The door slid open and Elijah blew through it like a cosmic wind, the rest of his Pit Crew trailing behind. He flung his sunglasses across the room where they crashed against one of the walls. He pointed at Hot Dog.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Me?” Hot Dog asked, startled. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Pinky?”
“Scans show that she has no serious injuries,” the hologram said, “though she’ll likely be very sore tomorrow.”
Elijah nodded. His cheeks had turned a crimson color, and one of his eyes twitched. He took a long, deep breath through his nose and then spoke quietly, looking back and forth between Drue, Jasmine, and Benny.
“You took the Chevelle.”
Benny nodded slightly. He didn’t know if the others were reacting or not—he couldn’t take his eyes off Elijah.
“You bypassed my AI’s security, stole a reengineered American classic that I hadn’t even been able to test outside the dome yet, and drove blindly out onto the Moon’s surface.”
Benny nodded again.
“Jazz mapped us, so technically we weren’t . . .” Drue’s voice got quieter as he spoke, dying out. At least he was realizing that talking was just making things worse this time.
Elijah closed his eyes, taking another deep breath. Benny noticed his fingers had curled into fists at his sides. Behind him, Sahar and Trevone had their arms crossed, while the Miyamura twins smirked at each other, as though they were enjoying the whole scene.
“Do you have any idea how stupid that was?” Elijah asked. His voice was measured, but Benny could tell he was on the verge of exploding, each consonant a staccato clip, every vowel threatening to transform into a yell. “You could have been killed. Or you could’ve gotten lost. Or . . . You thought, what, that since everything was in chaos here I wouldn’t notice that you’d stolen a car and gone on a joyride?”
Benny and the others all started talking at once. Elijah held up a single gloved finger and everyone stopped. Even Drue.
“Trevone, take Ms. Robinson with you and have her show you exactly what she did to Pinky. If she was able to break through her security that quickly, we must have overlooked a serious flaw in our systems.” He motioned to his Pit Crew. “The rest of you check in on your charges. They’re likely scared out of their minds.”
The older kids nodded, and Ramona followed them out, not looking the least bit concerned about being in trouble. As the door closed behind them, Hot Dog stood up.
“Mr. West, they were trying to save me,” she said, gesturing to the others. She glanced at Drue. “Even though it was a dumb thing to do.”
Elijah tapped the gold-tipped toe of his right boot on the floor and raised an eyebrow.
“Is this true?”
Jasmine was staring at the floor, unable to meet Elijah’s eye. Benny saw Drue take a few steps forward—but he wasn’t exactly confident he wanted him to speak for the group.
“Of course,” Benny said quickly. He swallowed hard, trying to calm the thundering in his chest. “There’s no way I’d steal a car if we weren’t worried someone was out there lost, maybe hurt.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “We were in the garage when you were talking to Pinky and heard how much ground you had to cover. We figured we could help.”
“It was Drue’s idea,” Jasmine said. She looked surprised at her own words, raising one hand to cover her lips.
Drue turned to her with a look of shock on his face. “Traitor,” he mouthed.
Elijah let his eyes roam over the kids’ faces for a few moments before speaking again.
“Not unlike the boy you saved in the Drylands—am I right, Mr. Love?”
Benny was taken aback for a moment. He didn’t realize Elijah remembered his video out of the thousands he must have screened.
“Exactly.”
Elijah seemed to relax, if only a hair. “I handpick every EW-SCAB winner. My name’s on the scholarship. I get the final say in who comes up here. And you were some of my brightest, most shining applicants. I had high hopes for you.” He began to shake his head. “I’m not angry. I’m disappointed.”
Benny’s heart may as well have fallen out of his body. He almost wished that Elijah would start yelling, would get mad. That he could deal with.
“We’ll make it up to you, Elijah!” Drue said, jumping to his feet.
“He’s right for once,” Jasmine said. “We’ll do anything.”
“Please don’t send us home,” Benny said, repeating the first word over and over again in his head.
Elijah raised a palm again, commanding silence.
