Blackout (25 page)

She took a deep breath, and then pointed in the direction of the car.

“They’ll follow me,” Aubrey said.

FIFTY-SIX

LAURA SAID THAT DAN HAD
a storage shed in Southern California that would be the closest place to hide out. Jack drove, completely silent other than a few glances at Aubrey. At one point he thought he heard her say, “I’m scared,” but it was too muffled by her raspy voice to be sure.

Dan was more than Jack had expected, but he should have thought about it. Dan was a Lambda 5M—that had been in the file Aubrey had read, and a 5 was just like Laura. They were both powerful weapons.

It was getting late, and Aubrey asked Jack to pull the car into the parking lot of a gas station. There was a big spray-painted sign out front that read “No Gas,” but Aubrey insisted she needed to go to the bathroom and get something to eat.

She took his hand before getting out, and pulled him across the car toward her. He wasn’t expecting it at all, but she kissed him on the lips and then on the cheek.

“Listen.” One word, breathed beside his ear.

He sat behind the wheel and watched her walk away. Laura and Dan were in the back, talking about something on the smartphone. Jack wasn’t focused on it—all his attention was on Aubrey. Every footstep, the tiny grains of concrete rubbing under her shoe, the wisp of her fleece sleeves as they drew back and forth, the rapid beating of her heart, the unsteady, nervous inhalation of air.

“They’re not who they say they are,” she said, disappearing through a creaky door into the bathroom. “You should have seen the way that Dan killed that kid—he didn’t care at all. He seemed proud of it.

“And remember what Laura told you about how she got caught? She was hitchhiking, alone, and was in a car accident at a bridge collapse, down on I-70. And the military records said Dan was caught up by Price. But when I told Dan that I was with Laura, he seemed surprised she was alive. He said, ‘I didn’t think she survived.’ How would he know that she was in an accident unless he was with her?

“They’re lying, Jack,” Aubrey continued. “I don’t know about what, but something isn’t right. I don’t think we want to be with them. But I don’t know how to get away. I mean, I can, but can I get you away? They’d both have to be asleep.”

Jack turned to Laura and Dan. “I’m going to grab a drink. You guys want anything?”

“I’ll take anything—donuts or chips or something,” Dan said. “I’m so sick of those MREs.”

“Just a bottle of water for me,” Laura said. “Power bars, if they have them.”

Jack stepped out of the car.

“I don’t know who they are, Jack,” Aubrey said. “They might be terrorists. Think about it—they knew each other from before, they’re both superpowerful. And that Alec guy. I don’t know what the deal is with him, but when I was with him I swore I knew him. I swore we were old friends. I don’t know if that’s some kind of power, but it fits the whole profile, doesn’t it? Three terrorist teenagers, all together and aware of their powers before the government cracked down.”

Jack was in the store now, looking through the bottles of soda. The selection was small, as if they hadn’t had a shipment in weeks, and the drinks cost nearly six dollars a bottle.

“Anyway,” Aubrey said. “I just think we need to be careful.” He could hear a smile in her voice. “Now quit listening, Jack. I’m in the restroom.” She laughed.

Jack put the food on the counter and waited for the cashier to ring it up.

“You can’t talk like that,” Laura whispered. “He can hear you.”

Dammit. He’d missed something.

The cashier began making small talk about a storm coming in off the Pacific. Jack replied awkwardly, trying to listen to the car.

All he could hear now was the electric clicks of typing on the smartphone. They were hiding information from him.

Aubrey emerged from the bathroom just as Jack took the bag of snack foods from the counter. It had cost a whopping thirty-eight dollars, but Jack guessed it didn’t matter. They were still spending money from someone else’s wallet.

“I agree,” Jack said, as they walked out of the convenience store. “They’re writing on the smartphone so I won’t hear. We have to get away from them.” He paused to kiss her again before reaching the car. He looked into her eyes. “We have to wait for them both to sleep. They’re too powerful for us.”

Jack cracked open a packet of Tylenol and took the pills with a swig of Mountain Dew. The pure sugar was almost overwhelming, but the store was out of bottled water.

“You want me to drive?” Aubrey asked.

“How are your eyes?”

“As good as they get. I can take over for an hour or so.”

They climbed back in the car.

“Where are we going?” Aubrey asked immediately, opening the paper map that had been in the glove compartment.

Dan turned to Laura. “Where’s the closest stash?”

“Take I-5 into San Diego,” Laura said. “I’ll give you directions from there.”

Jack leaned back in the passenger seat, watching the road ahead of them in the darkness. Aubrey seemed to be doing fine with driving, so he didn’t mind relaxing his head a little bit. He lowered the headrest as far as it would go and slumped in his seat.

He could hear the clicking in the backseat. It wasn’t stopping.

They had to do something.

His view outside was blocked by a little glare from inside the car. He could see through it, but it was annoying.

