“So what?” Buzz said. “We don’t have time for sightseeing.”
But Pope pushed open the door and they emerged into bright light and a scene of destruction. “It’s the gift shop,” he said.
“You want to buy souvenirs?”
“No—the fixtures. Use them to block the stairs. Buy some time.”
Yen—who’d taken the climb in stride—immediately pushed past him and began dragging the wooden cabinets across the floor, their fixings squealing. “Come on!”
Buzz took the other end while Max helped Pope with the second floor cabinet.
The pounding on the stairs was now only a few floors below them, but they stopped abruptly as Yen and Buzz tossed the first cabinet down one flight, watching as it lodged on a return, then giving way as Pope and Max followed suit.
It took them twenty minutes, but by the time they’d finished, the stairs were completely blocked, at least for now. They pitched a few of the heavier souvenirs—wooden models of the building—into the darkness and were rewarded by the sounds of shrieking. They’d keep their heads down for a little while.
“Right, this is our chance,” Buzz said. “Let’s get our sample.”
“But what then?” Yen asked. “We can’t get by them, and we can’t jump. They’ll break through eventually.”
“One thing at a time,” Buzz said. In truth he had no idea, but he at least wanted to succeed in his mission even if it was, in the end, futile.
They kicked in the door at the very top of the stairway. Buzz grabbed Pope’s arm as he swayed in the freezing gale that swept in. Ahead of them, a wall of ice ate into the corner of the building, towering over them. It looked as though, at any moment, the skyscraper would snap in half and topple.
“Come on, Max!” Buzz called out, grabbing the boy by the arm. The wind dropped away once they’d made it across the roof and were in the shelter of the ice wall.
Max pulled out his laptop, extending a probe connected to the USB port as Buzz chipped away at the ice, catching the slivers in a beaker and handing it down to Max who plunged the probe inside.
“How long?”
“Ten minutes,” Max said.
Buzz groaned as he looked back at where Yen and Pope stood beside the door looking down. If they broke through, how many could they kill? Not hundreds. And if their pursuers had guns…
Above the two agents, communication masts emblazoned with network names pointed impotently into the sky.
“Got it!” Max said. “Extracting data. You were right. Unknown design. Nothing in common with yours. Ah.”
Buzz kneeled beside him. “What?”
“They’re not xenobots.”
“What? That’s impossible.”
Max showed him the screen. “They’re artificial. Completely. Nothing organic about them. They’re not subject to evolution or mutation like the xenobots you created.”
“No wonder they dominated so quickly. Our bots didn’t stand a chance. Who made them? Lundberg?”
Max shrugged. “Impossible to tell, but I’ve never seen anything like them. They could almost be alien.”
“They’re coming!” Yen called, aiming shots. “Ted, help me barricade the door! Ted!”
But Ted Pope was standing at a metal cabinet, wrenching the door open. “Max! Come on!”
“Where are you going?” Buzz called out as Max immediately climbed to his feet and ran off, swaying a little in the sudden wind, holding the laptop to his chest.
Buzz got up and followed, but Yen called to him. “Buzz! Help me!”
She stepped inside and fired two shots down the stairs. “We can’t hold them back for long.”
Between them, they shut the metal fire escape and Yen ran off to find something to wedge it closed. Buzz looked up to see Pope standing alongside Max. The boy attached a lead to the computer and handed the other end to the special agent, who plugged it into the antenna feed. He checked the display, then nodded to Max and ran down to join Buzz as Yen forced a small chunk of metal under the door and kicked it into place.
“What the hell’s going on?” Buzz said as Pope watched Max fold up the laptop and bring it back.
“Max and I had a plan B. Worked it out a long time ago. That data’s vital. Without it, humanity’s over. So, we’ve sent it. The antenna doesn’t have power, but it’s still a huge chunk of metal. It’ll keep broadcasting for as long as the battery lasts.”
