charged, burying a shoulder into the goliath’s chest and sending him cartwheeling over his father’s desk. Brapo’s body clipped an oil lamp and he landed on top of it with a crash. The liquid soaked into his clothes an instant before it took to flame. Brapo became a whirling conflagration, a dervish of brute flesh and unrequited sin.
Over the roar of the fire and their attacker’s screams, Robinson pulled his father outside just as a winded Taskmaster Satu arrived.
“Is he alive?” Taskmaster Satu asked.
Robinson checked his pulse. When his father stirred, Robinson asked about the twins.
“Sent … away …” Leodore gasped before thrusting something into his hands. “Now you … must go … too.”
Robinson refused to leave, so Leodore turned to his teacher. “To the flyers … now!”
Robinson screamed as Taskmaster Satu grabbed him, but he was too weak to fend the old man off. Robinson screamed his father’s name, but the roar of the flames swallowed his words. As the smoke blotted out the night, the last thing he saw was his father raise his hand in a One and Three, symbolizing they would always be together.
Taskmaster Satu dragged Robinson across the field toward the livery. In the distance, they saw lanterns approaching. The Red Guard was closing in.
Robinson stumbled into the livery as his teacher opened the front gates. He ran for the nearest flyer.
“You know how to fly one of these things?”
Robinson nodded numbly. He had watched his father teach many pilots the skill. “Good,” Satu said. “Fly as far away as you can. Find a place to hide. Preferably some place cold. The renders don’t like the cold. Can you remember that?”
Robinson nodded again.
“When the time is right, your father will come for you. Do not give up hope.”
It seemed like an impossible promise, but in a night of horrors, hope was all he had to grasp. He wanted to say more, but his teacher waved, and then picked up a mallet and set to sabotaging the other flyers.
Robinson activated his flyer controls as he’d seen his father do many times. He wasn’t even sure if he was doing it correctly until the thrusters thrummed to life. The ship rose and slowly powered through the livery gate.
Outside, the Red Guard had overtaken the estate. Robinson waited until the gravity drive was fully charged before giving the engine power and pulling back on the yoke. It soared up and out over the Pate. As he banked toward the ocean, he stopped to take one last look at the Isle and the inferno that marked the end of his life. He knew at that very moment, he would never see this place again.
As the craft sped over the surf, Robinson scanned the array of foreign knobs and dials and wondered how on earth he was going to survive.
Then two words appeared on the screen before him: ENGAGE AUTOPILOT?
With no other choice, he selected “YES.”
The words disappeared and seven blank boxes took their place. He had no clue what they meant.
Robinson stared at them, confused. But then it hit him. He reached in his pocket for the thing his father had given him. It was his mother’s locket. He opened it and found the piece of paper inside.
Could it be so easy?
He unfolded the paper and entered the numbers 3-8-5-3-7-7-2 and hit ENTER.
A half second later, the words “COORDINATES ACCEPTED” splashed across the screen and the flyer banked toward the ocean and sped into the night.
PART TWO
“The gates of hell are open night and day;
Smooth the descent, and easy is the way:
But to return, and view the cheerful skies,
In this the task and mighty labor lies.”
-Virgil’s Aeneid
Chapter Eleven
Into the Unknown
The flyer was speeding one hundred meters above the ocean surface when he woke. At first he had no idea where he was, but then he smelled the smoke on his clothes and felt the dried blood on his face and the memories of last night returned. He had fled the only home he had ever known like a thief in the night and
Over the roar of the fire and their attacker’s screams, Robinson pulled his father outside just as a winded Taskmaster Satu arrived.
“Is he alive?” Taskmaster Satu asked.
Robinson checked his pulse. When his father stirred, Robinson asked about the twins.
“Sent … away …” Leodore gasped before thrusting something into his hands. “Now you … must go … too.”
Robinson refused to leave, so Leodore turned to his teacher. “To the flyers … now!”
Robinson screamed as Taskmaster Satu grabbed him, but he was too weak to fend the old man off. Robinson screamed his father’s name, but the roar of the flames swallowed his words. As the smoke blotted out the night, the last thing he saw was his father raise his hand in a One and Three, symbolizing they would always be together.
Taskmaster Satu dragged Robinson across the field toward the livery. In the distance, they saw lanterns approaching. The Red Guard was closing in.
Robinson stumbled into the livery as his teacher opened the front gates. He ran for the nearest flyer.
“You know how to fly one of these things?”
Robinson nodded numbly. He had watched his father teach many pilots the skill. “Good,” Satu said. “Fly as far away as you can. Find a place to hide. Preferably some place cold. The renders don’t like the cold. Can you remember that?”
Robinson nodded again.
“When the time is right, your father will come for you. Do not give up hope.”
It seemed like an impossible promise, but in a night of horrors, hope was all he had to grasp. He wanted to say more, but his teacher waved, and then picked up a mallet and set to sabotaging the other flyers.
Robinson activated his flyer controls as he’d seen his father do many times. He wasn’t even sure if he was doing it correctly until the thrusters thrummed to life. The ship rose and slowly powered through the livery gate.
Outside, the Red Guard had overtaken the estate. Robinson waited until the gravity drive was fully charged before giving the engine power and pulling back on the yoke. It soared up and out over the Pate. As he banked toward the ocean, he stopped to take one last look at the Isle and the inferno that marked the end of his life. He knew at that very moment, he would never see this place again.
As the craft sped over the surf, Robinson scanned the array of foreign knobs and dials and wondered how on earth he was going to survive.
Then two words appeared on the screen before him: ENGAGE AUTOPILOT?
With no other choice, he selected “YES.”
The words disappeared and seven blank boxes took their place. He had no clue what they meant.
Robinson stared at them, confused. But then it hit him. He reached in his pocket for the thing his father had given him. It was his mother’s locket. He opened it and found the piece of paper inside.
Could it be so easy?
He unfolded the paper and entered the numbers 3-8-5-3-7-7-2 and hit ENTER.
A half second later, the words “COORDINATES ACCEPTED” splashed across the screen and the flyer banked toward the ocean and sped into the night.
PART TWO
“The gates of hell are open night and day;
Smooth the descent, and easy is the way:
But to return, and view the cheerful skies,
In this the task and mighty labor lies.”
-Virgil’s Aeneid
Chapter Eleven
Into the Unknown
The flyer was speeding one hundred meters above the ocean surface when he woke. At first he had no idea where he was, but then he smelled the smoke on his clothes and felt the dried blood on his face and the memories of last night returned. He had fled the only home he had ever known like a thief in the night and
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