“What you did today was reckless, incredibly dangerous . . .” He sighed. “That said, it was also quite brave.” He tapped a gloved index finger against his lips a few times before continuing. “You can stay on the Moon, but on one condition: you will make it up to me. I want to see you at your best in the coming days. Show me that I didn’t make a mistake bringing you up here.”
“No problem,” Drue practically shouted.
“Of course, sir,” Benny said. He was so relieved he felt light-headed.
“My name is Elijah, not sir. Now, which one of you hot-wired and drove the Chevelle?”
“I did,” Benny said. The words came out before he had time to decide if he should be scared or proud to admit this.
Elijah grinned, baring his teeth. “How’d she handle?”
A smile spread across Benny’s face.
“Like a turbocharged dream.” And then he remembered. “Um, I think I might have messed up an axle or something, though. But I can help fix it! If you just give me the tools—”
“Nonsense. I’ll get Ash on it. We’ll replace whatever bent with titanium reinforcements.”
“There’s something else,” Jasmine said, getting to her feet. She grabbed Hot Dog’s bag and took out the asteroid. “I pulled this from Hot Dog’s Space Runner. I think it’s what brought her down, and what hit the Grand Dome.”
Elijah’s mouth dropped open for an instant before he clenched his teeth and crossed the room in a few long strides. He snatched the craggy chunk from her hand, holding it up to the light.
“I’ve never seen anything like it before,” Jasmine continued. “It’s almost like some sort of rock-and-tech hybrid. It looks engineered.”
“Fascinating,” Elijah said, turning to Jasmine and smiling. “I’ll run some scans on it just as soon I’ve reviewed Pinky’s readouts on the state of the Taj, our communications systems, the likelihood of another wave of asteroids, et cetera, et cetera.” He looped his finger through the air a few times.
“There was other weird stuff,” Hot Dog said. “Someone left supplies for me outside my Space Runner, but when I came to there was no one around. Who could have done that?”
“Came to?” he asked, stepping toward her and narrowing his eyes in curiosity. “Ms. Wilkinson, it looks like there’s a bruise starting to form at your hairline. You must have hit your head in the crash.”
“Well, yeah, a little.” She raised a hand to her temple and cringed as her fingers found a sore spot.
“Then of course you’re confused. Visit the infirmary when we’re through. Pinky will run tests to make sure you don’t have a concussion. The Space Runner you were in had emergency supplies in the trunk.” He motioned to the bag on the ground. “You must have found them in a state of shock and then forgot.”
“I guess that’s possible.”
“Um, back to the rocks,” Benny said. Now that he knew he was staying at the Taj, he was starting to realize what else could be at stake. “If this is something that someone made, like Jasmine thinks, we could be under attack. Earth could be in danger.”
Elijah slowly turned to face Benny. He pursed his lips for a second before letting one side of his mouth curl up in a half smile.
“Benny, my boy, when you’ve lived a life like I have, you see a lot of crazy things, things that don’t always make sense at first. You learn to value perspective.” He tossed th
e rock sample in the air, and then caught it. “I assure you that this is nothing to be concerned about. Now, why don’t you go back to your rooms and freshen up a bit? It’s been a long day. Dinner’s in half an hour, and Pinky’s computerized kitchen makes vegetarian baby back ribs that are the most impressive delicacy in the solar system, trust me.”
And then he turned on his heel and left, leaving the four of them behind trying to make sense of everything he’d said.
“That’s it?” Drue asked. “I kinda hoped we were saving the world.”
“Yeah,” Jasmine said slowly.
“I don’t know,” Benny said, trying to put himself, impossibly, in Elijah’s shoes. “There was something about the way he smiled before he left, like he knew how important this was. I think he just didn’t want us to worry. Could be he’s putting on a brave face. He’s probably rushing back to his labs or whatever right now to look everything over.”
Drue let out a loud breath. “Of course he is. You’re right.”
“Well, if you’re still not sold,” Hot Dog said, pulling a little hunk of rock out of the bottom of her bag and flicking a piece of wire sticking out of it. “Looks like we’ve got a piece of it we can run our own tests on.”
She held the sample out to Jasmine, who eyed it for a moment before shoving it in her space suit pocket.