He shifted his head to figure out what it was. The skin along his scalp throbbed as he moved.

And there it was, as plain as day.

The screen of the smartphone was reflecting off the back window and onto the front window. He didn’t even have to transpose the letters—it was being written out for him as clear as if the phone were in his own hands.

What’s in San Diego?

We’re supposed to go after military next, right? San Diego has a HUGE naval base. Subs. Carriers. Everything.

And we can do anything about that? We’re 2 people.

Hang on.

Laura took the phone from him and looked up a map. Jack could see every detail—he saw the glow of Laura’s finger as she pointed out the Coronado Naval Base, the enormous bay that held a hundred ships, in the satellite photo. And then she pointed to a narrow channel. She tapped on it, and then pointed to some land to the west. It read “Point Loma.”

She closed the map and resumed typing.

Dude, it’ll be your biggest score ever. There’s only 1 way in and out of that naval base and it’s that little channel.

That “little” channel is half a mile wide. Didn’t u look at the scale?

☸ That’s the best part. Point Loma is a massive rock—way tall. IDK how you do your stuff, but u get up there on that thing and knock the whole damn point into the water, houses and everything.

Seriously?

Look at the map again. Look up Point Loma. It’s gonna be AWESOME. Alec will freak.

Wow.

For your mother and mine.

Dan took the phone and switched back to the map.

They didn’t type anymore, and now that they weren’t holding the phone between them, Dan’s head blocked the reflection.

“How much longer are we looking at?” Jack asked. “I’ve never been down here.”

“The last sign said seventy miles,” Aubrey answered.

“Where’s that map?” he asked, digging around in the footwell. It was the only reason he was asking about the distance.

He found the map of California, and a close-up of San Diego.

“I’ve always wanted to go to the zoo,” he said, trying to sound casual. “Probably not on this trip.” He turned back to look at Laura and smiled. She gave him a half smile in return.

The map was clear, and Laura had been right. The naval base was huge. Miles and miles across, with dozens of major piers—room for hundreds of boats.

Jack didn’t know what enemy he had sitting in his backseat, but they wanted to stop the military. They wanted to freeze them in their tracks.

And after seeing what Dan did to downtown San Francisco, Jack had no doubt that he could obliterate Point Loma, turning it into a massive avalanche that would tumble down into the narrow channel and block every single boat in the harbor.

FIFTY-SEVEN

THEY ARRIVED IN SAN DIEGO
to find the city under a rough lockdown. Aubrey drove through roadblock after roadblock, and though everyone eventually let them pass, she was almost wishing that they wouldn’t. Jack had exchanged enough worried glances with her that she knew he was onto something. Maybe turning themselves in would be the best course of action. They’d be arrested, but they wouldn’t get shot. Hopefully.

Unless Laura and Dan turned on the military at the roadblocks, which they almost certainly would. They were on the run, trying to do something wrong—Aubrey didn’t know what yet—but it had to be criminal. She’d completely given up on the lie that there was any secret stash of supplies somewhere. Aubrey and Jack were transporting fugitives.

Aubrey and Jack were fugitives, too. But maybe they could get some leniency. They didn’t know what the others were planning.

But it would be their word against the army. During a time of war.

How much longer could they run?

Laura steered them through the city. Streets were blocked with heavy cement road barricades to prevent cars from going in a straight line, and the skies were patrolled by helicopters. Aubrey’s eyes were getting tired and blurry.

“Can we pull over, guys?” she asked.

“We’re not far,” Laura said, “and then we can get out and relax.”

Aubrey nodded, and tried to keep her eyes on the road. They were going through residential neighborhoods, climbing a hill in the darkness. She couldn’t see much else besides what was right in front of her.

Jack took her hand. The sky might have been getting lighter in the west. Was it morning already? She needed sleep.

They continued on a few more blocks, and through another, even tighter roadblock. Laura had the story this time—that she had a grandma up here. Aubrey had no idea if it was true, but Laura gave the name and the soldier waved them through.

“Okay,” Laura said, sounding plenty awake. “We need to make sure that the site isn’t compromised. Aubrey, can you come with me?”

“Hey,” Aubrey said sincerely. “I can barely see. I need to close my eyes for a little while.” She pulled the car over to the side of a wooded street.

That seemed to throw Laura for a loop, but she thought for only a few moments before patting Jack on the shoulder. “You and me, ’kay?”

Aubrey and Jack kissed, and she was sure he said something to her, but she was too tired to understand the words. As nervous as she was around Dan, she leaned back and closed her eyes. She didn’t dare fall asleep, but she needed her strength. If Dan tried to hurt her, she could disappear, but only if she had the energy.

“You get tired?” she asked him. “I swear, this virus . . .”

“I used to. Not so much anymore,” he said. He sounded nervous. “The doctor back at the base gave me some pills.”

