Strike (29 page)

“From here on we travel by foot,” Granger commanded into the walkie.

Our truck rumbled as the SYLO soldiers began jumping out. As we got out of the cab I saw all the other vehicles stopped and soldiers quickly unloading.

Granger surveyed his troops then turned to us.

“This is where we part,” he said. “I’d tell you to stay here but I know you won’t.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“For what?”

“For trusting us,” I said.

He raised the walkie to his mouth but I stopped him.

“What about the prisoners?” I asked.

“What about ’em?”

“That nuclear blast from the future could destroy this camp and everybody in it.”

“Can your people help evacuate the prisoners?” Tori asked. “If that door doesn’t close, they’re done.”

“If that door doesn’t close, we’re
all
done,” Granger shot back. He looked at his watch. “Seventeen forty-five. We’ve already been here too long.”

He lifted the walkie and said, “Advance with caution.”

All around us the unit leaders gave the order and hundreds of SYLO soldiers went on the move, tightening the ring around the Retro force.

“I don’t mean to sound callous,” Granger said to us. “I know the danger. The best way I can help them is by securing the dome.”

“I get it,” I said.

“I hope to see you back here,” Granger said.

“If you don’t hurry there may not be a back here to come to,” Kent said.

Granger gave him a quick look. He wasn’t a Kent fan. He motioned for the other men from our truck to move forward.

“Good luck,” Granger said. “Be careful.”

“Yeah,” Kent said sarcastically. “Careful. That’s what this is all about. Being careful. Jeez.”

Granger gave him a sideways look and actually smiled.

“Well done,” he said to us. “Very well done. Now go find your mother.”

With that, he turned and hurried off after his men.

“You be careful now!” Kent called after him.

The three of us stood watching the line of SYLO soldiers sink deeper into the camp. It reminded me of the day they first landed on Pemberwick Island. They invaded our home and became the enemy. Now they were invading the home of the true enemy.

And we were wearing their uniform.

“Follow me,” I said.

“Where are we going?” Kent asked.

“We’ll start at the infirmary. There were Sounders there. Maybe they’ll know where my mom is.”

Tori took off on a run past me. Kent was more hesitant.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing,” he said. “Let’s just make it quick.”

“Why? You got somewhere else to be?”

His answer was to run after Tori.

Olivia grabbed for Pike’s pulser, but Feit raised his own.

“Uh-unh,” he warned.

She backed off.

“I don’t get it,” Feit said. “Do you actually enjoy living in this rancid world? You of all people? I saw how you took to Pemberwick Island. You were so, I don’t know, cool. You could have gone back there to live, you know. You could have lived anywhere you wanted. But instead you gave up and joined these misguided traitors. What’s the point? What do you get out of this?”

“I get to sleep at night.”

Feit laughed. “Yeah, well, not for much longer.” He checked the bomb. “Twelve minutes to be exact. I have to hand it to you guys, though. You Sounders. I like that name, by the way. Who thought that up? Was that you? Nah, you’re just one of the followers. Maybe it was the Colonel here. But I doubt it. She wasn’t all that creative.”

“She figured out how to get this bomb here,” Olivia said. “I’d call that creative.”

Olivia glanced to the floor where Pike’s pulser had fallen off of the palette. So close.

“Ooh, good one,” Feit said. “I have to give you that. We never saw this coming. Did she really think blowing up the dome would stop the invasion?”

“It’s got nothing to do with the dome,” Olivia said. “This is a duplicate of the bomb that opened the Bridge. When it goes off it’s going to reverse whatever physics created the damn tunnel and shut it down.”

The smirk dropped from Feit’s face. He looked around at the dome, as if seeing it in a whole new light.

Olivia took the chance to inch closer to Pike’s pulser.

“Really? That’s . . . just . . . genius!” he declared with genuine awe. “I thought this was just some crude attempt to stop the invasion, but you people actually put some thought into it. And you even got SYLO involved. Awesome. Seriously. Awesome. Nicely done.”

Olivia couldn’t help but smile.

“They did it,” she said, more to herself than to Feit.

“They?” Feit asked.

The light bulb went on and he broke out in a big smile.

“Tucker?”

Feit clapped his hands on his legs as if he’d just heard a great joke.

“Those kids went and got SYLO, didn’t they? That’s incredible. You should see what’s going on back there, it’s a total mess. Bravo. My hat’s off to you.”

Olivia took the chance to inch closer to the pulser.

“I’m glad you’re pleased,” she said.

“Pleased? Not at all. It sucks. But I am impressed. You guys never give up. I admire that. It’s futile, but I still admire it.”

“It’s not futile,” Olivia said. “This bomb is going off. There’s no way to stop it. But we don’t have to die. We can step back through the Bridge and live in the twenty-first century. That’s what you wanted all along, right? You can start over again. You can help mold a new world.”

“Yeah, well that’s where you’re wrong,” Feit said, his laughter dissipating.

“I’m not,” Olivia argued. “In twelve minutes . . . boom.”

