Chapter 5
Superintendent Thorne has changed the name of the academy,” Colt said as they stood on the lawn outside the apartment building. “She’s calling it the Intergalactic Defense Academy.”
“As in IDA?” Oz said. “Isn’t that an old lady’s name?”
“Exactly,” Colt said. He hesitated, knowing that they were about to part ways but wishing they didn’t have to. “Look, I think you should come back with us.”
“Yeah, right.”
“We’ll tell the superintendent what you did—that you helped save our lives.”
Oz shook his head. “She thinks I went back to Arizona with my mom, remember? That was the deal. If she knew I was here, she’d have me thrown into a cell next to my dad. And she’d do the same to you.”
“I’d like to see her try,” Danielle said. “Maybe I’ll erase her identity.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Oz said. “You’re not a criminal. Besides, she’s not worth it. Neither am I.”
“Whatever,” Colt said. Oz couldn’t have been more wrong as far as he was concerned. They needed him in the war against the Thule. Colt needed him. “You’re part of our ECS. You’re part of Phantom Squad.”
“I appreciate it,” Oz said. “I really do, but you can’t worry about me now. You have bigger fish to fry, like your training. How’s everything going with Project Betrayal? Is it still on track?”
“We’re not ready,” Colt said. “We haven’t passed any of our hologram scenarios. I mean, we’re not even close. Jackal, Blizzard, and Lightning have already passed, and I’m supposed to be leading the mission. What does that say about me?”
“You’ll get there,” Oz said. “Besides, your squad is filled with a bunch of brainiacs, not soldiers. Plus, you’re stuck with Pierce. What did they expect?”
“They moved the go date to January 15.”
“What?” Oz asked. “That’s less than three weeks.”
“Exactly,” Colt said. “And it’s going to fail without you.”
Oz smiled as he shook his head. “Sometimes I don’t get you, McAlister. Just about everyone on the planet thinks you’re our only hope for survival, but you’re worried about me? You got this.” A helicopter flew by, and he pulled his hood over his head. “Look, it’s been great and everything, but I have to go.”
“Where are you staying?” Danielle asked.
“Around.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’ve been camping out at this place that isn’t too far from campus.”
“Like, in a tent?” she said. “Are you trying to catch pneumonia? It’s below freezing every night.”
“Relax,” Oz said with his easy smile. “I found a cabin stocked with enough Spam, powdered eggs, and baked beans to last for months. It even has a generator, so I can watch TV if I get bored. But I spend most of my time stalking you two.”
“That’s creepy,” Colt said.
Oz shrugged. “Remember somebody has to watch your back.”
Danielle removed her helmet, and her ponytail fell down the back of her armor. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she just stood there staring at Oz like she wanted to say something. Instead, she walked over to him, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed his cheek.
“What was that for?” he said.
She frowned.
“What?” Oz said.
She rolled her eyes. “We have to go. Just make sure you stay out of sight, okay? I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I’ll be fine,” he said as he brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. “Oh, and before I forget, guess who called me a couple days ago, McAlister?”
“Who?”
“Lily.”
“Seriously?” Colt suddenly forgot that they were standing in the middle of a war zone. The sound of her name made his heart race. Lily Westcott was stunningly beautiful, played the guitar, and sang like an angel. But it was more than that. Behind her amazing smile was a lifetime of pain. Like Colt, she had lost both her parents, and the two of them understood each other without having to say a word.
“You realize Superintendent Hill can trace your line,” Danielle said.
“It’s encrypted,” Oz said. “Besides, we only talked for a couple minutes.”
“What did she say?” Colt said.
“You mean, did she mention you?” Oz smiled like the Cheshire cat as Colt blushed beneath his helmet. “She asked how you were doing.”
Colt felt his chest constrict as he waited for Oz to say something more, but he didn’t. “That was it?”
“She said that she missed you . . . Well, technically she said that she missed all of us, but I knew what she meant.”
“Oh.”
