They rushed around the last corner in the section and met up with Mojica and Bodhi coming their way.
Selah stopped. “Where’s Cleon?” Her chest tightened and her hands went cold.
Bodhi raised a hand. “He’s fine. He’s guarding the way in. We lost track of Varro and Jaenen and don’t want them sneaking up on us.”
Selah relaxed. “Bethany Everling was back there, and she controlled the panels to close off corridors.” She stretched out her hand to touch Bodhi’s chest. Their eyes met. They’d both made it unscathed.
“Bethany has a block on our communications in here. Bodhi and I are going to run interference back to our spot so we can get active communications. I need to know how the extraction operation is proceeding.” Mojica looked over the group. “Glad we’ve got everyone. Now let’s get out of town.”
Bodhi and Mojica jogged off to the streets. Selah wondered how long she should wait before she dare try that with her newly healed hip.
Dane moved to Selah’s side and tried to take her hand holding the weapon. She smiled and moved him to her left side. They walked down the corridor to the last section turn that ended at the front door.
Selah felt a rush of relief. She could see the front door. They were getting out of this Mountain, once and for all.
A side wall panel slid aside. Varro and Jaenen stepped into the corridor in front of them. Both carried laser darts. Selah opened her mouth to speak.
Varro snatched Dane from her hands while Jaenen held her at bay with a red dot dancing on her chest. “You can have Pasha, but I’m keeping my son.”
28
8 Hours to Egress
Selah glared at Varro. It was strange how fast her emotions for him had evaporated. She would have gladly figured out how to gather enough rage to push him through a wall if it weren’t for the fact that he was holding on to a wriggling Dane.
“Let my brother go,” she said.
Varro struggled with Dane. He finally cuffed the boy in the back of the head, and Dane recoiled in fear and hung his head.
“You’ve become quite a spitfire in the past few months.” Varro smirked at Selah.
She pressed her lips into a tight line. “Well, at least I don’t hide behind children, or hire traitors to do my bidding.” She directed the last part of the remark to Jaenen. She wanted to rip him apart for making her trust him.
He acted like her words didn’t bother him, but Selah could see a hint of sadness in his eyes. She started to plot. At this point she was willing to use that feeling against him. After what he’d pulled with Mari, she owed him no allegiance other than for his saving her life in Baltimore. Now she wondered if even that was real, or part of the setup to gain her trust.
“Varro, please. There is no need for this. Let Dane come with me,” Mother said.
Varro snorted and sneered at her. “Just keep your mouth shut. You’ve been nothing but trouble from beginning to end.”
Mother shrank back as though she had been struck.
“Leave her alone,” Selah said.
“Just shut up and get inside.” Varro led the way into the panel opening. No one followed.
Jaenen shoved Mari’s shoulder, and she stumbled, falling to the floor. Treva helped her up and crowded in the door behind her with Mother and Selah bringing up the rear.
The area behind the wall was another large open area. Selah noticed marks on the floor where she could envision walls for rooms and corridors. This whole area was modular to be reconfigured as needed. Now she understood how Bethany could so easily move walls.
Their footsteps sounded like grit on a wooden floor. Selah couldn’t see the floor clearly because of the low light. They marched single file into another corridor and into a room with illumination. Jaenen shut the door behind them.
Mother began arguing with Varro. Selah had never seen her this worked up. She guessed having Dane’s life threatened had given her mother new motivation. But she didn’t mind the distraction. It gave her time to assess where they were.
She glanced around the room. It looked to be some kind of laboratory except there was no equipment. She glanced at Mari, whose hair was flowing around her shoulders. Strange. This was the first time Selah had seen her hair loose since the forest.
She mentally calculated how much time they had left—about seven hours. She wasn’t ready to panic yet. She figured Bodhi would start looking for them soon. But how would he find them in here? She should have put up more of a fight to keep Varro from taking them to another location. Working on Jaenen’s weakness for her looked like the only alternative at the moment.
Selah lowered her eyes and spoke softly to Jaenen. “I don’t know what Varro did to you to make you kidnap Mari, but I forgive you. I remember how you were on our trip. You were nothing but kind and supportive, and I know you never wanted any of us to get hurt.”
