world unto itself. There was no need to go outside. No need at all…
Dimly, she had the feeling that she was a prisoner here. But it didn’t matter. As long as she could fly, everything was all right.
The boy did not float down after her. He was looping around the spire of the Tower, yelling and whooping with sheer joy. She saw a man in a trailing blue cape slip out an opening in the upper floors. He was old, with a white beard. He caught up to the boy, then flew around him. They circled one another, racing around the building, then speeding off together into the distance.
Who could doubt, now? Little Hawk would be Sky Cadet, and then Sky Ranger someday. He was the crown prince of the Union. No one would punish him.
Not so for Silverwing. Triad was waiting for her when she got back to her room. Three weeks of dishroom duty was now hers, for flying without permission.
* * *
Flip… flip… Broken’s memory, like the leaves of a book, fluttered back and forth in the wind.
* * *
Crimson Cadet was covered in blood. "What happened?" Silverwyng demanded, clutching his arm.
"He—he was shot," Sky Ranger said, face ashen. "While we were assisting the CA police, they shot him!"
"Who shot him?"
Crimson Cadet moaned. Dark red blood mixed with the orange-red of his outfit.
"The CA cops did!" Sky Ranger wailed. "I don’t know why!"
He flew from the room, knocking down everything and everyone in his path.
Strong Rex had been there, too. "It isn’t a lie," he said. "The Colonization Authority’s cops called us to help them bust some smugglers. But it was an ambush. Sky and me got out of the way. But Crim got shot. We had to go back to get him."
It would come out later that the CA had taken bribes from several large criminal rings to take out some of the Extrahumans. But Sky Ranger wouldn’t find that out until later. When he did, he would be furious.
I was supposed to go on that patrol , Silverwyng thought. But she hadn’t. Her powers were so erratic, she wasn’t allowed to fly anywhere. Sky Ranger, Doc, and Lucky all had forbidden it. So Crimson Cadet had gone in her place, and now here he lay, bleeding. It figured. They could have shot Silverwyng all they liked. She would heal. Crimson Cadet wouldn’t.
He coughed up blood and called out , delirious. Doc worked furiously, Lucky at his side. Lucky seemed frantic, almost to the point of dementia. "Come on," she was muttering. "This should work." Even Doc seemed rattled.
"Crimson—" Silverwyng began to say.
" Jack! " he cried.
They stared at him, speechless.
"My name is Jack," he said, calm now, a smile blooming on his face. "I remember it now."
And he died, smiling still.
Lucky ran her hands over him in disbelief. "No," she murmured. "No. No."
"Crim?" Strong Rex whispered, then burst into tears.
"No," Lucky repeated. "I can’t lose him. I don’t lose people."
Later, she would collapse in Silverwyng’s arms, moaning, "I never lost a patient! Ever! What’s happening to me, Sil?" Silverwyng had no answers. Her own abilities were failing her. What reassurance could she offer?
Silverwyng wanted to go after Sky Ranger, but found her feet were rooted to the floor.
"Not now!" she cried. "Fly!" She ran and threw herself into the air, but crashed to the ground, sobbing hysterically. "Fly… I’m not broken… I can fly…" she repeated, over and over, until she had lost all sense of the words.
* * *
Flip, flip, flip… Head on the table, Broken did not sleep, but let her memories go where they would.
* * *
"You’re sure?" Red Knight asked. He didn’t seem convinced.
"Yeah!" Silverwyng said enthusiastically. "I could offer a lot to the team. I can fly fast , much faster than Sky Ca—Sky Ranger— and I can heal quickly. I can do a lot!"
Red Knight glowered at her. "You’re sure this isn’t because of our new Sky Ranger? He’ll be head of the squad soon."
She nodded, caught, but not willing to show it. "No. I really want to do this."
He
Dimly, she had the feeling that she was a prisoner here. But it didn’t matter. As long as she could fly, everything was all right.
The boy did not float down after her. He was looping around the spire of the Tower, yelling and whooping with sheer joy. She saw a man in a trailing blue cape slip out an opening in the upper floors. He was old, with a white beard. He caught up to the boy, then flew around him. They circled one another, racing around the building, then speeding off together into the distance.
Who could doubt, now? Little Hawk would be Sky Cadet, and then Sky Ranger someday. He was the crown prince of the Union. No one would punish him.
Not so for Silverwing. Triad was waiting for her when she got back to her room. Three weeks of dishroom duty was now hers, for flying without permission.
* * *
Flip… flip… Broken’s memory, like the leaves of a book, fluttered back and forth in the wind.
* * *
Crimson Cadet was covered in blood. "What happened?" Silverwyng demanded, clutching his arm.
"He—he was shot," Sky Ranger said, face ashen. "While we were assisting the CA police, they shot him!"
"Who shot him?"
Crimson Cadet moaned. Dark red blood mixed with the orange-red of his outfit.
"The CA cops did!" Sky Ranger wailed. "I don’t know why!"
He flew from the room, knocking down everything and everyone in his path.
Strong Rex had been there, too. "It isn’t a lie," he said. "The Colonization Authority’s cops called us to help them bust some smugglers. But it was an ambush. Sky and me got out of the way. But Crim got shot. We had to go back to get him."
It would come out later that the CA had taken bribes from several large criminal rings to take out some of the Extrahumans. But Sky Ranger wouldn’t find that out until later. When he did, he would be furious.
I was supposed to go on that patrol , Silverwyng thought. But she hadn’t. Her powers were so erratic, she wasn’t allowed to fly anywhere. Sky Ranger, Doc, and Lucky all had forbidden it. So Crimson Cadet had gone in her place, and now here he lay, bleeding. It figured. They could have shot Silverwyng all they liked. She would heal. Crimson Cadet wouldn’t.
He coughed up blood and called out , delirious. Doc worked furiously, Lucky at his side. Lucky seemed frantic, almost to the point of dementia. "Come on," she was muttering. "This should work." Even Doc seemed rattled.
"Crimson—" Silverwyng began to say.
" Jack! " he cried.
They stared at him, speechless.
"My name is Jack," he said, calm now, a smile blooming on his face. "I remember it now."
And he died, smiling still.
Lucky ran her hands over him in disbelief. "No," she murmured. "No. No."
"Crim?" Strong Rex whispered, then burst into tears.
"No," Lucky repeated. "I can’t lose him. I don’t lose people."
Later, she would collapse in Silverwyng’s arms, moaning, "I never lost a patient! Ever! What’s happening to me, Sil?" Silverwyng had no answers. Her own abilities were failing her. What reassurance could she offer?
Silverwyng wanted to go after Sky Ranger, but found her feet were rooted to the floor.
"Not now!" she cried. "Fly!" She ran and threw herself into the air, but crashed to the ground, sobbing hysterically. "Fly… I’m not broken… I can fly…" she repeated, over and over, until she had lost all sense of the words.
* * *
Flip, flip, flip… Head on the table, Broken did not sleep, but let her memories go where they would.
* * *
"You’re sure?" Red Knight asked. He didn’t seem convinced.
"Yeah!" Silverwyng said enthusiastically. "I could offer a lot to the team. I can fly fast , much faster than Sky Ca—Sky Ranger— and I can heal quickly. I can do a lot!"
Red Knight glowered at her. "You’re sure this isn’t because of our new Sky Ranger? He’ll be head of the squad soon."
She nodded, caught, but not willing to show it. "No. I really want to do this."
He
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