Fists began pounding on the other side of the metal door as animal-like voices roared in triumphant anticipation.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t think you’d take the idea of a suicide mission well. Or even the possibility of one. You’re a natural optimist, Buzz, and optimists can be dangerous.”
Buzz felt the thumping against his back. “Where did you send the data?” His data. The discovery that could give humanity a chance at survival if it ended up in the right hands.
Pope said the name, and despair overwhelmed Buzz as surely as the wave that had swamped the planet months ago.
In the right hands.
“Are you mad?” he said.
“I had no choice. If you and Max aren’t going to be able to figure this out, there’s only one person left who stands a chance.”
As the fists pounded on the door, Buzz buried his head in his hands and dug his fingers into his scalp in frustration and rage. He looked at the edge of the building, on the opposite side to the glacier and felt the overwhelming temptation to leap over and end it now.
And as he fell, he would curse the name.
Lundberg.
Chapter 22
Execution
Ellie heard the helicopter engine getting louder and louder as it took off, the wind blowing dust into her eyes and mouth. But she couldn’t do anything about it because she had her hands tied and a pistol in her back.
She thought about nothing, just stared ahead as they marched slowly around the corner of the ruined restaurant. A white and brown station wagon from the last century sat rotting beside the far wall.
With a wail, Jodi cried out and fell. Masterson, the squad leader, ran across and picked her up. “Pull yourself together!” he roared and grabbed one arm, while Jodi’s executioner held the other.
They stopped by the station wagon while its back door squealed as the squad leader raised it.
“On your knees!” he barked and firm hands pushed down on Ellie’s shoulder as the helicopter hovered above them, just high enough to stir up the sand as she stared at a tiny green plant that was growing under the car’s rusting fender, somehow surviving in its shadow.
Beside her, Patrick sobbed, and Jodi could barely keep herself upright. Ellie’s eyes were now dry. She examined the plant with its little yellow flowers. It would be the last thing she saw.
“Squad, ’shun!” Masterson said, from beside them.
The pressure on her shoulder disappeared.
“You have been found guilty of espionage and insurrection against your fellow citizens.” the squad leader said, raising his voice. “You have been sentenced to death and that sentence will now be carried out. Keep still!”
A hand grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to straighten up.
“Squad, ready.”
Over the whine of the hovering helicopter, Ellie heard the sound of three rounds being loaded into three chambers.
“Squad, aim.”
She sensed the pistol as it neared the back of her head. She focused on the plant as her breath came in pants, her heart hammering.
“Prisoners, if you want to live, fall as if you’re dead when you hear the shot!” Masterson yelled.
Ellie went to move.
“Freeze! Do as I say or we’re all dead!”
She could see his arm raised out of the corner of her eyes.
“Squad. Fire!”
Ellie felt the sound and it took no effort at all to fall onto her face, sensing the other two following her lead.
“They’re still there, Sarge,” a
female voice said.
“Yeah. We’re going to have to do the full performance. Load them into the car. And you three, don’t move even if we drop you. We’ve got to act as if you’re bodies.”
Patrick gave a confirmatory grunt, then Ellie felt two pairs of hands lifting her off the ground as she lay apparently lifeless before being unceremoniously dumped in the back of the station wagon. She was out of sight of the helicopter, but didn’t dare move, so she lay there as, first, Jodi was dropped alongside her, followed by Patrick, who’d been loaded sideways.
The door squealed back down and a voice called out. “Don’t move for at least an hour. Then check the restaurant.”
She heard Patrick shout thank you as the door slammed shut.
For a few seconds, Ellie listened as the boots moved away, then she noticed the sound of the helicopter getting quieter and quieter.
Jodi moved. “Stay still,” Ellie hissed. “Wait until all the squad cars have left. And pray none of them comes over.”
It seemed to take forever for the police cars to start their engines and then head back to the small road.
She lay in the near silence with only the wind outside and the small movements of the three humans inside to prove she hadn’t gone deaf. In the end, she had to move as her arm cramped. She’d never been so happy to feel pain. She was alive. They were alive.
