Nova shivered and crammed her hands inside her jacket pockets as her man Jared steered the four-seater motorboat through the choppy waters of Lake Michigan. Chilly gusts buffeted her, and seagulls squawked overhead while she forced herself to focus on what lay ahead—the isolated water crib situated over two miles from shore. She was in her territory—Northside—and two of her most trusted people waited on the isolated crib, guarding Shane. Keeping their former leader far away from her crew was a necessary precaution to quell any lingering loyalty.
She braced against the crisp spray while knots coalesced in her stomach like lead weights. The roar of crashing waves whispered warnings. As strands of hair escaped from her ponytail and whipped across her cheeks, Nova steeled her nerve and promised herself to get this over with. She had an idea for how to win Samantha’s allegiance, but Shane had to agree.
The 100-year-old station loomed ahead, a skeletal structure jutting out of the water, its silence a stark contrast to the city’s skyline. It was a place of seclusion, of reflection and regret. From the boat, she climbed a ladder onto the crib’s concrete edge, then gripped the rusty iron railing as she traveled up the rickety spiral staircase to the locked room where they kept Shane.
“Thanks for staying out here. Give me a few minutes,” she said, dismissing the man on duty who nodded and left.
Shane’s gray eyes met hers through a wide hole in the door of his cramped room. The interior was spare—a cot for sleep, a chair, and a chamber pot. His voice was a playful rasp when he spoke. “Nova. What brings you to my private island?”
“Samantha Baxter.” Her words hung heavy in the dank air.
His smirk dropped at the mention of Samantha. “What about her?”
“She’s agreed to join our fight. There’s a catch though.” Nova hesitated, leaning against the wall opposite Shane’s door. “She wants you dead.”
His laugh was bitter, echoing off the aged steel and concrete bones of the water crib. “Of course she does. Can’t blame her. What I did to her and Ben . . .”
Regret flickered in his eyes, and a lump settled in Nova’s throat. This was unlike the Shane she knew—the reckless, devil-may-care rebel. “You betrayed them. Why?”
His eyes narrowed as he took a step forward, his fingers curling into fists. “They were a threat to me, to my position. I did what I had to do to survive. You of all people should understand that, with what happened to Cleo and all.”
Her heart clenched at his words, memories from their shared past surfacing like unwanted debris. Cleo. She didn’t—couldn’t—face the memory of her sister. Nova had done things, terrible things, to stay alive in this world. But she’d never sold out her own kind to robots.
“I know what you’re thinking.” He locked his gaze on her, unflinching. “I sold them out to Mach X. I’d take it back if I could.”
His regret hit her like a punch to the gut. Maybe he was changing. Maybe he could be the man she’d once cared for, but it didn’t matter. There was no room for old feelings and reconciliation in this world.
“What’ll it be,” he asked, “death by firing squad? Or maybe you make me walk a plank off the edge of this hunk of junk. No sharks in the lake, though. Damn the luck.”
“I won’t kill you,” she admitted. “You deserve to be punished. You hurt a lot of people, but we don’t need more people dying in a world where we’re going extinct.”
Shane didn’t seem surprised. “You were always too good for me.”
“I need another way.”
“Then find one.” His gaze softened, his voice steady. “You’ve got this, Nova. You’re a leader, even if you don’t want to be. You know how to make the hard calls. And you have to. For all of us.”
“Will you apologize to Samantha? Atone for what you did, and she’ll see you’ve changed and—”
“You and I both know that’s not going to fly. I got her twin brother killed. She wants to rip my eyes out.”
Shane apologizing had been her Plan A. But he was right. Samantha was out for blood. Saying sorry, however sincere, wouldn’t cut it.
“I have another idea.” She crossed over to the door, considered having the guard unlock it so she could talk with him face to face, but her heart lurched at the idea. He was dangerous. She couldn’t risk him trying to escape. Instead, she crossed her arms and leaned against the door where he could hear her through the small window. “A trial.”
He snorted. “What?”
“I’m serious. I offer Samantha the deal that we try you against a jury of peers. Half from our side, half from hers.”
“Great idea. They’ll hang me.” Shane sat in the chair and slumped.
Nova watched him through the window. His dark-red hair was tousled, and his beard had grown scraggly with specks of gray. “Not if you tell your side. Convince them you’ve had time to contemplate all the things you did. Sure, the westsiders have a grudge, but you’d have jury members from the north listening too.”
“She’s not going to like it.”
He was right. “Leave that to me,” she said. “So, you’ll do it?”
“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” He sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. “Do or die.”
She nodded. “We’ll have to move fast. Samantha’s not known for her patience.”
“Yeah, she’s always been a hothead.” Shane flashed a grin. “But she’s not the only one.”
Nova couldn’t mask a smile as a flicker of warmth spread through her chest. For a moment, it was like old times. She turned to leave, then hesitated. “Shane?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t try anything stupid.”
He laughed. “And ruin your plans, Nova? Wouldn’t dream of it.”
She ignored the jab and descended the spiraling staircase to the waiting boat. The choppy waters seemed calmer now. Maybe it was her imagination. As Jared gunned the motor, she couldn’t help but think that they were playing a dangerous game.
Back on land, Nova met Oxford and Cybel. She told them about her conversation with Shane and her decision. She had to convince Samantha somehow if she was ever going to unite their forces.
