Put down that gun, and we’ll see how tough you are.
First chance I get I’m bucking wild on you.
Taylor felt guilty letting Jack carry her, but she was too weak to walk on her own. Her joints felt like rubber. What did they do to me?
Ten minutes later, Jack carried her over a stream. He slipped on a rock and caught himself before he fell, but not without twisting his ankle. She could feel his pain in his thoughts. When they reached the other side, he stumbled and, protecting Taylor, fell to his knees, then side, letting Taylor fall on top of him.
“Get up!” the man shouted.
“What are you going to do, shoot me?”
“I might.”
“Do it. Then you can carry her yourself.”
“Up with you!” the man shouted.
“I need rest. And I need water.”
There was a short pause, then the man said, “All right, ya bludger. Just five minutes. You can drink from the stream.”
Jack forced himself to his feet.
“Don’t try anythin’ stupid or I’ll shoot ya both.”
“I’m not running,” Jack said as he stumbled over to the stream. He knelt down on the bank and splashed water in his face, then cupped his hands and drank from it.
“I’m sure it’s got all sorts of nasties,” the man said, drinking from his own canteen.
Jack took another drink. Then he walked back over and fell down next to Taylor. He noticed her eyes fluttering. She forced them open and looked into his eyes. “Jack?” she said weakly.
“Shhh,” he said, shaking his head.
“Where are we?”
He put his finger over his mouth and tilted his head toward the man. For the first time Taylor saw who Jack had been thinking about. The Australian was tall, dressed in the black-and-red uniform of an Elgen district leader. He was holding a pistol. He also wore the attack helmet the Elgen donned whenever they came after her, which explained why she couldn’t reboot him. He suddenly looked at her.
“So yer awake, are ya?”
“Who are you?” Taylor asked.
“An opportunist,” the man said. “You’re a very valuable catch, sheila. There’s a bounty on yer head. Two and a half million soles. That’s almost a million dollars American. And my pack mule here,” he said, pointing his pistol at Jack, “has a fifty-thousand-dollar bounty.”
The man walked closer, but kept his distance. “Now that you’re awake, let me tell you how this works. If you try to escape, I shoot yer friend here. If he tries to escape, I shoot you. And don’t pretend you don’t care. I was in Pasadena at the academy when yer group shut it down. I know about you Electroclan. You look out for each other.”
“Where’s everyone else?” Taylor asked.
“No idea,” he said. “Probably still with the army, ’less someone rescued them. I ’spect that’s what the whole bloody jam up was about.”
“Why are we with you?”
“The Peruvian army had no interest in collecting all that bounty—but I do. And since I know how yer group works, I looked at the path to Lima and decided where yer friends were mostly likely to try to rescue you. They didn’t disappoint. In all the confusion, I snatched you and yer friend here and headed off into the jungle before the army knew what happened.”
“Where are you taking us?”
“I just told you. To collect the bounty.”
“Where?”
“Why would you need to know that?” He pointed his pistol at Jack. “Time’s up, mate. Get up.”
Jack looked impossibly weary but still forced himself to his feet. Then he bent over to lift Taylor.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I can walk.”
“He can carry you, doll face,” the man said.
“I told you I can walk,” Taylor said. “If he helps me.” She took Jack’s hand.
Jack suddenly understood. Can you read my mind?
Taylor subtly nodded.
Is there another reason you want to walk? Jack thought.
She nodded.
To slow us down?
She nodded again.
Do you think someone’s trying to save us?
“Yes,” she said.
“Yes what?” the guard asked.
Taylor squeezed Jack’s hand. “Yes. I can walk.”
“Who was that firing?” Ostin asked.
“It’s just a machine,” I said. “Jaime and his friends set it up.”
“You found Jaime?”
“He found me,” I said.
“And who is Tessa?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
We had traveled nearly a mile from the road before the gunfire started to slow. I wondered if the army had discovered they were fighting robotic turrets instead of real people.
