Four days to NovaTopia

General Caelum notices me again when she finally stops screaming into her earpieces. The glare she shoots at me is so intense that I worry she'll use her Gift on me.

Fortunately, I do not burn. Not-so-fortunately, a small troop of armed soldiers marches towards us. NovaTopian soldiers are usually stationed at the lower levels of the Tower or near the Tower on Ground Earth, but General Caelum must have summoned some of them up during her shouting fit.

"Detain the entire graduating cadet class," she orders. "This one is one of them."

And just like that, I am hauled away.

They drag me by my arms and shove me into the Common Area. This is where our cadet class would hang out and eat in between practices, and now it seems we are all back here, detained and confused. The entrance is now guarded by two soldiers with rifles. Outside, more armed soldiers patrol the hallway, a few of them taking bewildered Tower residents away. My breath catches in my throat. This is a sight I never thought I'd see in the Tower, much less its higher levels, where it's closer to the shuttles, where the generals live, and where it's supposed to be safer and better.

This is a sight I thought I left behind.

I turn back to the rest of my cadet class. A few moments ago, they were in my living unit, celebrating the end of the Selection. General Caelum's single order has ruined the party and dampened the mood. Her stupid, unreasonable order, since none of us had anything to do with Lara's leaving.

Lara...

The image of her walking away, her hair swaying like Mom's, flashes in my mind again. Guilt twists in my heart. I should've stopped her. I was about to. Why didn't I go through with it? Why did I hesitate?

I've let her go, the same way I've let my parents go.

"Hey, Morgan." Min-Ju approaches me again. Her voice is gentle, almost careful, as if trying not to burst the bubble of emotions welling inside me. "What happened? And... where's Lorensky?"

I gulp down the lump in my throat. "She..."

"Yeah, why isn't she detained like us?" Joaquin Romero's loud, brazen voice is as jarring as an alarm.

A few more classmates start to gather around me, their expressions a mix of confusion and indignation.

"Why did the soldiers drag all of us down here?" Justin Daniels asks, sneaking a look at the guarded door.

"Aren't we soldiers like them now after the Selection?" Marie William adds. "How can they do this to us?"

"And I'm supposed to be on my way to Space Shuttle Three!" Joaquin's loud whining continues. "Are they going to stop me from leaving? Are none of us going to ascend, except for that crazy Lorensky?"

I glance at Min-Ju. She is putting on a brave front, but her furrowed brows give her emotions away. I know how hard she worked for her prize from the Selection. Her family is unable to help her with the Tower's capacity tax, but going to the shuttles will remove the need to pay it. She is supposed to be preparing for her move to the UN shuttle, not being held here.

And for most of the people here who did not make it to the shuttles, they can pay off the tax by working as a soldier now that we've graduated, but being stuck here won't help with that. This stupid detainment is affecting everyone, new shuttle residents or not. All because of General Caelum's stupid, unreasonable order.

"Lara is not crazy." My first order of business is to scold Joaquin about that comment. "Just because she beat you at your match doesn't mean you can insult her like that. Also, this detainment is temporary. I'm sure it'll end when General Caelum finds her."

"Finds who?" Min-Ju asks. "Lorensky?"

"Yeah, she's, um, gone."

That draws a gasp from everyone.

"Gone?"

"What do you mean gone?"

"Where is she? Is she not going to NovaTopia?"

"What happened?"

I don't know what to say. I'm not sure I even know what really happened. But before I can say anything, General Romero's voice booms from outside the Common Area.

"What do you think you are doing, Caelum?"

Everyone inches towards the entrance of the Common Area to see the commotion, as Generals Edmundo Quill and Lucius Romero confront General Caelum. Even our two assigned guards have their eyes locked on the three of them.

"Uncle!" Joaquin shouts from behind me.

General Romero waves a dismissive hand at him. "Putting the Tower into lockdown is already an overreach, and now you're detaining people?" he snaps. "These cadets graduated recently, mind you, and are now important NovaTopian soldiers and shuttle residents. Release them right now."

"I have reason to suspect sabotage." General Caelum's voice is icy. "I have been informed that my candidate, Lara Lorensky, took the elevator down to Ground Earth. I cannot comprehend why she would do something like that, so someone must have brainwashed her to do it. Someone in her cadet class."

"What evidence do you have to come to this conclusion?" General Quill asks.

"What evidence do you have that that is not the conclusion?"

"You are the one detaining innocent people, so the burden of proof is on you."

"At least let my nephew out!" General Romero adds in exasperation. "He has a shuttle to get to!"

"Shut up about your nephew, Romero!" General Caelum barks. "That is not the issue right now! Do you understand the deep shit I'll be in if I don't give NovaTopia their annual champion?"

"As much of a deep shit you were in twelve years ago?" His lips curl into a cruel grin.

I frown. Twelve years ago? If I remember correctly, that's the year General Lorensky won the Selection, under General Caelum's sponsorship too. Shouldn't it be a good year for her? Or did the fact that General Lorensky returned to the Tower somehow put General Caelum in trouble? But why would that be a problem? General Lorensky has been a very productive general, as far as I can tell.

Beads of sweat drip down my chin. The surrounding temperature is rising drastically. It must be General Caelum's Gift.

"I am not letting anyone leave until I find out where Lara Lorensky is," she growls. Her voice is huskier now, as if her Gift is burning her body from the inside. "I intend to question every one of these cadets to find that out. If you want to let them out, you have to do it over my dead body."

