Lost Horizon Read online

  “What happened during Master Shogun’s class?” he asks.

  “Why?” I narrow my eyes to slits. “What did you hear?”

  “Sabrina came in not too long ago, fuming.”

  “Is she here?” I glance at the narrow corridor that leads to the sleeping quarters.

  “No. She grabbed one of her shopping bags and took off.”

  I head to the kitchen, which is an island encased in glass in the middle of the room. A panel outside shows the menu’s choices. I haven’t eaten anything since lunch. Despite the hollowness in my stomach, I stare at today’s menu for minutes without making any selection.

  “The turtle-duck roast was pretty good.” Adrian stops next to me.

  With a sigh, I press the button for it. The robo-chef comes to life, swinging his mechanical arms in a perfectly executed dance.

  “I take it you’re not going to Neon City anymore.”

  “Nope. Sabrina was upset that I broke Dabian’s nose.”

  Adrian laughs. “Ah, classic Dorothy.” He pulls on my sleeve. “Come on. The roast will take a while. I want to show you something.”

  I follow Adrian to his small room, which, at the moment, looks even tighter with all the tools and pieces of metal and plastic he uses on his creations.

  “Adrian, where do you sleep now?” I search for his bed, which should be where a long working table is. I haven’t been inside his room in a month because I was overwhelmed, studying for my final exams.

  “Look up.” He points at the ceiling where a mattress is floating close to it.

  “Wha—”

  “I installed mini hovers underneath it.” He smiles slyly.

  “I’m sure your father loves the improved setup.”

  The toothy grin wilts as he glances away. “He hasn’t seen it.”

  “Adrian, I’m—”

  “Forget about my dad. He’s busy running the academy. I get it. I want to show you something.” He moves closer to the working table where something is hidden underneath a white sheet.

  “What is it?”

  With a flourish of his arm, he pulls the sheet off, revealing a small robo-dog. “Ta-da!”

  “You made another one? This one is so cute.”

  Mumu, who followed us into Adrian’s room, barks as if annoyed by my remark.

  With a smile, I say, “I meant no offense, Mumu.”

  Adrian rubs the back of his neck while his white cheeks become bright pink. “I made it for you. It’s a graduation gift.”

  “Are you serious? Oh my stars, Adrian. This is the best gift ever.”

  I throw my arms around his neck, engulfing him into a bear hug. It’s something I never do, and Adrian’s sudden tension is proof that I caught him by surprise. It only lasts a split second before he hugs me back.

  Easing off after a moment, I peer at the robo-dog again.

  “I made it small so you can take it with you when you go on missions for the Star Freedom Alliance fleet.”

  “I haven’t been offered a position yet,” I say, letting my doubt show. It’s unusual that, despite being at the top of my class, I haven’t received a word from them.

  “Don’t worry. How can they not want to hire you? You’re the best cadet they’ve ever had.”

  Pushing aside my concerns, I ask instead, “Does it have a name?”

  “Not yet. Since it’s your dog, I thought you would like to name it.”

  Pinching my chin, I narrow my eyes, looking intently at Adrian’s creation. After a moment, I say, “How about Toto?”

  “That’s a great name! Now, all you have to do is press your index finger on Toto’s collar to activate it.”

  I follow Adrian’s instructions, pressing my finger in the middle of the dog’s collar. A blue light flashes where I touch it before Toto’s eyes light up. He barks at me as he wiggles his short tail.

  “Hi, Toto. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Dorothy.” I rub his metallic head.

  “Oh, he knows who you are. He has all your information stored in his memory.”

  Scrunching my face, I reply, “I’m not sure if that’s good or not.”

  “Here, I also made you a silent whistle, just like the one dog trainers use on real dogs. It was Dad’s stipulation for allowing me to keep Mumu.”

  “I recall that conversation. I was at the table, remember?”

  “Oh, yeah. Right.”

