Redemption

Redemption Part 7

My heart dropped as if my wings had malfunctioned and I was falling out of the sky.

She hovered a foot off the ground on her skyrider, her face set in a wry grin, her golden eyes predatory.

I had to turn around. Brave the crowd. They might tear me apart, but at least they weren't Dazzle.

But I couldn't move. It was like my boots had magnetized to the ground.

Weakly, I took a faltering step backwards. Couldn't turn my back on her or –

She soared high above me into the darkness. Vertigo hit me. Where were Aura and the other agents? The Ms? It was just like my nightmares—

A wild screech of glee above, and strong arms seized me around the waist. Locked me in place. I struggled, but she held me in a vice grip as she slung me over her shoulder.

Before I knew it, I was up, skimming over the tops of buildings. I desperately tried to hold back the waves of nausea. The crowd below, in the golden lights of the hexagon, was a chaotic whorl. But I was beyond their reach. Dazzle had me in her arms, and this time, no one could find her—

I wondered if her sensor block was good enough to cover me, too. Or maybe my family would be able to find me. I grasped for that sliver of hope.

At least she was on the run. Though she'd risked appearing in the open, so close to HQ....

She sailed up over the towers, wind streaming past us in a constant whisper.

She slowed and lowered herself slightly, angling toward a nearby building. I realized with a start that I was near Desolation, its vast nothingness spreading out in an ocean of darkness. She dropped toward the roof, and my stomach flipped over. Icy prickles laced over my skin. What would she do to me? I had to get away, fight somehow—

I couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling of shame. I had failed. I hadn't even really begun my mission, and Dazzle had already caught me. And now—I'd face the consequences. This would be my punishment, whatever she had planned....

Her skyrider settled on the rooftop. She set me down gently and I backed away from her.

She held out her hand. "It's okay!"

"Don't—don't touch me!" I tried to conjure lightning, but it didn't respond.

"Jet—I'm sorry. It's me." To my astonishment, it was Lacy's voice. A moment later, her face morphed into her own.

"What—why—"

She smiled, in a way she probably thought was reassuring. "I underwent a procedure as soon as you left. I'm now a flesh M—specialized for spying. Feels pretty real, doesn't it?"

I nodded, at a loss. "But—why?"

"Well, the planners thought it would be more authentic if you weren't in on it."

That had crossed my mind. "The planners? You mean—" I could hardly bring myself to say it, to believe it. "Vy?"

"She wasn't the one who came up with the idea. She approved it reluctantly, but the mastermind was Jade."

It made sense that Jade would want to keep up an authentic façade. But I couldn't help but feel a little betrayed that Vy had approved it, however reluctantly. It was true that she had no idea of Dazzle's true intentions...what she'd done to me....

"But—why pretend to be Dazzle at all? What's the point?"

"Well, I wasn't exactly included in the reasons. You'll have to ask one of the planners."