I crawled to Will’s side and whispered in his ear. “Kai looks just like his father.”
It was true: Driesen Smith was a more elongated version of the boy. Both were tall with blond hair and had the same way of standing, as if nothing were important, even as their lives were in the hands of corporate criminals. But Driesen glanced surreptitiously about the roof, and I could tell he was deciding whether there might still be an escape. A driller didn’t survive for long without being skilled at seizing opportunity where others wouldn’t dare.
They were probably less than a hundred meters away, yet the distance was nearly insurmountable. I wanted to wave to Kai, to tell him we had come to save him, but he was barely visible behind a phalanx of soldiers. A few steps, a quick dash, and I could pull Kai away, but I would never make it half that distance alive.
As my stomach churned and the air filled with the crackling static of communicators, an idea came to me. It was simple, really—not dangerous at all—but I had to convince Ulysses and Sula to let me try.
“I’m going to get him,” I said.
“Don’t be crazy,” said Will.
“I can do it. I’ll take the destabilizer.”
Sula shook her head. “No. If anyone takes it, I will.”
“They’ll shoot you before you get close enough,” I said. “They know you’re armed. I’m the only one who can get inside and use it.”
I knew I was right, and I knew the others knew it as well. But Will refused to hear me. “I’ll do it,” he said. “They won’t shoot me.”
“You’re too old. They’ll think you’re a soldier, and they won’t let you get near.”
In normal circumstances Will might have been flattered to be considered a soldier. But the only way to walk unarmed into the midst of Bluewater’s elite security force was to appear harmless and nonthreatening. I was the only one with that chance.
“We can intercept them at the plane,” Will offered.
“It’ll be too late by then.”
He turned to Ulysses. “Don’t let her do it.”
“I want to,” I insisted. “Kai is my friend. It was my idea to come after him in the first place. Besides, I’ll be fine.”
Ulysses frowned, but his eyes betrayed him. “She’s the only one who can slip past unchallenged,” he agreed. “It’s our best chance.” Will wanted to argue, but the decision was already made. “If there’s any sign of trouble,” said Ulysses, “dive to the floor, and don’t come up until the shooting stops.”
Sula handed me the destabilizer. It was no larger than a bottle cap, and she strapped it to my wrist like a timepiece. She explained that when I pushed two small protruding buttons at the same time, it would generate a shock wave that would knock down anyone within a ten-meter radius. “But make sure you stand straight and have both feet on the ground, or it will take you with it,” she added.
I ran my fingers over its smooth black surface. I was amazed that such a small device had so much power. But there was only enough charge for one shock wave, so I would have just one chance. Sula gripped my arm as if she was going to say something more, but all she said was, “Hurry now.”
I hugged Ulysses and Will. Will gave me one last chance to change my mind, then made me promise I wouldn’t take any foolish risks.
“At least none you wouldn’t,” I said. Despite himself, he grinned back at me.
I stole one last look at the destabilizer, memorizing the location of the buttons, then I stepped from the hiding place out into the open. The guards turned to me in surprise, as if they had just seen a phantom.
“Kai!” I waved.
Sights raised, the guns bristled at me. I held my breath.
“Vera?” Kai’s face was as confused as the men’s around him.
The gun of the leading guard lowered slightly, and the man peered at me over his barrel. “Identify yourself!” he called.
“I’m a friend of Kai’s,” I said.
“The pirate’s daughter.” Torq pushed to the front of the group, his brown head glistening in the sun. “But where is your father? He can’t have gotten far.”
“You have him in your prison.”
“He’s gone. But I think you know that.” He turned to the nearest guard. “Search her.”
One of the guards swiftly approached and checked me for weapons, but he was young and nervous, and I could tell he felt uncomfortable running his hands over my body. He didn’t even think to inspect the timepiece on my wrist. The other guards lowered their guns. I’m sure they didn’t think I posed any threat. Torq signaled to two of them, and they escorted me back inside their circle.
“Hi, Kai,” I said, as if we were meeting on the road after school again.
“Hi, Vera.”
We grinned at each other like idiots. I couldn’t have been happier if someone had handed me a real orange with a glass of fresh water.