Lightning (28 page)

Within fifteen minutes Selah's body had healed enough that they could stand her on her feet.

The girl looked at her, uncertain. “Are you sure you're ready to go? It usually takes a couple of days to feel strong enough to walk. We were going to litter-carry you if necessary.”

“I'm going to be fine, but we have to leave.” Selah tested her hip. It held her weight. It was quite sore, but she was standing. She bent and picked up the pulse disruptor.

“Oh, that won't work for you,” the girl said.

“Why not?” Selah asked as she pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. She pulled it again. Nothing.

The girl smiled. “That's why that idiot holding it didn't use it. He could have done better using it as a club.”

“Why won't it work?” Selah looked it over for any obvious damage but saw none.

“They're keyed to TF technology. If you aren't wearing a uniform or accessories with TF signatures, it won't fire.”

“Give it here,” Treva said, motioning with her hand. Selah handed it to her.

Treva fired off four pulses at an evergreen bush, making it ever dead.

The girl's mouth opened in a perfect circle. “How did you do that?” She looked genuinely excited at the prospect of firing the weapon.

Treva held out her ComTex. “TF technology. We're supposed to meet our support team at Duncan and Marrow, but we heard TFs had a showdown with Green security. Do you know if it was a unit at Duncan?”

The girl thought for a second.

Selah's pulse pounded in her throat.
Please don't let it be Bodhi who was
hurt.

12 Hours to Egress

Selah still worried about Bodhi even though the girl said his team hadn't been the one attacked. With all the firepower she'd experienced in the Mountain, she still feared the worst. His safety came high on her list of wants. Without Bodhi and Mojica, she had little chance of saving her family from Varro and Jaenen, especially if Varro had the backup forces from Bethany Everling that Cleon had seen while in captivity.

“Help me understand,” Selah said to Treva as they walked. The limp from her hip had slowed them down considerably, but the pain diminished steadily. “I grew up believing the Mountain was some idyllic society that achieved utopia and we peasants should learn to emulate it. From what I've seen this time, in some ways it's worse than the life I had in Dominion.”

“The Mountain has achieved perfection as far as no one
going hungry or without a job, housing, or essentials, but that's where the wall comes down. Class distinction is a part of life,” Treva said.

Selah took note of where they were. At night with no fake sun for illumination, it was hard to get her bearings. Yes, there were fake stars and a moon, but they were in the wrong place according to the sky outside. She had noticed most of the inside mimicked the outside, including time of day and weather. So this difference in star charts was jarring.

“So there are rich people and poor people?” she asked.

Treva snickered. “Not so much rich and poor as occupationally challenged.”

Selah stopped and looked at her. “What does that mean?”

“It means that people with jobs like scientists and top-school instructors don't usually hang around with oil and gas drillers or farmers,” Treva said.

They turned the last corner of the section and stopped. When they crossed the road, they'd be out of Conti's Trac and into someone else's domain. The girl wouldn't tell them who the boss was because she said he would rather kill outsiders than talk to them.

Cleon had been walking ahead, but he stopped when they did. “Are we crossing or waiting for traffic to go by?”

Selah sighed at his humor. “We had a chance to relax the last couple of sections with our shadows watching over us, but when we cross this road, we're back on our own.”

Cleon looked up at the buildings surrounding them. “Are they really up there? Or did they just tell us that to get rid of us?”

Selah raised a finger. “Watch.” She put two fingers in her mouth and emitted a whistle shrill enough to wake a dog in Dominion. An arrow streaked by their location and thunked into a nearby tree. The fletching on the arrow vibrated to a stop.

Cleon ducked and moved ten feet away. “That's why you and that girl had your heads together. You could have warned me first.”

“Yeah, that would have saved me a lot of vigilance,” Mari said. “I didn't trust they would be there for us.”

“I confess, I thought the same way. That's why I didn't say anything. I was hoping but not convinced. Now that we're about to leave their territory, I'm convinced.” Selah shook her head, raised her hand to wave goodbye to the air, and limped across the street with her crew.

“Before we start getting shot or attacked again, tell me why all these people are so hostile. They live in utopia, for crying out loud,” Selah said.

“Do you remember the history of the United States?” Treva stayed close to Selah and watched her surroundings.

Cleon groaned. “Don't we have enough problems without you teaching Study Square?”

“Study Square?” Treva wrinkled her nose as though she smelled an odor.

Selah waved a hand. “Ignore him. He's talking about school. Yes, I remember the history. That was my favorite part of our studies.”

“Think of the Mountain as the United States, each of the Courts as a state, and each of the Tracs as a town. History
showed most of the United States never got along.” Treva waved her hands. “And neither do any of these. They're just stuck a little closer together, space-wise.”

“When people don't learn from their mistakes, they're sure going to make them all over again. I guess that could go on—” Mari gasped and pointed to a figure halfway down the next section. “See the way that man walks?”

The other three slowed and observed.

“With his right arm much farther away from his body,” Selah said.

“Security people walk like that because they're used to keeping their arm from brushing the weapon on their hip.” Cleon started moving a little faster toward the man.

“It's a giveaway because it becomes a habit, and they do it even when they're not wearing their weapon.” Mari pulled Cleon back. “Stop.” She turned to Selah. “That man is one of them. He was with Jaenen.”

“He's probably one of Bethany Everling's security, out of uniform so he doesn't get spotted by the Politicos,” Treva said.

“We have to keep up with him,” Cleon said. “I know where I was held, but Father split me and Mother up when he saw us talking too much. If this man goes where Father is, then Mother must be nearby.”

“We have to use stealth, like when I'm tracking deer,” Mari said as she motioned them to the other side of the road. “Keep a tree between you and him at all times, whether on our side or his side of the road.”