There is a brief pause. General Caelum's Gift is not one to be messed with, and from their expressions, it's apparent that the two generals would rather not fight her.

"Don't you have access to all the bots in the Tower?" General Quill points out. "Can't you find your candidate with them and end this nonsense?"

"How do you suppose I found out Lara took the elevator to Ground Earth? But what good are the bots if she left the Tower? We do not have them beyond it."

"Why don't you go to Ground Earth and get her yourself? Oh, wait, never mind. I forget how scared you are of being tainted," General Romero continues to tease, as the heat around us intensifies.

Before this, the only general interactions I've seen are between Generals Lorensky and Caelum when they pass by each other. General Lorensky has always treated her with a sort of reluctant submission, so I've assumed she holds a lot of authority. She is the longest-serving general in the Tower, after all. But right now, the two other generals here are treating General Caelum like... well, like an annoying colleague they have to deal with. There is no sign of respect at all.

General Caelum also seems to have no authority over them, because instead of rebutting General Romero, she whips around to a sweaty soldier next to her.

"Where is General Lorensky?" she demands.

Before the poor soldier could stutter an answer out, General Quill adds unhelpfully, "Which one? There are technically two now since Lara Lorensky is now a NovaTopian resident and gets a promotion."

"That's right! If she returns to the Tower like her brother, we'll have a new general," General Romero says. "Oh, I bet she'll be a much better female general to work with."

"Where is General Lorensky?" General Caelum repeats with clenched teeth. "General Ryan Lorensky."

The soldier's uniform is drenched with sweat, either from his fear, the heat, or both. He manages a squeak, "He's- He's on an assignment, General!"

Wait, General Lorensky is on an assignment on Ground Earth again? Didn't he just go on one when he brought Lara and me down there—and then another during the Selection? I remember him apologizing for missing my matches and rushing off after transferring his Gift to me. He made it back for the closing ceremony, but now he's gone again? He really is productive. Too productive. No wonder Lara resents him so much. He must have been an absent brother.

"Then get him to come back," General Caelum orders.

"B- But he's working on the South America Re-Colonization project, G- General, so he's in the uncharted zones right now, so he's currently, uh, uncontactable..."

She mutters a curse under her breath. "When is he coming back?"

"I- I don't know..."

"It's your fault he's so overworked, you know," General Quill drawls.

General Caelum whips around to glare at him, finally taking the brunt of her heat away from the sweating, trembling soldier. "I need someone competent to go to Ground Earth. Not any of these dumb, Gift-less soldiers. One of you needs to go down to find Lara and get her back."

"And why would we do that?" General Romero counters. "I don't care about her."

"All of us will be in trouble if we don't find her."

"Your candidate ran away, and you are the one detaining the other cadets," General Quill says. "I believe only you will be in trouble when NovaTopia finds out."

"I do not mind letting them find out, too." General Romero smirks. "I'm willing to take my chances with whatever punishment they want to dole out, as long as this detainment gets to end. What about you, Caelum?"

General Caelum's skin is smoking at this point. Even the other two generals are clammy with sweat, but that does not seem to ruin their mood. They are too entertained by General Caelum's desperation and helplessness, and they definitely have no intention of helping her.

I never want to help someone like General Caelum either, but I want to be released. Most of all, I want my friends to be released.

The image of Lara walking away haunts my thoughts once more. I've let her go the way I've let my parents go, but this time, I can change things. I can find her. I can convince her to come back, to go to NovaTopia. I can tell her that she deserves to go.

Lara went to Ground Earth for me when I lost my cyberarm. It's time for me to return the favor.

"I'll go!" I shout.

Silence settles. Everyone zips their head around to stare at me. I step forward. The people standing in front of me make way. Even our guards let me pass.

General Caelum's surprise quickly turns into a familiar anger. "You."

"I don't have a Gift, but I'm from Ground Earth. I'll be able to find Lara."

"How dare you?" she growls. "You are the prime suspect for brainwashing her. You are the very reason she went there before!"

That last sentence is like a stab to the heart, but the growing guilt is only strengthening my resolve. "I know, but this means I know how to get to her. I will do everything I can to bring her back."

"And why would you?" A strong blast of heat strikes my face with General Caelum's every word. "Aren't you happy she left? Aren't you frothing at your mouth to take over her spot?"

"I am not, General. I want her to go to NovaTopia. I will never take what is hers."

"Really, now?"

General Caelum's anger subsides, replaced yet again by surprise. She crosses her arms and examines me. She has never looked at me for this long before, and I can tell she hates it as her nose scrunches up in disdain. I wipe away the sweat dripping from my forehead.

"Wow, this is an unexpected volunteer." General Romero laughs. "This is fun."

"Don't you have a shuttle to get to, Sánchez?" General Quill asks. "Why would you want to jeopardize it for Lorensky?"

"Because Lara would do this for me," I say. In fact, Lara has done this for me already.

General Caelum is still staring at me, and I am getting increasingly uneasy.

"Interesting," she muses. "Are you in love with her?"

My jaw drops. I try to stutter out a denial, but only weird, blubbering noises come out. Min-Ju lets out a chuckle behind me—how can she laugh at a time like this?—and Generals Quill and Romero share an amused look. I'm not sure if the heat I am feeling is from General Caelum's Gift or the blood rushing to my face.

"I- I care about her," I say finally, "as a, uh, friend."

"I see." General Caelum smiles at me for the first time in my life, but it's one that sends a chill down my spine. "Come with me, Morgan Sánchez."