“Is everyone okay?” Patrick whispered from somewhere near Ellie’s feet.
“Yeah,” Jodi said.
“Do you think they’ve left?” Ellie asked.
She felt the car rock slightly as Patrick moved. He cursed, and they all lay, silently listening. “I can’t hear anything. I reckon they’re gone.”
“I’ll take a look,” Jodi said. “They threw me on my back, so I can lift myself a little.”
Ellie turned her head a little to look up at the girl. “Go slowly, they might have left someone to watch.”
“Yeah, sure.” Gently, inch by inch, Jodi raised herself and Ellie saw her head sweep slowly from side to side. “They’ve gone.”
“You sure, Jode?” Patrick asked.
“Yeah, pretty sure.”
“You or Ellie will have to climb out a side door.”
“I’ll do it,” Ellie said, curling her finger around the door catch and pulling. “It won’t open!”
Patrick looked up. “The knob’s in.”
Ellie swore. She pulled it up. “It still won’t. It’s stuck!”
Immediately, the three of them jumped up, suddenly terrified that, after all they’d been through, they were now stuck inside a car. Jodi climbed over onto the front seat, pulled on the catch, and fell out of the car onto the sand.
Ellie followed her, then opened the back door and helped Patrick out. “The child lock was on.”
“I don’t think I can take any more of this,” he said, brushing his shirt and pants and looking around. “But we’re definitely alone.” He pulled Ellie into a sudden embrace and, after initially resisting out of sheer tension, she let herself go and relaxed. After a few moments, she felt Jodi’s arms around them both as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“I thought we were goners,” Patrick said as he let them go.
Ellie nodded. “Me too. Thank God we found a good cop.”
“Four good cops. And brave. Masterson wasn’t exaggerating when he said we’d all die if we didn’t fool that Chinese S.O.B..”
“Not to mention the American one.”
Patrick scratched his cheek. “Maybe. I wonder how much power Booker has now the Chinese have landed.”
“Frankly, I don’t give a damn,” Ellie said.
“Poor Dad, he thinks we’re all dead,” Jodi said.
Patrick patted her on the shoulder. “But you’re not. Come on, let’s see what’s in the restaurant. Masterson said for us to go there.”
The place was empty of furniture, and smelled of rotting wood and other things, but on a counter top in the kitchen Ellie found a small pile: three plastic water bottles, a Glock 22, some car keys, candy and a scribbled note.
Wait until nightfall. Checkpoint 15/40 Barstow. Good luck.
“Wait a minute, do they expect us to walk?”
Patrick shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe that car outside’s drivable.”
Then Ellie remembered the little yellow flowers. “The car looks like it was abandoned here, but it wasn’t. This is like a conspiracy to make sure we get away and take what we’ve learned with us.”
“But who’s behind it?”
“Booker? Joel?”
“Well, we’ve got a couple of hours to think about it. Jeez, I thought I’d be happy to be back in my home state, but I can’t wait to get out of here.”
They settled down on the floor in a corner of the restaurant where they could watch the road outside.
“Where do we go?” Jodi asked. “Back to Denver?”
Ellie shook her head. “No, Ragtown.”
“Hold on,” Patrick said. “Those coppers risked their lives so we could get the information to the president!”
“Sure, and I appreciate it. But half an hour ago, I thought I was going to die. That’s three times since we came west on this godforsaken fool’s errand. I’m going back to Ragtown to see my daughter. If I don’t do anything else, I’m going to make peace with her. I’m going to tell her I love her and that I wish I’d been a better mother. And then I’ll go to Denver.”
Jodi clapped her hands together and hugged Ellie, but Patrick looked doubtful. “But every day we spend at Ragtown is a day more that Booker has to do whatever he’s planning.”
“I don’t care. I’ve had a bit of time to think about my regrets and one, at least, I can do something about. I’m seeing my daughter and you can either come with me or go your own way.”
