New World Order (33 page)

“
Stop!
” I yelled. I wasn’t going to leave Sunny behind.

“They’ll catch up,” Hayley said.

I was about to protest when Sunny and Reyes sprinted after us. Within seconds, they were jogging alongside the bike, with no trouble keeping up. I really was going to have to get myself one of those suits.

We were almost to the gate when I heard the
whoop whoop whoop
of the Osprey.
 

Sunny

I didn’t want Jack to leave the shield Reyes and I made for him in our exoskeletons, especially to send a signal to an aircraft we weren’t even sure was out there. That had not been the plan. The plan was to find Jack and go home. I’d found Jack, so now it was time to go home. So why was I covering him as he ran to get on the back of Hayley’s bike and make
his way through an angry mob? What if mere seconds after finding him he died, and I didn’t get the chance to tell him he was going to be a father? Things were getting out of control. Specifically, out of
my
control.

Several archers directed their arrows at him, and I directed my pistol at them.

“Sunny,” Reyes said. “We gotta go. The natives are getting the upper hand.”

He was right. They
were inching closer. I watched Jack disappear down the street. He was firing at the crowd. “Ready to run?”

“Are we headed for the gate?”

“Head for the wagons. Summer’s over there and Jack wants me to find a kid named Teegan.”

We took off at the same time, charging at the throng of armed villagers. Reyes fired at the crowd twice, and they parted, giving us a pathway out. I decided not to
use my gun unless I had to, preferring to trust the impact resistance of my suit and the enhanced speed it gave me.

We emerged from the throng to a more alarming scene. The bears were in a rage, standing on their hind legs, swatting people with paws bigger than the average man’s head. The wooden carts they were harnessed to were breaking apart under the strain. Summer was in the back of one
of the wagons trying to keep her balance as she cut Talon loose. Naoki was already free and busy relieving an archer of his bow.

“Summer!” I said to Reyes, pointing to her.

The handlers had abandoned the animals and most people had barricaded themselves behind closed doors, so there were few obstacles in our way once we reached the wagon. The deep, throaty roar of the bears was so loud and
powerful it vibrated through me. One of the back wheels of the cart Summer was in had broken off, and it listed to one side.

“Let’s get all the prisoners loose,” I said to Reyes. I climbed into the wagon with Summer and Reyes took off toward the other wagon. I pulled out my knife and started cutting the other prisoners loose.

“Where’s Jack?” Talon asked.

“He headed toward that big chimney
with Hayley,” I said.

As soon as his hands were free, Talon jumped down from the wagon and picked up a discarded bow and some spent arrows from the ground.

I looked down the street to the gate, where the rest of our team had gained control over the walkway at the top of the fence. Jin-Sook and Eli were on one side, sending arrows at anyone who approached. Zach was on the other side with his
semiautomatic. I looked around for Jack, but he still wasn’t back. Naoki had a few villagers on the run.

“Naoki!” I called. He turned to look at me. “Jin-Sook and Eli are at the gate and could use some help.”

“Jin’s here?” Naoki yelled. I nodded. “Talon, let’s go!” They set off for the gate.

“Is that everyone?” Summer asked.

I cut the last prisoner loose, and we all leapt from the wagon
before it was completely torn apart by the bears.

“Jack wanted me to find a little girl,” I said.

“
Now?
” Summer asked.

The perimeter around the panicking bears was clear of people, and I was able to have a good look around. But I couldn’t imagine a little girl staying with the wagons.

I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled, “Teegan
,”
several times as I turned in a circle. I didn’t
even know what the girl looked like or why she was important to Jack. Lots of kids had run home with their parents. Why didn’t this girl?

Reyes hopped out of the other wagon, all the prisoners now cut loose. “What are you doing
?
Get to the gate.”

“Hey,” Summer said, tapping my arm with the back of her hand. “Is that her?”

A girl emerged from behind a small house on the corner of the street.
She was a tiny little wisp of a girl, with a mass of matted dark curls and filthy clothes made of animal skins.

“Teegan?” I asked as I walked toward her. “Jack told me to find you.”