As they set out for West Town, Nova thought about Shane’s words. She didn’t want to be a leader, had never asked for it, but she had to be. She had to make the hard calls. And she would.
The convoy was a snaking line of patched-together vehicles, a motley collection of battered cars and makeshift trucks, all idling under the stern watch of the West Town barricade. There, sitting on the hood of a Humvee among her rebels, was Samantha with a glare that could freeze the sun.
Nova steeled herself as she approached with Oxford and Cybel by her side.
Samantha’s expression never wavered as they drew closer, her eyes sharp and calculating. “Is Shane dead yet?”
“I have a proposal.” Nova tried her best to quell the shake in her voice. “A way to settle things with Shane.”
Samantha’s eyebrow rose. “Settle things? He betrayed me. He’s a traitor who deserves to die.”
Nova understood the woman’s rage. She too felt the weight of Shane’s betrayal like a physical blow. “We can’t just kill him. We need to show our people we’re better than that. That we can be just. We give him a trial.”
Samantha scoffed. “A trial? You think he deserves that after what he did to Ben and me?”
“I know it’s not what you wanted,” Nova said. “But we can show our people we don’t condone his actions. A trial will give everyone the chance to hear his side of the story and make the right decision.”
Samantha’s eyes narrowed. “And what’s in it for me?”
“You choose half of the jury members. I choose the other half. Together, we’ll make sure justice is served.”
Samantha hesitated. “And what happens to Shane when he’s found guilty?”
“He’ll be punished accordingly. It’s up to the jury how.” Nova looped her thumbs through her belt to steady her jitters. “But he deserves a fair chance to defend himself. That’s all I’m asking for.”
Samantha hopped down from the hood and stood inches from Nova. “You must be smoking something if you think I’m down for this.” She turned and strode away. “The deal’s off.”
Nova watched Samantha’s retreating form with a sinking feeling in her gut. She had known it wouldn’t be easy, but she hadn’t expected it to be this difficult.
“What now?” Oxford asked.
Nova was about to call it quits for the day and suggest they return to camp and regroup when a shrill whine cut through the air. Her heart pitched. SoldierBot drones were unmistakable, their high-pitched whine and buzzing a prelude to destruction.
“Down! Get down now!” Nova’s voice echoed in her ears as she hit the ground hard, the grit of the broken pavement biting into her hands. The air split open with an explosion. A flash of brilliant light.
There were flames and dust, a wall of concrete and broken glass. She looked up. The black smoke from the explosion billowed and climbed up into the sky. Two hundred feet away, the crater at the heart of the structure was still smoking.
Concrete and rock were strewn across the road, scattered into heaps of rubble. Samantha’s convoy had dispersed in confusion, her people cowering behind their vehicles. A few of them wandered about like lost children amid the destruction. Samantha was sitting with her back against a wall, eyes wide with shock. She swayed from side to side as if she were drunk, then fell over onto her side and vomited.
Nova stumbled to her feet, wiping blood off her forehead. She looked around, trying to get a handle on the situation. The drones seemed to be circling, as if waiting for something. They’d struck at the heart of West Town, a direct attack on Samantha’s forces.
Oxford and Cybel were already in action, shooting at the enemy drones. Their movements were fluid, a dance of metal and light, rapid, precise, and deadly as they tracked the machines, locked target, and fired.
The drones circled and spiraled. “What’s this formation?” Cybel said. “It’s unusual.”
“They’re toying with us.” Nova wondered if the SoldierBots had somehow tracked her movement. Two rebel faction leaders together in the same location—a prime opportunity to attack. “Take them out!”
As if in response, another drone swooped in, its red optical scanners glowing in the smoke and dust. Nova drew her gun and took aim, firing as she sprinted toward it. The bullet pierced the drone’s shell, sending it spiraling out of control before it exploded.
Cybel hit two more, piercing their armor while Oxford leaped in the air, swiping one away like it was a pesky gnat. The bots clanked and clattered as they fell, their metal shells grinding against one another. The Mech jumped onto the roof of an overturned passenger bus and activated his arm cannons. The bots swarmed toward him, but he cut through them in seconds, leaving smoking wreckage in his wake.
The remaining drones, circling higher above, seemed to fall back, as if rethinking their strategy. Nova used the opportunity to check on Samantha. “Are you okay?” She helped the woman up.
Samantha coughed and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. “I- I’m . . . It rattled me is all.” She looked around at the destruction they were standing in.
“We need to move,” Nova said. “Before they come back.”
Two of Samantha’s people came to help her, each taking an arm, but she brushed them off. “Nova.” Her voice was harsh.
Nova took a deep breath. “I’m sorry this happened. I didn’t exp—”
“Enough.” Samantha’s hard gaze softened as she looked at Nova. “You saved my life and a lot of us. This could’ve been much worse.”
Nova nodded. “We’re in this together. It’s not about Shane anymore, it’s about survival.”
“You’re not what I expected,” Samantha said, her gaze floating to Oxford and Cybel. “And neither are they.”
Nova suppressed a smile. This was the opening she needed. “Let’s work together, okay? We don’t have another choice.”
Samantha leaned her head to the side and let out a big sigh. “I’m listening.”
With flaming wreckage and the noxious smell of burning plastic still hanging in the air, they walked among the twisted wreckage of SoldierBot drones. Their rebellion was fractured, but they stood on the brink of a new beginning. Samantha would listen to Nova’s plan, and for now, that was enough.