Varro stopped arguing with Mother and pushed past her to grab Selah’s arm.
Selah flinched and raised a hand to stop him. A lightning flash. He still had hold of her arm and she hadn’t hurled him across the room or even moved him. Both horror and relief overtook her—what if she had used it all up and couldn’t do it anymore? But thank goodness she hadn’t hurt Varro. Although she hadn’t thought about hurting him when she’d fought with him before. Maybe the difference was, before she had acted to defend herself, not be the aggressor.
Varro shook her. “What’s wrong with you, girl? You faded out.”
Selah jerked from the fuzziness. “You can count yourself very lucky today.”
“I sure will, as soon as you stop trying to sweet-talk Jaenen. I see what you’re up to.” Varro smirked.
“You’ve corrupted him with your dirty plan.” Selah tried to give Jaenen a sad look, but she didn’t know if it had any effect. He hadn’t spoken a word to her yet.
Varro shook his head. “For the last several years, Jaenen has been in TicCity, working for me to find Mari Kief.”
“I’ve heard about your long and devious career. I would love to see what Glade will have to say about all of this.” Selah relished the thought, but then realized if everything went right, Varro would get his rightful due and be locked in this Mountain to live out his life without polluting the world.
“Your snooping is what got you caught. I told Jaenen it was a wasted effort to go to the trouble of planting fake clues and a sensory pulse in the Repository file for you to open. The technology is too new and I said it wouldn’t work.” Varro shrugged. “What did I know?” He turned to Jaenen. “You’re real good. I would have liked to observe the range of delusion the sensory pulse caused Selah.”
Jaenen turned a little pink around the edges of his ears. Selah seethed. She wanted to shake him—better still, put him in a sleeper hold and then drop him in the ocean. The earthquake had been an effective delusion.
“So your offer to be our navigator coming here was all an act?” Selah spit the words at him. “I thought you were a friend.”
Varro patted Jaenen on the shoulder. “He really couldn’t afford to be friends with you. He’s a cousin to Jericho Kingston. You remember him? The man you were supposed to marry.”
Selah stood up straight. “Yes, Jericho, son of Simeon, your friend. You’re such great friends I bet you keep a lot of secrets together. I’ll bet you two even made secrets in our barn.” She stared at him.
Varro blinked. “Doesn’t matter. None of it matters because I no longer have to work at a sham of a marriage to keep track of you. I’ll just stay right here in the Mountain where the top scientists in the field can work on you. The best part is you’re a never-ending source of blood that I could sell dozens of times.”
Selah tipped her head. “I’d rather die.”
She felt suspended between the beats of a second. No one said a word. She heard each individual’s breathing and felt the seconds physically ticking off her life.
The door burst open.
Bodhi stormed in, grabbing Varro near the door. Jaenen took aim.
Selah saw the red laser dot dancing on Bodhi’s chest. She swung around and swept Jaenen’s feet from under him. His weapon fired. The laser shot screeched and Bodhi grabbed his arm.
Varro slipped out the open door, dragging Dane. He yelled into his wrist communicator.
Jaenen struggled to his feet. Treva charged him but he shoved her into Mari and Selah, and the three of them toppled over. He snatched up his weapon and rushed out the door.
Selah scrambled after him. In the low light she had to stop and mentally distinguish one person from another. It was a standoff. Varro had a knife to Dane’s throat. Mother was begging him to stop. Now Mojica and Cleon were here with weapons trained on Varro and Jaenen. Treva and Mari charged out of the other room. Jaenen grabbed Mari around the neck and pointed his weapon at Treva’s chest.
From behind Varro and Jaenen came the sound of running footsteps. Three men with laser darts came into view. Selah hoped they were Mountain security. But her hopes crashed when they stopped beside Varro.
“Don’t make me kill him,” Varro yelled.
Mother fell to her knees. “Why? Please, Varro, he’s your son. Your blood. Why would you harm him?”
