by Amy Tintera
I snapped my mouth shut and looked at her in surprise. I wasn’t sure what she had to be sorry for. I’d almost cheered when she attacked Micah and took Addie down.
Addie shook her head, wiping at her eyes. “No, it was stupid. I talked to too many Reboots about our plan. I got excited after Isaac approached us.”
Footsteps sounded behind me and I turned to see Riley, his face alarmed. “What is going on? Micah has Jeff and Kyle stationed in front of his tent and it looks like the Austin Reboots are about to attack.”
“Beth, can you start spreading the word that we’re leaving?” I asked, glancing at Wren for confirmation. “Wherever we go, I think we have to leave now.”
She nodded in agreement. I hadn’t even told her about Austin, about how now could be the perfect time for us to go to the city and drive HARC out.
A shot sliced through the quiet reservation and I jumped, whirling around to see where it had come from. Beth sprinted in the direction of the noise, dirt flying behind her, and Wren jumped to her feet, pulling her knife from her pocket.
She helped Addie up and pointed at her tent. “Are you good? Can you get your stuff together real quick?”
Addie nodded and disappeared into her tent.
Wren turned to Riley. “You coming with us or are you staying with Micah?”
“I’m coming with you.” He said it without hesitation, and a smile tugged at Wren’s lips.
“Then start figuring out a way around Kyle and Jeff so we can get some of the weapons in that tent.” She turned to me as Riley took off. “Where are we going?”
I almost opened my mouth to ask Wren where she thought we should go. But if I left it up to her, we’d be running as far away from humans as possible. And I would not blame her for that. I couldn’t ask her to step up and lead us into a battle she had no interest in fighting.
I took a deep breath. “I . . . I have one idea.”
“What’s that?”
“Since Tony said there are no Reboots in Austin we could probably fly a shuttle right in and fight off HARC with little trouble. And if the humans helped . . .”
Wren raised her eyebrows at me like she doubted that.
“I know you don’t want to go back to the cities, but—”
“No, let’s go,” she interrupted, taking off in the direction of our tent.
I blinked, jogging to catch up with her. “Are you sure? Because—”
“Callum, there’s one person here who has a plan,” she said, casting an amused look at me. “And it’s you. So, go. Start getting it together. I’ll pack up our tent and help Riley with the weapons.”
I grinned at her, excitement rushing through me as I swooped down for a quick kiss. “I’ll find you in a few minutes.”
SIXTEEN
WREN
I’D ONLY JUST LEFT CALLUM AND STEPPED INTO THE TENT WHEN I heard the rustle of noise behind me. A hand on my neck.
Then the crack.
And everything went numb.
My eyes were covered with something and I opened my mouth to yell but someone wrapped a cloth around it and tied it tightly behind my head.
I tried to struggle, or reach out, but my body wouldn’t move.
The sliver of light peeking in from my blindfold disappeared suddenly, and my face was pressed up against my knees and I was being jostled against some kind of material.
I was in a bag. I tried to scream, but then I couldn’t breathe. I tried to suck oxygen in through my nose but it wouldn’t come, and the beginnings of panic started to set in.
Everything went black.
“Can you kill a Reboot from lack of oxygen?”
I tried to blink but my eyes weren’t cooperating yet.
“No.” It was Micah’s voice. “Trust me, I’ve been through that experiment.”
I sucked in a breath suddenly and Micah chuckled.
“See?” he said. “She’s fine.”
“I wouldn’t have been heartbroken if she were dead,” Jules replied.
“Micah doesn’t kill Reboots. He’s superior to humans in that way.” It was Addie’s voice, dripping with disdain.
I knew the sounds around us. The rush of air, the hum of an engine.
I blinked open my eyes. We were in a shuttle.
Micah and Jules sat in the Reboot seats, guns in their laps. Addie was on the floor across from me, a rope tied around her chest.
I looked down. My own arms were bound tightly to my torso, but someone had taken the gag off my mouth.
