Twilight was falling across the city by the time they reached Mixel Tower. The revolving door was jammed with a steady stream of workers pouring onto the sidewalk as others passed in. For a few moments they stood outside and watched. Jacob wished Xander would just hurry up and plunge in. Every second that ticked by, every second he craned back his neck and stared up at the black, glass tower stretching before him into the clouds, the more nervous he became, the more he began to believe that the venture was bound to fail. Another wave of dizziness swept over him. Not now, he thought. He took a few deep breaths, and the wave passed once again. It seemed like his fever was getting worse. He glanced over at Xander, who just looked down at him and winked.
“Just remember,” Xander said, “this is your adventure. No matter what happens, you’ve brought us to this point. You’re a brave one, Jacob.”
Jacob nodded. As the crowd flowed around them, Xander took one of the capsules from his pocket and twisted it. Jacob heard a click and saw the glass ring light up. Xander handed the cloaker to Jacob. It was heavier than he thought it would be and warm to the touch.
“Keep it in your pocket and you’ll be fine. Their sensors won’t be able to pick you out,” Xander said, activating his own cloaker.
“What if Karl or somebody else sees us?”
Xander shrugged. “Not much we can do about that. Hopefully the crowd will be enough cover,” he said. “Let’s go.”
They merged with the swarming bodies and were swept into the lobby. Jacob followed Xander as he wove his way across the marbled flooring. Instead of heading for the main elevators, however, they turned toward a corridor at the far end of the main floor.
“Where are we going?” Jacob whispered.
Xander pointed to a sign above the entrance to the corridor. “Service elevator is back here. It’ll be quieter.”
“Won’t it be more suspicious?”
“Only if somebody notices us. Anyway, look at us. We don’t exactly fit in with the suits—might as well go where there are fewer people. Besides, the only ones using this elevator are the drones, and they rarely ask questions. Go ahead, press it,” Xander ordered as they came to the elevator. Jacob reached with trembling fingers and pressed the up arrow, jerking his hand back as the button lit up.
“Relax,” Xander assured him. “You’re doing fine. I told you before—this isn’t life or death. It’s kind of fun, actually. I always liked covert operations. Clean and quick. Mounting an assault on an orbital platform, now that’s messy.”
While Jacob wondered what an orbital platform was, the elevator doors whisked open and they ducked inside. Xander pressed for the seventy-sixth floor, and the elevator began its ascent with a jolt. The compartment was dimly lit; the illuminated digits above the doorway, which flashed in succession with the increasing pace of the elevator, cast as much light as the bulb in the ceiling. After a moment, Jacob could feel the compartment slow and then come to an abrupt stop.
“We’re here already?” he asked Xander.
“No. We’re only at twenty-five—someone else is getting on.”
Jacob held his breath as the doors opened. A young man in some kind of white-and-green uniform entered the elevator pushing a cart loaded with covered dishes. A delicious aroma wafted from the tray, and a green bottle stood amid the platters. Jacob and Xander moved back to accommodate the passenger. He pressed for the sixty-ninth floor and the compartment resumed its ascent.
“Didn’t expect any company,” the man said. His hair was brushed low, almost covering his eyes, and he leaned forward, peering through blond strands and dim lighting to inspect the two passengers.
“Pardon?” Xander asked, as if he hadn’t been paying any attention.
“This is the service elevator, that’s all. The main elevators are more comfortable.”
Xander ignored the statement. “Making a delivery?” he asked, lifting one of the platter covers.
“Dinner party in Suite 696. The usual. You work here too?”
“Something like that. Mixel pays the bills.”
“Right. Barely, though. So what do you do?”
“You ask a lot of questions for a drone with a cart,” Xander said, frowning. Jacob watched Xander step toward the man, reaching for his breast pocket where the pistol was hidden. An image of one of Turner’s friends dropping on the sand at the lake flashed through Jacob’s mind, followed by another of the young waiter writhing in pain on the elevator floor.
“Take it easy on him, Marshall,” he said, reaching over to stay Xander’s arm. “Forgive my bodyguard—he’s protective. Sometimes too protective. Right, Marshall?”
Xander, looking at Jacob, smiled briefly, then turned back to the young man. “That’s right—I am. It’s my job, just like delivering food is yours. And when you’ve got the CEO’s nephew to guard, you take no chances, including the main elevators. Up against the wall, please, with your arms spread wide.”
The young man looked at Jacob and his jaw dropped. Then, looking at Xander, who now stood over him, he smiled and faced the wall.