  A light beep sounds, and Adrian’s expression morphs into a grimace. He rubs his forearm right above the medical bracelet he wears—the same model around my own wrist. All my joy evaporates in an instant as I’m reminded of what I did. I’m the reason Adrian has to suffer those daily doses of medicine.

  “I hate these things. I keep forgetting when it’s going to poke my wrist,” he says surly.

  I touch my own bracelet over the shirt. “Yeah, it’s easy to forget.”

  Suddenly, the entire room begins to rattle, sending some of Adrian’s tools down on the floor. Mumu and Toto bark as I hold Adrian steady. The tremor only lasts a few seconds before it stops.

  “What the heck was that?” Adrian asks.

  “I don’t know, but we’d better find out.”

  We head back to the common area where the wide movie screen is now black. Whatever disturbance hit the station, it disconnected the entertainment feed. In the kitchen, I notice the robo-chef has stopped working as well. The small light above its head sensor is flashing red. What could have caused a general shutdown? There’s a small bleep before the light is blue once more, and the robot resumes cooking.

  Adrian runs to the panoramic window, gluing his nose to the glass. “I don’t see anything out of the ordinary from here.”

  “Let me check the other views.” I tap on the thin bracelet on my right wrist, and a hologram screen appears in front of me.

  After pressing some buttons, I’m able to log in to the feed from the several cameras located outside the space station. What I see in one of them makes my jaw drop and my heart beat faster.

  No way. It can’t be.

  “Adrian, stay here. I have to talk to your dad.”

  He looks over his shoulder, his eyebrows now furrowed. “What happened? Did you see something?”

  “Nothing to be worried about. I’ll be right back.”

  I head out before Adrian can ask more questions. He doesn’t follow me—not that I expected him to. Adrian is a dream kid. He always does as he’s told.

  The corridor that connects our living suite to my uncle’s office is deserted. My guess is, everyone is staying put and waiting for an update on the disturbance. Learning to remain calm in stressful situations is a mandatory requisite to live in the space station. Widespread panic could put everyone’s life in danger.

  Despite my outside cool demeanor, I’m screaming inside. What I saw in that monitor is something I’ve been waiting for since my parents’ and Aunt Em’s deaths. That concentration of energy, that aura, it can only be one thing: Mirus, the star-eater.

  A giant cosmic being almost the same size as the Old Earth’s moon, Mirus was believed to be a legend until his massive form blocked out New Earth’s sun for a good ten minutes six years ago. We were living there at the time, thanks to my medical condition.

  Mirus consumes the remains of stars after they die, hence why he’s called the star-eater. It’s believed the substance that covers his massive body has miraculous healing powers.

  Before its arrival in our atmosphere, my parents and Adrian’s mother had been planning a trip to the Vanishing Galaxy—a congregation of stars that appears and disappears periodically. My mother believed the Vanishing Galaxy was a gateway to other realities, and she had worked her entire life to prove her theory.

  But Mirus’s arrival shifted everyone’s priority.

  And you ruined everything, Dorothy.

  The nasty thought pops in my head, unbidden, striking my heart with its sharp leather whip. Forcing the darkness from my mind is an effort, but I manage before I stop in front of the almost unn
oticeable sliding doors that lead to my uncle’s office. The only discernable marking is the small sign above them with the Space Academy logo. I wave my wrist bracelet in front of the scanner mounted on the wall, and the doors slide open.

  The first thing one sees when they walk inside is the oval-shaped, white reception desk. Amina, the receptionist, looks up from her hologram screen.

  “Hi, Dorothy. Your uncle is in a meeting with Commander Gulch, and he has—”

  Without stopping, I say, “Don’t worry, Amina. This won’t take long.”

  I cross through the second set of double doors, these ones made out of milky-white tempered glass. Adrian might be an obedient child, but I’m not. Not when it comes to something as vital as the reappearance of Mirus.

  When I enter my uncle’s office, Commander Gulch is in the middle of saying something. She stops suddenly as she twists her body to glare at me over her beak-like nose. Yep, you can’t deny the family resemblance. Dabian shares the same aggravating expression. Her dark blonde hair is cut short, shaved on the sides and the back. The longer strands on top are pulled back in a sleek do, emphasizing the severe hard edges on her face.