I glanced back at Addie. She was keeping her panic under control, but her chest rose and fell too quickly, her eyes wide as they met mine.
Callum. I twisted around, trying to see the rest of the shuttle. Empty. It was only the four of us and whoever was piloting the shuttle.
“I told you living at the reservation was a privilege,” Micah said.
I managed to struggle up to a seated position, leaning back against the shuttle wall. “We were leaving your stupid reservation.”
“I figured that. Lucky you, I’m going to help you out.”
I tried to twist my body against the rope but it was no use. Micah knew not to take any chances with me.
I met his gaze. “Callum?” I’d tried to keep my voice steady but it shook, just slightly.
Micah raised one eyebrow. “Do you see him in here?”
“Did you hurt him?”
“By ‘hurt’ I’ll assume you mean ‘killed,’” Micah said. He leaned forward, putting his forearms on his thighs. “As your friend here pointed out, I don’t kill Reboots. Your boyfriend is fine. I’ll deal with him when I get back.”
Why wouldn’t he bring Callum along? I saw no reason to trust Callum, since he’d made it clear he was on my side.
Maybe because I was the only one who’d been openly defiant of him? Micah seemed to have an odd moral code, one he felt strongly about. Maybe Callum hadn’t warranted this kind of punishment yet.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to believe that.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
Micah smiled as he leaned back in his seat.
That was all the answer I got.
We flew for a long time. Too long. Hours. If we were headed south, we were to the cities, if not past them. If we were headed north, I had no idea where we were.
My stomach clenched at the thought. Finding my way back was going to be hard. Maybe impossible.
The shuttle had slowed and Micah walked to the pilot and murmured something before returning. He nodded at Addie, and Jules sprang out of her seat and grabbed her by the hair.
Micah yanked me up by the ropes binding my arms and spun me around to look at him. Behind me, a sudden whoosh of air blew my hair into my face.
My eyes slid to the shuttle door, where Jules held Addie perilously close to the edge. Outside was nothing but blue sky. The ground was small beneath us, dotted with trees.
Were they going to drop us out of the shuttle? I tried to take a steadying breath but the panic was beginning to spread into every limb.
Micah dragged me to the edge by my shirt collar.
“Say hello the humans you love so much for me,” Jules said to Addie, a crazed smile on her face.
I felt something on my fingers and found Addie’s hand fumbling for mine. I grabbed it and held tightly, trying to meet her panicked expression with calm. I wasn’t sure it worked.
Micah pulled me close to him, so he could stare straight at me. “Don’t hit your head,” he hissed.
He released my collar and slammed his hands against my chest.
I shot out of the shuttle with Addie, my fingers tightly wrapped around hers.
SEVENTEEN
CALLUM
OUR TENT WAS EMPTY. OUR CLOTHES AND BLANKETS WERE STILL piled in the corner.
There was no sign of Wren.
I pulled my head out of the tent and straightened, squinting in the sun as I scanned the reservation. Kyle and Jeff were still stationed in front of Micah’s tent, a
nd they’d been joined by about fifteen other reservation Reboots, most of them Over-one-twenties.
Many of the Austin Reboots were scurrying to Beth, who was standing near the fire pit, hands on her hips. They appeared to be getting into some sort of formation, their faces tight with fear and anticipation.
Riley split off from the front of that crowd and jogged over to me. He was tense, constantly turning his head to scan the area around me.
“Where’s Wren?” he asked.
“I don’t know. She was going to find you.”
“I haven’t seen her.” Our eyes met and a hint of concern crossed his face. “How long—”
“Callum.”
I turned to find Isaac leading a group of at least thirty reservation Reboots. The new Reboot Micah had just killed was with them, as well as most of the Under-sixties.
“What’s going on?” Isaac asked.
“We’re leaving,” I said quietly. Wren had said Isaac had come around, but I still felt a flash of fear that they would rise up against us and go join the Reboots in front of the tent. “We’re going to Austin.”
