by Budgett, Jay
“A lockdown?” I asked.
He nodded.
“What good will that do? We’ll be trapped.”
“The alternative,” he said, “is letting the reinforcements, which they’ll inevitably call, take this building by storm. And they’ll be armed with things far worse than these guns. Just look at the walls,” he said. “The Light House is like a giant bomb shelter: if we can’t get out, they can’t get in. It’ll be better if we take this fortress from the inside out.”
I nodded. Better to be locked inside with the building’s existing defenses than allow the entire might of the Federation to be brought in.
When we reached the eleventh-floor landing, I stopped, but the others kept going. “But, Charlie—”
They shook their heads.
“She’ll be here when we get back,” said Sage. Guards were still bursting onto landings on the floors below. They were only one floor behind us now—we had to keep moving. “C’mon, Kai.”
Sage seemed to have realized that what we were doing involved far more than just making her a few new friends, though she didn’t seem to mind. I nodded, and followed her up the stairs.
At the fifteenth floor, the door to exit the stairwell was secured with a retina scanner. Just below us, more guards burst onto the fourteenth floor’s landing, joining their comrades who were, at this point, breathing raggedly. One groaned something about “NEVER. TAKING. THE STAIRS. AGAIN.”
I grabbed one of the guns we’d stolen from the guards and fired at the retina scanner. The bullet ricocheted right off it. One of the guards in the fray yelled: “OH MY GOD, CRAIG! MY SHOULDER!”
The lights in the stairwell began to flash what was by now a very familiar red. The woman’s voice came on the speakers: “This is not a drill.”
Firing at the scanner had sent the building into lockdown. I smiled weakly at Sparky. “At least we don’t need the security office.”
He shook his head. “Negative. External systems can override normal lockdown procedures from the outside: the reinforcements can still get in. The bomb threat protocol can be activated only from the central security office. It’s the only procedure that can prevent them from getting in.”
“And you know all of this, how?”
His face flushed red. Tim patted his cheek. “Er—I might have hacked the security system a time or two before they activated the new protocols. I’ve got a lot of free time, okay?” I guessed never sleeping would do that for you.
Just then, the door to our landing was kicked open, and six guns were immediately pointed at my face. My chest tightened.
“Well, hey,” I said, trying to keep things casual. Sage curled into the space between the door and the wall, hiding in the shadows. “It’s nice of you guys to—uh—help us out… in a weird way.”
Kindred shoved her gun in a guard’s face. “ON THE GROUND!” She fired a round of bullets in the air. “ALL OF YOU! GET ON THE GROUND!” She took a deep breath. “Dears,” she added quickly.
Three men turned their guns toward her. “DROP YOUR WEAPON,” one shouted.
Kindred’s hands shook as she dropped her gun. She pulled off a pink flip-flop, and tore its strap. A crumbled gum wrapper fell into her hands—one of Bertha’s bombs. If she set it off, the whole stairwell was going down.
Like a giant bomb shelter. If the bomb exploded, the Light House’s walls would absorb its force, and the building would implode, collapse in on itself. The guards exchanged confused looks, but kept their guns focused on her chest.
Kindred held the wrapper in the air. “Two kilotons,” she said. “At least, that’s what they tell me.”
“Horse shit,” muttered one of the guards.
“It’s your choice, dear.” She moved to slam it against the ground. “Not like I have a wife and kids… What do I care if we die?”
“WAIT!”
Kindred smiled. “Hand over the guns, dears, or we’re all dead.” They passed them over without hesitation. She pushed past the men into the hall. “Now, if you’ll excuse us…” We moved past the guards, slammed the door shut behind us, and hurried down the hall, now fully armed.
Outside the central security office, more guards waited, but again Kindred led us through. A giant 360-degree screen wrapped the central security office’s walls, showing footage from cameras across the fortress. Sparky immediately pointed to one image—reinforcements closing in. The Light House was surrounded. Within minutes, the reinforcements would be inside.
