Bright Star Page 5

I stared at Dr. DeWitt. “My mother died before we moved to Samalut. You never met her.”

  His gaze shifted to the ground, and he cleared his throat. “You’re right, but that doesn’t absolve me. What do you think lies outside of the Wall?”

  “It’s wasteland between the cities. Everyone knows that.”

  “I had to do a training exercise out there once,” Baruj said. “We had to wear full protective gear to prevent radiation poisoning.”

  Timothy nodded in agreement. “My parents told me Central dumps their radioactive material out there.

  “Everyone is wrong.” Dr. DeWitt’s usually jovial tone was much darker. “There’s no radiation—at least, not enough to worry about. But there are thousands of people—perhaps millions—stuck out there living as animals.”

  My mind reeled. “What do you mean? There’s nothing out there. It’s only desert. I’ve seen the pictures on the view-screen in school.”

  Dr. DeWitt sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Central’s done their job well.”

  “I’m sorry?” Baruj raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips, clearly insulted by Dr. DeWitt’s comment.

  “At lying to you. Manipulating you.”

  Baruj’s face reddened in embarrassment. “I know the things that Central tries to do—”

  “You don’t know the half of it.” Dr. DeWitt’s pale blue eyes narrowed, glaring at Baruj.

  Baruj’s mouth clamped shut, and his small eyes narrowed to slits. “I’m listening, sir.”

  “Central tells you that your pills keep you vaccinated, that no human has died of virus or disease in over a hundred years. These are both lies.”

  “What?” cried Baruj.

  Timothy clenched his jaw and his fists. “I heard my parents say things. I just didn’t know...”

  Dr. DeWitt continued. “About fifteen years ago, in a few remote outposts, there was a severe viral outbreak. At that time, I worked in the Department of Health as a junior assistant. I had worked there two years, maybe three, when my team was sent to evaluate a group of infected subjects to try to figure out what caused the illness. Of the original team of twenty researchers, only one person survived to return the headquarters. Me.”

  Dr. DeWitt’s words lingered in the air. Only one survivor in twenty? My mouth grew dry. What kind of sickness had this been? I had learned about illness in school, but I had never been sick. No one I knew had ever been sick. Our pills kept us from getting sick.

  Our pills keep us feeling safe. The disgusting thought paraded through my mind. I turned my attention back to Dr. DeWitt.

  “Since my supervisors died during the study, Central named me the new head of the Department of Health. Within a few short months, the virus had annihilated three outposts. I didn’t have any experience. I didn’t know what to do. All I knew was the look on people’s faces when they grew ill, when they—” paused a moment, his pale face turning red around his eyes. “At my recommendation, Central began restricting travel passes in an attempt to quarantine the illness. Then they banned personal communication devices so no one could find out how bad it was in some outposts.”

  Dr. DeWitt pulled off his glasses and dried his eyes. “I was terrified. It’s not an excuse, really. I can’t justify what I did. I—you have to understand that the virus was horrific. It made—it would...” He choked up and buried his head in his sleeve.

  After a long moment, Dr. DeWitt regained his composure. “I’m sorry.” He ran his fingers through his white-blond hair. “The virus kept spreading. Within a year, we had reported cases in a dozen outposts, and fatality rates were over eighty percent. Central’s Board asked me for my recommendation to stop the outbreak. I told them—” His face reddened, and I wasn’t sure if it was from grief or embarrassment. “I told them to test all Citizens and exclude any infected people.”

  My mouth felt dry, and my voice came out in a creaky whisper. “What does that have to do with my mother?”

  His eyes drooped. “She didn’t die. At least, she didn’t die immediately. She got sick. Henri wanted to tell you, but Central threatened to exclude anyone who spread lies about a sickness their pills—” he spat out the word, “—couldn’t cure. I resigned my post, and trained in hovertech instead. I never wanted to see the inside of a Central hospital again.”

  I sat down. My mom had been excluded? She had died sick and alone in the desert? My stomach turned, and bile stung my mouth.

  A radio sitting on the table next to Dr. DeWitt crackled to life. “Should we expand the search perimeter, sir?”