12.
They retreated to their own suites as Elijah suggested. By the time Benny made it downstairs to the Taj’s restaurant for dinner, most of the tables were filled with kids, laughing and talking over one another. No one gave a second glance to him as he walked in. They probably had no idea what he and the others had done.
The restaurant was dimly lit by golden constellations—most likely holograms, Benny thought—floating overhead and reflecting in the dark marble floor. Unlike the sleek surfaces of the rest of the Taj, plush dark curtains hung on the walls, embroidered in swirling patterns that pulsed with light. Benny looked around, trying to find a place to sit in the crowded room. Finally, he spotted a ten-person table with only two people in a corner. He even recognized the kids at it—two other Mustangs.
“Can I sit here?” he asked as he approached.
“Sure thing,” a girl with two long black-and-silver braids said. “You’re the one from the caravan, right?”
“Yeah,” Benny said, taking a seat and staring at the big, sweating pitcher of water on the table in front of him as he braced himself for the inevitable questions.
But they didn’t come.
“I’m Iyabo,” the girl said. She pointed to a thin boy across from her. “This is Herc.”
The boy let out an exaggerated groan. “My name’s Alexi,” he said. “Iyabo apparently just started learning about mythology and I made the mistake of telling her I’m Greek.” He turned back to Iyabo. “And it’s Heracles in Greek myths. At least get your stories straight.”
“Whatever,” Iyabo said. “Did you see these tablecloths? They’re threaded with actual gold.”
Alexi rubbed his fingers over the cloth. “I could buy a small island if I took all these home.”
“Sure, if you wanna spend weeks unraveling them and picking out all the gold,” Drue said, coming up from behind Benny’s chair. He rounded the table and sat beside Alexi. “I’m starving. I was afraid I’d miss the first course.”
Iyabo eyed him up and down. “I just figured you were too embarrassed by getting schooled on the track earlier today to come to dinner.”
She smirked. Alexi giggled. Benny tried to hide his smile behind his hand. He’d forgotten that whatever Iyabo and Drue had talked about earlier in the day had ended with her walking away and rolling her eyes.
“I was not schooled.” Drue said. “She got lucky and—”
“Speak of the devil,” Iyabo said, cutting him off.
“Hey,” Hot Dog said as she pulled out a chair next to Benny. Jasmine stood behind her.
“Couldn’t keep away from us, huh?” Drue asked.
She silently pushed the chair back in and started to walk away.
“Wait,” Benny said. “Come on, there aren’t many seats around. Sit here.” She paused for a second and then came back.
“Hey, are you okay?” Alexi asked Hot Dog as she and Jasmine took their seats. “You got owned by that asteroid. Where’d you end up landing?”
Hot Dog retold the story of the afternoon, leaving out the rock Jasmine found and the weird bag of supplies. Still, the story had Alexi and Iyabo speechless, until finally, when Hot Dog was done, Iyabo looked back and forth between Drue and Benny.
“You two are the dumbest heroes I’ve ever met.”
“Thanks?” Benny said.
“Tell me more about this Chevelle,” Alexi said. “What kinda mods did it have on it? And why do you even know how to hot-wire a car?”
Before Benny could say anything, half a dozen platters floating on mini hyperdrives landed on their table. They were piled high with chips, fries, and raw vegetables, all vibrant yellows, oranges, greens, and purples. Slabs of cheese glistened in the light beside tiny loaves of bread. Bowls of unidentifiable sauces and dips dotted the spread.
Benny was pretty sure everyone in the restaurant must have heard his stomach growl. He’d never seen so much fresh food in one place in his life. The others at the table seemed just as impressed with the display. Even Drue. They all stared at the feast in front them, hardly breathing. And then, as if something had snapped in the air, they were digging in, ferocious, not realizing how hungry they’d been.
“This is amazing,” Benny said, biting into a purple carrot with a snap. “I don’t know the last time I had a vegetable that wasn’t half mush.”
“Elijah and his researchers grow organic produce hyperfast,” Jasmine said, plunging a radish into a chunky pink spread. “One of his biggest goals when building the Taj was to make it as self-sufficient as possible. They’ve made all kinds of advances in gardening.”