Suddenly, Ian stopped walking. “This is really weird,” he said, looking around.
“What’s weird?” I asked.
“The trail’s hard to follow, because Taylor’s residue only shows up occasionally on trees and bushes. I should see it on the ground.”
“Maybe someone’s carrying her,” Ostin said.
“That could be,” Ian said.
“We should measure the depth of the footprints,” Ostin said.
Ian and Ostin both crouched down next to one of the footprints.
“Could I get some light?” Ostin asked. McKenna lit up her hand and held it close. “Thanks,” Ostin said. He ran his hand along an indentation in the rich soil. “Hmm,” he said. “Interesting.”
“Are those Taylor’s?” I asked.
“Not unless Taylor has size eleven feet and is wearing boots,” Ostin said.
“One of these footprints is deeper than the other,” Ian said. “I think Ostin’s right. Someone’s carrying her. That’s why I’m only seeing her residue when she brushes up against something.”
“Can you tell if it’s Jack carrying her?” Wade asked.
“Why would Jack be carrying her?” McKenna asked.
“Let’s just keep going,” I said.
We hurried on through the thick jungle with Ian in front and McKenna lighting the way for the rest of us.
After an hour Ian said, “We’re gaining on them.”
“How can you tell?” I asked.
“The residue is fresher.”
We crossed over a stream. The sun was peeking above the canopy and it was now light enough that we could see without McKenna’s help.
“Look,” Ian said. He pointed to a grouping of footprints in the dirt. “It looks like they stopped here. Whoever was carrying Taylor must have put her down. I can see residue everywhere.” He pointed at the ground. “Now there are three prints. Taylor must be walking on her own.”
“Whoever was carrying her must have gotten tired,” I said. “Let’s keep going.”
We increased our pace. About forty-five minutes later, Ian said, “I see them.”
“Is it Jack?” Wade asked.
“Yes. Jack, Taylor, and an Elgen guard. He’s holding a gun on them.”
“How far ahead of us are they?”
“Maybe a mile. Wait.” He turned his head a little. “There are trucks. It looks like he’s meeting up with someone. There’s a dirt road. . . . It looks like . . . six more Elgen guards.”
“Can we reach them before they meet up?” I asked.
“No. They’re just about there.”
“And they’ve got trucks?”
“Two of them.”
“We’ve got to get there before they drive away,” I said. “Hurry!”
In spite of our weariness, we again quickened our pace, this time to almost a run. Ten minutes later Ian said, “They’ve reached the trucks.”
“Faster!” I shouted even though I doubted we could be.
A few minutes later Ian said, “They’ve tied up Taylor and Jack, and they’re putting them in the trucks. But I don’t think they’re in a hurry. Some of them are sitting down.”
“Thank goodness,” Ostin said, panting.
r />
A few minutes later I asked Ian, “What’s going on?”
“It looks like they’re arguing.”
“Who’s arguing?” I asked.
“The guards.”
“Let’s hope they keep arguing,” I said. Just a few minutes later we reached them, stopping less than fifty yards from the guards. I couldn’t see the men, but through the trees I could see the bright red of one of the trucks.
“They’re still fighting,” Ian said. “I think it’s getting pretty heated.”
“Are they armed?”
“To the teeth. Each of them has a sidearm. Plus a knife, baton, and grenades—standard Elgen utility belt.”
“We need a plan,” I said.
“On it,” Ostin said. He cradled his head in his hand for a moment, then said, “The most important thing is to draw them away from Taylor and Jack.”
“And not get killed,” Wade said.
“That too,” Ostin said. He found a stick, then, kneeling on one knee, drew a circle in the dirt. He handed the stick to Ian. “Here, draw their layout.”
Ian crouched down as we all gathered around him.
“This is the road in, these rectangles on the left represent their two trucks,” Ian said. “Here’s where the men are standing. This is where we are.” He handed the stick back to Ostin.
