Chapter 3: The Offer
977 Words
The whispers followed Lyra like a shadow.
Every step she took echoed through the silent corridor as the five masked officers of the Night Watch escorted her from the classroom.
Students crowded along the glass walkways, watching from every level of Nova Academy.
Nobody dared to speak loudly.
They simply stared.
"That's her."
"The girl from Class Seven."
"She doesn't even have an Ability."
"Why would the Night Watch want someone like her?"
Lyra kept her eyes on the floor.
Only an hour ago she had been worrying about a history assignment.
Now she was being escorted across the most prestigious academy in the Void as though she were someone important.
Or someone dangerous.
She wasn't sure which frightened her more.
Beside her, the commander walked with perfect composure. His black coat barely moved despite the wind sweeping through the open corridor.
Lyra finally broke the silence.
"I've never broken the law."
No response.
"I've never even been suspended."
Still nothing.
She clenched her fists.
"Will someone please tell me what's happening?"
Without looking at her, the commander replied,
"You will receive the information you are authorized to know."
"Authorized?"
His silence answered for him.
By the time they reached the central courtyard, the entire academy had stopped functioning.
Lessons had been cancelled.
Teachers stood in groups whispering anxiously.
Security drones hovered above the black aircraft that dominated the courtyard.
The ships looked less like transport vehicles and more like predators waiting patiently for prey.
The academy gates suddenly opened.
A silver transport shot into the courtyard before stopping so abruptly that its anti-gravity engines hissed against the ground.
Two people stepped out.
"Lyra!"
Her mother's voice cracked with panic.
Dr. Mira Solis ran across the courtyard and wrapped her daughter in a tight embrace.
She held her so firmly that Lyra could barely breathe.
"Are you hurt?"
"No..."
"They didn't touch you?"
"No, Mum."
Her mother searched her face, looking for bruises, fear... anything.
Finding none brought little comfort.
Moments later, Dr. Elias Solis approached.
Unlike his wife, he remained calm.
Too calm.
He looked directly at the commander.
"I am Dr. Elias Solis."
"I know who you are."
"My daughter is a student."
"Correct."
"So this is clearly a mistake."
The commander's voice remained steady.
"It is not."
"There are over four billion citizens in the Void."
"There are twelve Lyra Solises registered."
"There must be another."
"There isn't."
Those two words hung in the air.
Her father frowned.
"I don't understand."
"You will."
The commander reached into his coat and removed a small metallic case.
Inside rested a crystal chip no larger than a fingernail.
He handed it to Dr. Solis.
The scientist stared at it.
His confident expression vanished.
"This..."
His voice became little more than a whisper.
"...this authorization still exists?"
"It does."
Her father looked at his wife.
For the first time in Lyra's life...
She saw fear in his eyes.
Real fear.
He slowly closed the case and returned it to the commander.
"I understand."
Her mother stared at him.
"Elias?"
He couldn't meet her eyes.
"They're acting within the law."
"What law?"
"The Founder's Accord."
Lyra frowned.
"I've never heard of that."
"You weren't supposed to."
Her father sighed heavily.
"The Accord was created after the First Alien War."
He looked at his daughter with sadness.
"It gives the Night Watch absolute authority to recruit individuals they believe are essential to the survival of humanity."
Her heart skipped.
"...Recruit?"
The commander nodded.
"We do not recruit soldiers."
"We recruit possibilities."
"What does that mean?" Lyra asked.
"It means," the commander replied, "someone has identified potential within you."
"I don't have an Ability."
"Not every Ability awakens during childhood."
Her mother shook her head.
"No."
"Every medical examination was normal."
"We conducted genetic mapping ourselves."
"There was nothing unusual."
The commander looked at her.
"Your examinations were incomplete."
Her father's eyes narrowed.
"Impossible."
"Were they?"
Silence.
Scientists hated silence.
Because silence often meant uncertainty.
One of the officers stepped forward carrying a sleek silver scanner.
It resembled a bracelet more than a machine.
"Permission to verify?"
The commander nodded.
He turned toward Lyra.
"This will not hurt."
"I don't want—"
"It isn't a request."
She hesitated before extending her arm.
The bracelet closed gently around her wrist.
A thin beam of blue light circled her skin.
It climbed slowly toward her shoulder.
Numbers flashed across the tiny display too quickly to read.
Everyone watched.
Even the commander.
The scanner beeped once.
Green.
Another beep.
Blue.
The officers remained expressionless.
Then...
The light suddenly turned violet.
A sharp alarm burst from the device.
WARNING
The commander's eyes narrowed.
The officer immediately tried to silence the scanner.
Instead...
The screen flashed a message.
CLASSIFIED GENETIC SIGNATURE DETECTED
Before anyone else could read further, the commander snatched the scanner from the officer's hand and powered it down.
The courtyard fell silent.
Lyra's breathing became uneven.
"What did it say?"
No answer.
Her father stepped forward.
"I demand to know the results."
"They are classified."
"I'm one of the leading genetic scientists in the Void."
"You are also a civilian."
The words hit like ice.
The commander walked several steps away from the group.
The other officers followed.
They spoke so quietly that no one else could hear.
One of the officers looked visibly unsettled.
"Sir..."
"Are you certain?"
The commander looked back at Lyra.
His voice was almost inaudible.
"The probability is higher than expected."
"If this result is genuine..."
He paused.
Then gave an order that made every officer tense.
"Move the transport."
"Immediately."
The younger officer hesitated.
"...Do you believe they've found her?"
The commander didn't answer immediately.
His eyes remained fixed on Lyra.
When he finally spoke, his voice carried a weight that sent a chill through the air.
"They will."
"And when they do..."
"...the race begins."
- Writer