  A response, and from the cold voice, I knew it was Colonel Marwasi on the radio. “Yes. Send first platoon through the water treatment plant. Second and third platoon, begin canvassing the housing sector.”

  Dr. DeWitt frowned. “That’s Central’s main frequency on the radio. It’s time for you both to leave.”

  “Leave? Now?” I couldn’t process everything Dr. DeWitt was telling me. Every history lesson of every year of school had taught us that the badlands were nothingness. They taught us that Central was good and cared for all citizens.

  But I remembered my last history assignment. It had conveniently left out information about the last twenty years. How could I have been so foolish? Dr. DeWitt’s story fit neatly into the gaping holes in my schoolbooks.

  “That’s why I’m glad we’re all here,” Dr. DeWitt said. “We talked about the possibility of having to leave Central’s cities someday.” He threw two large suede knapsacks at our feet. “There’s already some food and water in these bags. Let’s grab you both some blankets and other supplies. You know how to use a map and compass, right, Baruj?” He rummaged through the shelves, pulling off a few other items.

  Baruj nodded sharply. “Of course.” He stood a little straighter, his military bearing taking over.

  “Good. It’s ancient tech, but it’s dead useful, and Central won’t be able to track it like their hand held navs. Take care of this. You won’t have much else to guide you.” Dr. DeWitt put the map and compass in a small satchel, which Baruj tied on to his belt.

  Everything was happening too fast. Dr. DeWitt kept piling supplies into the knapsacks. Baruj’s dark face lit up with excitement. Excitement? I wasn’t ready to go anywhere. I wasn’t ready to leave Samalut, the only home I could remember. I looked back into the corner of the storage unit. Timothy stood with his lean arms crossed, staring at the ceiling. His jaw clenched and unclenched. His fingers dug into his own arms. He looked at me for a moment, and his face fell. Tears welled up in my eyes.

  I wasn’t ready to leave Timothy, either. Not like this.

  “I want to stay here.”

  Baruj and Dr. DeWitt continued to pack, continued to pull tools off the shelves.

  “I’m staying,” I repeated, louder and more firmly.

  Dr. DeWitt paused for a moment. “What?”

  “I don’t want to go anywhere. I want to stay right here.” Timothy tilted his head, glancing at me. His mouth curved up for a brief moment, then returned to a stiff line. He uncrossed his arms and walked toward me.

  “You know you can’t stay here. It’s not safe.” Timothy rested his hand on my shoulder. I stared at the ground, afraid to meet his eyes.

  “You’re staying here, aren’t you?” I asked.

  “No,” Dr. DeWitt said. “Timothy and I aren’t safe here, either. We’re not going to join your search for Henri and the others, but we have to flee as well. We’ll be leaving as soon everything has calmed down a bit.”

  “Don’t you want to find your papa?” asked Baruj, his brow furrowed. “I want Naeem back. We may be their only chance of returning to safety.”

  “What if something happens to us? How can you know we’ll make it? I’m not strong. I’m not strong at all. I don’t want to—to die.” Once the words had finally been said, I knew what I feared. I couldn’t make it through the desert on my own. I couldn’t rescue Papa. It was a miracle I had made it this far, a miracle I had gotten out of the interrogation room in
one piece. I felt the tears stream down my face. Terror gripped me.

  Timothy lifted my face with one gentle hand and looked me straight in the eye. “Your strength is here.” He tapped the side of my head. “You’re one of the smartest people I know. As long as you use your head, I know you’ll make it.”

  He leaned down to my ear and whispered in a voice so quiet only I could hear, “That’s what I love about you.”

  I dried my face on my sleeve. Timothy still stared at me, his hand resting easily on my shoulder. I put my hand on top of his and held his fingers for a long moment.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’ve got me, too, Sadira. Don’t forget that.” Baruj tucked the compass he had been fiddling with back into the pouch on his side. “I want to find Naeem just as much as you want your papa back. We’ll help each other. We’ll make it.” His face, normally filled with a smirk or a hint of a joke, was solemn.