Feit checked the device and said, “Eleven minutes, actually. But it’s not going to happen.”

“Yes it will. Unless you have the codes.” Olivia stared right into Feit’s eyes.

Feit smiled and gave an innocent shrug.

It was Olivia’s turn to have the light bulb go on.

“No,” she said with a gasp.

“Well, yeah,” Feit said. “Surprise.”

Olivia dove for the pulser. Feit fired and missed.

Olivia grabbed the pulser and did a somersault over Pike’s body. Feit fired again, hitting the lifeless body of the Colonel. Olivia rolled onto her feet, raised the pulser, and fired blindly.

Feit had already moved.

The blast hit the edge of the Bridge’s frame, harmlessly.

Feit fired again . . .

. . . and hit Olivia square in the chest. She flew backward, the pulser sailing out of her grip.

It clattered to the floor, harmlessly.

“Ouch. Sorry.”

Feit turned for the bomb.

Less than ten minutes to go.

He had plenty of time to input the codes, stop the countdown, and pick up with the next phase of their mission, as planned. He would open the dome doors and allow the giant super-fighters to float in and travel through the Bridge. These fighters were not controlled by the tech-jockeys in the command center of Bova’s camp. They had pilots on board. The arrival of just one of these planes would mean the end of the attempt by SYLO, and the traitorous Sounders, to seal the Bridge. Once these fighters entered the battle, the last resistance to the invasion and occupation would be eliminated. Vaporized, actually. It had been a surprising and somewhat annoying day for Feit, but in the end it turned out just fine because he was certain it would go down in history as the moment when the back of the resistance was broken.

Thanks to him.

With the confidence that ultimate victory was at hand, Feit stepped up to the bomb to enter the deactivation codes.

K
ent, Tori, and I ran for the infirmary and immediately jumped inside.

There were only a few patients in beds and one Retro soldier attending to them. It was the woman who had first given us the Sounder sign and allowed us to sleep in the bed next to Kent as he healed. She was exactly who we were looking for, but when she saw us, she backed away in fear.

“This is a hospital,” she said with rising panic. “You have no business here.”

The three of us hesitated, not understanding why she was reacting that way.

“It’s our SYLO uniforms,” Tori said. She lowered her pulser and said to the woman, “It’s okay. Remember us? We were prisoners. You treated my friend here.”

Kent gave her a little wave. “That would be me.”

The woman was a raw nerve and too frightened to remember any individual patient. All she saw were the uniforms.

“Look,” Tori said, and put her hand over her heart.

I did the same, offering her the Sounder salute. Kent joined in.

The woman softened, though I wasn’t sure if it was because she finally recognized us, or was just relieved to know we might be on the same side.

“I don’t understand,” she said uncertainly. “What’s happening out there?”

“SYLO and the Sounders are fighting the Air Force for control of the dome,” Tori said.

“But we’re looking for my mother,” I said. “She’s a prisoner.”

The woman’s eyes lit up with recognition.

“You’re the ones Feit was looking for,” she said.

“Yes!” Tori exclaimed. “Do you have any idea where she might be?”

“As soon as the attack began they locked all the prisoners up in their barracks. She must be there.”

“Locked up?” I said, incredulous. “All the prisoners are locked in the barracks?”

Tori grabbed my arm and said, “If they’re trapped here and the dome isn’t closed—”

“Get out,” I said to the woman. “Now. Get these patients out and as far away from the dome as you can. SYLO transport vehicles are scattered around the borders of the camp. Drive as far away from here as you can.”

“Why?” she asked, dumbfounded.

“A very big bomb is about to go off,” Kent said flatly. “Is that a good enough reason for you?”

It was. The woman immediately went to her patients and started to rouse them.

“You have less than twenty minutes,” Tori said. “Hurry.”

I ran out of the far side of the infirmary, headed for the barracks area. Kent and Tori ran right with me.

“We’re running out of time,” Tori said.

“We’ll check the barracks and let the prisoners loose,” I said.

“I’ll give you ten minutes,” Kent said.

“And then what?” I asked. “What’s your deal? You got a date?”

Kent didn’t answer. I was afraid he was going back to his old ways and wanted to bolt. That was his call. I had no right to stop him.

When we arrived at the first barracks I saw people at the windows, crowded together, trying to see what was happening outside. Or maybe they were just struggling to get air. I pulled out the pulser, aimed at the door, and blew off the lock. The door instantly flew open and orange-clad prisoners cautiously peeked their heads out.

“Get out of the camp,” I shouted. “Run as far away from the dome as possible. There’s a bomb.”

The prisoners didn’t question me. I think all they heard was “run” and “bomb.” They quickly piled out of the building and ran for the camp border. I scanned the desperate mass of people as they flooded out of the door, straining to see if my mom was with them.

She wasn’t.

“Go to the other buildings,” I said to Tori and Kent. “Set them free but please, look for her.”