“You guys aren’t doing this right,” Drue said as he stacked a mountain of cheese onto a wedge of buttered bread. He dunked all of it into a thick white sauce before shoving the whole thing in his mouth. “This is the life.”
“Wait, so what do you eat in the caravan?” Hot Dog asked, ignoring Drue.
“Usually canned food or fortified meal bars,” Benny said. “We scavenge whatever we can. A lot of our food comes from houses. We find a neighborhood and pick it over.”
“Like, stealing?” Drue asked through a mouth full of bread.
“Like, surviving,” Hot Dog said.
“Yeah,” Benny continued with a thankful nod toward Hot Dog. “I mean, most everywhere’s been abandoned. Half the time the houses have been swallowed up by the sand, so we have to dig them out. Then we pool whatever we find together and the leaders divide everything equally. There are maybe a hundred of us, depending on who’s coming and going, so we have to ration. It’s not so bad when we’re close to the edges of the cities, because we can stock up on sustenance squares at relief stations. But those things taste like dust and farts. We’ve been lucky. Some caravans starve out there.”
“That’s crazy,” Drue murmured.
“It sounds like a smart system,” Jasmine said.
“All that camping doesn’t sound so bad,” Alexi said. “That’s how I live. On the water. We have the most beautiful beaches in Greece.”
“Oh, now that I’ll fight you about,” Iyabo said. “You’ve obviously never been to Cameroon.”
The two of them began a heated argument about which of their countries had better coasts. Meanwhile, Hot Dog turned to Drue.
“I don’t suppose you’ve ever had to eat a sustenance square.”
“I’m not going to feel bad about living in a city and having real food, if that’s what you’re trying to get at.” He shoved more cheese into his mouth.
“You’re a pig,” Hot Dog said.
“Whatever. Where are you from, huh? You don’t seem like the caravan type. All that sand would get stuck in your lip gloss
.”
Hot Dog made a face at him. “I’m from Texas.”
“Eesh. I’m sorry.”
She tightened her hold on the fork in her hand. Jasmine stepped in before she could retort.
“I was in Texas for a little while. You could see the sky for miles around in some places.”
“Yeah, but the state is in anarchy half the time because they’re scared the Drylands are getting closer,” Hot Dog said. “Or that desert refugees are going to take over all our towns. I’ve heard it’s harder to cross the border into Texas than it is most countries. Why were you there?”
“A family adopted me.” Jasmine hesitated. “Well, they gave me a trial run. It didn’t last.”
“Oh,” Hot Dog said quietly. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’m used to it.”
“Didn’t you say you were from China?” Benny asked.
“Technically. My parents were killed in the big Sichuan earthquake of 2075. I barely remember them. Or China, really. A lot of us kids were shipped to orphanages across the world. I ended up in Florida. Since then, I’ve bounced back and forth between foster homes and adoptive parents. I think a lot of people are looking for kids who want to sit and watch cartoons all day, while I was more interested in doing science experiments. People . . . got weird about that.”
“They let you do chemistry at home?” Drue asked.
“Not all science involves test tubes and Bunsen lasers.” She smiled. “Baking is a perfectly respectable form of scientific experimentation.”
“That doesn’t count.”
“You’ve obviously never tried to cook a soufflé.”
“So, don’t take this the wrong way,” Drue continued, “but how are you so smart if you’ve been moving around orphanages and stuff so much. It’s not like you could go to one school for very long. Much less have a good tutor.”
“Drue,” Hot Dog said.
“What? I’m trying to get to know her!”
Benny dropped a handful of chips onto his plate. “Trust me, you can learn plenty on your own without actual school.”
“He’s right,” Jasmine said. “I always liked solving problems. Finding the most efficient answer. Science and numbers are based on fact, not opinion or emotions. It’s not like the rest of life where there are so many variables. Fears, expectations, potential adopters looking for someone taller or whiter or more ‘normal.’ I think a lot of people just had a hard time with the idea of having a daughter who was smarter than them in ways they didn’t understand.”