Ostin looked at the diagram for a moment, then said, “All right, here’s the plan. First we move closer, to about here. . . .” He touched the stick in the dirt. “Then we split up.” He dragged the stick in a clockwise arch. “Zeus, Tessa, Ian, and Wade circle around to the right. Zeus and Tessa position themselves here, at three o’clock, Wade and Ian keep going wide, circling around to the rear of the farthest truck.”
“And free Jack,” Wade said.
“Exactly. At the same time, Michael, McKenna, and I will go around the opposite way. Michael positions himself at eight o’clock, here while McKenna and I free Taylor. At the signal, Zeus blasts from here, and Michael pulses from here. If any of them try to run toward the trucks, Michael gets them here. If they try to run behind the back truck, Ian and Wade can tackle them. Got it?”
“What’s the signal?” I asked.
“I’ll whistle,” Ostin said. “That way they’ll look toward me and won’t know what hit them when you and Zeus strike.”
“All right,” I said. “Everyone ready?”
Everyone nodded.
“Let’s do it.”
*
We crept forward another twenty yards toward the clearing until Ostin signaled us to stop. We were close enough to not only see the guards but hear them arguing about how much money each of them would get. There were two men facing toward us. One of them was red in the face and shouting at a tall guard with his back to us. “We stole these trucks. We got shot at!”
The tall guard spoke with an Australian accent. “You poor wankers stole some trucks? I stole these kids from under the bloody army’s nose and dragged them three hours through the whoop-whoop. You get what we agreed on or nothing. That’s my final offer.”
“I’ll show you a final offer,” the red-faced man said, reaching for his gun. The Australian guard drew first and shot him twice. Then he shot the man next to him. The other three men put their hands in the air as smoke rose up from the campsite.
When the ringing of the gun had settled, the Australian said, “Bloody crook. Anyone else have a problem with this?”
One of the three quickly replied, “You did what you had to do. It just means more for the rest of us.”
“It means more for me,” the Australian said. “I did the dirty work, you get what we agreed on.” He brandished his pistol. “Or don’t you agree?”
“No worries,” the man said.
The Australian laughed as he returned his pistol to its holster. “No worries, mate.”
I counted the guards. Two down, four left. “I thought you saw seven,” I said to Ian.
“I must have counted wrong,” he said.
“Let’s move,” I said.
Ostin grabbed McKenna’s hand and we moved to the left while everyone else moved right. I stopped at the designated place while Ostin and McKenna moved past me to the truck Taylor was in. Ostin whistled. The men all looked back.
“What was that?” the Australian asked.
One of them shouted, “Over there by the—”
A lightning bolt stopped him. Then a second flash knocked over the tall guard. Two guards ran toward our position. I reached out and pulsed, knocking them both backward and unconscious. Zeus and Tessa emerged from the trees.
“They’re out,” Zeus said. “I’m surprised they’re still alive. With Tessa around I don’t know my own strength.”
“Let’s handcuff them,” I said.
“Why don’t we just electrocute them and be done with them?” Tessa said.
I looked at her. “We don’t do it that way,” I said. “Unless we have to.”
“They do,” she said.
“We’re not them,” I said. I knelt over the men I’d shocked. One was on his back, and I rolled him over onto his stomach and handcuffed him, then I did the same to the other, while Zeus and Tessa handcuffed the other two. As I was undoing their utility belts I heard someone say, “What does a girl need to do around here to get some attention?”
I looked up. Taylor was walking toward me.
“Taylor!” I ran to her. We hugged, then she pressed her lips against mine. When we parted, her eyes were locked on mine. “You have no idea how good it is to see you,” she said. “I wondered if I would ever see you again.”
“You didn’t think I would come for you?”
“I knew you’d try,” she said. “But there’re five thousand of them and only one of you.”
“Yeah, the odds were a little off,” I said.
“For them,” she said. Then she laughed, which was beautiful to hear.
