Apocalyptic Fears II: Select Bestsellers: A Multi-Author Box Set

by Greg Dragon

  Probably the million stairs we had to climb to get up here, I realized. Thank the fates for my khel training, or I’d have given up by floor fifteen. I focused on my breathing and ignored the shiny death traps they called choppers.

  Vance and Poly stood next to the pile of supplies, speaking with Major Murphy. The stoic man who’d brought me here seemed unusually animated about something, flailing his arms wildly as he talked. Occasionally Poly would ask a question. I wished I could overhear the conversation, but Vance had made his opinion on eavesdropping quite clear.

  “Where’s Poly from?” I asked Neb, who had followed me to the rail.

  “He doesn’t talk about it, but he’s a medic. At least he was. There’s a rumor that he couldn’t save a famous green’s baby, and they sent him here to punish him.” He grinned. “Just don’t ask him about his name.”

  “Why?”

  “He hates it. His real name is Palani, but Poly just stuck. At first he kept telling us that Poly means something in his father’s language, but he wouldn’t say what.” He turned and motioned toward the city. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

  The view was incredible, I had to admit, despite my determination to stay far away from the edge. One tower poked out from the rest of the modern part of the city like a shiny, pointed finger. Lesser buildings clustered around it, although they were probably still hundreds of stories high, then flattened out like an outside circle, ending at the older district where we stood. It was beautiful. Which one was Dresden in right now?

  “Let’s go,” Vance shouted. Poly was already climbing into the first chopper, and Vance gestured for his team to enter the second. I let my feet follow them and tried to think of something else, anything else. The floor of the aircraft just looked so . . . thin.

  I was the last one. I glanced longingly at the doorway that led back downstairs. My mission was to catch a spy, not pretend like I belonged here. Maybe I could fake sick. My body was certainly shaking enough to make it believable.

  “Does the princess need help getting in?” Vance asked.

  I shot him a glare as I jumped inside. He grinned.

  We weren’t even seated yet when the door closed and the noise started. A loud pulsing began from the chopper, and then the world became a whirlwind of sound. I held my breath, resisting the urge to scream and cover my ears, feeling a surge of adrenaline. My body seemed to feel the sound deep down inside, and the vibration spread through me like electricity, accentuating my wildly beating heart.

  The rest of the team fastened themselves into their seats like they’d done this a million times. After fastening mine, I forced my hands down and gripped the seat front as if the thin floor would fall away at any moment. Neb watched me curiously from across the aisle. I just turned away and focused on a metal screw in the floor.

  Daymond, seated to my right, handed me a headset. I nodded gratefully, although it was too wide and barely stayed on my ears. It muffled the sound a bit, but I also realized that it made communication possible over the noise.

  “So, where we going this time?” Semias asked with a bored air. “Mopping up another botched military mission?”

  “Get over yourself,” Daymond muttered, then he caught my eye and shook his head like an ever-patient parent. I tried to smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace.

  Vance finished checking the gear fastened to one wall and plopped down into the last empty seat. “It’s another smuggling operation. Large group this time, so we’ll have to be alert.” His eyes flicked to me. “They found a smuggling hub in a Meridian warehouse. An informant says there’ll be a drop in a couple of hours.”

  Everyone else nodded, and I sat up. Meridian. The closest military base to the border. It was famous for its skirmishes with outlanders. Konnor had gone there before, but with no less than three bodyguards. My fingers tingled from lack of circulation, so I unclasped them from the seat and tried to relax.

  “A large group,” Ross mumbled, his voice so low I could barely hear it.

  “Won’t be any different than catching three or four,” Vance said. “Formation is the same as always, but Treena goes with me. Semias and Day, stay together this time. That was a blasted close call last week.”

  “Wasn’t my fault,” Semias grumbled. The safety belt puckered the fat under his uniform, making him look like an infant in an ill-fitting child seat.

  “You wandered off to steal something and left my back exposed,” Daymond said. “The guy missed me by centimeters. How is that not your fault?”

