head. “That’s insane! What happened to you?”

“You know what? I may have been wrong to assign you to this mission. If you can’t understand what we’re trying to accomplish, you should leave.”

“Kicking me off the mission I didn’t want to be on? Wow, I’m heartbroken. Dylan can handle it alone anyway. Only takes one person to search an abandoned base. Let’s go, Wander.”

Kaela stomped back outside and slammed the door behind her. It would be really awkward when I had to open it back up in a second.

Surge turned his back to me, while Dylan looked as annoyed as he always did. But his expression wavered like he didn’t know how to feel. This was what I wanted. The heads of the Oppressed were fighting each other. All I had to do was convert Kaela to our side, and we’d be out of here. Even though everything was going my way, I felt bad.

These people were flawed, but they were a family. Or at least something resembling one. After the familial tragedies I had suffered through, how could I go on to cause one? That was something to think about.

“Wander,” Surge said as I gripped the doorknob. Was he about to keep me from leaving? “In case you need to know: the mission commences in an hour, at the hangar. Make sure Kaela has a happy birthday. She deserves it.”

My heart sank. That wasn’t the intimidating warning I’d expected. I saw a glimpse of the man whom Kaela still believed in and not the tough leader he’d been making himself out to be. I just gave him a thumbs-up as I headed out.