“Hit it again,” Kara says looking up at me.
In the end it takes six solid hits before it shatters and showers us both in thumbnail-sized pieces of glass.
The glove I’m holding on with lets go now it’s lost any surface to cling to and suddenly I’m balanced three floors up the outside of a building on Kara’s shoulders.
I fling both arms forward into the building to stop myself from falling. There’s so much broken glass on the floor my gloves can’t grip. Desperately I sweep away at the glass on the floor.
Finally my gloves lock on and I’m safe. I pull myself into the building and then reach back through the window to help Kara.
Once we’re both inside we sit there panting, and a small giggle escapes me.
“That was insane,” I say trying not to laugh.
We sit there for another minute to catch our breath, a slight breeze blowing through the smashed window of the building.
Kara stands first and peers out through the surrounding buildings. The sky is turning a deep shade of orange, so it’s definitely morning.
“How long do you think until Stilwell’s part is done?” she asks.
“Any minute now, I’d say.”
We wait for about another five minutes before a thunderous boom echoes through the city. There are too many buildings between us and FTW to see it, but the explosion is unmistakable.
“We’re on!” I shout we run into the building.
It doesn’t take us long to find what we’re looking for. As we’d guessed we find a garbage chute quickly enough and pull open the hatch.
“Hopefully this’ll be easier,” I say to Kara. “At least we’ll be able to grip the side walls with our feet. That’ll help our climb.”
I go first, reaching into the dark chute until my glove grips the shiny metal surface. I swing myself in and my other hand grips, and without losing any time I climb upwards.
After a few second’s climb a soft squeaking coming from below me lets me know Kara is on her way.
It takes us ages, and on more than one occasion we are covered in garbage on its way down. Eventually though, the top of the garbage chute becomes visible. We’re nearing our target.
The hatches into the chutes are evenly spaced, and as we climb towards the level the clone lab is on there’s only a solid blank wall where there should be one.
“There’s no direct way into the lab, it’s sealed off,” I whisper down to Kara. “We’ll need to go through the kitchen like before.”
Exhausted but spurred on by the nearness of our goal we keep climbing until we reach the hatch. As silently as I can, I push it forward and peek through.
There’s no one around, so I open it as far as it goes and exit the chute. I hardly have the energy to stand, but we can’t stop now. Kara drops out of the chute and looks around.
“Which way?” she asks.
“We need the elevator, so that way,” I say, pointing. “I just hope the screen still accepts my commands.”
After a short run through the apartment we locate an elevator with a small screen mounted to the right of the doors.
“Screen, can you hear me?” I ask, tapping the screen with my finger.
“Affirmative, Miss Fox.”
“What’s the status of the FTW building?” I ask it.
“FTW building is deemed critical. Multiple internal explosions detected. Top two-thirds of the building collapsed into the lower third. Total collapse imminent. Recalculating death toll, please wait.”
“Never mind that. Are both Jameson and Reed alive?”
“Negative. All indicators from their monitors indicate death occurred approximately two minutes after the first explosion.”
“So has control of FTW passed to me again?”
“Affirmative.”
“Great, then summon the elevator. I want to go to the clone lab.”
A soft ding announces the arrival of the elevator and Kara and I get in. The doors close with a sigh and I look at Kara.
“It’s almost over,” I say.
My reflection looks back at me from the polished steel walls of the elevator. She looks so much stronger than I ever imagined I could be.
Less than a week has passed since I first escaped the boneyard, vowing revenge, and now here I stand with the reason by my side ready to make it happen.
Another soft ding and the doors to the clone lab slide open. The lab is lit with the familiar blue glow from the cloning cylinders.
We make our way over to them and, peering into their depths, we face our enemies. Jameson must get priority because he’s almost fully formed.
There are a few gaps where there should be skin, but he’s close to finished. It’s probably only a matter of minutes.
Reed is much further behind. His face is half constructed but most of his internal organs are exposed.
“Let’s get this over with,” Kara says with her fists against the glass of Jameson’s cylinder.
I tap a finger against a screen near the cylinders.
“Screen, abort the clones. Get rid of everything related to them.”
“Negative. I cannot do that,” the screen replies.
“Screen, I’m in charge. Do as I say.”
“Negative. Orders from Jameson Fox override.”
Kara looks at me.
“We’re going to need the explosives in your bag,” she says.
I sling the bag from my shoulder and on to the ground and then pull open the top. The explosives are like bricks of soft clay and they stick easily to the sides of the glass cylinders.
There’s a hand-sized black box attached to each one and a button to arm them.
“Kara, get the elevator ready. Once it’s here, I’ll activate the bombs and run. Stilwell said there’s a short delay on them, hopefully enough to get us safe.”
Kara sprints to the elevator and a few seconds later the soft ding announces its arrival. She steps into the elevator and positions herself in front of the closing doors to stop them.
“Ready,” she calls to me.
I press the button on the explosive stuck on Reed’s cylinder and a small display lights up.
