Book One of the Travelers (11 page)

G
unny lay on his stomach and bent his left leg. He hooked his knee around the beam. His right leg shot out and pressed into the side of the next girder over. He managed to stop sliding. Now he just had to hang on to Junior's scrawny ankles long enough to get the boy back up onto the beam.

“Grab something!” Gunny shouted. “Anything!”

He could feel the boy shaking. Or maybe
Gunny
was the one quivering. Every muscle burned; even the cold steel seemed to burn his face where his skin pressed into the metal.

Some of the pressure eased. Junior must have found something to hang on to.

Which meant he wasn't holding on to Ambrose.

Slowly, so slowly, Gunny edged himself backward along the beam. Down on the floor below he could see police officers swarming around the gangsters. He didn't dare risk calling for help—expanding his lungs to yell seemed too dangerous. It could flip him right off the beam.

Now Junior was helping to push. Like strange snakes, they slithered backward in a long thin line. Gunny felt his legs hit a platform. He had reached the edge of the installed flooring.

He lifted up slightly and slid onto it, never releasing Junior's ankles. Then he sat back on his knees and pulled Junior the rest of the way to safety. They fell away from the edge, sprawling on the unfinished floor.

“We did it,” he told the terrified boy.

“I tried to—he just went—,” Junior stammered.

“I know, son. I know,” Gunny said. “But you see? You tried to save him. Even after all that. You're no killer. You did great.”

Junior gave Gunny a weary smile. “You're pretty impressive for an old guy.”

Gunny returned the smile—with an equal amount of exhaustion. “You're not so bad yourself. For a kid. Your sister, too.” He slung an arm around Junior's shoulders. “Now let's go take care of Jed.”

 

“You really were something,” Jed said as he and Gunny waited for the doctors to sign his release papers. One ankle was wrapped and his other leg was in a cast, but other than the broken bones, he was fine. He was a little dopey from the painkillers, though.

“It was those kids,” Gunny admitted. “You were right. They did have a lot to offer.”

“You handled a lot,” Jed said. “You really are ready.”

“Ready for what?” Gunny asked.

“I'm getting too old for this,” Jed continued, as if
he hadn't heard Gunny's question. “It's time to pass the torch.”

“What are you talking about?” Gunny laughed. “You sure those were just painkillers they gave you?”

“This whole thing…all of your life…it's been leading here.” Jed's voice was vague and sleepy. “To this moment.”

“You should rest,” Gunny said. “It's been quite the day.”

“No, no,” Jed insisted, trying to rouse himself. “There are some things you need to know.”

“Not tonight,” Gunny said.

“Maybe not,” Jed said. “Tomorrow. But promise me you'll keep an open mind.”

“Don't I always?” Gunny said with a smile.

 

Gunny got a lot of strange looks when he appeared for work in his crisp bellman's uniform the next morning. The bruises, cuts, and burns were in definite contrast to his usual professional and dapper style.

“Don't ask,” he growled at Dodger before the boy could speak.

The little bell on the front desk jangled. A tall man with a suitcase stood waiting, smiling.

“Welcome to the Manhattan Tower Hotel,” Gunny greeted the new guest. “I'll take these to your room.”

“Thank you,” the man said.

They rode the elevator in silence, Gunny horribly self-conscious about the condition of his face. It wasn't the impression he liked to give hotel guests.

He opened the door to the man's suite and placed
the suitcase on the luggage rack. “Will that be all, sir?”

“Actually, Gunny,” the man said, “I'd like you to stay.”

Gunny looked at the man sharply. “How do you know my name?”

“I'll get to that,” the man said with a smile. “My name's Press. And I have a lot to tell you.”

H
obey-ho, mates! We did it!” Vo Spader grinned at the group of smiling Aquaneer Academy cadets around him. He and his classmates were gathered on the forward dock near the academy entry port. “No more tests, rules, or Master Simmons's spot safety checks! We graduate tomorrow!”

“Aquaneers all!” the group cheered.

“Aquaneers all!” Spader repeated. With a whoop he cannonballed into the water in front of the dock. Several others dove in after him.

Spader burst through the surface and shook his head, spraying water from his long dark hair. He felt great—pumped and ready for anything. His parents were arriving on the ferry soon for the graduation ceremony tomorrow, and he couldn't wait to see them.

He pulled himself back up out of the water and sprawled on the deck, warming himself in the sun. The kids who had stayed on the dock were talking about the future.

“I'm going to Crasker,” Min Chester, a girl from his Hydrotech class was saying. “My sister works at one of the Watsu ship-building facilities there.” Their classmate, Per Watsu, was the son of the head of Watsu Shipyards.

“Sounds spiff,” Spader said. “I'm off to Grallion.”

Dor Jinsen whistled. “That's the big agro habitat. They'll put you to work there.”

“Bring it on!” Spader said, leaping to his feet. “I'm ready!”