  Dr. DeWitt cleared his throat. “You’re the one Central wants. The farther away you can get from Samalut, the better. If they catch you again, I won’t be able to help you. You’ll go, then.” It wasn’t a question. It was a command. I knew better than to argue with him when he got that way. The truth of his statement settled into my brain.

  I couldn’t be caught again because I might not have anyone to help me next time. It didn’t matter that I was afraid. I still had to leave. I inhaled sharply, letting the air fill my lungs, letting my body relax. My eyes closed, blocking out the world.

  “You’re right. I have to go. I will go.” I said a silent prayer: God, put courage in my heart.

  My eyes opened, taking in the room, Dr. DeWitt, Baruj, and Timothy. It was a new world, a world where my body sung with strength and my soul filled with fire.

  Dr. Dewitt carried on with the packing. He pulled out a couple of lightbands, handing one to each of us. I snapped the lightband around my wrist and switched it on. It gave a strong, steady stream of bluish light. I promptly flicked it back off. No point in using such a thing in a brightly lit room. Dr. DeWitt grabbed a long, hollow tube of metal with a switch at one end and a knife. He handed me the metal tube and gave the knife to Baruj, who fastened it on his belt.

  “What is this?” I put my eye near the open end, trying to peer inside.

  “Careful, Sadira.” Dr. DeWitt snatched the tube from me. “You’re staring down the business end of a fire-starter. See this switch? Press it, and voila!” A flame shot out of the hollow end of the tube. I jumped back. I had seen fire before, but never this close up. Everything was electric, even Papa’s pipe for his sim-tobacco. Dr. DeWitt flicked the switch again, and the fire returned to its home in the tube. He handed the fire-starter back to me. I touched it gingerly, afraid of allowing the flames back out of their prison.

  “Ah, one more thing.” Dr. DeWitt grabbed two long robes, handing one to each of us. “You’ll want to be sure to keep your skin covered, especially you, Sadira. It wouldn’t do to try to rescue your father if you’re all sunburned.”

  “What about you and Timothy?” I asked. “Where are you going?”

  Dr. DeWitt ran his hand nervously through his hair. “Your father and I had considered this possibility for a long time, Sadira. We had already put together a shelter outside of the city walls. It’s well concealed and well stocked. We can stay underground for a year if we need to.”

  “He really is a mad scientist,” muttered Baruj.

  Timothy stifled a chuckle, but Dr. DeWitt beamed, flattered by the comment.

  “You’ve been in the badlands before, right?” Dr. DeWitt asked.

  Baruj nodded. “Only once. For a training exercise.”

  “Many of the stories you’ve heard about the badlands are true. There are hundreds of kilometers of desert with no food, no water, and no shelter.”

  “Are there wild animals?” I asked.

  Dr. DeWitt shrugged. “Possibly. Who knows? It’s best to travel by night and sleep during the hottest part of the day. Keep concealed. Conserve your water. There’s no telling when you may find more.” He lifted the smaller knapsack and motioned for me to turn around. Dr. DeWitt slipped the straps over my shoulders. With a quiet whir, the straps adjusted automatically until the pack sat snug against my back. He then helped Baruj put on his pack.

  “How will I know where to find Papa?”

  Dr. DeWitt grabbed my hand and placed the crystal radio in it. “These crystals have been Henri’s obsession for the last several months. If there’s any way to find him, I think it’s to use this device. Figure out how to call your papa. Baruj, I marked the last known coordinates of the hovership on your map. You should start there and see what you find.”

  Baruj cleared his throat. “How are we going to climb over the Wall, sir?”

  “Oh, it’s far too tall to climb over.”

  “Then how do we get out?” Baruj asked.

  “If you can’t go over, then you can always try going under.” Dr. DeWitt looked at Baruj with a knowing grin.

  Timothy wrinkled his brow. “What is he talking about?”

  “Most people think there’s only one way to get into Samalut,” Baruj said.

  “Through the front gate,” I said. It’s the only entrance I had ever seen used, and even then, access through those gates was rare. Supplies were usually sent in transport ships that floated over the Wall instead of through the gate, but most hovertech crafts had restrictors to keep them within the boundaries of the city.