“Thirty seconds,” I call out to Kara and move to the explosive on Jameson’s.
When I press the button nothing happens. I curse and push it again.
“Nothing’s happening!” I shout to Kara. “It’s not turning on.”
I stab at the button repeatedly but nothing happens.
“Echo, there’s no time. One should be enough, get your ass over here and let’s go!”
I keep stabbing at the button in desperation but still nothing happens. When the one attached to Reed’s cylinder beeps, I give up and sprint to the elevator doors. Kara beckons and yells at me to run faster.
As I sprint through the doors, the explosive on Reed’s cylinder detonates and I’m slammed into the far wall of the elevator.
23 - Elevator
“Echo, can you hear me?” Kara’s voice drifts through my subconscious. “Echo? Wake up.”
Reality returns and hits me full force. My head pounds and my ears ring to the point of almost deafening me.
“Where are we? Are we safe?” I ask Kara.
“Right where we were. The elevator jammed in the explosion, we’re still in the lab.”
“What about Reed and Jameson?”
“Their cylinders are gone so I’m guessing it worked.”
I struggle to get up. Kara puts a hand under my left shoulder to help me and a stabbing pain radiates out from it.
I scream, making Kara flinch. She presses against my shoulder which throbs even harder.
“I think it’s broken,” I say, shuffling my backside until I’m in a rough sitting position.
Kara grabs the bottom of her shirt and uses her teeth to tear into the fabric. Once she’s got it started, she rips it around until she’s left with a large strip.
“Hold your arm like this,” she says, moving my arm so it rests against my stomach.
She then wraps the strip of fabric under my arm and ties it off behind my neck, taking the weight off my broken shoulder.
“I only just got it fixed from the bullet hole,” I say to relieve some tension.
Kara double-checks the knot of the sling.
“It’s not much, but it should help.”
“It’s fine,” I reply. “I can already feel it’s helping the pain.”
“Let’s get you on your feet and out of here. I don’t know how damaged the elevator is so we should get out of it.”
She helps me to my feet and we shamble out of the elevator and into the lab. There’s glass and metal debris spread everywhere.
The cloning cylinders are barely recognizable as two lumps of steel mounted to the floor.
On the wall to our left something has blown straight through it and exposed the previously sealed-off garbage chute.
“I guess that’s our way out then,” Kara says, looking at the hole in the wall.
I remember back to the last time I came rocketing out of the bottom of the chute and my shoulder throbs, anticipating the jarring halt it’ll come to.
Kara supports me under my good arm and we pick our way through the debris to the garbage chute.
The edges of the hole are twisted, pointy bits of metal. Kara bangs them down as best as she can to make them safe.
“You first,” I say to her.
“No, you’ll need my help to get in.”
I shake my head.
“You have to. If we land like we did last time, you could cannon right into my shoulder. It’s safer this way.”
She’s reluctant but agrees when she sees my logic.
“Send this down after me,” Kara says handing me the bag we brought with us.
It’s much lighter without the two lumps of explosives inside of it. The metal brick from the subway glints back at me, it’s about the only thing left in the bag now. I sling it over my good arm and look back at Kara.
“Be safe,” I say as she perches on the side of the chute.
I grab the front of her shirt with my good hand and I pull her in close, resting my forehead against hers. She runs a hand through the hair on the back of my head and holds me tight.
“See you soon,” she says, then kisses me hard on the lips. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I say, and with a wink she lets herself fall into the chute and she disappears into the blackness.
“How touching,” says a gravelly voice from behind me.
I whip around and standing impossibly behind me is Jameson. Or at least most of him.
He’s missing chunks of skin, exposing raw nerve and muscle in places where the cloning process hadn’t finished. In others his skin is blistered and charcoal black from the explosion.
I can’t believe he’s still alive. He must be running on pure hatred.
He swipes at me with his right hand while his left stays immobile by his side. At least we’re evenly matched, neither of us able to use one of our arms.
I flinch backward and he misses and I’m hard against the wall. A stray piece of metal on the entrance to the garbage chute pokes my back and reminds me I’ve got an escape route.
Giving everything I’ve got I push with my legs and launch myself backwards into the chute. Jameson grabs at me again, this time connecting with my clothes.
It’s enough to pull me up short and I’m half in and half out of the chute. I push myself backwards to fall into the chute and it works.
Jameson keeps his grip on me and suddenly he’s the only thing keeping me from falling.
“This ends now,” he says through gritted teeth.
He’s only got the one working arm so I don’t know what is his plan is. If he lets me fall, it’s what I want to do anyway. His only option is to pull me back into the room.
When he pulls me back towards him I reach out with my bad arm and brace myself against the steel wall of the chute. Pain screams through my arm but I don’t care. I push back against him with everything I’ve got.
He’s stronger though, and he’s slowly pulling me forward. In the darkness inside the chute I hadn’t noticed, but I’m being pulled closer to a piece of twisted metal right in my eye line. If he pulls me any closer, I’ll be impaled on it.
