The Lost Code Part 32

"Yeah, but"-Leech was looking up at the obvious question, far above-"now what?"

"Just a sec." I closed my eyes and reached back into my head, found the training memory. Back at the mountain lake, my craft was now up in the air, rising alongside Luk and the others. Now what? Now what? I asked him. I asked him.

Like this, he said. He'd moved the sail off to the side and added a second, so that they were both on angles off the mast. He had one line in each hand, and was pulling on both to steer.

Okay, sounds good, I said.

His craft banked on the wind and arced away from me. I noticed that the other pilots were making a line in the sky and heading for a tall obelisk-shaped building in the Atlantean city. It had some kind of metal rod extending from its top.

What's that? I asked. I asked.

That's the second power system, said Luk. As I watched, the first craft pa.s.sed over the tower. A jagged flash of lightning leaped from the tip of the tower to the mast of the craft. There was a burst of blue light on the ship, like something had ignited, and the ship suddenly darted away at incredible speed. An electric charge similar to lightning activates the second system, beneath the heat cell An electric charge similar to lightning activates the second system, beneath the heat cell. That black metal unit is a mercury vortex turbine. It uses electromagnetism for antigravity. That black metal unit is a mercury vortex turbine. It uses electromagnetism for antigravity.

Wow, I said, watching one ship after the next receive its flash of lightning and then explode off toward the horizon in a glow of blue.

Obviously real lightning will work if you can get near it, said Luk, though that can be tricky. What's the weather like where you are? though that can be tricky. What's the weather like where you are?

Well, it's kinda always sunny where I am.

Ah, right. Then for now just worry about using the thermal and the sails. They should be sufficient. He soared over and joined the line. He soared over and joined the line.

I pushed back to reality and reached into the compartment for a second sail. I untied the first one. Our forward speed slowed, but we were still rising from the balloon. I attached the two sails side by side off the mast, each angled off-center. Then I took a line in each hand. When the sails caught full, I practiced changing the tension, testing the interplay between the two. Suddenly the ship was diving and turning, sweeping back and forth in long arcs that made my stomach drop.

"Wooo!" Lilly shouted.

I smiled. There was a feeling of freedom in these movements. And unlike in the past, I had no fear of how high we were. This was like swimming below the surface, fluid, only even more so. Lakes had boundaries, but the sky had none. Well, except this sky.

"Ha! See those?" Leech was pointing down over the side of the craft.

We looked and saw the summit of Mount Aasgard a couple hundred meters below us.

"The cliffs?" said Lilly.

"No, the lines!" Leech made up-and-down motions with his hand.

"You mean the Viking etchings?" I could see that those lines on the cliffs were really straight when seen from above, and ran toward each other, like they were making an arrow. They came nearly to a point at the inside of the ledge Lilly and I had been on. Above that, there was another etching on the very top ledge, higher than where we'd been. It was a crude version of the same symbol I'd seen etched in the Camp Aasgard sign and the tunnel leading to the temple.

"Not Viking!" called Leech. He looked back with an actual smile. "Atlantean! Us! Those mark a ley line! They show the bearing we'll take to the next marker!"

"And you know what all that stuff you just said means?"

"Totally." Leech pulled his sketchbook and pen from the pocket of his jeans and began sketching furiously.

"Okay, then we just have to get out of here." I looked up. We were even with the lowest SafeSun banks. The triangular pattern of the roof panels was clearly visible. "We need to call Aaron."

"Aaron? In the Eye?" asked Leech.

"Yeah," I said. "He's on our side."

"Our side... ," said Leech skeptically. "You sure about that, Tur-"

"Stop! Not Turtle. It's going to be Owen from now on."

Leech nodded. "Okay then." He looked away, and I wondered if he was thinking the same thing about being with me as I had about him.

Lilly dug Paul's phone from her pocket. "How do I get in touch with him?"

"That I can do," said Leech. He took the phone and started tapping quickly. "Paul let me use this a bunch...." The phone started to beep. "Yeah," Leech said into it, "need to talk to Aaron. Tell him it's Owen Owen and company." and company."