  The tension in the room is palpable, and on instinct, I know it wasn’t caused by my interruption.

  My uncle stands, twisting his expression into a scowl. Deep creases form on the corners of his eyes and his forehead. “Dorothy, what are you doing here?”

  “I have to talk to you about the disturbance we just experienced.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Dorothy. Everything is under control.” Uncle Henry gives me a pitiful smile.

  “How can you stand there so cool and blasé? It’s the star-eater! It’s returned. We have to get out there as quickly as possible before it flies out of reach.”

  Commander Gulch clears her throat. “The star-eater is a legend. There’s nothing out there.”

  “Bullshit! I saw the images from the feed. I would recognize the creature’s signature anywhere. Uncle Henry, tell her.”

  “Dorothy—”

  “Do you see, Lieutenant Commander, why I can’t allow Dorothy in my fleet?”

  The floor seems to vanish from underneath my feet as the blood drains from my face. “What?”

  A cruel grin unfurls on the woman’s face. “You’re not getting an offer from the Star Freedom Alliance. I suggest you start thinking about other alternatives of employment.”

  My eyes prickle as I take the full impact of her words. “You can’t do that. I’m the best cadet the academy has ever had.”

  “Grades mean nothing to me. You have no respect for authority or rules. The fact that you barged into this meeting is proof enough of your appalling behavior.”

  My hands curl into fists as anger flows freely through my veins. “You’re just doing that because I bested your son in every single class.”

  She arches her eyebrows, her eyes widening a fraction before she shakes her head. “If you truly believe that I care about your immature feud with my son, well, I don’t even have to continue this conversation.”

  “I’m not immature. I can’t say the same thing about Dabian. But let me guess; he already has a spot in your fleet, doesn’t he?”

  “Of course. He’s an excellent cadet, and he respects the chain of command.” I open my mouth to argue, but she speaks over me. “And most importantly, he doesn’t have an expiration date.”

  My stomach clenches painfully. I become nauseated and lightheaded. Folding my arms, I hug my middle as I attempt to get air into my lungs.

  “Commander Gulch, that was completely out of line,” my uncle says.

  “She needs to hear the truth from somebody, Lieutenant Commander. I’ve spoken with the medical officer. Dorothy’s latest results have shown accelerated progress of her disease. It’s only a matter of months until the medication ceases to work and she starts to feel the full effects of her condition. Even if she were an exemplary candidate, I wouldn’t spend taxpayers’ credits training someone for a job they would only be able to keep for a short period of time.”

  “If you never had any intention of letting me fly, why did you allow me to complete the Space Academy program?”

  “She did it because I asked her to, Dorothy,” my uncle replies. “I’m sorry.”

  A lonely tear rolls down my cheek, which I promptly wipe off. As much as I would like to scream at them for this unfair treatment, I have to think about Adrian first. The doctor said it’s too late for me. I’ve lived with this rare genetic disease for too long, and most likely, no new drug will be able to halt its progress now. But Adrian still has a chance.

  “What about Mirus, Uncle? You’re going to send a team after it, right?”

  “No one is going after anything,” Commander Gulch replies, her answer final.

  “How can you say that? Mirus might be my cousin’s only chance of survival.”

  “You’d better watch your tone. Don’t forget whom you are speaking to. I’d hate to have you arrested for disrespecting a higher-ranking officer.”

  I gawk at my uncle, dismayed as he just stands there and says nothing.

  He avoids my gaze, dropping his eyes to his desk. “Dorothy, please, return to our quarters. I’ll speak with you as soon as I finish here.”

  “I can’t believe you’re not going to fight for your own son.”

  Seething, I stride out of his office without another word. I sense Amina’s eyes on me as I zip past her desk. No doubt, within minutes, the entire space station will know about my visit. But I won’t be here to be the subject of their mockery.