Sparky ran to a keyboard in the corner and clapped his fingers on the keys. The massive screen went black, then a flood of green scrolling ones and zeroes appeared. Sparky was hacking the system. Occasionally, Tim slapped a claw on the keyboard and Sparky gave an approving nod.
Suddenly the screen flashed to an outside view of the building. Guards hurried toward the fortress, but before they could get there, sheets of metal slammed over doors and windows. Sparky had activated the bomb threat protocol. The guards threw themselves at the doors, calling for backup.
Sparky stared at the guards. “No use calling your friends,” he said. “I’ve blocked all signals within a one-mile radius.” He smiled at the keyboard. “This thing’s got some wicked controls.”
Kindred nodded. “It’s wicked, all right.” She raised the gum wrapper bomb in one hand. “I say we still take this place down.”
Sage nodded. “To the ground.”
“But first,” I said, not wanting them to forget about Charlie, “the others.”
We were so close. I’d see her in minutes.
“GET ON THE GROUND!”
A guard stood in the doorway, his gun aimed at Sparky, his finger caressing the trigger. Sparky started spinning in his chair—a feeble attempt to dodge the bullets, I guessed.
The guard fired.
Kindred fired too.
The guard fell to the floor. Blood pooled around his limp body.
“Oh—oh my god,” said Kindred. “Oh, dear.” She threw a hand over her mouth and sobbed as she stared at the man she’d killed.
Sparky hung forward in his seat. I ran over to him. In the folds of his arms, I saw Tim—bleeding.
“He—he was hanging on my chest,” said Sparky. “I—I thought if I spun, the bullets might miss me.” Tim’s eyes were closed. “They did,” he said. “But one got Tim… caught him in the arm. Caught him real good.”
“We don’t have much time,” said Sage quietly. She might’ve been blind, but she saw us falling apart better than anyone. “They’ll kill them if we don’t get there fast enough. Once they figure out the building is in lockdown, they’ll realize there’s no escape. And they’ll kill all of them.” Her blind eyes bore into mine. “Charlie, too.”
I grabbed Kindred’s flip-flop, and she placed the gum wrapper bomb in my hand. Her eyes were still trained on the man she’d killed.
“The twentieth floor,” said Sage to Kindred and Sparky, though I wasn’t sure either was listening. “Meet us at the twentieth floor. In twenty minutes,” she said. She pulled me out the door. I ran toward the stairs, but Sage shook her head. “Too many guards out there. Probably all waiting for us in the stairwell still. We’ll have to take the elevator.”
The elevator came only seconds after she called it. It seemed too easy, and a pit formed in my stomach. Something bad was going to happen. We climbed into the elevator, and I pressed the button for the eleventh floor.
Toward Dove, toward Bertha, toward Mila, toward Phoenix.
Toward Charlie.
The elevator chimed, and its doors opened.
Red sniper dots lit its back wall.
The guns fired.
Chapter 41
Sage shoved me to the ground as bullets poured in. They’d known we were coming. I slipped Sage a gun as we ducked to the elevator’s side, and we both fired back at the guards. Sage handled the gun almost better than I did.
The red dots disappeared, and the gunfire ceased. We jammed the “Hold Door” button and waited for another
round of retaliation, but none came. I poked my head out past the elevator’s door. Ahead, a desk sat empty in a corridor. Behind it, a door sat propped open and a retina scanner screeched. Where were all the guards who’d been firing at us?
Sage pointed ahead. “This way.”
As we hurried down the hallway, there was no one in sight—the guards were gone. Sage pushed past an empty desk and a screeching scanner, and I followed. We hurried down the line of cells. A door at the end of the hall stood open.
“FOR CHRIST’S SAKE.” It was Bertha’s unmistakable voice, shouting through the barred slots of one of the cell doors. “IT’S ABOUT TIME—”
Sage slammed the slot shut as she passed. She continued running down the hall and I followed her lead. Bertha and the others could wait. First, we had to find Charlie.
Sage ran straight for the open cell door, and cursed when she reached it. She wrapped her fingers along the doorway’s cold metal frame. “They got her,” she said quietly.
“What? What do you mean?” I scanned the room. My heart sank in my chest. No one was there. The cell sat empty.