  Baruj nodded. “But there are actually two entrances. There’s an underground access point for receiving any classified cargo for the Central office. It’s behind the greenhouses.” Baruj shook as he thought about it. “Do you think we can go through there, Dr. DeWitt?”

  Dr. DeWitt licked his lower lip. “It’s the best chance you have.”

  “I supposed it is.”

  Dr. DeWitt’s face softened, and he turned back to me. “Little Sadira, you know I want to keep you here with me and Timothy, but you’re safer with Baruj. The farther away from Samalut you go, the better.” He gave me a hug and kissed the top of my head. “You be safe, and be good.”

  He held out his hand to Baruj, and they awkwardly shook hands. “Take care of her.”

  “I will, sir.”

  Timothy reached for my arm and pulled me in for a hug. Everything paused for a moment. My heart stopped beating. My lungs chose not to inhale. His arms felt warm, safe, and sure around me.

  Time caught back up to us, and Timothy pulled away. “You’ll be safe. Just use your head.”

  I tried to think of something to say, some way to show I understood, or a way to help him realize that my back was tingling from his touch and my heart was aching at the thought of leaving. No words came out.

  Dr. DeWitt brushed the tears out of his eyes and clenched his jaw. “I have one more thing to give to you. Take very good care of this.” He walked to one of the back shelves in the storage unit and pulled down a small metal box.

  “Ever since Central banned radios, I’ve been tinkering in my shop to build one that they won’t be able to detect, one with enough range to be useful. This is it.” He opened the box, revealing two smaller boxes. He handed one of them to me.

  “These two radios are synched to a secure frequency. Central shouldn’t be able to overhear anything we say. But these are the only two I’ve managed to build. Don’t break it, and for God’s sake don’t lose it. It’s the only way we’ll be able to keep in touch. I’ll try to get in contact with you once a day to give you any updates.”

  I turned the box over in my hands. I could have Timothy and Dr. DeWitt by my side, even across the desert. It was a comfort, a small comfort, but better than nothing.

  Dr. DeWitt strode forward and propped open the door. “Out you go, then. You can’t wait any longer. We’ll see each other soon.”

  Baruj marched out in front of me, and I followed a half step behind. It was bright outside. From the heat of the air, I guessed it was already ten o’clock. Broad daylight, an
d we’re going to try to escape? I could hear the blood rushing in my ears, a strong and steady whump, whump, whump as I passed through the door.

  This may be the last thing I ever do.

  I pushed that terrifying thought from my mind and followed Baruj. He raced to the Wall and pressed himself against its rough concrete edge. We didn’t blend in, couldn’t blend in to that environment. Every fold of our clothes and stretch of our skin screamed in contrast to the bleak gray-beige of the Wall. We’re going to get caught.

  I felt as though I had cotton stuffed in my mouth. I swallowed a few times, but no saliva came. Baruj’s strong fingers reached for my hand, and I clutched them gratefully.

  We jogged silently, heading ever closer to the greenhouses in the Ag district. My heart was beating harder and harder, and my ankle still throbbed a bit, but the pain slowly receded. The sprain was only a bit of soreness, I decided. Either that, or the adrenaline kept the pain at bay. I kept scanning the land around us, looking for a guard. They were on foot by now. One could turn the corner of a building or step out from behind a tree at any moment.

  For those long minutes, the open areas between the storage units and the greenhouses were mercifully clear. We clung to cover as much as possible, staying low on the ground. The greenhouses, gleaming a brilliant white in the morning sun, now sat twenty meters away. Baruj opened the door of the first greenhouse, letting out a cloud of cool, humid air. “This is as much cover as we can hope for,” he whispered. It was a relief to be tucked out of sight instead of running across the open fields.

  I had only been in the greenhouses once before, during a trip with school. The building was narrow—perhaps only twenty-five meters wide—but was easily two hundred meters long. Tangles of white pipes snaked across the ground, feeding the hydroponic systems. Large white plastic trays elevated the rows of corn, beans, and rice. There was just enough room between the plant trays and the floor for Baruj and me to squirm underneath and disappear from view.

  We squeezed under the trays and paused for a moment. Baruj’s panting slowed, and he began to relax. He slid next to me and whispered in my ear, “We’re going to stick to the greenhouses for as long as we can. This thing is pretty much automated—hardly anyone walks through. The building is wired, though, so you have to be quiet.”