“I wish there were pills for sleepiness.” She opened her eye and looked at him. “I mean, aside from meth or something.”

He laughed.

“So you can turn invisible?”

“I can,” she said. “With limits.”

“Pretty awesome.”

“You know what I used to do with it?” She was talking now mostly to keep herself awake.

“What?”

“Shoplift. That was my big contribution to society.”

“Like, steal jewelry?”

“Nope,” she said, enjoying the reclined seat. “Just crap. Clothes. I stole school supplies, if you can imagine it. Pens. Paper. Notebooks. I always really wanted to have a nice stapler, so I stole one.”

He laughed. “Rebel.”

“As bad as they come. Who would have thought we’d end up here?”

He paused. “Where?”

“Running from the army,” she said, suddenly a little more alert. He was testing her.

“What do you think we should do next?” he said. “I mean, I know what Laura thinks. What do you think?”

“I don’t know,” Aubrey said, shaking her head. “Maybe go to Mexico. Maybe something else.”

“Don’t you have a family back home?”

“I have a dad,” she said. “Who sold me and Jack out for beer money. I’m in no hurry to see him.”

“What about Jack?”

“He has family. Well, parents.”

“That’s not what I mean,” Dan said. “I mean, is Jack like family?”

She paused. She wasn’t expecting that question, especially not from someone like Dan.

“I . . . I don’t know. I mean, yes, I think. The closest thing I have.” She turned in her seat. “What about you? Family?”

“My old man was from Denver,” he said. “But he died a couple years ago.” Aubrey had read something like that in Dan’s military file—that he was from Denver.

“What about your mom?”

“My mother?” he asked, with a little smile. “Old. I don’t see her much—haven’t seen her in years. She didn’t like the way my dad was raising me.”

“She in Denver, too?”

“No,” he said. “Chicago.”

Aubrey sat upright in her seat.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Haven’t you heard?”

Dan’s face went pale. “Heard what?”

“Where’s the smartphone?”

“Laura took it with her.”

“You need to find a computer,” Aubrey said, opening the car door. It was dark, and she was incredibly shaky on her feet, but she pointed to the house in front of them. Dan was out the door and at her side, holding her up by the elbow.

“What happened to Chicago?”

“It’s not good.”

Dan almost carried her the remaining steps up the path. The house was completely dark, and as Dan strode forward the cement porch buckled upward, splintering the wooden door in half.

A man in his underwear ran out into the living room.

“What are you doing?”

“Where’s your computer?” Dan demanded.

“We’re not going to hurt you,” Aubrey said. “Please tell us where it is.”

“I have cash,” the man said. “Just leave us alone.”

“Tell us where the computer is,” Dan shouted.

The man pointed down the hall.

Dan almost ran, leaving Aubrey to rely on the walls to support herself. She got to the room just as the start-up screen began to glow.

“It’s not good,” Aubrey said again.

“It’s the third-biggest city in the country,” he said, seething. “Second-biggest financial district. Second-largest labor pool.”

“What are you talking about?” Aubrey sat down in a chair behind him. She heard the man in the other room calling the police.

“Kraft Foods, McDonald’s, Motorola, Sears, United Airlines, Abbott Labs. Railroads. Ports. Tech companies.”

He opened a browser and began typing into the search bar.

“It was supposed to be off-limits. It was supposed to be off-limits.”

The pictures were worse than Aubrey had feared. The entire city was on fire. A thousand columns of smoke all merging into one.

“That bastard,” Dan seethed, his teeth clenched. “It was supposed to be off-limits.” He smashed his hand into the end table, punching the wood over and over until it had broken and his hand was a mess of blood and cuts.

He went back to the search engine, his blood dripping on the keyboard. He pulled up a blog.

It was purple lettering on a pink background: “Susie’s Musings.”

The posts were all short, and he scrolled through them, his finger leaving a red dribble down the screen.

“There it is,” he said, leaning back in the chair. “I try to save his worthless life, and this is how he repays me.”

Aubrey read over Dan’s shoulder.

User: SusieMusie

Mood: Pissed off

Have you ever seen that movie Chicago? Erica = Roxie, and Sara = Velma. Both should be locked up ASAP. They’re both crazy and they deserve each other. They are a severe, SEVERE pain in my butt.

He smacked the screen, leaving a handprint. “Seventh word is the target. Eighteenth word is the time frame. Thirty-first word is additional notes. Chicago, ASAP, severe.”

“What does that mean?” Aubrey said, but Dan was up out of his chair. He pushed past the bewildered man and charged back out the front door. The man tried to grab Aubrey and she disappeared just long enough to slip from his grasp, then reappeared and ran after Dan.

“Where are they?” Dan said to Aubrey.

“I don’t know.”

“Spray that stuff,” he said. “That perfume.”