That realization went a long way toward steadying me. I took in the faces around me: Alexei introspective, gazing at the floor. Reed uncomfortable and obviously in some pain. Imani nervous and frightened, but resolute. Rune and Jasper thoughtful. Cage calculating. And Mia, of course, the picture of determination. I envied her single-minded sense of her own rightness. Mia never seemed to question anything. I might not agree with every action she took, but she did act. On some level, I respected that. “Cage is right,” I heard myself say.

Mia rolled her eyes. “Cage is right?”

I grinned. “Okay, sorry. You’re all right. Our primary focus right now is destroying the ship before Omnistellar shows up.” Or the aliens do. But saying that wasn’t going to help anyone. They were all thinking it already, and I didn’t need mind-reading abilities to know it. “Jasper, you’re most familiar with Mars. Any suggestions on where we can go?”

He sank his teeth into his bottom lip and stared into the corner, nodding absently. “Yeah. Yeah, I think I have an idea.”

“Okay. Then for now, let’s get somewhere safe. We can discuss a plan later.”

Without another word, Jasper edged open the door, peered outside, and glanced over his shoulder. “It’s clear. Let’s move.”

“I’ll help you,” Alexei offered, giving Reed his arm. Reed took it gratefully, his face a mask of pain. “Power or no, we should see to that. Mia mine, can you check for a first aid kit?”

Mia scrambled onto a stack of crates. Before my astonished eyes, she vaulted onto the balcony of the warehouse, her hand barely grazing the rail as she flipped over it. A moment later she reappeared carrying a small red case. “Found one,” she said.

Alexei nodded. “Bring it with you, please. We’ll help Reed when we reach safety.” He glanced at the smaller boy. “Are you all right until then?”

“I’ve made it this far,” said Reed with false bravado. Sympathy pains shot up my leg. I’d sprained my own ankle at a training camp when I was thirteen, and I didn’t have fond memories of the experience. “Hopefully Jasper doesn’t plan to have us walk too far.”

Imani came to Reed’s other side, offering him a rueful smile. “You only heal others, and I only heal myself. Between us, you’re the only one we can’t help.”

“Life has a stupid sense of humor,” Reed agreed succinctly. “You can let go now, Lex. I’ll lean on the pretty girl instead.”

Imani glanced away to hide her flush, and Alexei snickered quietly, heaving Reed more heavily against him as he started into the streets.

As we trailed Jasper, Cage drew up beside me, jamming his hands in his pockets and whistling tunelessly under his breath. The sun was setting, sending Mars into shadowy relief, strange half-light and shadows everywhere. In spite of myself, I paused a moment, spellbound. This was my first time on another planet. I’d been in plenty of ships, plenty of prisons, and just about every continent on Earth. But here I was standing on Mars.