“I’m sorry, we’re going where?” Riley gave me an incredulous look.
“We’re going to Austin,” I repeated, my eyes on Isaac’s. “HARC’s losing their grip on the humans there. We’re getting the weapons so we can take over the city.” I glanced at Riley. “You still have the fuel for the shuttles?”
“Yes.” He was still confused.
“We’ll fuel two shuttles and fly there.” I took a deep breath and looked at the crowd behind Isaac. Thirty or so behind him, and we already had a hundred Reboots from Austin. Together, we could take down the One-twenties, even if they were armed. “Will you help?”
Isaac paused for a beat. “When we get to Austin, can the Reboots leave if they want? Or do we all have to stay and fight?”
“You’re all free to do whatever you want,” I said, though I hoped they’d choose to stay and help.
“All right. I’m coming with you.”
I blinked at the quick decision. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He jerked his head at the Reboots behind him. “I don’t know about them, but I’ll explain what’s happening and let them decide.”
“If they want to help have them join Beth and the other Austin Reboots,” I said, smiling at him.
“Got it. You have someone fueling the shuttles?”
“Not yet.”
“I’m on it.” He faced Riley. “Where’s the fuel?”
Riley gestured for Isaac to follow him as he headed for the reservation gate, casting a glance over his shoulder at me. “Tell me when you find Wren, okay?”
I nodded and jogged toward Addie’s tent. Several Reboots regarded me warily as I passed, and I noticed the girl who was always carrying the baby around was frantically packing her tent with a few friends. I slowed, thinking they were coming with us, but she shot me a withering stare and I backed off.
I stopped at Addie’s tent, pulling back the flap to reveal a young Reboot shoving clothes into a bag.
“Have you seen Addie?” I asked.
“No.” He looked at me. “Not since One-seventy-eight saved her.”
I dropped the flap, worry beginning to creep into my chest. Wren had said she’d help Riley. It wasn’t like her not to be where she said she would be.
I took off running. I went up and down every road in the reservation, asking anyone I found if they’d seen Wren or Addie. No one had.
By the time I headed back to the fire pit, the rock in the bottom of my stomach was growing by the second.
Riley and Isaac were standing next to Beth, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw the crowd behind them. It was all the Austin Reboots, and enough of the reservation Reboots that we had maybe a hundred and fifty. It was more than I had hoped for.
Kyle and Jeff stood firm in front of the weapons tent with the other One-twenties, guns out and ready. They were all trying to maintain calm expressions, but I could see the fear seeping through some. They were outnumbered, and Micah was nowhere to be seen.
I turned back to Riley, my breath catching in my throat when I saw the grim expression on his and Isaac’s faces.
“What?” I asked as I sprinted over and stopped in front of them.
“Micah and Jules are gone. No one has seen them.” Isaac ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. “And a shuttle is gone.”
My whole body went cold, and I tried to keep my voice steady. “He took them.”
“I think so,” Riley said.
“Where?”
“I don’t know.” Riley frowned in thought, then gestured for me to follow him. “Come on.” He looked at Beth. “Hold position for a minute, okay? I’ll give you a signal.”
Beth nodded and my heart pounded in my chest as I hurried beside Riley. Wren wasn’t supposed to be the one in trouble. Nothing was ever supposed to happen to her.
“Here.” Riley held a handgun out to me. “Take it. I could only arm about ten people with what I had, but it should be enough.”
I didn’t argue as I wrapped my hand around the barrel of the gun.
“It’s already loaded,” he said. “You may need it shortly. I think things are about to get ugly.”
I nodded as I slipped it in my pocket. If Micah took Wren, things were about to get very ugly.
Riley and I stopped in front of Kyle, who had beads of sweat on his forehead despite the chilly wind blowing through the compound. He gripped his gun tighter as he pushed back his massive shoulders, eyes darting to the large group of Reboots behind us.