“Ellie!”
She sighed. “I’m sorry. Of course I want you to be with me, but if I can only do one thing, it’s going to be to make peace with Maria.”
Patrick settled back against the wall. “Okay. I guess if I had a chance to tell my son how sorry I was for being the world’s worst parent, I’d take it.”
“Thanks. I think. But I’m glad. We won’t stay there long, and we should see whether Earl’s got any news for us before we head off again. God, I wish I could just stop and live an ordinary life like everyone else.”
Patrick curled his arm around her as Jodi leaned against him. “There are no ordinary lives anymore, love. It’s all about survival, and we’ve got to play our part in that. For now, I’d settle for a few hours’ sleep.”
Ellie reached up and kissed him. “You curl up in the corner for a while. You too, Jodi. I’ll watch. I’ve got too much to think about to sleep.”
So, she sat and looked out of the window as she listened to Patrick snoring.
#
“Ellie!”
Her eyes snapped open and she looked up at Patrick, his face barely visible.
“Wha…?”
“You were supposed to be lookout!”
“Oh, my God!” Adrenaline surged through her veins and she looked out into the darkness.
“It’s okay. We’re alright.”
Ellie stretched and yawned. “I guess I was more exhausted than I thought.”
“Being nearly executed will do that to you,” Patrick said, smiling.
Jodi rolled over and sat up. “Are we ready to go?”
“If there’s any gas in the car and it’ll start.”
Ellie took the driver’s seat, waiting for Patrick to check the highway.
“Nothing in either direction, unless they’re running without their lights on. Which wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“Yeah, I’ll take it slow. When we get to Barstow, we’ll have to skirt around it, try to find a track that bypasses the checkpoint.”
Ellie turned the key and, just at the point she thought the battery was going to give out, the engine roared into life.
The power steering—if it had any—was failing, but Ellie managed to mak
e it to the intersection, taking the turning north. She didn’t turn on the lights, but sat forward, nose almost against the glass, trying to navigate by moonlight.
“How far are we going tonight?”
Patrick, who was brushing down his pants, let out a huge breath. “I’m knackered. I vote we see how long it takes to get past the checkpoint. I guess it’s only a hundred and fifty miles—maybe less—to the state line, but I’m not sure that has much meaning, to be honest. If they’re after us, they’re not going to stop. I think we’ve got to be prepared to take the back roads.”
“Through the Mojave Desert?” Jodi said from the back seat. “We can’t go around it without adding days to the journey and heading farther into California first. I vote we go for it. At the moment, Booker thinks we’re dead, so we’ve got a head start. We need to be a long way away if he ever finds out we survived.”
“Well, at least one of us is awake and thinking,” Patrick said. “Those coppers took a big risk for us. Can’t figure out why.”
Ellie stared out onto the dark road ahead. “Maybe they were just good people who wouldn’t shoot unarmed prisoners. Maybe they knew about our mission. Maybe they hate Booker and what he’s becoming—a puppet for the Chinese.”
In the end, Ellie turned on the running lights to give at least some illumination of the road ahead so she could speed up a little.
She took a right as a retail park loomed up out of the darkness, passing a sign to an In-N-Out Burger on her left that shone in the faint illumination of the half-moon behind them. Apart from the fact that there were no lights illuminating the park, it looked perfectly normal, as if it had been locked up for the night.
They followed the road until, quite suddenly, it became a desert track that wound up into the low hills. Ellie turned off the lights again and drove by the moonlight but, once they’d gone a few miles, she stopped the car at the bottom of a sandy slope.
“We’d better stay here for the night,” she said. “I’m not sure where we are and if we keep going, we might emerge onto the highway near the roadblock. And besides, I’m exhausted.”
Patrick, who’d been white-knuckling the entire journey since they’d left the highway, sighed with relief. “But it’ll get cold quickly. Have we got any way of keeping warm?”
Deluge | Book 5 | Lost Page 20