  “We’ll position—” Vance began, but just then the helicopter lurched, the noise rising in pitch. The windows on the right side filled with a view of the city. It was all so small—the streets, the bicyclists, everything. I tried not to imagine the door sliding open and sucking us out, the helpless feeling of falling, the horror of wind flying past.

  I forced my breath out slowly and tried to focus on anything but the windows.

  “Anyway,” he continued when the chopper steadied out, “we’ll position ourselves at the transport station and catch them in the act. Shouldn’t be too hard.”

  “Why haven’t the monitors done it, then?” Ross muttered, voicing my own thoughts.

  “They’ve tried,” Vance said. “Apparently the infiltration goes pretty deep. Either they’re rewiring cameras and scrambling communications or the smuggler network has spies embedded deep in Meridian’s security.”

  “What about the empress’s new techband regulation?” I asked. “Why don’t they just zap those who aren’t where they’re supposed to be?”

  Vance’s mouth twitched. “Zap?”

  “Punishment mode. Whatever.”

  He suddenly looked serious, a deep irritation crossing his features. “I don’t think zap is the best choice of words, Treena. The empress is essentially electrocuting her citizens. You probably don’t even know what getting zapped feels like.”

  “Of course not. Why, do you?”

  Daymond belted a laugh. “You know what? I like her.”

  “What about us?” I asked, eager to change the subject. “Can we get za—I mean, trigger punishment mode? By being in the wrong place, I mean.”

  “We’re exempt,” Neb said with a satisfied smile.

  Vance sat back, a disturbed look on his face, but he didn’t say anything more.

  14

  The base was huge, and my relief at landing was overshadowed by the fact that I was surrounded by people who fought and killed for a living. We had been given silver uniforms to blend in. The guys had changed into theirs on the chopper, but I had hopped out and slipped mine over my new black uniform. I wasn’t about to strip in front of five guys, team members or not.

  Several buildings laid out in a giant triangle, all identical, surrounded us. The guys were well trained. Vance gave them their locations, and they disappeared into the crowd of silver uniforms crisscrossing the sidewalks. Poly’s team had disappeared minutes before. Vance nodded to me and began striding away. I followed.

  We approached what looked like a series of linked warehouses. Huge docking doors, all closed, lined the north side. When we entered, I blinked to adjust to the sudden darkness. It was narrow and packed full of storage on either side, with metal shelving and neatly catalogued signs. The roof was glass, but it rose up sharply in the center to allow a tall platform to stand majestically within view of the entire series of buildings. A lone figure stood over the rail. A supervisor, probably.

  “Very little traffic here, and low visibility,” Vance muttered. “Perfect for a drop.”

  The center platform wasn’t just a supervisor station but also a crane of some kind. There was a heavy metal arm attached, although it rested silently against the back side. The supervisor leaned over the railing of the center platform and exchanged words with a worker below.

  A buzzer sounded, and the supervisor began the climb down from the tower. Break time. He stalked toward the door, ignoring the workers who stood back to let him pass and ignoring us as
if we weren’t even there.

  Vance mumbled, “North corner, two-yard—meter, whatever—square box with a gray blanket over it. Hide there until I come.”

  “Oh no,” I said firmly. “You are not handling this alone. I’m your partner.”

  “Exactly. I’ll position myself across the way. Just tell me on the feed if you see something.” He kept walking nonchalantly, as if he were merely a worker on his way to the locker room.

  I let out a frustrated breath. I didn’t have much training, but it didn’t mean I was useless. The fear I’d harbored earlier festered into irritation as I found the plastic container he’d described and settled myself behind it. Flanked by the corner, I would be out of sight even to the supervisor on the platform, but I could still see everything. Vance had chosen this hiding spot well.

  Four minutes later, the giant crane gave a metallic groan, swung its arm around, and reached for a crate full of barrels. I perked up. The supervisor had already left, and there didn’t seem to be anyone up there. Was it programmed to work during break time, or was this connected to the drop?