“Sorry, I had no idea. Do whatever you have to do. I wasn’t trying to make trouble.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Xander reassured him, patting him down. “We won’t mention it if you won’t.”
Jacob noticed Xander slip something into his back pocket as he stepped away from the worker. A second later the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. The young man whisked the cart into the hallway, eager to escape. When the doors had closed again, Jacob breathed a sigh of relief and Xander chuckled.
“Not bad, Blinder. You’re a good little liar.”
“I guess I am,” Jacob said, trying to laugh.
“It occurred to me that he’d have a room service key. It’d come in handy on our trip upstairs. I was going to stun the kid, but your idea accomplished the same thing.” He held up a silver card and grinned. Then his smile faded. “Jacob, are you okay?”
Jacob barely heard Xander as his image wavered, doubled, rejoined, and then stretched into the distance. Suddenly, he couldn’t tell if Xander was dropping away or if he was the one falling.
A moment later, he came to. Xander had him propped up against the elevator wall. He could hear the man calling his name, could feel him shaking him.
“What happened?” Jacob asked.
“You tell me. You just passed out.”
“I’m all right,” Jacob said, struggling to his feet.
“Like hell you are. You’re burning up with fever. How long have you been sick?”
“Since morning,” he whispered.
Xander shook his head. “We should get out of here.”
“No!” Jacob cried. He gripped Xander’s arm. “We’re so close. We’re practically there. Trust me, I’m all right. I’m feeling better.” It was partly true. The wave had passed. The ground felt solid once more. But Jacob still felt as if he were burning up. Most of all, he just wanted to lie down, curl up in a ball, and go to sleep.
A tone rang out. Xander glanced up at the lit number above the door and shook his head. The door opened and they entered the hall. It was empty. Everything was quiet.
“Guess the cloakers work,” Xander said. “No welcoming committee. I’m almost disappointed.”
“I’m not,” Jacob said. “Come on, her room’s this way.”
They hurried down the hall and found her suite. Xander inserted the service key into the slot and the door whisked open. Jacob staggered by him.
“Delaney!” he cried as he rounded the corner into the suite.
The room was empty. At first, Jacob thought Delaney was just out. He’d almost expected it. But looking around the suite, he realized something was wrong.
“Her piano’s gone,” Jacob said as Xander made a quick sweep of the rooms.
“The closets are empty,” Xander said, returning from the bedroom. “Looks like she’s been moved.” He sighed and looked grimly at Jacob. “I don’t know what to tell you,” he said, flopping onto the couch. “We could try searching some other rooms, but she could be anywhere in this place, if she’s still here at all. We may be invisible to the sensors, but not to people. It’d only be a matter of time before we were caught. I’m sorry, Jacob.”
In spite of how he felt, Jacob managed to smile.
“Don’t be,” he said. He pulled the finder from his jacket pocket, pressed the button, and spoke into it.
“Delaney Corrow.”
Immediately, a beep sounded, a quick, steady pulse. He turned toward the hall outside and the sound rose in tempo and pitch.
“It’s homing in on her sounder,” Jacob explained. “You know, her silver pin?”
“But she doesn’t have it anymore. She gave it to me, remember?”
“I returned it to her,” Jacob explained. “After the concert. I thought she might want it back.”
“Smart, Blinder. Very smart.” Xander laughed. “After you, then.” He gestured toward the door and Jacob took the lead.
They followed the finder’s pulse down the corridor. A minute later it brought them to another suite on the other side of the hall. Once again, Xander inserted the service key, and the door hushed open. This time, though, Jacob didn’t rush in. He paused before the door and hesitated. Please be there, he thought. He took a deep breath and entered.
Once again, the suite was empty. The piano was there—occupying the same spot as in the other apartment—as were her clothes in the bedroom. But Delaney was gone. The finder’s pulse was almost a steady stream now. Jacob turned it off, noticing her sounder gleaming on the edge of the piano.
“She’ll be back soon,” Jacob said. “I know it.”
“Let’s hope so,” Xander said. He pulled his cloaker out and examined it. The glowing ring that circled the capsule was partially dark now. “This thing’s running out. Won’t be long before it’s drained and their sensors pick us up.”
Jacob nodded and went to the window. He leaned against the sill and pressed his forehead to the pane. The glass was cool, a welcome relief against his skin. He tried to fight back the fatigue, the aching now settling into his bones, the feeling that his whole body was shutting down.
He gazed out the window to where the dying glow of sunset brooded on the horizon, enough to illuminate the sea stretching toward it. The water sparkled, just like Delaney had said.
