Phoenix

Stand off

Ash didn't know how she was still standing. They'd won. They'd beaten the Establishment. It seemed she would not be needing to use her father's invention. At least, not yet. But she was far from relieved. The emptiness in her chest that had been slowly filling since she'd arrived on the island was hollow again. The night spent with Eli, the mere minutes she'd had with Gigi seemed a million miles away now. The pain of what had happened was too much. All she wanted was to be free of it. And the only way to do that was to use what her father had given her.

She lifted the pocket watch from her sternum and considered it. All it would take was a turn of the dial. A half turn to the right and the clogs would set the change in motion. She could feel the metal heating against her skin, tempting her to do it now. She closed her eyes, tilting her head back to let the rain wash the dirt and mud from her skin. Not yet. Opening her parched mouth, she caught raindrops on her tongue, let them slide down her throat and cool the embers of her force, failing to fight the urge to turn the dial, preparing herself for the shift that her father, the watchmaker, said could take a few minutes.

Not yet.

Somehow she managed to wrench her hand free and let the pocket watch fall back to her chest. Something wasn't right. There was a strange buzzing in the air like a swarm of bees getting closer. When she dragged her eyes open, there, in the sky were five dark grey vessels like helicopters but without the rotor blades. They dropped below the storm clouds and hovered.

It wasn't over. The Establishment was far from defeated. Her father's invention would have to wait. She snapped the dial of the pocket watch back to its original position and tucked it back under her robe.

Shorty and his air-wielders braced their arms against this new threat, ready to play havoc with the wind currents, when an eerie voice drifted from the vessels, raising ridges on Ash's skin.

"Don't try anything foolish. We have three of your own onboard." The Director's voice was raspier than she remembered, which could've been an effect of the speakers. Still, there was no denying its musical lilt. "You don't think it was a little... misguided of you to leave your healer unattended?"

Ash's gut wrenched. He was talking about Gigi. She shouldn't have left her in the tavern.

"And your leader," the Director continued. "While it was gallant of him to stay behind and help the kid, he shouldn't have wasted his time. The boy has a weak heart for living. He will die if he doesn't receive immediate attention from your healer."

The Director was talking about Oroton and Gus. And by the sound of it, Gus was in trouble.

Exhaustion and despair threatened to black her vision, but she braced herself against it as she recalled the fleeting look on Jacob's face as he flung the bomb away from the Wanderers and into the soldiers, twisting his broken body in a way that shouldn't have been possible. The memory forced her to remain alert. Be damned if she let Jacob sacrifice go to waste.

The Director had finished his raspy taunting, and his voice took on a business grit. "We've been watching the spectacle and are suitably impressed by the extent of your abilities. Thus, we've decided to make you a deal." The drama of the ensuing pause made it sound as though he was about to award them a prize. "Work for us and we'll make sure you're elevated to Socialised Citizen status. You'll never have to hide again."

Eli answered on behalf of the Wanderers. "In return for what?" His un-microphoned voice seemed meek alongside the Director's elaborate announcement. "What would you have us do?"

"Experiments like this?" Fingerless Fred yelled, holding up his mutilated hand.

"We've made some regrettable choices in the past. But this time, nobody will be harmed. We simply require you to teach us the secret to wielding the forces so that Ace can be the most powerful city in the world. We'll put an end to the drought that has crippled our people for the past ten years and mine the resources needed to expand. You'll be saving our city from ruin."