He ignored me, his attention focused on Riley. As the higher number, Riley was probably sort of his superior. I swallowed down the urge to grab him by the neck and demand he tell us everything.
“There’s a shuttle missing,” Riley said.
“Yeah,” Kyle replied.
“What are Micah and Jules doing with it?” Riley kept his voice even, calm.
Kyle sort of winced. “Micah will be back by tonight.”
“After he does what?”
Kyle stared at us blankly.
“A drop?” Riley asked quietly.
I looked at him quickly. What was a “drop”?
“Yes,” Kyle said, his lip curling as he sneered at me. “I mean, it’s sort of expected, right?”
Riley ran his hands through his hair, his face worried. “Micah’s dropped bad Reboots in bounty-hunter territory before. But it’s been years. I heard it made people around here antsy.”
“What? Where is that?”
Riley turned to Kyle for the answer and he shrugged. “Micah said he was going to look for them from the sky. He wasn’t sure.”
“They’re usually near Austin,” Riley said. “Because the majority of escaped Reboots come from there.”
“Yeah,” Kyle agreed. “And with the human situation in Austin . . .”
HARC probably had bounty hunters all over the place, to deal with the humans trying to escape.
Riley glanced at me, but I was still glaring at Kyle. He’d known Micah was taking Wren and he hadn’t tried to stop him.
I took a step forward, narrowing my eyes at him.
“What happens when he drops Reboots in bounty-hunter territory?” I asked slowly.
“Bounty hunters deliver Reboots back to HARC,” Kyle said, meeting my gaze. “But I couldn’t say for sure. None of them ever come back.”
I took a small step back. Clenched my fist. Swung.
Kyle hit the ground and a brief pain radiated through my hand and up my arm. I’d never hit anyone that hard before.
He was on his feet in seconds and I ducked his attempt at a punch. Wren was five times faster, and he missed by so much he stumbled. I clocked him under the chin and he hit the ground again.
I turned to see Riley’s eyebrows raised, barely masking his surprise. He motioned with his hand and I heard the sound of over a hundred Reboots running.
I wanted to hit Kyle again, but instead I took a de
ep breath and tried to pull the panic away from the logic in my head. That’s what Wren would have done. She would have been rational about it. Calm.
I pulled my gun out and raised it as I heard the Reboots stop behind me. I fixed my eyes on Kyle’s.
“You’re going to want to get out of my way.”
EIGHTEEN
WREN
I COULDN’T MOVE.
Judging by the pain radiating through my body I’d broken more bones than I could count. I suspected one of them was an important neck- or backbone, given the paralysis. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see one of my legs bent at a funny angle.
The sun was directly in my line of vision, low in the sky. It was late afternoon. It was somewhat warmer than it had been at the reservation, which made me think Micah had taken us south. Or west?
I swallowed back panic as I squinted and tried to find Addie in my limited view. I was on a road, broken bits of asphalt and gravel surrounding me. A plain white building was to my right, a brick building to my left, and both were taller than any building I’d ever seen. Had Micah dropped us in one of the cities?
“Addie?” I yelled. “Addie!”
Silence answered me and I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Maybe she’d fallen too far away to hear me.
The pain was reaching a scream-worthy level, which must have meant I was about to start healing. I sighed and tried to concentrate on anything else. Callum. Addie. Bashing Micah’s face in.
I was suddenly able to move my hands again, and I struggled to a sitting position against the rope still tied around my chest. The impact had loosened it and I squirmed my arms free and yanked my leg back into its normal position.
I frowned at the scene in front of me. I was in the middle of a street, tall buildings with trees in between them lining either side down the block. But it was totally deserted. Micah had said, “Say hello to the humans you love so much for me,” implying he was dropping us in an area he knew was full of humans.
But I didn’t see any. I didn’t see any signs of life, actually.
I could stand a minute later, and I whipped my head around as I looked for Addie. Considering she was a Thirty-nine, I doubted she’d healed at the same speed as me. She was probably still on the ground somewhere.