“She wanted to be on this side,” he murmured. “She wanted to be able to look out at the sea.”
“Guess she got her wish,” Xander said, coming to the window as the last light faded.
* * *
“I just can’t believe it,” the handler’s voice barked as the door opened an hour later. Peering through the screen of the closet door behind which he and Xander were hiding, Jacob watched as Delaney marched into the room with LaPerle at her heels. “I mean, twice in three days? I thought we worked this out yesterday.”
“I told you, I’m not feeling well. I have a terrible headache.”
“I hope that’s true for your sake. The whole episode was a total embarrassment; even worse than last time. You were absolutely terrible.”
“Thanks,” she said, throwing her sequined purse aside, groping for the couch. Finding the edge of it, she turned and collapsed into the cushions. “I’m not a machine, Jack. You can’t expect me to be on at every show.”
“I realize that,” he replied through clenched teeth, standing over her with folded arms. “But to stop in mid-performance, right in the middle of a bloody song, and walk out like the night before? Very unprofessional. I can only do so much damage control. Your sales actually got a boost after the first fiasco, but keep this up and before long it’ll be over. You’ll be finished.”
“I don’t care,” she shouted.
LaPerle crouched down in front her and placed his hands on her knees. “Don’t talk that way. Does this have to do with your little friend’s visit? Are you punishing me for not letting him stay the other night?”
“No, I’ve had a headache all day,” she said, pushing his hands aside. “I haven’t felt right for a few days now.”
“Is it your eyes?” he demanded. She remained silent. “Well, we’ve scheduled an examination for tomorrow. In the meantime, think about your responsibility to us. Think carefully.”
“You sound like my father,” she snapped.
“I’m not your father, Delaney, but I do care about you.” He donned his smoothest tone of voice and caressed her cheek; she brushed his hand away. Listening to LaPerle’s voice, Jacob shivered. Delaney was right. He did sound like the high councilor.
“Go away, Jack,” she said. “I want to be alone.”
He rose slowly and stared down at her bowed head. “Fine,” he said after a moment. “I have to go back upstairs and smooth things over anyway.”
Jacob watched LaPerle turn and storm out. A moment later the door hissed shut. Through the screen, he could see Delaney fall back against the sofa and press her hands to her eyes. He looked up at Xander, who only nodded in Delaney’s direction and nudged him. He opened the door and stepped toward her, uncertain of his words, reluctant to disturb her. Before he could speak, she heard his footfalls and jerked her head in his direction. She gave a startled gasp and recoiled to the far end of the couch.
“Who are you?” she cried.
“Delaney, it’s me,” Jacob said, freezing in his tracks. “Can’t you see me?”
He held up his hands as she craned forward, as if probing a distant speck. Her face relaxed at the sound of his voice, though not completely. Something was different about her from the other night, and as he returned her gaze, he suddenly realized what it was. Her eyes—they glowed, but less intensely than before.
“Jacob! Yes, I can see you now. So you decided to come back?” She smiled and beckoned him to sit beside her. “Is Xander with you?”
“Right here,” Xander said, stepping out of the closet. While Jacob sat down, Xander crossed the room, going to the door to listen before settling into a chair next to them.
Jacob was about to ask her about the dimming in her eyes when she took his hand.
“I’m glad you came back, Jacob,” she said. “You’ll stay with me now, won’t you.”
“I didn’t come here to stay, Delaney.” He glanced over at Xander and paused. “We’ve come to get you out of here,” he said, turning back.
She didn’t reply at first. Her eyes, unchanging, unexpressive, conveyed nothing; they merely smoldered. But her smile faded. For the second time, she buried her face in her hands. Xander shook his head and, rising from his chair, went to check the door again.
“Leave?” she said, raising her head. “And go where? What good would it do? First Harmony, now Melville.”
“It doesn’t matter. We can worry about it later. You just seem so unhappy here.”
“Why is that?” she asked. He couldn’t tell if she was asking him or asking herself. Her eyes suddenly crackled, blazed bright, and then dimmed lower than before. The corners of her mouth tightened as the flickering pattern repeated itself several times.
“Delaney, your eyes!” Jacob cried, grabbing her arm. She rose from the couch and walked to the mirror with slow, deliberate steps. Jacob followed. Standing behind her, he saw her reflection in the mirror. With a dark frown, she leaned in closer until her quick breaths left moments of vapor on the surface of the glass, and her fingers probed around the metallic edges of the orbs. There was no mistaking it—the earlier glow had withdrawn, replaced by a dimness that reminded him of the dying embers of Xander’s fire, their light barely discernible beyond a thin layer of ash.
