Honor Among Thieves (The Honors #1)(16)
The arrival of the Leviathan, timed to save us from our own last, gasping folly, might have reinforced that belief; in some people, it did. Some religions became more convinced than ever that humanity had a destiny greater than any other species. But for many people, it became the moment that the opposite came clear: that humanity, for all its cleverness, was not unique. And what is not unique can be replaced.
Maybe the loss of that certainty did some good. It refocused our energy away from our greed and toward what we objectively identified, as a species, as good: caring for one another. Caring for our world, as good stewards.
In return, the Leviathan, who some see as angels, and a few as devils . . . the Leviathan gave us a true path to the stars. To touch, as the old poem says, the face of God.
But what did we find there, in the black? The Honors chosen to go return with wonderful stories; yet the ones who Journey never come back, never send us word. We’re told there are reasons, that they’ve gone so far that communication is impractical, and maybe that’s true. But maybe, just maybe, these angels, these creatures, these shadows that pass across our skies and into the dark . . . maybe they aren’t telling us everything.
And maybe we need to ask that question before we send more of our best, our brightest, out into the black. Ancient Greece sent its children as tributes to the Minotaur.
If there is a monster waiting out there among the stars, we deserve to know.
CHAPTER FOUR
Breaking Big
MY FIRST IMPULSE was to hit Marko Dunajski on his perfect chin.
I didn’t, mostly because I’d get punished, and besides, there were a lot of cameras staring in my direction. The usual code of silence wouldn’t apply here.
But I wanted to hit him, because I was afraid, and I hated being afraid. I already knew—however impossible it was—why Marko Dunajski was here. If I couldn’t go to Mars with my mom, I sure couldn’t commit to living inside of a sentient alien, where I’d be trapped in the weirdest way possible. Claustrophobia didn’t begin to describe my issues, because it wasn’t just enclosed spaces. The idea of being locked down for a whole year? Hard pass.
I defaulted to the philosophy that had served me my whole life. When in doubt, attack first. It made people back off, provided a moment to plan the next move or get a head start on an exit strategy.
I wasn’t supposed to be staring into the cameras, but I couldn’t help that; I didn’t want to look at Marko, because he shouldn’t be here, saying my name. Had to look at him, though, because he was talking to me again.
“I’m sorry for the surprise, but that’s the way it’s done,” he was saying. He spoke English, but with an eastern European accent, and it took a second for me to realize he was trying to apologize. To me. I wanted to leave, but I could feel the guards hovering back there, blocking my retreat. “Are you all right?”
“Push off.” As comebacks go, it wasn’t my best. “I don’t want any part of this mess. Leave me alone.”
He hadn’t expected that, for sure, and the shock on his face almost made me laugh. What’s the matter, pretty boy? No one ever said no to you before?
I turned around, and sure enough, the gate was shut, with two guards standing between me and the way to my cell. They were staring at me like I’d grown another head. Kamryn Kostlitz, CEO, looked like she might have a stroke. Her sweet PR opportunity was turning into a disaster.
Someone stepped close to me from my right, and I snapped my head in that direction to stare at her. Clarice held up both hands and wiggled her fingers to show she wasn’t carrying. “Hey,” she said. “Come here.”
I didn’t want to, but she took my arm and pulled me toward her, and before I could put an elbow in her face, she whispered, “Play nice! You don’t spit on a golden ticket. You cash in.”
“I’m not some damn Honors pick!”
Clarice’s mouth set in a hard line. “Say yes. You walk away from this, you think we’re not going to kick the fool out of you?” She suddenly grinned, but her eyes stayed mean. “Besides. Makes a good excuse for why I couldn’t kill your ass. Might save my life.”
I yanked free of her grip, but she had a point. If I was dressed in a shiny Honors uniform, I didn’t have to be afraid of drones or slick monsters in suits. Deluca would have to give up; there’d be too much splash if anything happened to me. I wasn’t safe in here like I’d hoped. I wouldn’t be safe out there in the Zone, either.
But I’d be safe as an Honor.
Plus, there were undeniable perks, including compensation for my family. I didn’t give a shit about my dad, but Mom and Kiz . . . Yeah, they deserved this payout; I’d cost Mom plenty with fines, court costs, rehab fees. I almost laughed. I couldn’t picture myself standing by some podium with the bands playing, shaking hands with the World Union President. I could barely exist for a few days in the sterile bubble most people called the world; the grit of the Zone was where I belonged.
As I wavered, weighing the pros and cons, Kamryn Kostlitz sidled up to me. “Say yes. Say it now. If you humiliate me, I’ll send you to Barraga.”
That was the bogeyman of institutions, where they stuck the no-hopers. It wasn’t a place you went to be fixed, only caged.
My jaw clenched. I’d been on the verge of accepting, but I didn’t like being pushed. “You got no cause.”