With my good hand I lash out at Jameson, scratching at the exposed muscles on his neck. He doesn’t register the pain. His nerve endings must not have finished being cloned.
I dig my fingers into the muscle and squeeze but still nothing. If anything it spurs him on and he pulls harder. I can almost feel the metal touching my eye, it’s that close.
The weight of the bag tugs at my arm and I get an idea. I let go of Jameson’s neck and sling the bag around to where I can reach it.
The heft of the metal brick we pulled from the subway fills my hand, and with one quick motion I whip it out of the bag and smash it into Jameson’s forehead.
His strength weakens and I inch my way back from the metal threatening to poke my eye out. He staggers a little and whips his head violently from side to side as if shaking away the pain.
Blood oozes from his forehead and runs down his face.
His eyes burn with an insane fury as he glares at me through dripping blood. Without waiting another second I slam the brick into his head again. It leaves a sickening dent in his forehead.
I smash the brick into his head one more time and this time he teeters forward, pushing me further into the chute.
He’s still conscious, but barely. His eyes are almost closed but his grip on my shirt is like iron.
Trying to regain my balance I slap the brick against the side of the chute and the magnets grab the metal. I hold onto it with everything I’ve got but my broken shoulder is shooting pain through my body to the point of making me want to pass out.
Without warning my head droops and I’m surely seconds from passing out. My hand slips against the brick and it twists on its base.
A voice comes from within it and says, “Mine Activated”.
I shake my head, trying to keep myself awake. With my free hand I grab at Jameson’s wrist holding me and pull it as hard as I can.
He puts up barely any resistance, but he somehow keeps his grip on my shirt.
I pry my fingers under his but they remain locked tight. As a last ditch effort I pull his hand to my mouth and bite down as hard as I can.
That does the job and he lets go of me. With nothing holding me back I let myself fall into the darkness of the garbage chute.
I throw a final punch at his head as I fall and it connects with a satisfying crunch. He falls forward until he’s hanging halfway into the chute, unconscious.
As I rocket down the chute, a deafening explosion fills my ears as the metal brick explodes above me. Gray foam engulfs the small space but I’m too far down for it to reach me.
The last thing I do before I pass out is break out into a huge smile. There’s no way in hell he’s not encased in the rock-solid foam.
When my eyes next open I’m greeted with the grinning face of Kara, and the overwhelming stench of garbage.
“Wake up girl, you made it!” she says enthusiastically.
Every part of my body hurts. I’m glad I passed out before exiting the chute if the pain in my shoulder is anything to judge by.
I can barely move so I stay lying where I am on the floor inside the garbage drone.
“It’s over,” I say to Kara. “He’s dead.”
“What the hell kept you? I’ve been worried sick.”
“Jameson. He grabbed me before I entered the chute. Right now he’s encased in that rock hard stuff they filled the subway with.”
Kara caresses my cheek. The warmth of her palm makes my skin tingle and I’ve never been happier to be alive.
She leans down and presses her lips hard against mine. A whimper escapes me as she leans on me, but when she moves to pull away I grab her with my one good arm and pull her back to me.
There’s no way I’m
letting a little pain stop this moment.
24 - Blinded
After lying on the floor of the garbage drone for a while the aches and pains in my body subside enough to where I can get to my feet.
My broken shoulder continues to throb endlessly sending a sickening queasiness to my stomach.
“Come on,” Kara says soothingly. “Let’s get out of this stinking drone and into some fresh air.”
The side hatch to the garbage drone bursts open followed by a loud flash and bang. I’m blinded and my ears ring to the point of drowning out any other noise.
I can faintly make out people yelling and running in. My eyesight clears a little and there’s a man holding a gun to my face. He’s dressed in police clothing and screaming at me but the ringing in my ears is too loud.
He pushes the gun closer towards me and I get the idea. I raise my one good hand above my head and drop to my knees. Kara does the same.
Someone runs around from behind the guy holding the gun to my head, waving her arms around frantically at him and the others. She moves between us and the guns, still waving them away.
The ringing in my ears dies down and I can start to hear what she’s saying.
“Stand down, you’ve no idea who she is.”
“Who is she?” the man who had held his gun in my face demands.
“She’s Echo Fox, and if our reports are correct, she’s now head of FTW.”
There’s a slight hesitation but finally she wins them over. The guns being trained on us are lowered, and everyone looks to relax.
“Echo, do you remember me? I’m Libby, we’ve met before.”
Now everything has calmed down I can see her properly.
“Of course, Libby. I’m so glad you’re here,” I say, and she extends a hand to help me to my feet.
I hold my hand down for Kara to let her know everything’s okay and help her stand. I link my arm with Kara’s and pull her close, making it crystal-clear to everyone she isn’t a threat.
“Libby,” I say looking her directly in the eyes. “I’ve got a request if you don’t mind.”
Boneyards & Badlands: The Complete FTW Series Page 12