Kirby - Island of the Sun

T HE ROGUE PLANET WAS UP THERE.

Though Eleanor couldnt see it, she felt its weight all the time now. An immense shadow come from the distant reaches of space to drain the life from her own planet. Her freezing, dying earth.

No one else could feel it. Eleanor was certain the only reason anyone believed her, including her own mother, was that Dr. Powers had proven the rogue planet was real. She stared at the thin strip of wild Arctic sky visible between the buildings on either side of her. The planet was lurking up there, hidden somewhere among the stars.

Are you sure about this, Luke? Eleanors mom asked. Her polar mask obscured her face and cast her voice in amorphous metal.

Im sure, Luke said, his voice similarly distorted by his own mask, a layer of protection they all needed or the cold would crystallize their lungs in moments.

They all huddled together in a snowbound alleywayEleanor and her mom; their pilot, Luke; her moms coworker, Dr. Powers; and his sons, Julian and Finnbetween two small warehouses in Fairbanks, Alaska, having fled Barrow and the clutches of the Global Energy Trust the day before. Outside the alley, across a narrow, empty corridor in the ice, lay a darkened dome not unlike those used by the oil companies back in Barrow. Everywhere in the Arctic, buildings bent their failing wills against an assault of wind and snow that would not relent until the structuresand any people left inside themhad been wiped away.

But for all we know, Dr. Powers said, the G.E.T. has placed a bounty on our heads.

Whatre you saying? Luke asked.

Well... just how good a friend is this Betty?

Julian and Finn looked from their father back to Luke. Eleanor had met Betty once before, after stowing away on Lukes plane, but didnt know her well at all.

Shes a good enough friend for me to suggest we hide out with her, Luke said, sounding irritated, and even a little angry.

Keep your voice down, said Eleanors mom. And Simon, Luke is right. Were out of options.

Then lets do this, Luke said. But wait here till I give you the all clear.

He ducked away toward the street even as Dr. Powers began to protest, and scurried across to the airlock hatch. The informal Arctic Code dictated that air locks be left open at all times for emergencies, and this hatch was no different. Luke was able to open it with a turn of the lever and step inside.

Dad? Finn said. You really think the G.E.T. put a bounty on us?

I dont know, Dr. Powers said.

Couldnt we just tell them the truth? Finn asked. Dr. Skinner was the criminal, not us. Finn was twelve, like Eleanor, and in some ways much smarter than her and his older brother. In other ways, though, he wasnt.

You really think anyone would believe us? Eleanor asked, but Julian wasnt so gentle.

Wake up, Finn, he said. Dr. Skinner is dead. We totally destroyed the G.E.T. research station, and all the evidence of what they were doing with that alien... whatever it was. To the rest of the world, were the criminals.

Eleanor had to agree with that assessment.

Im afraid Julian is right, Dr. Powers said. Bounties aside, by now they will have at least issued warrants for our arrest.

So what are we going to do? Finn asked.

Im not sure yet, Dr. Powers said.

Well hide here for now, said Eleanors mom. And come up with a plan.

The empty street bore not a trace of life, no other people outside at this time of night, and no animals, for nothing could survive unprotected in the Arctic. Fairbanks did seem slightly less hostile than Barrow had, less lawless city and more ghost town. Luke had said that before the Freeze, the borough of Fairbanks had a population of a hundred thousand, but based on the scattering of buildings and oil rigs Eleanor had glimpsed as theyd flown in, there were fewer than a thousand people left. Everyone else had been driven south by the cold, which had buried the old Fairbanks under an ice sheet that now covered half the Northern Hemisphere under a mile-thick glacier. The Alaskan refugees had fled with the rest of Canada and the northern states to cities like Phoenix, where Eleanor was from, or even farther, to Mexico.

Its Luke, said Julian, pointing as the hatch opened across the street, and their pilot peered out and waved for them to cross.

Lets go, Eleanors mother said.

They crept from the alley, and once theyd stepped into the open, a gust of wind slammed into Eleanors right side, trying to knock her down. She leaned against it and pressed ahead until she reached Luke and the open hatch. Once they were all inside the air lock, Luke closed the outer door, sealing out the wind, and waved down the short corridor at Finn.

Give that other door a smack, would you, kid?

Finn rapped on the door with his gloved hand, and the hatch opened. A woman stood there sleepy-squinting at them, her short gray hair pressed flat against her head on one side. She appeared to be a bit older than Eleanors mom, and smaller, but harder, the way driftwood seems harder than a freshly cut branch, even though theyre made of the same stuff. Eleanor hadnt seen beneath her mask the first time theyd met. The woman yawned, covering her mouth.

Well, cant say youre quite the pack of dangerous terrorists they warned us about, she said.

Luke pulled off his mask, revealing his haggard face and a beard that had been only a coarse stubble when Eleanor first met him. Thats just the disguise, he said, and gestured toward the rest of them. Dangerous terrorists, this is Betty Cruz.

Betty nodded and stepped aside from the opening. Come on in.

They filed through the hatch into a large room that seemed to function as an office, a workshop, and a laboratory all at once. Near them, a battered wooden desk piled with papers and files squatted in the spotlight of a single lamp, while on the opposite side of the room, assorted tools hung from the wall above a workbench. A metal table nearby was spread with glass vials and instruments.

Youre a scientist? Dr. Powers said, removing his mask. He was a handsome man, with darker skin than his sons and a narrowed gaze that swept the room. A geologist, it would seem.

Correct, Betty said.

Eleanor and the rest of them removed their masks as well.

Dr. Powers and I are geologists, too, her mother said. Who are you with?

Luke answered before Betty could. Shes, uh, an independent contractor. So to speak.

Meaning? Dr. Powers asked.

Meaning I analyze samples for folks who may not want the results on the books, Betty said. I dont concern myself over what they do with my results once I hand them over.

I see, Dr. Powers said, frowning. Im Dr. Simon Powers. These are my sons. The older is Julian, the younger is Finn.

Both boys nodded, and so did Betty. Nice to meet you both.

Im Samantha Perry, Eleanors mother said. And this is my daughter, Eleanor.

I believe Eleanor and I have met before. Betty smiled.

She kept Luke from throwing me off his plane, Eleanor said, and Luke snorted.

Damn right, he said with a crooked smirk. Good thing for you she was there.

Betty, Finn said, you just mentioned they had warned you about us. What did you mean?

The Global Energy Trust put out a bulletin yesterday, Betty said. It was scarce on details but made it very clear that you all had destroyed a research station up in Barrow. If youre spotted, were to call it in and make no effort to apprehend you.