Big round eyes stared at me from a face dominated by a bright red cross on her cheek. I squatted down in front of her to get a better look. A spidery web of veins traveled away from the burn and fanned one side
of her face.

“Sunny, we gotta go,” Summer said. Reyes was beside us now, and they both had their pistols drawn and were looking nervously around us.

The girl plucked at a few strands of my hair that had escaped from my hood. “Are you Sunset?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I said, kind of surprised she knew my name. “I’m a friend of Jack’s. He wanted you to come with me. Are you okay with that?”

“Is he coming too?”

“He better be,” I said, looking around for him. What was taking him so long? “Come on.” I held my hand out for hers.

“Do we head for the gate now?” Summer asked.

“I’m not leaving without Jack,” I said. “We came all this way—where the hell is he?”

“Look,” Summer said, pointing to the sky. Thick black smoke billowed up.

The sound of a shutter scraping open drew our attention,
and an arrow came racing toward us. Whirling Teegan around in front of me, I used my back as a shield. Summer cursed and fired at the window.

“I’ll go help them,” Reyes said. “You three get to the gate.”

“No way,” I said and handed Teegan over to Summer. “Please take her, and we’ll be there as soon as we can.”

Summer picked up the girl. “You have three minutes before I come looking for
you.”

“Deal,” I said.

Reyes and I sprinted to the street that led to the big stone chimney. There weren’t a lot of people around anymore; most had already sought refuge in the safety of their homes. But a few brave souls with weapons were trying to stop Jack and Hayley as they gunned their way down the street against the backdrop of a tall, thick column of black smoke rising into the sky.
Reyes and I shot at a few open windows to deter the archers there from loosing their arrows.

We waited for Jack and Hayley to pass us before we made our own getaway. And just before I turned away, I thought I saw a speck in the sky over by the distant mountains. I paused, squinting to see if it might be something… or just a bird. The sound of Jack yelling “Stop!” at Hayley got me moving again.

“Let’s go,” Reyes said, yanking my arm.

We ran and caught up, flanking the bike on either side to shield Jack and Hayley from any projectiles that were hurled our way. Most of the archers had taken cover in buildings by now, but as we made our way toward the gate, the street behind us started filling up with armed men again. I pointed my pistol behind me and fired a few warning shots.

The
gates were wide open, the bikes still there.

I chanced a look behind us. Now that our backs were turned and we were on the run toward the gates, the villagers were getting brave and coming after us again. The immediate problem was going to be holding them off during the time it was going to take to get the bikes out of the back of the wagon and everyone on them. The only way we could do it
was to close the gates once we were through and shoot down any archers that got up to the walkway at the top of the fence. In fact, anyone not wearing a suit was going to be vulnerable to attack until we were clear of arrow range. Reyes, Summer, and I were going to have to hang back and protect their rear.

That whirring, buzzing noise was back, only this time it was accompanied by a
whoop whoop
whoop
. I scanned the horizon where I’d seen a speck a few minutes ago and noted that the speck was getting bigger. And it had wings.
 

Jack

I’d know the sound of the AV-22 Osprey anywhere. Ted had spent every day of the past ten months in a simulator learning to fly it, and I had visited him frequently. The Osprey was truly a stunning piece of engineering.
It had the takeoff, landing, and hovering abilities of a helicopter, but the wings could rotate to give it the speed of an airplane. Since the wings could be folded and tucked away, allowing it to fit into a small place, it was one of the few aircraft that had been stored inside the Dome.

And it was a beautiful sight to see as it sped toward us.

“Sunny,” I said in a raised voice. She was
running beside our bike as we raced toward the gate. “Get your pack and fire off a flare when we get to the gate.”

“Okay.” She glanced behind her. “Watch your back.”

I turned around to see armed villagers chasing us down. If they had taken the time to remuster, get better organized, and dip their arrows in devil’s blood, then they wouldn’t have to shoot to kill. They could hit any part of
our bodies and we’d drop into unconsciousness. As we approached the gate, I recognized Jin-Sook, Naoki, and Talon on the guard’s walkway at the top of the fence. They climbed down when they saw us coming.