  I nodded silently to show I understood. Baruj and I kept crawling along under the plant trays, slowly making our way over the irrigation pipes placed randomly throughout. We had nearly reached the end of the greenhouse when the door at the far end clicked open. Baruj’s entire body stiffened, and my heart raced into overdrive once more.

  Heavy footfalls rang through the building, edging ever closer to us. I couldn’t tell how many feet there were—I was afraid to turn around and look—but I guessed there were at least five people in the greenhouse with us.

  Baruj twisted his body and turned his face to me. “When I say run, you sprint for the back door with everything you have.”

  My stomach shrank to nothing, and my legs felt limp.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  Ready? I couldn’t be ready, couldn’t ever be ready. The footsteps were so close and clicked to the rhythm of my heartbeat—whump, whump, whump.

  “Run!” Baruj said.

  I pushed myself off the ground and sprinted forward. The weak feeling in my legs vanished. Adrenaline took over, rising in my veins. It drove each footstep, forced each heartbeat. My muscles burned with fear.

  “Over there!” I heard the guards behind me shout. I didn’t look over my shoulder. Any extra motion only wasted precious time, lost us precious distance. I kept running, following a breath behind Baruj.

  We shot out of the back door of the greenhouse. Baruj clutched my hand and dragged me in between another row of greenhouses. I kept running, the aching steps alternating with the staccato drumbeat of my heart.

  A blip echoed through the rows of greenhouses, coming from everywhere at once. “Suspects spotted in the Ag district. Request for backup.” It repeated incessantly, a horrible song promising capture.

  Baruj swore under his breath. I glanced over my shoulder and saw ten soldiers closing in. They jogged at a leisurely pace, sure of surrounding us. I pushed myself harder, faster, and said a prayer of thanks for my long legs.

  Baruj halted for a moment, staring at the small building buried into the Wall. Two large gray doors, the same somber color as the Wall, were the only indication of a building. That and the hoards of soldiers standing guard in front of the doors. “There must be a full company there. We’re not getting out through the back gate.” Panic rose in his voice, each word a note higher than the last. “Shit, shit, shit. What do we do, Sadira?”

  I froze. Baruj was older, bigger, stronger. I hadn’t planned anything, and I had no idea where to turn next. The guards behind us continued their slow jog, and several more soldiers walked toward us from the building in the Wall.

  Guards stood before us and behind us, but a glance to my right showed me the row between the greenhouses was still clear. “We’re grabbing the cab,” I blurted out. I tugged Baruj’s arm and ran back toward the center of the town. Each stride was faster and longer than the one before.

  I can’t be caught, not here, not now.

  Baruj lagged behind me, panting heavily. His footsteps slowed, but I kept sprinting, ignoring the sharp pain building in my side. I turned the corner and sighed with relief. The edge of the cab barely peeked out from behind the row of trees. The Central soldiers hadn’t found it yet after all.

  I threw myself into the back seat. Baruj collapsed in the front.

  “Where are we going?” he asked.

  “Over the Wall.”

  “We can’t do that! The hovertech is height restricted.”

  “Just trust me,” I said.

  “But—”

  “We’re out of choices. Look.” Two black hovercabs approached in the distance.

  “Fine.” Baruj shut the top of the hovercab and flipped it on. “Manual override,” he shouted into the dash. The top row of lights on the dash dimmed, and a set of controls flipped down. He clutched them, knuckles white, and zoomed through the side streets, twisting and turning between buildings. I grabbed the shoulder harness and tried to pull it down, but I was getting slung from side to side in the cab. I pressed my arms against the sides to brace myself as he took another sharp turn.

  “I hope this works!”

  Me too, I thought. I remembered Dr. DeWitt telling me that a cab had flown over the Wall recently, and him saying that this cab was a prototype. I hoped against hope that he had modified the cab to defy its height restriction. Otherwise we’d be dashed to pieces by the Wall.