Spader had thought hard about which of the habitats dotting Cloral he'd choose after graduating. It was a big decision since each was devoted to a specific industry. He was thrilled when he got his first-choice placement.

“What are you looking forward to the most?” Min asked the group.

“My mom's cooking!” Dor said. “I'm sick of the academy menu.”

“Something new to do,” Spader said. “After drilling everything so many times, even this obstacle course is easy-o.” He nodded toward the other side of the dock where they'd spent hours navigating the obstacle course on their water sleds. “I could do it blindfolded.”

“I'd like to see you try!” Per Watsu challenged.

Spader turned to see Per Watsu above them, hanging over the rail of the observation deck. The guy was a right sinker, always bringing the mood down and trying to prove he was best at everything, especially anything Spader did well. Worse, he never seemed to have any fun. When Spader competed, he and his opponent generally had a good laugh afterward. Per was as sore a winner as he was a loser.

Per waved a hand in disgust. “I guess you just don't want to break any rules.”

“Me?” Spader scoffed. “I haven't met a rule yet that I couldn't bypass.”

“Then do it,” Per goaded. “Prove once and for all that you're better on the course than I am.”

“I already proved that,” Spader said, starting to get mad. “I've beaten your standings every time.”

Per's jaw set and Spader knew he'd hit a nerve. Sure, they were only seconds apart in the finals, but seconds mattered as an aquaneer, and Spader had been named First Standing over Per. Still, using the course unsupervised was strictly forbidden. And blindfolded?

“Spader doesn't care about any of that!” Dor argued. “I bet twenty grentons that he can get through it.”

“I'll take that bet,” Min said laughing. “I don't think he'll make it to the chute.”

“No way!” Now all the kids were chattering and betting on how far through the course Spader could get. “The mama ramp will stop him!”

“Hobey!” Spader exclaimed. “I'll make it over the baby, the mama, and the papa ramps like water over a fall!”

Per smiled smugly. “Well?” he asked. “Are you going to stand by your words? Or are you going to show everyone here that you're just talk.”

“Why not?” Spader grinned at the group. “What can they do? Expel me? I've already passed!”

The group let out a cheer. Per glanced at his watch, smiled, then went over to Min. “May I?” he asked, pointing at the sash she wore around her waist.

“For the cause,” she quipped. She unwrapped the sash and handed it to Per.

Per tied the blindfold slowly and ceremoniously around Spader's eyes. He led him to the obstacle course entrance.

This could be a tum-tigger
, Spader realized as he plunged into the water. It took him a moment to orient himself, then he struggled to unhitch the sled. His classmates on the dock shouted instructions. “The clip is on the other side.” “Don't ride it into the dock!”

Once he was positioned properly at the water sled, Spader's confidence kicked back in. He'd spent so much time on the nifty little thing it felt like an extension of his limbs. He could do this!

The water sled hummed to life. The kids on the dock were now chanting: “Go Spader Go!”

He zoomed up and over the first ramp—the one they all called “baby.” He slowed slightly. This wasn't about beating the clock he reminded himself, the way it was in trials. This was about getting through it.

He visualized the course. Up first were the turns. He leaned hard left and then quickly hard right. His foot grazed the cone but he made it. He couldn't celebrate the victory yet, though. He had three more turns to make—if his memory was right.

After the turns came…what? “Whoah!” He suddenly jolted forward. His grip must have tightened on the controls, making the sled speed up. He felt the sled angle sharply upward. He was already at the mama ramp!

“Whooo-ee!” Spader whooped as he picked up air
underneath him. He shifted his weight and hit the water hard, but maintained his balance.

He could hear cheers from the dock and smiled, knowing Per must be fuming. Halfway there!

He took in a deep breath and submerged. He needed to make it through the reef fast—he didn't have on an air globe!

No one had bothered to remind him—everyone was too wrapped up in getting on the blindfold to remember, including Spader.

He slowed the sled so he could feel his way along the reef—better to have to resurface for air than to smash into rough and sharp coral. He found the first opening and maneuvered through it, then carefully wove in and out of the rocky obstacle. His lungs felt as if they were going to explode any moment.

He cleared the length of the reef.
Done!
He burst back up to the surface and took in a huge gulp of air. He pictured the rest of the course.
Okay, papa ramp next, then—

“Vo Spader, return to dock immediately.”

Uh-oh…That order came through loud and clear over the speaker. He knew that tone only too well.

“Vo Spader, return to the dock immediately, or be removed.”

Busted.

Spader pulled back on the throttle and whipped off his blindfold.

He slowly turned the sled around and saw the very unwelcome sight of Master Simmons standing on the dock, surrounded by a group of adults. Parents and
alumni, no doubt, all here for the graduation ceremony tomorrow.

Time for a reckoning
, Spader thought.
They can't expel me
, he told himself, but worried that maybe they actually could.