  The crate must have been heavy, because the electric engine groaned under its weight. After making a pile of several similar crates near the closed docking door, the machine creaked to a stop. There was a sudden silence, followed by a strange clanging sound. Curious, I leaned away from the box to get a better look.

  Someone was climbing down the platform pole, his hands and feet a blur. He disappeared behind a stack of crates before I could get a good look at his face. Seconds later the heavy loading door began to open.

  I waited, expecting Vance to leap into action, but no one came. “Vance,” I whispered into the feed. “Someone’s here.” There was no reply. I glanced around the room, wondering where he had hidden himself. Was this the drop, or had he rushed to the aid of his guys the next building over? Why hadn’t he told me exactly what to look for?

  A scraping sound from across the room jerked my attention forward. Carrying a cloth bag, the figure climbed over some boxes. He struggled to hold the bag, then swung it over his shoulder so he could jump to the floor. He wore the same gray military uniform we did, only it hung loose, and his face was blackened with dirt. A yellow, although I couldn’t make out the numbers.

  Suddenly an arm covered my mouth and yanked me backward. I squirmed and tried to elbow my attacker, but he stepped easily out of the way and put me in a chokehold. His grip tightened, and my vision began to spin. A twinge of panic flew through my mind. Need . . . air . . .

  I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t get anything out. My throat was in a vise—being squeezed, closed off. My body lurched as black spots appeared in my vision. I threw my head backward. It didn’t free me, but it allowed me to turn enough to see part of the man’s face. I forced my eyes to focus. A stubble-lined chin. Heavy black eyebrows framing muddy-green eyes. The hint of a hungry smile.

  My thoughts had almost completely slipped into darkness when a dark figure leaped over the crates. The movement jerked my attacker’s attention away, and the slightest bit of air slid into my aching lungs. It was the boy, the dirty one with the bag. He swung it over the crates with difficulty but stood up straight and dropped it on the floor. “Stop!” he hissed.

  My captor dumped me to the side. I gulped in huge breaths, forcing my throat to reopen, trying to focus. In. Out. In. Out.

  “What’s wrong with you?” a gruff voice whispered behind me. He pointed to the strange red and green balls that now cluttered the dirty floor. “You don’t just drop an entire bag of apples. Bruised apples cut our profits in half!”

  Smugglers. And I was powerless to breathe, much less report it.

  The boy shook his head in response and removed his hat. “They’d eat year-old moldy bread at this point. Bruised apples won’t matter.” Choppy, dark hair. Something about the figure was strangely familiar. The face was dirty, so it was hard to tell, but that voice . . .

  “Tali?” I squeaked.

  “Hi, Treen.” She stepped softly over the scattered balls on the floor and pulled me into a crushing embrace. The gruff man moved to gather the food back into the bag, eyeing us with disdain, but Tali ignored him. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

  “You’re—you’re a smuggler?” My thoughts were still foggy, but I stared at the food on the ground. It seemed unlike any other illegal substance I’d learned about in school.

  She laughed, the sound musical and happy. “I’ve wanted to tell you so many times. Wait—this is your special assignment? You joined EPIC?” She shook her head. “Fates! A bunch of soldiers, all to yourself! Why didn’t I think of that?”

  I glanced around, but Vance was nowhere to be seen. “Tali, you have to get out of here. When my team finds you, you’ll be—”

  “What, given a low Rating? Sentenced to laundry transportation?” She shook her head, bitterness evident in her eyes. “There’s nothing more they can do to me, Treena. In fact, they gave me the perfect cover. I get to travel all over and make deliveries.”

  My jaw dropped. I didn’t know what to say. Then it hit me. Her late-night shifts at the dock moving merchandise. Her anger at the system.

  I was a lousy best friend. Perhaps the fates had brought us together so I could make Tali see reason. “Do you know what the punishment is for smuggling?”

  “Oh, Treena,” she said, and I almost expected her to make a tsk-tsk sound. “Work camps don’t scare me, even the worst ones. I’m making a difference here, you know? Haven’t you ever been part of something bigger than yourself? Something you believed in so strongly you’d give your life for it?”