  Baruj had cleared out of the downtown area and was speeding toward the looming gray Wall in the distance. Dr. DeWitt must have removed the speed restrictors on the cab, too. We outpaced the cabs behinds us. The ground below flew by at a dizzying speed, blurring together as I glanced over my shoulder. A half-dozen cabs hovered behind us, but we surged forward.

  The Wall grew closer, closer, closer. It sharpened into view, every flaw of the wall stark and clear. I could see the texture of the concrete, could see the cracks and chinks peeking through.

  “Pull up!” I screamed. This is it. This is how I will go, staring at the Wall, smashed against it like a bug.

  “I’m trying!” Baruj put all of his weight on the controls, and the cab shot skyward, catapulting over the Wall. I could see the other Central cabs below, stopped on the other side of the Wall, crippled by their height restrictors. The cab spun skywards, climbing fifteen, twenty, thirty meters into the air. We spiraled, and I could hear the reactor coils fall out of synch. That isn’t good.

  “Buckle up!” Baruj screamed. I jerked at the shoulder harness, which finally pulled down across my chest, and snapped it in securely. The cab had stopped spiraling upwards and was now flying straight down into the desert sand.

  I barely had time to blink, when the cab flung out into the dese
rt, crashing and sliding into the sand. I jerked forward, but the shoulder harness cut into my skin, keeping me firmly in my seat. A huge cloud of dirt kicked up on impact.

  “Are you okay?” I asked Baruj. He stared back at me, his eyes disoriented.

  “I think so. Nothing hurts too bad. You?”

  “I’m good, too,” I replied. I had a few sore spots around my neck and shoulders that were sure to be bruises tomorrow, but nothing seemed to be cut or broken.

  He removed his shoulder harness and pushed open the top of the cab. Sand from the air began to settle, falling like dry, dusty snowflakes on my hair and clothes. “I guess we’re walking, then.” He held out his hand for me, and I grabbed it, wrenching myself out of the cab. The reactors had stopped whining and now sat deathly still on the ground.

  He pulled the robe Dr. DeWitt had given him from his knapsack and slipped it on over his head. “Put yours on too, Sadira.”

  I removed the wadded robe from my bag as well. It was surprisingly light and airy. The khaki cloth hung loosely from my shoulders and swirled in folds around my ankles. Without the sun beating on my arms, I felt cooler.

  I readjusted the knapsack on my back and pulled my scarf over my face. “You have the coordinates for the crash site?”

  Baruj pulled the map out of the satchel on his waist. He squinted to make out Dr. DeWitt’s handwriting. “Yep. This says the hovership should be around 31 5 North 29 59 East, and we are here.” He traced our position on the map. “We should go this way.” He pointed off in the horizon and began walking.

  I sped up to match his pace. He grabbed my hand. His touch was warm, calming, nothing like the electric chills I got when Timothy was nearby. For a moment I thought to shake off his hand, but the friendly touch made me feel safe.

  “We’re completely exposed here,” he said. “At least the robes are khaki. Keep an eye on the skyline. It’ll be an hour or so until they can get a vehicle approved to leave the outpost. We need to cover some ground.”

  “You think Central will send someone out here?”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t think they’d interrogate a girl your age, or exclude sick people and let them die in the desert. I didn’t think a lot of things.”

  I hadn’t thought of those things before today, either. I suddenly felt very old. My joints stiffened, and my heart ached. The home I knew, the people I trusted, none of it was as it seemed.

  But Papa was alive. No matter what else happened, I had to help him..

  I resisted the temptation to look back over my shoulder, to take one last look at Samalut, in case I turned to a pillar of salt like Lot’s wife. There was nothing to look back for, anyway.

  Baruj and I walked hand in hand, trudging up the gently rolling dunes. The hot sand stung my feet, spraying up and working into my sandals. I braced my right foot, trying not to irritate the bruise that formed around my ankle.

  We walked for what seemed like hours, the horizon sticking firmly in its place. Nothing seemed to move except for my feet. The sand looked the same in each direction, and the enormous blue sky overhead seemed to shut in on us like a lid on a pot. I was like the fish Mrs. Nagi had cooked the night before, bobbing and boiling in the heat.

  I tugged at Baruj’s sleeve. “I need some water.”