  My blood is rushing when I arrive in my quarters. Adrian is back on the couch, watching the movie.

  “Hey, Dorothy. Your dinner is ready.”

  “Thanks, Adrian. I’ll eat later.” I don’t stop until I’m in my room.

  If Commander Gulch thinks I’m going to meekly accept her orders, she’s sorely mistaken. But I must act fast if I have any hopes of catching up with Mirus before it disappears. If the Star Freedom Alliance won’t willingly give me a ship, I’ll just have to steal one.

  3

  Dorothy

  When my uncle returned to our quarters, I pretended to be asleep. Hearing his excuses wouldn’t change the fact he was not willing to fight against Commander Gulch’s orders. It would also not change my mind.

  I wait until the middle of the night before I slip out of my room. I made sure to disable the motion-activated lights beforehand. The living room is quiet and dark. The shutters are down to avoid the glare of commercial starships on the way to New Earth or Tethis. The Katarin solar system is a hub of interstellar traveling, thanks to the twenty-plus destination planets in it. Kansas Space Station is tethered to the capital of New Earth, and Tethis is the closest neighboring planet.

  I cringe when the main door swishes open, the noise sounding louder in the dead of the night. Sticking my head out, I glance both ways to make sure the coast is clear. Not a person or droid in sight. Something bumps against my leg, making my heart jump up my throat.

  “Toto,” I whisper. “You shouldn’t have followed me.”

  The robo-dog barks, and I think for sure that I’m busted now. I pick him up, urging him to be quiet. Like the good robot that he is, he grows silent in an instant.

  The dock bay area is on the opposite side of the personnel quarters section. The quickest way to it is using the sonic transport that cuts through the middle of the station. However, it’s not the stealthiest, considering there are cameras inside. So, walking the entire circumference of the doughnut-shaped station is what I must do. I keep Toto in my arms, afraid he’ll think this is a playful stroll. He’s a robot, but he still operates like a regular dog would.

  Only the personnel private area of the space station is quiet at this hour. Once I enter the working zone, it’s more lively. Kansas never sleeps. There’re always people in the labs or in the control room. I’ve never been to the docks past curfew, but I hope no one is around. I’m aware that, with every minute
that passes, I run the risk of someone recognizing me. I shouldn’t be wandering in this area in the middle of the night.

  When I turn the bend and see the familiar wide door to the docks, I let out a relieved sigh. But my contentment vanishes when I notice the biometric-identi-print scanner next to it. This wasn’t here last week. They must have recently installed it.

  Drat! I definitely don’t have clearance for it.

  No, I can’t be deterred by a stupid security door. Adrian’s life depends on me.

  Toto barks twice before growing silent again. Did he pick up on my bad mood? In the next second, I realize he must have heard the pair of workers approaching from the other side. Thinking fast, I hide in the shadowed nook close to the dock’s entrance. The door slides open, and two mechanics walk out, talking animatedly about some game they watched the night before. If I leave my hiding spot, they will see me, but maybe I can slip in if they are distracted.

  I lean closer to Toto’s ear and whisper, “Go play with those men.”

  Not daring to breathe, I set Toto down. He runs after the mechanics, stopping in their way before he barks in a friendly manner.

  “What a cute puppy.” One of them bends down to pat Toto’s head.

  This is my chance. I move as fast as I can, slipping through the doors just as they are beginning to slide shut again. But I can’t leave Toto behind, so I stick my foot out, preventing the doors from closing, thanks to the sensors. Using the dog whistle Adrian gave me, I call Toto to me. He perks his ears up before he spins around and dashes inside the room.

  If those mechanics decide to come back to retrieve Toto, I’m toast. I push my ear against the wall, straining to hear their conversation.

  “Should we go back to find that robo-dog?” one of them asks.

  “Nah, I’m beat. What damage can a robo-dog that size do anyway?”

  Their steps fade away, so now I can resume my plan. I keep to the shadows at first, making sure those mechanics were the last crew around. When I don’t hear or see anyone for a couple of minutes, I run across the vast room.