We drove through the gates, and I watched Sunny actually spring off the ground, sail through the air, and land in the back of the wagon. The bears were spooked, but they weren’t as panic-stricken
as the animals inside the compound. Sunny pointed the flare gun at the sky and fired off two flares.

“Get the gates closed!” Hayley yelled.

Sunny sent up two more flares. Reyes was swinging the gate shut. Arrows flew through the narrow opening, and a knife lodged in the wood. I aimed the rifle at them and fired a round, knowing if archers reached the fence they would gain high ground on the
platform.

The drone of the Osprey was loud, and I turned to see it bearing down on our location. Wings spread wide, it swooped low, rotor blades whipping the ground below into dust devils. The first two archers had just climbed to the top of the fence when the Osprey passed overhead, almost blowing them off the narrow walkway.

The bears reared, sending Sunny flying out of the wagon. I ran
to her.

She was just getting up when I reached her. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Fine.”

The animals railed against their harness with enough force to break the wagon wheels. The wagon tilted, and the bikes and a couple of backpacks slid out onto the ground. The bears bolted, dragging the broken wagon behind them.

The Osprey rounded on New Canon, the side door open and someone hanging
out sending a spray of bullets at the men on the other side of the fence. The aircraft swept the entire length of the compound and kept going. I watched it head toward the tree line, still flying low.

“Pull up, Ted,” I said.

“What’s he doing?” Sunny asked.

He was heading straight for the trees. “
Pull up!
”

Sunny was putting a hand over her eyes just as the plane turned its nose up. It
looked like the belly clipped the tops of a few trees, but it kept flying and gained altitude then turned back toward us. The Osprey slowed as it approached us, the wings rotating to reposition the rotors straight up, and finally began its descent. It set down a little too close, kicking up dirt and small rocks, and we had to put our arms up to protect our faces. Once it was on the ground, the engines
shut off, and the wind stopped. It got a lot quieter too.

Reyes had closed the gate, but there was no way to keep it closed on this side of the fence. The lock was on the inside.

“Go,” Reyes said. “I’ll hold it in case they’re stupid enough to come out.”

Sunny stepped away from me. “Get everyone in the plane. I’ll go help Reyes.”

I grabbed her arm before she could walk away. “No, you
won’t. You’ll get on the aircraft.”

She took my face in both her hands and kissed me. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

“Sunny!”

“I have my suit on, I’ll be okay. You go get Teegan. She looks terrified.”

She pulled her arm free from my grip and took off toward Reyes. I started after her, but Teegan’s sobs made me stop and change direction. As much as I hated Sunny putting herself in danger,
she was well protected in that suit whereas Teegan was alone and scared. I went and picked her up.

“Hayley,” I called out. She turned and looked at me. “I don’t want to leave the bikes behind for Ryder. There’s no telling what that nut-job will do with them. Let’s see if we can fit them on the plane.”

I scanned the top of the fence. No one was there. I imagined that most people were in their
homes, terrified and with their doors bolted. When was the last time these skies had seen an aircraft? It probably looked like an alien invasion to them.

“Are you ready for an adventure?” I asked Teegan as I headed toward the Osprey.

She was looking at the Osprey in horror. “No,” she said, shaking her head.

“There’s medicine on the plane that’s going to help you.”

She fussed and squirmed
but was weak enough with fever not to protest too strongly. Naoki was standing in the open back of the Osprey, and I passed her to him then turned to go back for Sunny. But she, Summer and Reyes were on their way, bringing the last three bikes with them. I noticed one man peeking over the fence, but he didn’t attempt to shoot at us. I fired at him just in case he got any ideas.

Sunny wrapped
her arms around me as soon as she set the bike down. I hugged her close, and a lump lodged in my throat. When I felt my eyes prick with tears, I shut them tight, pulled her hood down, and hid my face in her hair.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” I whispered. She nodded, her face still pressed against my neck. I could feel the dampness of her tears. “I missed you so much.”