third-deck lounge then up another flight to the fourth deck He thought he heard someone following him probably one of the security guards trying to get him to slow down Nice try By the time Cruz hit the set of stairs leading to the bridge deck he was panting but he had one more deck to go He took the last flight two steps at a time The oval observation roost on the weather deck of Orion was cozy yet still had room for a few nubby olive green chairs and a big rug with a fall leaf pattern Portholes looked out over the helipad a flat landing zone that was labeled EA in letters so big Cruz was sure they could be spotted from space Hitting the top step Cruz squinted against bright floodlights that lit up the deck He could make out a chopper with Explorer Academy painted on the side He heard a noise behind him I’m sorry I ran but Cruz spun to face his accuser Hubbard Woof replied the West Highland white terrier bouncing in his yellow life vest Winded Cruz put his hands on his hips How did you get out of Taryn’s cabin Hubbard cocked an ear as if to answer Beats me Great Cruz was going to be in even bigger trouble when his adviser awoke to find her dog missing Hubbard go home He tried to sound stern The little white dog lowered his head Right now Cruz pointed to the stairs Go Hubbard Hubbard let out a whimper It melted Cruz’s heart The helicopter’s engine was revving Out the window Cruz could see a gap between the landing skids and the deck They were taking off Forget that last order he said to the Westie Stay Hubbard Stay 8
Spinning Cruz punched through the door and raced across the pad Once Cruz was on board the chopper he’d call Emmett to come for the dog Wait he yelled at the rising yellow bird waving both arms A blast of wind slapped him Hard Suddenly Cruz was staring into darkness and struggling to breathe He was flat on his back the zipper of his duffel digging into his shoulder blade It felt as if every last ounce of air had been pushed from his lungs A minute later still gasping he saw a face hovering over him Aunt Marisol’s long dark hair swirled around her chessboard-print raincoat You okay she shouted above the whirring engine Cruz tried to answer but couldn’t get any sound to come out He’d never been kicked in the chest by a bull before but he had a feeling this was probably what it felt like Slowly he pushed himself up Taking his duffel his aunt helped him to his feet and motioned to the door of the roost Cruz understood She held up a finger to the pilot to signal she would return As they made their way inside they heard the chopper’s engine powering down What do you think you’re doing demanded Aunt Marisol the second second the door closed behind them I You We rasped Cruz His aunt glanced down at his bag before tossing it into a chair I guess it’s pretty obvious isn’t it You were coming with me Hubbard trotted over to them Aunt Marisol’s jaw dropped You were going to bring Hubbard too No I ran up here turned around there he was I’m not surprised Her lips turned up at the corners but only briefly Taryn’s going to kill you you know I know She now had two good reasons for it Aunt Marisol’s grin faded Cruz I’m sorry but you can’t come Why not He was still hoarse She glanced around before hissing You know why Aunt Marisol meant he needed to keep looking for his mother’s cipher Cruz had uncovered two of the eight pieces engraved with the formula for the 9
regenerative serum his mom had created while working for the Synthesis Synthesis a secret scientific branch of the Society So far Cruz had managed to stay one step ahead of Nebula the drug company that had killed his mother to stop her from developing the formula and was now bent on destroying all traces of it Cruz you’re the only thing standing between Nebula and your mom’s work said his aunt Cruz rubbed his right thumb against the rose-colored double-helix birthmark on his left wrist the way he always did when he was wrong and someone else was right It was true Petra Coronado had programmed programmed her holo-journal to unlock for one person Cruz Only her son could access the clue to find the next piece of the cipher This was no time to put everything on hold especially with Nebula out there waiting waiting to strike Who knew how much time Cruz had before they did The only thing I care about right now is finding Dad cried Cruz Of course Her voice softened I know how you feel Cruz I’m feeling the same way But you have important things to do Here You can’t ignore your responsibilities And you have my word that I’ll do everything I can to locate your dad He is my brother after all I’d walk through fire for him I know but How could Cruz make her understand His mother’s death seven years ago had been the worst thing that had ever happened happened to Cruz Without his father he didn’t know what he would have done His dad had been there for him through every surfing competition competition where moms lined the beach to cheer on their kids through every nightmare that shook Cruz from sleep through every birthday and holiday and any day when Cruz missed his mom so much he was sure his heart would snap in two Cruz had been there for his dad too They had a strong bond Even now one never let more than a few days go by without without calling or texting the other All of Cruz’s texts and calls to his dad over the past several days had gone unanswered Something he knew was terribly terribly wrong Besides while I’m gone his aunt was saying I was counting on you to assist Dr Luben 10
Dr Luben From the seed vault Cruz liked the English archaeologist archaeologist who had given the explorers a tour of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway Yes he was gracious enough to step in for me on short notice explained his aunt However it’s been years since he’s led students on an expedition An expedition Where pressed Cruz I uh can’t say It’s a secret Not exactly All I can tell you is that you’ll learn more when you reach Barcelona Spain They were going to Spain I wish I could tell you more She bit her lip I wish I could go It looks like we’ll have to wait a little longer to do a dig together Anyway I’m sure Dr Luben will do an excellent job but this is your class’s first venture into archaeological fieldwork and I’d sleep better knowing one of my top explorers is here to lend a hand Plus Archer will be kind and tell me what I want to hear teachers have a way of doing that and I want to know how things are really going Her forehead crinkled So will you do this For me Aunt Marisol rarely asked for a favor And since it was clear she wasn’t going to budge on letting him go with her he might as well help her out All right surrendered Cruz But you have to be honest with me too I want to know what’s going on at home even if it’s bad Swallowing hard she nodded Okay It’s a deal No secrets Now I’ve really got to get out of here or I’m going to miss my flight She opened her arms Cruz gave her a hug It’ll be okay she whispered planting a kiss on the top of his head We’ll find him He hoped so Suddenly tears were clouding his vision When she released him Cruz quickly wiped them away 11
