Which wasn’t what I wanted to happen, but not a complete disaster given the stairwell was the only way—short of flight—on and off this rooftop.
Go, Bear. I swapped the dart gun for two machine pistols and raced toward the speeders. The guards heard my footsteps—it wasn’t like the light shield muted sound—and even though their expressions were confused, they raised their guns and fired.
I immediately sucked in the darkness and thrust up into the air, and not a moment too soon. A deadly storm of metal shot through my particles and would have ripped me apart had I been flesh. I dropped down behind the two men, shed the shadows but not the light shield, and fired at the backs of their knees. As they went down, I ripped off their helmets and hit them. Hard.
Then I went back to check the two men near the door. One was down. The other I shot.
The hauler is now unguarded, Bear said.
Great work. Can you keep an eye on the two men near the scooters? If they show signs of becoming conscious, knock them out again.
With pleasure.
I finally released the light shield and had to thrust a hand against the metal exit door to keep upright. Everything was back to hurting and my heart raced so hard it felt like it was about to explode.
I sucked in air for several seconds, but it didn’t seem to do much more than make my head spin harder. I swallowed heavily, then reached down, grabbed a guard, and hauled him up to the scanner.
The scanner’s light flashed from red to green and the door slid open. I shoved the guard’s body in front of it to prevent it closing again, and then grabbed the other man’s arm and stumbled down the stairs, unceremoniously dragging him behind me.
I didn’t have the energy to pick him up. I really didn’t.
I’d barely opened the second door when Cat screamed, They’re in!
Little bodies pushed through and began a hobbling run up the stairs. As the boy with the tri-colored eyes flew past, I said, “Take them to the biggest vehicle up there.”
“Will do.”
Jonas carried the final two—a girl and a boy. Both were unconscious.
“Go,” I said, my voice little more than a scratch of sound. I hit the button and, as the door began to close, followed Jonas up the stairs.
Look out!
Cat’s energy hit, shoving me to one side. The bullet that would have gone straight through my gut gouged a thick hole in the concrete to my left instead.
I twisted around, raised both guns, and fired nonstop through the steadily decreasing gap. The low-ammo signal began to flash on both guns, but I didn’t let up, not until the door had sealed. The scanner on the other side of the door beeped as someone punched in the code to open it, so I switched aim and blew up the control panel on this side.
They’d no doubt be able to force their way through in very short order, as it was nowhere near as solid as the main blast door, but even seconds might make the difference between escape and not.
I spun and raced back up the stairs. My head now ached so badly that the sunshine made my eyes water and seeing became difficult, though I wasn’t entirely sure the latter could be blamed on the bright light.
Jonas says hurry, Cat said.
I pulled the guard out of the doorway, let the door shut, and then once again destroyed the control panel. After I’d stripped the guard of his weapons, I asked Cat to gather whatever she could carry from the other two, and then staggered toward the hauler. I barely made it up the ramp before I collapsed.
“Rhea help us,” Jonas muttered, with a quick, concerned glance at me.
“Rhea has probably given us all the help we’re going to get.” I pushed backward on my butt until my spine rested against the hauler’s wall. The children were all strapped in and hunkered down low in the seats, and I hoped with everything I had it was enough. Hoped that Dream didn’t order the incendiary device placed under the boy’s chest to be activated—that she valued their worth and whatever progress they represented over starting anew again.
Cat whisked in and dropped two machine rifles and a couple of handguns next to me.
“Well done, Cat.” I reached for one of the machine rifles, checked the ammo clip was full, and then rested it across my knees.
Her pleasure spun around me, sharp and bright. But despite her high excitement, I could feel the tiredness in her. Carrying so much had taken a toll on her.
I glanced back to the stairwell door and saw a worm-like glow tracking up one edge of it. They weren’t blowing this one open—they were simply cutting through it with a laser saw.
“Can this thing get into the air with the ramp down?” I asked.
“Yes.” Jonas was still fiddling under the main control panel. “But it will slow us down.”
“So will them taking out our engines,” I bit back. “They’re almost through the door. You need to get this thing in the air.”
“Right. Done.” He straightened. “Everyone, hang on—this is going to be rough.”
I braced against the wall as best I could. As the engines came online and the big vehicle began to shudder and shake, I raised the machine rifle and sighted on the stairwell door.
The hauler lifted and slowly moved forward. The metal ramp scraped across the concrete, sending sparks and dust flying into the air. I ignored it and watched the glowing worm track through the last few inches of metal. A heartbeat later, the cut piece of metal was kicked out. I kept the gun sighted but didn’t immediately unleash hell.
A black metal ball was tossed through the hole. It bounced several times on the concrete and then raced deceptively fast toward the lumbering hauler. It took me a moment to realize it was some sort of tracking explosive device.
I sighted and shot it. Three bullets missed. The fourth did not. With a giant whoosh, the thing exploded, and a huge blast of hot air and flame rushed at the hauler. I leaned away from the door, and let the heat of explosion sizzle across the lower half of my body. Cat’s energy slapped at the smoldering material, dousing any potential threat of fire caused by the hot metal fragments that had hit me.