I guided the craft into a wide, banking turn and started tacking to the southwest. We were pa.s.sing over the EdenWest city itself now. Down below the haze of atmosphere, I could see the building tops, the blinking neon SensaStreets, the parks and little tram cars buzzing along.

"Owen!" Aaron's voice blurted from the phone. "What are you doing out-Or in, I guess... in some kind of ship. Are you flying flying?"

"Yeah," I said as Leech held the phone toward me. "Listen!" I shouted over the flapping of sails and wind. "We need you to open one of those emergency vents! The ones I saw you open that day when-"

"Yeah, I know the ones you mean. Um..." Aaron rubbed his hand over his mouth, then up through his hair. "Here's the thing: How big is that craft of yours?"

"I think it will fit," I said.

"No, not that." He glanced around. "I mean, as in, do you have room for one more pa.s.senger? If I open a vent, there is going to be no way they don't don't know it was me that did it. So, unless I leave with you, I'm going to be very dead." know it was me that did it. So, unless I leave with you, I'm going to be very dead."

"There's room," I said. "But how are we going to get you?"

"Okay, can you see the Eye from where you are?"

I strained to look up and behind us. "Yeah."

"On the southwest side there's a door. Catwalk out, the one with no tram. You see it?"

"Yeah."

"You meet me there. I can control the Eden systems remotely once I'm on board. You pick me up, and we all soar to freedom. Sound good?"

"We're on our way." I was already turning the craft, the sails luffing, now catching the wind again. We flew back toward the Eye, still rising.

I took the sails in one hand and reached down to the heat cell. There were no b.u.t.tons or levers on it. Just that nozzle, a blue-orange flame above it. There had to be a way to adjust the strength of the flame. I touched the clay exterior and found that it was cool. I slid my hand up, closer to the copper: still cool. Touched the copper with my finger. It was cool, too, somehow. I clasped it with two fingers and twisted. Counterclockwise lowered the flame. The hiss of the jet quieted and we rose more slowly.

"I don't think we want to slow down," said Lilly.

"Why?" I asked.

She pointed off the starboard side. "I guess it was only a matter of time before they showed up."

The two hover copters were still distant, but speeding toward us.

I spun the nozzle. We surged upward, but that made the wind harder to control, and we swung back and forth. Up near that catwalk and the ceiling, we'd need to be more precise.

We were rising past the giant antenna that hung down below the Eye, its th.o.r.n.y sides threatening to pop the balloon with each wind gust. I made a slow upward spiral, keeping my distance. Up in the Eye, I could see faces in the lower ring of windows, fingers pointing at us, getting others' attention.

The air was starting to swirl unpredictably as we met the heat that rose naturally from below and billowed against the top of the roof. The craft swayed and bounced.

"Whoa!" said Leech, getting tossed around.

"Doing the best I can!" I snapped.

I could hear the hum of the copters now.

"Hey there!" The shout came from above. We looked up to see Aaron out on the metal catwalk, maybe twenty meters above, closing the door behind him. He had a bag over his shoulder, a jacket tied to his waist, large sungla.s.ses on.

"What does he think this is, a vacation?" asked Lilly.

"Here," I handed Leech the sail lines and opened a compartment. I found another rope, stepped up beside Lilly, and tied it to a copper ring on the bow. "Okay, when we get close, throw him this."

I took the lines back from Leech. "This is going to have to be fast," he said, watching the copters close on us.

We lifted to parallel with the catwalk. I turned the nozzle down to barely a flame. We rose another couple feet and hovered, swinging back and forth. The balloon whined, its fabric rubbing against metal beams of the roof.

"Here!" Lilly threw the rope. Aaron jumped to catch it. He pulled us in. I eyed the superstructure of the catwalk, making sure the balloon didn't snag. It was going to be tight.

Aaron leaned over the railing. He reached out and grabbed the bow of the craft. "No steps or anything?" he asked, looking at the dizzying drop.

"Throw your bag over!" Lilly called.

"Right." Aaron slipped off his bag and tossed it over. Lilly grabbed it and threw it to Leech. "Careful!" shouted Aaron. "My remote pad is in there! That's our ticket out!"