Selah watched Mari work the hunt like Varro had taught her and the boys. She reached Mari and slowed her advance.
“Varro taught us the same, so this guy might be ready for that approach.”

Mari stopped. “Straight point. Anybody got an idea of something he wouldn't think of doing?”

“With it being dark, let's follow along from this distance for a while.” Selah limped slowly down the other side of the street, staying against the buildings. “As long as the man is still in view, we're not losing—”

A hand motioned to her from a doorway three feet ahead.

Selah tried to stop but was stepping forward with her bad hip. She missed the step and nearly threw herself on the street. Bodhi darted from the doorway and caught her mid-fall, cradling her in his arms.

Every moment of the day crashed in on her at once. Selah burst into tears.

Mojica herded them into the open doorway and closed it behind them.

“I didn't know if you were alive, and we couldn't call you because of the stupid Politicos—wait, we saw a guard!” Selah pulled away from Bodhi and tried to run to the door. He held her arms and she tried to pry his fingers off. “We have to go! The guy is walking down the other side of the street. He'll get away.”

“I know,” Bodhi said, still holding her arms. “We've been here since five o'clock this afternoon when you were due. We're watching the commerce rental spaces Bethany Everling loaned Varro and his crew for trading inside the Mountain. We couldn't converge because no one knew when you'd show up or what we might cause you to walk into.”

Selah grabbed his arm. “You found Mother?”

“Better than that. We found all of them in one spot. Apparently all is not happy in Bethany-land, and she's told Varro to get his crews out of the Mountain in twenty-four hours.”

“We probably know why,” Selah said sheepishly. “We rescued Mari from Bethany and Varro, and we sort of dropped into their laps and had to beat them up and run away.”

Selah watched Bodhi and waited for the explosion. It was like he'd sucked all the air from the room.

Bodhi ran both hands through his hair. His face went crimson. He bit down on his lip, probably to keep from yelling, and walked away.

Mojica grinned and shrugged, giving Selah a wink. “News story of the hour—Varro is planning on moving his operation to another part of the Mountain. Seems he found a new benefactor.” Mojica motioned for Mari and Treva to accompany her to the operations layout.

“Why would he need a new benefactor? He's paid back my dowry. This should be over,” Selah said to Cleon, grateful to Mojica for trying to defuse Bodhi.

“Mother was afraid for you to know the whole story because it might lead you into more danger. But I don't know how much
more
danger there could be,” Cleon said.

Selah kept an eye on Bodhi's location so she'd know when it was safe to talk. She didn't need him hearing of her recklessness. “I need to know it all. We're leaving Varro and Jaenen in this Mountain. I want to leave this pain here too. Tell me!” She stood straight, noticing that most of the pain in her hip joint had dissipated.

“She's just coming to grips with it herself, but she told me what she found out about Varro's past.” Cleon ran his hand through his hair and looked at Selah with a pained expression. “He's been planning to sell you since your birth. He knew Glade was your real father this whole time. Somehow they gave Mother leads on Glade's direction that would bring her across Varro's path after Glade was captured in the Mountain.”

Selah tipped her head. “Who is
they
?”

Cleon dropped his eyes. “Father, Simeon Kingston, and a bunch of their friends are a renegade faction of the First Protocol, and they're trying to use this power you have for themselves.”

Selah stood frozen to the spot. Her whole life. He had lied her whole life. Tears puddled in her eyes. She pushed them back defiantly.

A whiff of Bodhi's fragrant soap drifted to her. His arms wrapped around her waist from behind. She leaned back into his broad chest and crossed her arms, sliding her hands over his.

“I'm so sorry,” Bodhi whispered in her ear. “I didn't have any idea this could date back that far.”

Selah squeezed her eyes shut. He'd heard. She hoped he would understand that she had to see this through and not be off in a corner, protected. She turned, burying her head in Bodhi's chest.

“Okay, folks,” Mojica said, “I just got a communication that our kidnappers are all down for the night, and lights are out. I think we'll give them a sleepytime reality that they'll wish was a dream.” She tapped the appliance in her right ear.

Mari and Treva walked over displaying Mountain hardware.

Selah lifted her head. “Are we going to raid them?”

“
We
are not doing anything. You are staying here. Safe,” Bodhi said.

Selah looked around. “Who's going to stay here to make sure I stay here?”

Mojica patted Bodhi on the back. “She's got you there. Listen, I've been hearing the chatter all day. These four have been giving Bethany and Green Court fits. You should congratulate each of them. They've earned the right to be part of this operation.” The other three crowded around, explaining to Bodhi all at the same time.

“How have you been communicating?” Selah asked Mojica. “We thought all communications were cut off in Green Court.”

Mojica turned her back to Bodhi and spoke low to Selah. “I have a special frequency for just my team that the Politicos can't control.”

“But we couldn't contact you,” Selah said.

Mojica looked embarrassed. “Listen, I'm sorry I cut Treva's communications, but my spies told me you were acting up and taking down Bethany's crew and the militants. I didn't want Bodhi to demand your presence until you were able to save your friend.”

Selah smiled softly. “Thank you.”

Mojica cleared her throat and turned to address the group. “Let's get this game under way. There are six of us, and Bethany Everling moved her underlings to the other end of the Mountain. So Varro's only got Jaenen and the four men oper
ating his shops. He gathered them together after he got back from Selah and Treva teaching him how to clean the floors.”

Finally things were turning in their favor. Cleon and Mari whooped it up while Treva and Selah smiled broadly and clasped arms. Bodhi remained quiet, but Selah was sure he was working hard at trying not to smile.

Mojica tapped her appliance and turned her head away from the group. She talked for a minute and then turned back to the excited group.

“We have a problem.”