  “I . . . uh . . .”

  When I failed to answer, she gave me a long look. “Oh, come on. It shouldn’t be that hard. Listen, if you let me ‘capture’ you, maybe I can talk them into letting you join us.”

  I stared at her, stunned. “What?”

  “I know you want Dresden, but, Treen, they’ll never let you be with him now—even if by some miracle he still wants you. Please believe me. There’s something coming, something big. And we can be part of it together.”

  My stomach sank. Not only did she refuse to leave this group, she was trying to recruit me. Even worse, a part of me wanted to go with her. But that would shut the door on my dreams forever, and I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t choose Tali over Dresden. She shouldn’t force me to make that choice. I glanced at the yellow Rating on her head before I realized what I was doing.

  Tali watched me, and irritation passed through her expression. “You’ve changed, you know. The Treena I grew up with was fun and carefree. Then you went all point-crazy. Do you even see people anymore, Treena?” She leaned forward and spoke more softly. “Or do you just see their numbers?”

  I recoiled like I’d been slapped, and a searing heat spread throughout my chest. Tali had always been my best friend, the one person I could confide in. If anyone had changed, it was her. How could I trust her now, after years of lies? What kind of friend pretended to be one person at school, then turned on her own country?

  The attacker stepped up beside me and waved his hand dismissively. “Time’s up. The other EPIC team’s evaded our trap. They’re on their way here.”

  “Don’t worry,” Tali whispered. “We haven’t killed anyone. They’re just knocked out.”

  The man grabbed my wrist, twisting it painfully, and I cried out. He wrapped something rough around my hands, fastening them tightly behind my back. He reached to put something in my mouth.

  “Wait, Ben. I’ll give it to her,” Tali said.

  “Right. I’m not an idiot.”

  “Give it over. You can’t go shoving girls around like that. All you have to do is say please.” He glared as she swiped something out of his hand and showed it to me. “It’s just a knockout pill, Treen. You’ll wake up in a few hours. Open wide.”

  I stared at her. She gave me a pointed look, the kind that said I was being stupid. Could I trust Tali? The man watched me carefully, and I knew th
ere wasn’t time to think. I opened my mouth a crack. She pretended to stick the pill into my mouth, but palmed it instead. I pretended to swallow, then swayed and fell onto my side.

  “See?” Tali said. “Manners. You go ahead. I’ll pick up the apples and catch up.”

  Our act must have fooled Ben because he walked away muttering something about girls under his breath. Tali gathered the apples back into her bag before rushing to my side. “Surprised he bought it. You’ve never been a good actress.”

  I sat up. “You’re making a huge mistake, Tali. EPIC will catch you sooner or later.”

  “Maybe, maybe not. But at least I’ll go down fighting. See you, Treen. I hope you figure out what you want.” She turned and sprinted away.

  ><><><><><><><

  After Tali left, I heard voices across the warehouse. I let the facts run through my mind. Tali was alive, and she had just helped me. Tali was a smuggler, and I was supposed to catch smugglers. My team was gone. My wrists were tied. Was I supposed to wait for Team Two to come, or did I dare risk capture again by running to looking for them?

  “Treena,” a deep voice on the feed said, so suddenly that I jumped. “Do you copy?”

  “Yes!” I exclaimed. “Yes, I’m here, Poly. Where are you guys?”

  “Thank the fates,” he said. “I think they’ve taken out the rest of Team Two, but we’re closing in. Just hang on.”

  “I am.”

  “What was that?” a male voice asked from the loading dock.

  “I heard it too. From over there, I think.”

  Fates. I lifted myself higher on my knees, just in time to lock eyes with two men. I jumped up and sprinted toward the exit, back the way we’d come.

  “Don’t let her escape!” a voice echoed behind me. I put on a new burst of speed and sprinted with every ounce of energy I had left. My raspy breathing grew heavier and more desperate as the doorway grew closer. My boot caught on something and I stumbled.