“What happened here?” I asked, touching the cut on her forehead.
She shrugged. “Car accident,” she said. We kissed again.
“Hey,” Zeus said. “Get a room.”
Taylor looked over at him and smiled. “I’m glad to see you in one piece.”
Zeus grinned. “That makes two of us.”
Tessa just stared at Taylor with a confused expression. “What is Tara doing here?”
“She’s not Tara,” Zeus said.
“This is Taylor,” I said. “Number seventeen.”
Tessa still looked confused. “But you look just like Tara.”
“They’re twins, bagel head,” Zeus said.
“Twins? You must be identical,” Tessa said.
“Only on the outside,” Ian said, walking up to us.
Taylor looked at Ian and hugged him. “Thank you for coming after us.”
“No woman left behind,” he said.
“Where’s Jack?” I asked.
“Still in the truck,” Ian said. “Wade’s untying him.”
“He probably needs some help,” McKenna said. She began walking back toward the truck. Suddenly we heard Jack shout, followed by a gunshot.
“What was that?” I said.
“Look out!” Tessa shouted. An Elgen guard came around the side of the truck pointing his gun at us. Zeus fired full force, blowing the gun out of his hands and knocking him back nearly twenty feet.
“Where’d he come from?” I shouted. We all ran toward the truck.
“I didn’t see him,” Ian said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see him.”
As I came around the truck my heart stopped.
“Oh no,” Abigail said.
Jack was kneeling on the ground holding Wade in his arms. There was blood everywhere.
As we got to Jack’s side, he was pressing down on Wade’s abdomen. Blood was rising up between his fingers. Wade was shaking and his skin was pale and waxlike.
“You’re going to be okay, buddy,” Jack said, his voice trembling. He looked up at us. “Someone help me stop the bleeding.”
&
nbsp; “It hurts . . . ,” Wade said. His voice was slurred.
“You’re a warrior,” Jack said. “Remember you’re a warrior.”
“It hurts. . . .”
Abigail fell to her knees next to Wade and touched his leg. Even though he was still shaking, his face relaxed. “Thank you,” he said softly.
“I can cauterize it,” McKenna said. “Ian, tell me where the injury is.”
Ian didn’t answer.
Pulling Ian back, I whispered, “How bad is it?”
Ian shook his head, then said just loud enough for me to hear, “His body is filling with blood.”
Wade’s entire body shook. “I don’t think . . .”
“Stay with me, buddy,” Jack said frantically. “You’re a warrior.”
“I don’t think . . .” His chin quivered.
“Are you a warrior or wimp?!” Jack said, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Warrior or wimp?!”
Wade looked up at him. “You’re . . . the only friend I’ve ever had. Thank you for being . . .”
Jack’s eyes filled with new tears. “Don’t leave me, buddy. Please. Wade . . .”
Wade trembled. “I . . .” He swallowed, then mumbled, “I . . . I’m . . . sorry.” Then he went silent. His head fell back.
“No!” Jack shouted. He began pressing on Wade’s chest, but it did nothing but force more blood out of his wound.
“Start his heart!” Jack said to me. “Michael, shock him. Please.”
I didn’t move. I knew it wouldn’t help.
“Please.”
“All right,” I said. I knelt down. “You need to let go of him.”
“No,” he said.
I shocked him. Jack shouted out with pain, and Wade’s whole body jerked but nothing happened.
“Nothing,” Ian said.
“Again, Michael!” Jack said.
I looked at him. “Jack . . .”
“Please.”
“All right.” I jolted him again.
Again Jack shouted.
I looked at Ian and he shook his head.
“Again!” Jack pled. “Please, try again.”
“Jack,” I said. “He’s gone.”
“No. He can’t be.”
I put my hand on Jack’s back. “I’m sorry. But he’s gone.”
Jack wrapped his arms around Wade’s head. “No,” he sobbed. “No, no, no.”