  He slowed and slung his knapsack down to his feet.

  “Me, too.” He dug through his pack and pulled out his canteen, taking long, deep swallows. I shook my head. Dr. DeWitt told us to conserve our water. I grabbed my canteen as well. The container was warm from sitting in my bag. I unscrewed the lid and took only a small sip. The water was the same temperature as my body, and it had a bizarre metallic flavor. I was so used to requesting a cool drink from a dispenser that I had never realized what a luxury cold, pure water was. The relief from the sip of warm water passed altogether too quickly, and my mouth was cotton once more. Conserve your water. I was still thirsty, but the instruction rang through my head. I screwed the lid back on to the canteen and put it in my knapsack. Heat spread across my face from the warm air and insistent sunlight.

  A high-pitched squealing sliced through the air. “What was that?” Baruj asked.

  I had nearly forgotten the radio hanging from the side of my knapsack. I tinkered with the switches until the squeal turned into coherent words.

  “Sadira?” Dr. DeWitt called through the radio.

  “Yes. Can you hear me?” I held the radio up to my mouth and shouted into it.

  “Loud and clear. How are you both doing?”

  I told him how we escaped from the outpost, how we crashed into the sandy earth.

  “Did you really fly over the Wall?” Timothy asked. “That’s what the blips kept saying here.”

  Baruj shook his head. “We really did. I can hardly believe it myself. Thanks for whatever you modified on that cab, Dr. DeWitt. We wouldn’t have gotten out otherwise.”

  “You’re not hurt, are you?” Timothy asked.

  “No, we’re fine. We’ve been walking for the last few hours,” I said. “How are you two? What about Mrs. Nagi, or Amina?”

  “I don’t know,” said Dr. DeWitt. “The blips have only been about tracking down you two. We’ll keep an ear out for any other information.”

  I heard Timothy shift uneasily in the background—with a sinking stomach, I realized that his family could also be in danger. God, please don’t let any harm come to them. Please protect our families, our friends.

  Baruj changed the topic, updating Dr. DeWitt on our status. “I think we’ve covered about twelve kilometers.”

  Dr. DeWitt’s voice came on, tired and heavy with worry. “It’s time for you two to rest a bit and find some cover. We just heard a blip from Central saying that they’re sending a cab over the Wall to scout the area.”

  “Understood, sir,” said Baruj. “We’ll stop here. At least until the sun goes down and you confirm we’re clear.”

  “Be careful. Contact me as soon as it’s dark outside.” The radio screeched, crackled, then cut to silence.

  “Let’s make camp, then,” Baruj said.

  I didn’t argue. I just plopped down on the sand.

  He chuckled.

  “We should at least put a shade over our heads. You know, for cover?”

  “Oh.” My sunburned face grew even hotter in embarrassment. How was I supposed to know these things? I had never walked through the badlands before. I was no soldier.

  Baruj unfolded a blanket from his bag and handed one edge to me. “Here, stretch this out.” I pulled obediently, watching the beige cloth smooth into a large sheet. Its sandy color blended perfectly with the dunes on the ground. The blanket’s edges were an invisible seam on the earth. Baruj grabbed each of our knapsacks and sat them upright at either end of the blanket, propping the blanket off of the ground just high enough for us to crawl beneath.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  “It’s not a palace, but it’ll do.”

  He laughed. “Come on, now. Get out of the sun. We’ll need to keep quiet until we hear more from Dr. DeWitt.”

  We crawled beneath the blanket. There wasn’t much room, and the air beneath was stuffy and thick, but the extra shade was blissful. So was finally getting off of my feet. I hadn’t said anything to Baruj, but the straps of my sandals cut into my ankle, and the skin of my feet felt raw.

  It was quiet, still. The desert had its own low hum, a buzz of silence and emptiness that strummed through the hot air. The warm air lay on top of me, the hot sand below. The desert hum sang to me, and I soon feel asleep.

  But a different hum cut through the hot air, more insistent, more familiar. A hovercab reactor. The sound jerked me from sleep. I heard the synched whine of the coils, the hiss of a cab’s metal body cutting through the air.

  Central was looking for us.