I sat upright again. Guards had poured onto the rooftop under the cover of the blast, and there was at least a dozen of them out there now, all of them wearing combat gear, all of them firing not at the hauler itself but her engines.
I cursed and returned fire, and though I hit multiple people, they were too well protected—and too well trained—to go down.
“Swing this thing around and protect our tail,” I said. “We’re not going to get out of here otherwise.”
Jonas grunted in response, and as the lumbering vehicle continued to lift and turn, I scrambled up and punched the ramp close button. Then I staggered over to the small port window, shattered the thick glass with a couple of shots, and continued firing at the men. When the ammo out light flashed, Cat threw me another gun.
Slowly but surely, we gained enough height to clear the roof. But the vehicle shuddered under multiple impacts and smoke began to taint the cabin air.
“Hang on,” Jonas warned.
I gripped the edge of the shattered window just as he hit the booster. The hauler shot forward and my fingers slipped. Glass tore into my skin and blood dripped down the edge of the hauler.
One of the smaller children made an odd sound, and I glanced around to see his head rise above the seat and stare at me, a bright, needy light in his eyes.
Rhea help him... and us.
Before I could react in any way, the boy with the tricolor eyes placed a hand on his shoulder and simply said, “No.”
The child blinked, and embarrassment stained his cheeks. He ducked his head away from me and slipped back down in the seat. The older boy’s strange gaze met mine. “He has it under control. Mostly.”
“Mostly is good.” But the reality of mostly also meant he’d just swap one lab for another. Nuri might have accepted my desire to raise Raela, but she would not agree to my caring for any of these children. Not until we knew exactly what had been done to them.
<
br /> And, if I was at all honest, neither my bunker nor I really had the facilities to look after them all. Even little Raela was going to be a stretch.
The hauler cleared the building’s edge and continued to power forward. But these sorts of vehicles weren’t designed for speed, and with smoke trailing from at least one engine, it was only a matter of time before we’d be forced to land.
I twisted around and peered out the shattered window. The men on the roof still fired at us, but we were now too far away for them to do any damage. A couple of them were running for the scooters, but these, like the ones that had chased us out in the desert, had no weapons.
But they didn’t really need them. All they had to do was track our movements and report back until either the warehouse’s operations center or even Dream herself could get armed vehicles into the air.
“Nuri’s just given us orders to head for the southern edge of the forest,” Jonas said. “We’re to meet a surface transporter there.”
“How far away is it?”
“Twenty minutes.”
“I suspect that’s nineteen minutes too far.”
And not because of the smoking engine, but because the upper loading bay’s door was beginning to slide open. I had no doubt that whatever vehicle came out of that bay would be fully capable of shooting us down.
“Is Nuri’s diversion crew any closer?” I asked.
“Two minutes away.”
That was cutting it close. The loading’s bays door was almost fully open.
“Tell them to get ready for a fight.”
Small black crafts swarmed out of the loading bay. It took me a moment to realize what they were and I closed my eyes, battling the instinctive rush of fear.
“What?” Jonas said immediately.
“They’ve sent remotes out.”
“Where in Rhea’s name did they get those? Only the military is supposed to have them.”
“Dream obviously has some heavy-duty friends.” And it wasn’t like we hadn’t come across bits of military equipment in the other bunkers we’d investigated.
But this was certainly the first time they’d been used on us.
“It seems an odd risk to take, though,” I added. “Especially when they can simply flick the switch in—”
I paused, and glanced at the boy with the tricolor eyes. He smiled and said, “They called me Ten. I can’t remember any other name.”
“Ten is a damn number, not a name,” Jonas said. “Even the déchet were given a name.”
“Name and number,” I corrected, with a smile at the boy. “But I rather like Ten. It’s unique.”
Jonas grunted. “Maybe we’re far enough away from the warehouse that they can’t blow it remotely.”
I hoped so. These children deserved a chance at life after everything they’d gone through. I just had to hope that Nuri would ensure the life they had in whatever facility they went into at least approached some sense of normality.
I glanced back and watched the black swarm briefly circle and then move as one toward us. “They’ve locked onto us.”
“We really, really, need to find that bitch and stop her,” Jonas muttered, as he tried to egg more speed out of the already maxed-out hauler.
I didn’t say anything. I just watched the remotes getting closer and closer.
“Twenty seconds, if that,” I intoned.
“Come on you bastard—move!”
Something silver shot past my window and a heartbeat later, the nearest remote exploded into a huge ball of flame. Two more went up in quick succession.
A shadow fell over the hauler—a shadow that very much resembled a gunship.
More remotes exploded, and a silly grin touched my lips.
Nuri’s rescue party had just arrived.
Chapter Seven
Jonas let out of huge whoop and eased the hauler’s speed. As another gunship went over the top of our vehicle, he pressed a couple of buttons, then undid the restraints and rose from the seat.
“You,” he said, voice severe as his gaze swept me, “need to sit down before you fall.”
“Yeah.”