“Nothing and no one is more important than the success of our version of the Protocol. And I’m willing to bet his life on it. Either I go free or he dies.”
Bodhi was missing. Selah looked around. He stood in the doorway they had exited, carrying a laser dart.
The room was dark and the scene loud and confusing as Selah slowly backed toward his position. “Where did you get a laser dart? And how did you find us?”
“We took them from Bethany’s forces when we put them to sleep. They don’t need them anymore. And there was a hair tie on the floor inside this corridor where sections intersected, so we checked this one first.”
Selah made a note to hug Mari for that bit of genius.
She heard a scream. She pivoted to Varro. There was a tiny trickle of blood oozing down the side of Dane’s neck. The boy was starting to list to one side, and Varro was having a hard time holding on to him. “Selah, come out of the shadows and show yourself. You can’t get out of this maze, but I can take it out on Dane.”
Selah sucked in a breath and got ready to run at him.
Bodhi grabbed her arm. “Don’t. They can’t see me in the dark here. Let me take the shot.”
“But you can’t do that. Do you even know how to shoot?”
“Apparently I was very good at it at one time, and I haven’t lost my aim.”
Selah turned back in time to see Treva in negotiations with Varro about hiding places in the Mountain. She moved too close. Varro pushed Dane away and grabbed Treva, knife to her throat. She put her hands up in surrender. Selah could see Treva had a good angle to deflect the knife. She hoped Cleon had noticed.
Mother pulled Dane far away and wrapped him in her arms, crying.
“Let her go!” Cleon dove at his father, knocking his knife to the side. Treva skirted away in one direction and the knife went in the other. Varro lifted the laser dart slung around his shoulder. He swung it as a physical weapon, striking Cleon, who stepped back and ducked the next blow. He punched Varro in the ribs.
Varro lurched to the side, putting Treva in his line of sight. “Live with this, you ungrateful boy.” The red dot of Varro’s laser dart lit up Treva’s head.
“Nooo!” Cleon screamed as he threw himself in the line of fire. The laser exploded on his side. Cleon fell in a heap.
Treva screamed.
Selah’s heart felt like it stopped.
Bodhi took aim at Varro.
“He’s my family.” Selah moved toward Bodhi’s weapon.
29
7 Hours to Egress
Varro heard Selah speak and spun in their direction, taking aim at her voice, which was in direct line with Bodhi’s back.
No! Selah’s world stopped. She snatched the laser dart from Bodhi, pushed him out of the way, and fired.
A pinpoint of white left a ghostly trail of light from the weapon to where it slammed into Varro. A starburst exploded from his chest, particles of sparks shooting off in all directions. His mouth opened in a scream and froze. He fell to the floor.
Selah stared at the spot where he had stood. If she never lowered her eyes to his smoldering form, she might pretend that this never happened. That the ghostly form left on her vision was still him standing there. That she had somehow missed and everything was going to be fine.
But it wasn’t going to be fine. It would never be fine again. Why had he aimed at Bodhi? She had to protect Bodhi. She couldn’t protect Cleon. The smell of burnt flesh drifted to her nostrils. Her shoulders slumped. Was that Cleon she was breathing in, or Varro?
Bile rose in her throat, burning the back of her tongue. She tried to push it back down. You’re breathing in Varro’s flesh. She bent over and retched. Her stomach lurched, then squeezed tightly like a fist, cramping her sides.
Bodhi put his hand on her back. “Are you going to make it?”
“I just killed the man who raised me,” she said, sobbing. “I think I need to have a few minutes!”
“I’m sorry, but we don’t have a few minutes. We need to get out of here. Remember, sealed forever.”
Selah tipped her head from side to side, cracking the tension from her neck muscles, and took a few cleansing breaths. Thankfully the flesh smell had dissipated. She straightened and ran the heels of her hands across her eyes to clear them. It really did just happen. This wasn’t a dream.
“Where are Jaenen and Varro’s men?” She spun as she searched the dark corners of the room. Were they going to be attacked as they tried to leave? She looked carefully at each shadow and corner, looking for discernable movement.
“They took off as soon as Varro hit the floor. Even Jaenen ran away. He must have made contact with Varro’s other cohorts.”