“It’s failing,” she whispered. “The vision, all of it. I’m supposed to see the surgeon in the morning, the man who planted them in my sockets when I first arrived. He removed my dead eyes and replaced them with these, but I don’t know if I want him to see me.” She turned from the mirror and faced both of them. “I loved them at first. They were beautiful. But now . . .”
Before she could say more, the brightness flared again, this time with a greater intensity. She screamed and covered her eyes. Tiny shafts of light shot from between her splayed fingers.
“Delaney!” Jacob shouted, and reached out as she started to pitch forward. He caught her arms, made the mistake of looking up just as a voice inside told him not to, told him to let go and look away. But it was too late.
Time stopped. The room went dark, and all Jacob could see was the light shooting out of her eyes. A burning sensation ripped through him. In the distance he could hear himself wondering if it was the fever or the blue streaks of energy rolling off her and licking against his skin that made him feel like he was on fire. Most immediate, though, was the horror of recognition as his nightmare was once again made real.
No, he thought. I’m dreaming. This isn’t real. It’s just the dream. I’ll wake up and be back at Xander’s. But deep down, as the pain overwhelmed him, he knew it wasn’t true.
Still, the last thing he heard before being swallowed up was what he always heard in his dream. A cat’s voice, a distant echo of disdain:
Foolish boy, why did you return?
Through the pain, through the light, he could see its golden eyes blinking in indifference.
A sudden blow struck him. He felt a moment of falling and then a thud as he hit the floor. He opened his eyes to see Xander standing over him.
“Sorry about that, Blinder,” Xander said, helping Jacob to his feet. “But you were having trouble letting go. Hope I didn’t hurt you.”
Jacob shuddered, still foggy. “Thanks,” he managed to say.
The sight of Delaney moaning on the carpet brought him to his senses. He knelt down beside her, wanting to help but hesitant to touch her again, and looked up at Xander.
“Should we call for help?” he asked.
“We have to do something,” Xander replied, pulling his cloaker out. He held it up and shook it a few times. The ring was almost entirely dark. “We’ve only got a few minutes.”
“Don’t call the doctor,” Delaney broke in, struggling to sit up. The burning had faded and she seemed to relax slightly.
“What do you want to do?” Jacob asked, taking her hand.
“I can’t stay here,” she said. Her voice sounded weak but calm now.
“Fine, then let’s go,” Xander snapped. “Grab some clothes. I’ll check the door. By the way, should we be expecting anyone?”
“I don’t know,” Delaney said, managing to sit up. “The last few nights Jack’s been sending Karl to check on me. They must be worried about me running away or something.”
“Looks like they were right,” Xander said.
* * *
“All clear.” Jacob stepped into the hallway, carrying a small suitcase, and Xander followed with Delaney, who clung to him, taking meager steps. They were heading down the long, curved hallway toward the main elevators when a tone chimed around the corner.
“The elevator,” Delaney whispered in a frightened voice. Xander swung her around and headed in the opposite direction toward the service elevator he and Jacob had taken earlier. A moment later, rounding a corner, they reached it. Xander leaned Delaney against the wall.
“Call the elevator, Jacob. I’m going to check things out,” Xander ordered. Before Jacob could beg him not to leave, the man had disappeared. Jacob pressed the button and held Delaney’s hand, trying to steady himself. He felt worse than ever. He still had a fever, and being thrust back into his dream hadn’t helped. Letting go of her hand, he leaned against the wall.
“Thanks for saving me, Jacob,” Delaney said, standing behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“I couldn’t leave you here,” he said. “I had to do something.”
“I knew you would,” she whispered in his ear.
Jacob shivered at the words, the ones he’d heard her whisper over and over in his dream the night before last. Now he knew—he had been hearing the future. He gripped the frame of the elevator doors and closed his eyes.
The doors opened as Xander reappeared, and he hurried them into the compartment.
“It was Karl, all right,” Xander said as the doors closed, “and he wasn’t alone. They might know something’s amiss.” He paused before pressing the button for the roof.
“What are you doing?” Jacob asked in alarm as the elevator began rising.
“We can’t go down. In about three seconds they’ll discover she’s gone and cordon off the lobby. If we can’t go down, we’ll go up.”
“Won’t we be trapped up there?” Jacob asked.
“There are floaters on the roof. I rode in one last week,” Delaney offered.
“I was hoping you’d say that,” Xander said as the elevator continued to rise.