“And you can relax, because she’s not dating anybody,” Oz said.
“Really?”
“Really.” Oz walked over and sat on his motorcycle. “I still have the same number,” he said, showing them his smartphone. “If you need me, call.” With that, he put the phone back in his pocket, pulled on a pair of driving goggles, and started the motorcycle.
The drive back to the academy was quiet. Awkward. Danielle sat in the passenger’s seat, her eyes focused on the barren landscape. Colt had seen her upset before, but never like this.
“If it makes you feel better, I’m going to turn myself in,” he said, glancing at the rearview mirror to make sure that his skin hadn’t morphed into scales or his teeth weren’t pointed. “I mean, you looked pretty freaked out, and I get it. I just . . . I don’t know.” He took a deep breath and exhaled. “I just want you to know that I’m sorry.”
Danielle turned and looked at him in a way that made him feel like a complete and total idiot. “What are you talking about?”
“You know, how I snapped back there,” Colt said. “It’s like it wasn’t even me—or maybe it was, but that’s the thing. I don’t know who I am anymore. Am I human or an alien or . . .” He was afraid to say it out loud, but what if he wasn’t either? What if he was alone? “Look, all I know is that something isn’t right, so I’m going to let them lock me up until someone figures out what’s going on, because the last thing I want to do is hurt someone I care about.”
“See that?” Danielle said as they passed the charred remains of a gas station next to the off ramp. “We need you out here so that kind of stuff doesn’t happen again—not locked up feeling sorry for yourself because you’re different.”
“I’m a freak.”
“No. Different. And you always have been. Remember the time you brought me to that beach party with your friends over in Carlsbad? One minute we were roasting marshmallows around the bonfire, and the next you were gone. It took us an hour to find you, and do you know what you were doing?”
Colt shrugged.
“You were teaching a homeless guy how to play your guitar.”
“Oh yeah. I forgot about that.”
“We had to drag you away so we didn’t miss curfew, but we were still late because you had to go back and give him your last twenty dollars and a book.”
“The Hobbit.”
“Normal people don’t do stuff like that.”
“Read?”
“I’m being serious.”
“Maybe, but this is different,” Colt said. “It’s like I can feel this living thing inside of me, and it wants to take over.”
“So don’t let it.”
Colt wanted to tell her that it wasn’t that easy, but he didn’t. Danielle had always been honest with him, even when it wasn’t something he wanted to hear. And more often than not she was right.
What if it was that easy? He’d been carrying the Thule DNA in his system for ten years, and it hadn’t manifested until recently. Maybe it was triggered by fear or anger or even adrenaline. Maybe breathing exercises or yoga could stop it. Or maybe they could give him some kind of pill to keep the alien in check.
“I guess I just hated the way you looked at me back there,” he said. “I don’t want you to be scared.”
“You thought I was scared of you?”
“More like terrified, but yeah.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “That thing came out of nowhere. I honestly thought I was going to die without being able to say good-bye to my parents or you or . . .” She covered her eyes as they misted over. “I’m sorry, it’s just that Oz didn’t answer my e-mails, and I couldn’t text him because I thought his phone was disconnected.” She wiped away a tear as it streamed down her cheek. “I was scared that he was going to go out and do something stupid to prove that he isn’t like his dad. I mean, I’d hold my breath every time one of the rescue teams found a body, because I thought it was going to be him—and then he just shows up and tells us that he’s been here all the time? He’s such a jerk!”
Colt sat there, not sure what to say or if he should say anything at all. On one hand, he was relieved that she wasn’t scared of him, but then again, he hated to see her so upset. He’d known there was a spark between Oz and Danielle from the moment he first saw them together, and he figured they’d eventually announce that they were dating, but this was different. It was deeper. Real. It was love.
Danielle sniffled as she wiped her eyes and straightened her ponytail. “Just so we’re on the same page—if you tell anyone about this conversation, you’re a dead man.”
“My lips are sealed.”
“And when we get back, you’re going to see a doctor. Period.”