“Do we send someone to follow him? He’s a criminal.”
“We hardly have any room to talk. To most of the Mountain, we’re the criminals. He’ll be locked in this prison forever,” Bodhi said.
“It doesn’t seem fair that he’ll have freedom. But I guess they’ll get what they deserve,” Selah said. “Cleon! I need to see my brother.” She shoved the laser dart at Bodhi and ran to Cleon.
He lay sprawled on the floor with Treva holding his head in her lap. She rocked him and cried while Mojica tried to render aid. Selah looked down just as Mojica cut away his tunic. The edges of the material were fused to the wound, making a large fist-sized crater in his stomach. The heat had cauterized the edges of the flesh to a ghastly burnt crispness. As Mojica carefully pulled away the debris, it made crackling sounds that turned Selah’s stomach.
She fought the urge to retch again by swallowing hard. She moved away and closed her eyes. This wasn’t happening. It was a nightmare. When she opened her eyes everything would be fine.
Mojica walked over and touched her shoulder. “Selah, I need to get back to the station and fashion a litter to carry him out of here.” Her voice drilled into Selah. She didn’t want to see the woman’s expression. The graveness registered in her voice.
Selah opened her eyes. Mojica’s face said it all. Selah burst into tears, and Mojica grabbed her to keep her from sliding to the ground. Bodhi quickly took the woman’s place, holding Selah up.
“I’m sorry. He’s not going to make it. It went through his intestines and capped off a piece of his lungs. The intestines are cut and sealed. We can’t fix that in the field,” Mojica said, blowing out a huff of air. “Frankly, I don’t think that could be fixed even if we weren’t in the field.”
Selah pulled herself up straight. “Does he know?”
Mojica nodded. “He said not to tell Treva, though. He wants us to distract her until we get in the tunnels and can’t open the door to let her back in the Mountain.”
“He wants to stay here?”
“No, he wants to die here so that you all can make it out,” Mojica said.
Selah
stared at Treva rocking on her knees next to Cleon. This was going to break her heart. “Is he still lucid enough to talk to me?”
“Yes, I’ve given him all the painkiller I have. There is a limit to overdosing, but I figured in his condition, that wouldn’t be a worry. I just don’t want him to spend his last hours in pain,” Mojica said.
Selah hesitated as she walked past Varro’s body. Someone had removed his jacket and used it to cover his face and chest. Mother had always said nice words about people before they were burned on the cremation pyres. Saying niceties and such was supposed to make the living feel better about the passing of the dead, but she couldn’t think of anything to say. Maybe later when she wasn’t so raw. She felt her already weary body tighten.
She walked to her brother’s side and knelt beside Treva, wrapping her arms around the sobbing girl. She rocked with her, feeling the heaving sobs wracking her body. Every fiber of her being trembled. Selah raised Treva’s chin. “Honey, I need to talk to Cleon. Could we have a moment together as brother and sister?” she asked softly.
“Yes, just don’t let him go anywhere. He can’t go anywhere without me,” Treva sobbed. Her hands trembled. Tears poured from her eyes and dripped to her shirt, leaving wet trails.
Selah motioned to her mother, who stood beside Mari and Dane nearby. “Take Treva so I can talk to Cleon.” Mother nodded, tears streaming from her eyes too. Selah could tell by the pallor of her face—she knew Cleon wasn’t going to make it.
Selah knelt beside Cleon. “Hey, brother dear. We’ll be getting out of here as soon as Mojica gets back with a litter and transportation. Then we can go home.” Her voice hitched.
Cleon gave her a pained half smile and tried to shift his position. He cried out in pain as the wound pulled with the movement of his body. Sweat beaded on his forehead and he fell back to the floor. “Don’t try to kid a kidder.” His breathing labored. He grabbed at her hand. “Please don’t let Treva stay with me. Promise me.”
“Cleon, you know what she’s going to be like.” Selah wanted to promise, but Treva could be a grizzly bear when she chose to be. Could she fulfill the promise? Or was she going to lose Treva here too?
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