“They must’ve taken her to the chancellor’s chambers,” said Sage. “They’ve been carting her between the two for a couple of days now.”
Now I understood why the guards had ceased fire—and why we had so easily avoided being shot. They hadn’t been trying to kill us at all; they’d merely been stalling us while they took Charlie hostage. My chest felt tight again, and I swallowed. “Where are the chancellor’s chambers?”
“One floor above us,” said Sage through pursed lips.
“We just rode past it.” Sage nodded. “We’ll—we’ll find her,” I said, hoping Sage didn’t detect the uncertainty in my voice. “Let’s get the others first.”
Bertha slapped me hard when Sage finally unlocked her door.
“Ran right past me!” she muttered. She grabbed the pink flip-flop I still held in my hand and slammed it across my chest. “And I have absolutely zero doubt you laughed about my flip-flops too… Probably thought Kindred was wearing them for sport.” She turned the sandal in her hand and examined its torn strap. “You get the bomb out?”
I nodded, and placed the bundle of microscopic explosive in her hand. She assessed its crumpled sides before slapping me again with the flip-flop. “Now let’s get the others.”
Mila stared at me hard when her cell door swung open. Her jaw tightened. “You.”
I stepped back. “Uh—er—hey, Meels?”
She stormed past me. “Don’t call me that.”
Bertha passed her the flip-flop, and she smacked me upside the head.
“Are we even now?” I asked.
“Not even close,” Mila said. She gave me a small smile, and then hugged me.
Dove was staring idly at the wall when we got his cell open. “Dove,” I said, waving my arms in his direction. “Dove Malone! Earth to Dove Malone!”
He shook his head and looked confused. “Whoa, whoa—uh, sorry,” he said. “Sorry about that. I was sorta daydreaming… You know… like when you’re dreaming… but you’re also awake.”
I patted him on the back. He still looked stunned. “Right, then,” I said, grateful he hadn’t slapped me. “It’s good to see you too, Dove.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Wait a minute… You’re the reason we got sent here.” Bertha offered the flip-flop, but he declined. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Balls,” he said, and then kneed me in the groin.
“I—I guess I should’ve seen that one coming…” I moaned.
Phoenix’s cell was farthest from the others. The Feds had known he was our ringleader, and so they’d punished him accordingly. I ran my hands along the cell’s painted black numbers. Cell 14.
Sage unlocked the door and pulled it open. Phoenix lay curled in a corner. His body was shaking and his eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. Mila and I ran to his side. Bloodstains wrapped themselves around his forearms, and a fresh scar ran parallel to his collarbone.
They’d been torturing him.
Sage stood quietly in the corner. “He had a visit from Minister Zane last night.”
Bertha shuddered. “Don’t say that name.”
Sage nodded quickly. The worried look that flashed across her face told me she knew she wasn’t doing a great job of making friends. At least she still had Charlie. We both still had Charlie.
Mila rubbed Phoenix’s back. “Snap out of it,” she said. “Come on, Phoenix. We—we really need you right now.”
Drool rolled from the corner of Phoenix’s cracked lips, and his blank eyes stared at the ceiling. He grabbed my arm and pointed above.
Written on the ceiling in red—dried blood, I guessed—was a single word: Kai. My name was circled with a heart.
I recognized the handwriting. It wasn’t Charlie’s.
Phoenix pointed to the wall next to him. Mary Bradbury was scribbled in the same red.
It was Mom’s.
“I keep thinking,” said Phoenix, “about the things they’ve already done to me, and the things they say they’ll do—”
Mila shook her head and sucked in a breath. “Stop, Phoenix—”
“And I think about how long your mother was here. And the things she endured. The pain that strikes you like lightning. Everything gets foggy. Memories. Places. People. Everything. It’s like I’m looking at them through water, and they twist and turn with each ripple of pain. It’s like I don’t belong to life anymore. Like I’m this close to being unable to connect the names and faces ever again.