He tried to read the master's expression as he approached the dock. Oooh, not good. In fact, everyone was glaring at him. He slowed the sled, delaying the inevitable, hoping he'd come up with the perfect thing to say.

Hang on
, he thought.
They've stopped looking at me, they're looking out to the open waters beyond
. He frowned. They didn't look annoyed. They looked…shocked.

A loud boom nearly startled him off the sled.
What the—

Spader craned his neck to see two vessels just beyond the academy water gates. One was the ferry carrying the guests for graduation. The other boat was…

“Raiders!” he gasped.

A booming sound came again, and a body dropped off the ferry pilot's tower and plunged into the water. The sea pirates were firing on the ferry!

E
ar-piercing sirens screeched from the loudspeakers all across the academy. Everywhere Spader looked he saw frantic activity: aquaneers suiting up on the run, ships being launched, and people shouting instructions. But this was a training facility, not designed for military operations. Spader wondered if they'd have the means to take on armed raiders.

Then it hit him. His parents were on that ferry!

His fingers hit the throttle, and the sled zipped across the water. He zoomed out the academy gates, heading straight toward the fight.

His stomach tightened. There was blood in the water.

He gritted his teeth and urged the sled to go faster. He glanced up to check the distance, and his heart nearly stopped.

His father was out on deck—trading punches with a raider!

Spader made a sharp turn, sending up spray, and
pulled alongside the vessel. He wanted to board behind the raider. That would give him the advantage of surprise.

He leaped from his sled and grabbed the handholds on the side of the ship. He scrambled up and flung himself onto the raider's back. He shoved his arm across the raider's throat and yanked back, hard.

“Vo!” Spader's father, Benn, looked startled and then grinned. “Glad you're here, laddie!”

The raider shoved his fingers between Spader's arm and his neck. He brought his shoulder up sharply, knocking Spader's jaw.

Spader's head whipped back and his hold loosened. The raider squirmed out of his grip, but Benn Spader was on him.

“No, you don't!” Benn shouted. “Grab him!” He pushed the raider back into Spader. Spader was ready for him—he gripped the man's arms tightly.

The raider lurched and lunged, desperate to break free. He kicked out at Benn, who quickly grabbed his legs.

“Man overboard!” Spader cried.

Together he and his father hurled the raider over the rail and into the water below.

There were splashes all around the ship as raiders dropped off the boat. They swam toward their vessel.

“Was it something I said?” Spader joked.

“They didn't like the new odds,” Benn said. He pointed to the academy boats heading their way.

“I think they just didn't want to have to face Benn Spader and son!”

“Come on,” Benn said. “We need to check on your mum.”

They hurried below. Spader saw ten parent types huddled together in the cabin. A woman with a single dramatic gray streak in her dark hair stood when they entered.

“Vo! Benn!” Ginja Spader cried.

Spader's body flooded with relief when he saw his mum. She looked frightened, but fine.

“No worries, Mum,” Spader said. “All spiff here.”

“What are you doing on board?” she asked, folding him into a hug.

“Just had to check up on you and Pop,” Spader said.

The first of the academy aquaneers boarded, weapons at the ready.

Benn held up a hand. “We're all under control down here.”

“There weren't very many of them,” one of the other parents added.

“They seemed to know that tomorrow is graduation day,” Ginja Spader said.

The aquaneer nodded and reholstered his weapon. “Makes sense. Hit the boat carrying parents, knowing they'd probably be bringing gifts and grentons with them.”

“They—they got some of the pilot's crew,” Benn said.

“That's how they usually operate,” the aquaneer said gravely. “Is everyone all right here? Anyone need medical attention?”

After organizing the few people with injuries, the aquaneer crew went up to the pilot house to bring the ship in. Soon they were safely arriving at the academy. Everyone on the dock let out a cheer.

Spader gave a big wave and hopped onto the dock. He was instantly surrounded by his friends, thumping him on the back and congratulating him. Min raced up to her parents and disappeared into their arms.

A man strode over to Spader and stuck out his beefy hand. “Well done, mate. Nice to see a young person showing such courage and initiative.”

“Thanks,” Spader said.

“I'm Chi Watsu,” the man said.

Aha
, Spader thought.
Per's father.
Per was a shorter, slimmer version.

“If you ever need a job, there's always a place in my shipyard. We need motivated young people like you.”

Behind Mr. Watsu, Spader saw Per glowering.

“Too bad my own son doesn't show such initiative,” Chi Watsu added. “Maybe then he'd—”

Before Mr. Watsu could finish the thought, an announcement came over the loudspeaker.

“Vo Spader, please report to the dean's office. Immediately.”

Mr. Watsu gave Spader a light punch on the arm. “Must be about giving you a commendation.”

Spader smiled weakly. That hadn't sounded like a “come on in and get a medal” announcement.