Free United: An Alienated Novel by Melissa Landers

have to use a defibrillator on you again.”
    “It’s a new record,” Aelyx said. “Less than an hour on this planet, and already someone’s trying to kill me.”
    When the elevator stopped on the ground floor, Troy stepped out to scan the lobby. Finding it clear, he ordered them to follow, and they darted out the building doors and into the light of day … where they immediately stopped short at the sight of a thousand fans clogging the street.
    Word had spread about Aelyx’s return.
    The sidewalk was so thick with people that he couldn’t see a path along it. L’annabes dressed in low ponytails and mock gray-tan uniforms bounced in place, waving magazines and signs that read Take me to your leader! and Probe me, Aelyx! There were plenty of protesters, too. He’d long ago learned to recognize the vitriol in their shouts. Police worked to keep the crowd behind temporary metal barricades, but the masses surged forward, making the bolts creak. Then someone spotted Aelyx and cried his name, and all hell broke loose.
    A chorus of screams filled the air while cameras flashed, forcing him to shield his eyes. In front of him, Troy spread both arms and took a step back, prompting him to do the same. He was about to take Cara’s hand and retreat into the lobby when something happened that defied the laws of science.
    Abruptly, hundreds of people at the front of the crowd went hurtling backward, as if an invisible broom had swept them into a dustpan. Their bodies collided with those behind them, setting off a domino effect that resulted in half the mob lying on the pavement.
    Voices went silent, and Aelyx blinked in shock.
    What had just happened?
    The masses began untangling their limbs and standing up, trading empty glances with one another. Some of them looked to the police for guidance, but those men were busy hauling their own bodies off the ground. There was a general murmur of confusion, and then a whooshing noise sounded from above.
    Aelyx turned his gaze skyward, and things began to make sense.
    Jaxen glided toward them, his long ponytail rippling in the breeze as he stood atop a hovercraft that bore a slight resemblance to a human surfboard. Aelyx didn’t recognize the technology as anything that existed on Earth or on L’eihr, and he wondered where Jaxen had obtained it. The instant Jaxen met Aelyx’s gaze, his face broke into a manic grin that made him appear deranged. There was something new in Jaxen’s eyes, a recklessness that prompted Aelyx to tuck Cara farther behind him.
    “You’re alive,” Jaxen bellowed, hovering nearly within reach. “Good. I’ll do the honors myself. You tried to kill me once, and as humans say, one good turn deserves—”
    Troy fired his pistol at Jaxen in three quick blasts.
    Aelyx flinched. All around him, heads ducked and bystanders screamed. But when he opened his eyes, Jaxen was still standing above them, his grin impossibly wider than before. That’s when Aelyx noticed the object in his hand, a staff supporting a softball-size orb that glowed milky white. The orb seemed to have absorbed the bullets, or at least shielded him from them. Aelyx had never seen anything like it. There was no chance Jaxen had built this weapon on his own. Either he’d stolen it, or someone had armed him.
    “Handy device, don’t you think?” Jaxen said. “It’s a Nova Staff, given to me by our mutual friend, Zane.” Aelyx barely had time to process this revelation when Jaxen spoke again. “It harnesses energy and stores it, so I can do this.” Then he pointed the orb at Cara’s brother, and Troy flew back several yards, where he collided with a cluster of police officers and flattened them like bowling pins.
    Cara screamed and tried to run to him, but Aelyx held her still. The safest place for her was inside the penthouse building. If they could make it to the elevator, they could hide on any number of floors. He inched her toward the door, but Jaxen stopped them with another sweep of