A moment later it stopped. The doors opened and they stepped onto the roof. A stiff breeze pushed back Jacob’s hair and made his eyes tear.
The elevator doors closed, darkening the roof. The air around the edges of the tower was sharply illuminated by the streets below. Aside from that, there was little light. Everything had shut down for the evening. No one was around.
In spite of the haziness riding in on the wave of his fever, Jacob could see a number of floaters parked across the way. They headed toward them, Jacob stumbling ahead as Xander helped Delaney along. After a dozen yards Xander simply swept her into his arms and began running as if she weighed nothing.
It seemed to take forever to cross the roof. Jacob felt as if all the energy was draining out of him with every step, and the wind did nothing to soothe the burning sensation spreading across his skin.
Don’t quit, he told himself. He has Delaney. He can’t take care of you.
Closing his eyes, Jacob forgot the pain, forgot Xander and Delaney, forgot everything and just ran.
He reached the floaters first and jumped into the backseat of the closest one. As Xander came up and placed Delaney in the passenger seat, a flash of light caught Jacob’s eye—the elevator doors were opening.
“Someone’s coming!” Jacob cried as Xander jumped into the driver’s seat.
“Give me ten seconds,” Xander replied, ripping out a panel at his feet. Jacob watched as three men burst from the elevator and spread out, their silhouettes fading as the doors closed. Jacob hunched down in his seat, peering over the edge of the craft, searching for the men.
“What’s taking so long?” Delaney cried.
“Have to jump-start it,” Xander answered. He sounded relaxed, as if all this were routine. “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. It’s just been a while.”
The roof flooded with light. Jacob saw the men as they scanned the area, quickly settling their gaze in his direction.
“They see us! They’re coming!” Jacob screamed as the men, banding together, stormed across the roof. He could hear them yelling orders to stop.
The men were thirty yards away when lights began blinking all across the dashboard and along the edges of the doors. A flash shot toward them from one of the men, crackling over Jacob’s head; another flash struck the side of the craft, dissipating energy across its frame.
“Hang on!” Xander shouted.
The floater shuddered before jerking forward and rising into the air. Jacob watched the three figures shrink below him as they shot into the sky. Xander banked the floater hard, throwing Jacob against the side of the craft. Both Jacob and Delaney screamed and clung to their seats as the floater plunged over the edge of the roof. This is it, Jacob thought as Xander dove the craft down along the side of the tower before jerking it back into the normal flow of hover traffic not far above the streets.
“Sorry,” Xander apologized over his shoulder. “It’s been a while since I’ve steered a floater. They’re too delicate. I’m used to the cruiser.”
Both of them were too terrified to respond as Xander circled around the tower and landed the floater on the street, across from the cruiser. Crowds of people were passing by. Many of them stopped to stare, pointing to Delaney and whispering as the three of them abandoned the floater and crossed the avenue to the waiting cruiser.
* * *
They sped through the darkness without speaking, Xander pushing the cruiser nearly full throttle across the plains. Rattling in the backseat, Jacob sat next to Delaney, looking over from time to time at the dim twin sparks glowing in the darkness beside him. He asked her how she was feeling, only to realize she’d fallen asleep. He wanted to sleep too. He wanted to drift off beside her, to give in to the fever that had worked itself into a fury, but a part of him resisted. Through the burning haze, a voice told him that if he gave in, he might never wake again. So instead he stared ahead, leaning forward against the front seat behind Xander, eyes glued to the perimeter of the headlights, the tall grass a blur along the edges of their sphere of driving light. They were moving so quickly it seemed as if they would outrace the sphere of light itself and plunge into darkness.
Sleep won over near the end of their flight. One moment he was watching the path ahead cut through the sea of grass toward a point in the center of the dark, and the next he was being wakened by Xander. The vibration had disappeared and the cruiser was parked in the driveway. There were no moons in the sky. The night was peaceful and full of stars.
Xander lifted Delaney from the cruiser, and Jacob followed after. He dropped to the ground and walked toward the house. After a few steps, though, his legs began to wobble. He was sure they were melting, dissolving into the ground, pulling him down in the process. Before he knew it, he was on the ground looking up at the stars.
The cold points of light began to spin, to twirl in circles, trace lines across the sky. The stars danced before him, and he knew that all he had to do was reach out his hand and he could touch them. But his hand was lead. It had melded with the earth that now suddenly opened beneath him, falling away and pulling him down with it. The last thing he remembered before slipping into the black was the dancing of the stars. He’d never seen anything more beautiful.