"Just hurry up and jump in here," I said.

"Faster," said Leech, watching the copters closing.

Aaron reached out, but a gust of air shoved us to the side. I pulled on the sails to right us.

"I'll tie this rope to the railing!" said Aaron. "Then we can cut it once I'm on."

"Okay," I said.

Aaron knotted the rope, then leaned back out. He grabbed the swaying bow, but lost it again. "Can I get a hand?" he shouted.

"Ugh!" Lilly grabbed the mast and leaned far out of the craft. Another gust made us sway. She got a hold of the catwalk railing, her whole body stretching out over s.p.a.ce. My stomach lurched at seeing her like that. "Come on!" she barked at Aaron, holding out her hand.

"Okay, okay, okay..." Aaron gritted his teeth and took Lilly's hand- Then grabbed her braid with his other hand and yanked her off the craft.

"Hey!"

Aaron fell back, dragging Lilly onto the catwalk. The door slapped open. Paul burst out, his gla.s.ses back on, flanked by two guards. He grabbed Lilly and pulled her to her feet.

"Lilly!" I shouted.

Paul had her.

"Sorry about that!" said Aaron, grinning.

I saw it instantly now, and felt like an idiot. Aaron had set us up, even helped Dr. Maria to make it seem real, but it was all an act. Just another lie to trap us, a backup plan in case we escaped the temple.

"That's enough, Owen!" said Paul. "Now, I have her her, so bring that craft down to the Aquinara and we'll pick up where we left off."

The craft bobbed up against the scaffolding. I yanked on the sails but also took a step toward the bow and had no idea what to do except to yell, "No, let her go!" Except inside I felt myself deflating. This was hopeless.

And Paul knew it, too. He laughed. "Absolutely not! You and Carey belong with me, Owen! We were meant to do this together!"

"Go to h.e.l.l!" Leech suddenly shouted, his voice thick with hate.

Paul just ignored him. "Owen, if you care about Miss Ishani, and you want to see her safe... come down!"

"No!" Lilly called. Paul tried to cover her mouth, but she struggled against him. "Owen, go! Leave!"

I stared at her. There was no way that was happening. It was over.

"Yes, Owen, go! Now!"

"Lilly-," I started, about to tell her it was pointless, but she cut me off.

Lilly's eyes were red, wild, tear-filled. "I lied!"

"What?"

She kept struggling, grabbing the catwalk railing and pulling free of Paul and the guards for another moment. "I lied about the siren! I never saw it! I just wanted to go with you! I'm not not the other Atlantean! Now go!" the other Atlantean! Now go!"

Chapter 27

I THOUGHT, NO, EXCEPT, I KNEW IT WAS TRUE THE moment she said it. I remembered her being quiet in so many moments when we'd talked about being Atlanteans... and how she hadn't followed me that night that I first swam after the siren. And I wondered if, in a way, I'd known this all along, but had been ignoring it. Because if Lilly was an Atlantean, then we moment she said it. I remembered her being quiet in so many moments when we'd talked about being Atlanteans... and how she hadn't followed me that night that I first swam after the siren. And I wondered if, in a way, I'd known this all along, but had been ignoring it. Because if Lilly was an Atlantean, then we had had to be together. It was destiny. But if she wasn't... to be together. It was destiny. But if she wasn't...

"You heard her!" Leech hissed at me. "Let's go! We can still outrun those copters."

I looked at Lilly, struggling against Paul, and felt frozen. Lilly... my Lilly. She lied to me She lied to me. But I didn't care. Did I? She'd lied so she could come with me. I never would have made it this far without her. How could I face whatever came next? No. I wasn't leaving her now. No way.

But Paul had her. And the copters were hovering below. There had to be something....

"Tick tock, Owen!" Paul called.

I looked down at the craft. Thought back to the training memory, to Luk showing me the features, the mercury vortex and the ships shooting off into the distance. How had they done that? That's right....

I glanced at Aaron's bag. "Hold on to that," I said quietly to Leech. Then I looked up at the catwalk.