I slid down the wall and leaned my head back. To say I felt like crap would be something of an understatement. And while my body could and would heal from the stress of holding particle form while maintaining a light shield, I wasn’t entirely sure I had enough strength left to do so with any sort of speed. I needed sleep and I needed food, but I also needed to get back to Central as fast as possible. Now that the danger was over and we’d achieved what we’d initially set out to do—rescue all the missing children aside from Penny—that niggling feeling that Charles was looking for me was growing.
Jonas rummaged around the storage units and found the medical kit. Once he’d cleaned my cut fingers and sealed the wound, I said, “When we get to the rendezvous point, I need to leave immediately for Central.”
He frowned. “You need to rest—”
“Charles is the only hope we have of infiltrating the House of Lords. We can’t jeopardize that.”
“Yes, but surely—” He paused, eyes narrowing slightly. After a moment, he added, “It would appear I’m outvoted. Nuri agrees with you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Your connection is strong enough that she can break into conversations uninvited?”
“Yes, although for the most part she respects our set boundaries.”
“But not on occasions such as this,” I guessed. “Where the mission overrides everything else.”
“Yes. And in that respect, she very much reminds me of you. Neither of you seem aware that there are limits as to how far people should be pushed. That sometimes, the safety of one matters as much as the safety of many.”
I placed a hand on his arm. “I’ll be fine, Jonas.”
“You won’t be if you continue to push yourself.” His voice held a note of anger. “I can feel your utter weariness, Tiger. It seeps through the link between us.”
“That will have eased by the time I get to Central.”
“Perhaps.” He rose, forcing me to release him. “Rest up while you can. I dare say you’re not going to get much of it when you meet up with Charles.”
My gaze jumped up at that, but his expression didn’t give much away. “He’s business, Jonas. Nothing more.”
“I’m well aware of that. It was a simple statement of fact, nothing more, nothing less.”
Amusement touched my lips. “Meaning I wouldn’t be getting much rest if you were the one I was returning to?”
“Indeed. But my time will come, of that you should have no doubt.”
The brief but decidedly heated flash of desire in his eyes made me even more determined to survive the battle that was coming.
I blinked. Battle? Dream would undoubtedly fight to the bitter end, but that thought seemed to imply there was a whole lot more headed our way.
I shivered and rubbed my arms, not really wanting to contemplate just how much “more” there might be. The only way I was going to get through the days to come without being overwhelmed by the enormity of the task still ahead was by proceeding one step—and one person—at a time
Whatever comes, Bear said, we will be with you.
Except when you go through a rift, Cat added, ever practical. That we can’t do. But if you call us when you arrive at the end point, we will hear.
Which is what you should have done at the sand base, Bear added.
Watching our home and protecting the little ones is just as important as helping me, I reminded him gently. Until we knew where that rift led, there was little point in calling either of you in.
But you will call us in the future? Because you almost died in that place and we were too far away to guide your soul back to us.
I took a deep breath and slowly released it. I hadn’t thought about that aspect of it, and given the last thing I wanted was to be separated from them on my death, I should have. I promise. From now on, I’ll call to you both.
Good
, they said together.
Jonas lightly touched my shoulder, drawing my attention back to him. “I’ll wake you when we arrive at the rendezvous point. Until then, stop worrying. And stop chatting to the terrible twosome.”
Cat and Bear giggled at that, and a smile tugged at his lips as he made his way back to the driver seat.
Of course, it was very easy for him to say don’t worry and not so easy for me to do. Not when the seeker part of my psychic senses was randomly throwing nuggetty warnings my way, and refusing to clarify.
I closed my eyes and began the slow, steady breathing ritual that would sweep me into the healing trance. This time it was so deep that I had absolutely no awareness of what was going on around me. When Jonas touched my shoulder to wake me up, I jumped.
“We’re here,” he said, one eyebrow rising. “Nuri’s arranged transport to take us across to the nearest rail station.”
I scrubbed a hand across my eyes and pushed upright. Jonas caught my elbow to steady me. “Why the rail station? Wouldn’t it be easier for us to simply drive there?”
“Dream will have people watching vehicles coming in and out of Central.”
“If she had any brains, she’ll be doing the same with the pods.” I glanced around and noticed we were alone in the hauler. “Where are the children?”
“Already in the transporter.”
“Damn. I wanted to say goodbye to Ten.” I glanced past him and watched the clouds of dust spin past the ramp and briefly mask the trees. “Where are they being taken?”
“To the same place as the other kids.”
I frowned. “Those kids deserve more than being stuck in another lab environment and studied like rats.”
“Yes, but until we stop Dream, our priority has to be keeping them secure.” He moved to one side and ushered me forward.
My frown deepened. “If it is a military installation they’re being kept in, won’t Dream be able to uncover it? Especially if she has taken over the identity of someone in the House of Lords.”
Our footsteps echoed as we moved down the ramp. I glanced skyward and saw that the transporter carrying the children was already a distant speck. But there was a small ATV waiting to the right of our hauler—two men had exited from it and were walking toward us.