Part 33 (1/2)

”Okay, fine,” I said to Paul. ”I'm turning off the heat cell, and then we can lower down.”

Paul smiled. ”Good.”

I reached forward and flicked off the nozzle. The flame died out. The balloon still held us in position. It would be slow to cool. I bent over, out of Paul's view, and reached for the knife tucked in the top of Lilly's bag. Then, I took Lilly's bag and Dr. Maria's backpack and stuffed them into a compartment. When I stood, I shouted to Paul, ”Okay!”

I caught Lilly's eye, then glanced at Aaron. Then back to Lilly, trying to point to him with my eyes, so that she'd understand.

Then I stared at her hard and shouted, ”Tandem!” and hoped she knew what to do.

I swung the knife as hard as I could at the lines connecting the thermal balloon.

”Owen, what-?” Paul shouted.

The knife hit the first line, snapped it clean, and nicked the second. It unraveled then tore, and the third line popped from all the weight. The balloon leaped free, bouncing up against the ceiling.

And we started to fall.

But the line was still attached to the catwalk, and as we dropped it caught, jerking the entire craft and making us swing to vertical, the bow of the craft pointing straight up. I gripped the sail lines as tight as I could, and saw Leech hanging on to the edge of the craft as our feet left the floor and we hung in s.p.a.ce, the lake so very far below.

The force of the craft yanking on the railing made the catwalk buckle, not much, but enough for Paul and Lilly to lose their footing. Lilly slammed an elbow into his stomach and jerked free of the other guards. She lunged, grabbed Aaron by his arm and looked down at me. Our eyes locked.

”Hey, what-,” Aaron began.

”Come on!” Lilly jumped, dragging Aaron over the edge with her.

She hit the right sail, and her arms slammed against the sideways mast. She slid over it and for a second I thought she might fall right by, but she fell against me, and I grabbed her with my free arm, my other gripping the sail lines and feeling like my shoulder socket would tear apart.

”Bah!” Aaron slammed against the bow of the boat and toppled over.

”Grab him!” I shouted to Leech. He stuck out an arm and pinned Aaron against the mast.

”You got me?” I said to Lilly, and felt her arms wrap around my torso.

”Yeah!”

There was a blistering snap from above, as the line holding us to the catwalk frayed and broke.

We plummeted toward the lake. Someone screamed. Maybe all of us.

The craft righted itself and for a moment we found ourselves level. Lilly slid off me and I grabbed the sail lines, trying to hold us steady. I jammed my feet against the rudder, but it didn't help. We started to pitch forward, but the sails caught, billowing back at us, and keeping us from nosing straight down. Still, we were falling fast toward the glistening water.

”Aaron!” I called over the wind. ”You need to fire the deionization!”

”What?” He looked up at me from the floor of the craft like I was speaking another language.

”Set it off or we die!” I screamed.

Aaron's confused look stayed on me for another half second, then he glanced over the edge of the craft and his eyes got wide and he seemed to get it. ”My bag!” he shouted.

Leech shoved it into his chest.

Aaron fumbled with the clips, his fingers shaking.

”Faster!” Lilly snapped.

Wind crushed against our faces.

Aaron got the bag open and slid out his computer pad. He slapped his finger at it. ”Stupid pa.s.sword!” he muttered to himself.

”Shut up and do it!” Leech barked.

”I am, I am!”

I glanced from him to the sight of water growing larger. I could feel fear starting to paralyze me. We were all going to die, killed on impact. I'd miscalculated, or been an idiot to even try to time this- ”Okay... got it!” said Aaron.

There was a hum and a momentary feeling of energy tickling our skin, then a brilliant flash from above us. The huge antenna discharged with an explosive crack of electricity. My body shuddered in the current, almost like my bones were heating up from the inside out. There was a wicked hissing sound as the lightning, instead of leaping down to its grounding tower far below, was attracted to the nearest metal object: the mast of the craft.

The mast lit up, momentarily glowing hot white, and then there was a flash of blinding blue, and a whirring of motion inside the triangular metal unit. The ceramic heat cell exploded, shards flying everywhere. Shrapnel sliced my cheek but I barely noticed. I was scrambling forward to see inside the black unit. There was a circular hole in its center, and inside, blue light swirled like liquid. There was a high-pitched hum as the light spun faster, the s.h.i.+p vibrating like it might break apart.

Still we hurtled toward the water.

I closed my eyes, traveled inward, found the memory. Luk was distant, in line for his own lightning charge. How do I fly it? How do I fly it? I shouted to him. I shouted to him.

Use the sails to steer. The pedal rudder will apply electromagnetic charge. You'll learn to feel the repulsion of gravity over time.

I have about ten seconds, I said, and swept forward to my senses, saw the lake rus.h.i.+ng at us. I put my feet on the rudder, pulled in on the sails, heard the engine whirring faster, felt it starting to slow our fall. We began to arc, leveling, slowly leveling, but we were going so fast, the lake getting closer. Closer. Too close.

”Now!” said Lilly.

”I know!” I pulled harder, jammed my feet against the pedals. We leveled more, finally almost horizontal. I could see the individual waves below.

And we flattened out. Wind caught the sails and yanked us forward. The bottom of the craft skimmed the surface. I screamed. We all did as the craft slipped along, racing above the water at incredible speed.

”Whoa!” Leech shouted.

I turned to Lilly, exhaling hard and meeting her eyes.

”Nice work,” she said, her gaze still wide.

I nodded. Then thought about what had to happen next. I pressed the pedals, pulled the lines, and we arced up, rising away from the water and shooting ahead. When we were about twenty meters above the surface, I leveled off. ”Can you hold these lines for a minute?” I asked Lilly. ”And put your feet just like mine on the pedals.”

I slid over and let her take my seat. ”Like this?” she said.

”That should work.”

”What are you going to do?”