“Your mom must have felt like this, too—like she was standing in the middle of oblivion. But somehow she still saw your face, remembered your name, and wrote it on the ceiling…”
I buried my face in my hands. My eyes felt damp. I couldn’t let the others see me like this. I had to be strong. I pulled my cheeseburger socks up above my ankles.
Phoenix stood. “It’s a testament to her strength, her courage, and her love for you, Kai. She stood there in the middle of oblivion, and still carried you in her heart.” He paused. “I am so sorry. For everything. For all the shit I’ve done. I don’t want to lie to you anymore. You’ll only get the truth from me, from here on out.” He looked at my feet. “For starters, I hate your cheeseburger socks.”
I laughed. “Maybe you don’t have to give me all the truth.”
He grinned.
“Well,” I said. “I guess it’s time for me to be honest, too. I hate that you think you know everything. And worse yet, I hate that you probably do.”
He shook his head. “Not everything.”
“Bullshit,” Mila muttered. “You know everything.”
Bertha clapped her hands. “All right! That’s enough of this crap. Group hug, and then let’s go kick some ass.”
We hugged. It was cheeseburger cheesy and wonderful. We weren’t Lost Boys—we were a family.
Sage stood in the corner. Bertha motioned for her to join. “C’mon on over here, Paige.”
“It’s Sage, Bertha,” I muttered.
“Quiet, Car Battery!”
Sage joined in on the hug. I thought I saw tears form in her eyes.
At last we separated, and Phoenix cracked his neck—back to business. “I take it we’re in lockdown?” he said.
I nodded. “Bomb threat protocol.”
“Excellent.” He glanced at the gum wrapper Bertha held in her hand. “You’ve got a bomb?”
Bertha mimicked Sparky’s voice. “Affirmative.”
“You and Dove take it to the basement. Can you rig it to detonate after a few minutes?”
She put a hand on her hip. “Do you even know me, Phoenix?”
He grinned. “Right, then.” He pointed to Sage. “She can show you the way.”
Sage shook her head. “I’m staying with Kai Bradbury. We’ve got to find our friend.”
Phoenix nodded, remembering now why I’d come all this way. “Well,” he said, “can you give ’em directions? You know this
place better than any of us.”
Sage nodded.
“Meels,” Phoenix continued, “you’re coming with me. We’re finding the chancellor, and teaching him a lesson. Then we’ll figure out how to get out of this place.”
“The chancellor will be in his chambers,” said Sage. “That’s where Kai and I were headed—I’ll show you the way.”
Phoenix nodded. “We’ll meet back on this floor in fifteen.”
“No, meet on the twentieth floor instead,” said Sage. “It has the helicopters and the hangar. Sparky and Kindred are already meeting us there.” It wasn’t often someone corrected Phoenix, but he seemed grateful rather than irritated for the help.
“Listen to her,” he said to Bertha and Dove. “The twentieth floor in fifteen minutes—set the bomb to detonate in twenty, then.”
We passed a few guards on the way to the chancellor’s chambers, and fired a few rounds at them. They didn’t put up much of a fight: Sparky’s system hack had cut them off entirely from all communication, and like worker bees lost from the hive, they were aimless and unsure.
The chambers’ doors creaked as we entered. Inside, the dimly lit room was empty. Charlie wasn’t here.
Phoenix put a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, kid.”
I turned to Sage. “She was supposed to be here—you said she’d be here.”
Sage wandered around the room, seeming lost for the first time since I’d met her. “I—I thought she would be. I guess—I just—I don’t know.”
Phoenix put an arm around her shoulder. “C’mon. Maybe she’s with the chancellor. We’ll find him and get them both.” He paused. “We don’t have much time until we have to meet the others.”
Sage nodded, still lost. “I guess.” She took a deep breath. “Let’s go, then.”
As the rest of them ran out into the hall, I hung back in the room, entranced by the glowing green globe on the chancellor’s desk. Strangely, it reminded me of the Skelewick district’s hypnotic lights.
Mila popped her head back into the room. “You coming, Kai? We’ve really gotta go…”
“I—I don’t think so,” I said. “I think I should wait here. Maybe Charlie will show up. I—I just need a minute. I’ll meet you at the top.”