The two ran off instantly. Moments later I heard their pulsers blowing open more doors. While one side of the camp was a battle zone, the other side was filled with the sounds of panicked people running for their lives.

My mother wasn’t in the second building I set free. Nor was she in the third. There was absolute bedlam as a sea of terrified people scrambled to get away. We had quickly freed a dozen barracks, but my mother was not in any of them.

Tori and Kent rejoined me, winded from the effort.

Kent shook his head gravely.

“I’m sorry, Tucker,” Tori said.

“There’s still one more building,” I said.

We ran for the final building, which was closest to the dome on the edge of the battle zone. From there I could see the fight. With the arrival of Granger and his SYLO ground troops, the Retros were now outnumbered. But they weren’t done. More Retros continued to arrive from other parts of the camp. The battle was definitely still in doubt.

The last building was small, less than half the size of the others. As we got closer I saw no movement inside. My heart sank. This was my last chance. I walked right up to the door and shot off the lock. Throwing the door open I hoped to be flooded with escaping prisoners, but there were none. After a quick, nervous look to Tori I stepped inside.

It was like stepping into another world. This wasn’t a barracks at all. We were inside an opulently decorated office, complete with overstuffed chairs, a couch, and rich wood paneling on the walls. Standing behind the large desk, frozen by our dramatic entrance, was Major Bova.

He stood staring at the door, probably expecting a contingency of SYLO soldiers to come storming in. Instead, he got us. Still, we were in SYLO uniforms and had pulsers aimed at his head so he threw his hands up in surrender. In the process he dropped a large duffel bag onto the floor.

“Don’t shoot,” he shouted. “I’m unarmed.”

Seeing his weasel face brought back a flood of horrible memories, from the way he tortured prisoners before killing them, to parading my mother out in front of the prison population to try to lure us into surrendering.

“I guess you weren’t in the train wreck,” Kent said. “Too bad.”

“Where is she?” I demanded while quickly closing the ground between us.

Bova backed away in fear and confusion.

“Wh . . . who?” he said, stuttering.

I shoved him against the back wall and jammed the pulser into his neck. Like most bullies, without backup he was a coward.

“My mother,” I said, seething. “Don’t pretend you don’t know.”

His eyes went wide with recognition.

“You!” he gasped, stunned. “Feit said you and your friends would hound us until you were dead. Why aren’t you dead?”

I drove the pulser into the soft spot under his chin, making him gag.

“Where is she?” I asked again, with more force.

“I’ll tell you,” he said. “But I want something in return.”

I wanted to say something cocky like, “In return I’ll let you live” but that wasn’t me.

“What is this?” Tori asked.

She had picked up the duffel that Bova dropped. Reaching inside, she pulled out a fistful of jewelry. There were golden bracelets, jeweled rings, and expensive-looking watches. She turned the bag over on the desk, spilling its contents. Besides a load more of jewelry, there were also thick rolls of cash.

“Wow,” Kent said. “That’s some serious stash.”

“That belongs to me,” Bova said, his voice cracking with uncertainty.

“You stole this from the prisoners, didn’t you?” Tori said, disgusted.

“No!” he said quickly. “Of course not. I got those from . . . from . . .”

I rammed the pulser into his neck again.

“All right!” he squealed. “Yes, I did. And what’s wrong with that? Spoils of war. It’s not like they’ll need any of it again.”

Kent lunged forward and pulled Bova away from me. Before I had the chance to react he landed a punch square to his chin.

Bova’s head snapped to the side, he stumbled back, hit the wall, and fell to the floor.

“And you call
us
animals!” Kent screamed with a fury I’d never heard from him before.

“That’s exactly what you are,” Bova shouted back, his arrogance returning. “Everyone from this time. You’re all guilty of crimes far worse than pilfering a few pieces of jewelry.”

Kent made another move for him but I held him back.

“Where is my mother?” I demanded.

Bova’s confidence grew. He had something I wanted and that gave him leverage. He reached up to his desk and pulled himself into his rich leather chair.

Tori, Kent, and I stood across the desk in front of him.

“I’ll tell you,” he said. “All I want in return is to leave. Lower your weapons and let me walk out of that door.”

I looked to Tori and Kent.

“Let him go,” Kent said. “Who cares? Your mother is way more important than him.”

Tori nodded in agreement.

“Once you leave this building, we can’t help you,” I said.

“Understood,” Bova replied.

He reached forward, grabbed the duffel bag and started scooping up the jewelry to put back inside.

“Seriously?” Tori shouted. “Leave it.”

Bova smirked as if to say, “Hey, it was worth a try” and dropped the bag.

“Where is she?” I asked.

“Right in there,” he said, pointing to a closed door on the far wall. “Feit told me to keep her close in case we needed her as leverage against SYLO. Surprise! He was right. She’s my leverage.”

“Go get her, Rook,” Kent said adamantly. “We’re running out of time.”

“You stay right there,” I said to Bova.

Bova shrugged innocently.

I turned and walked quickly across the floor, headed for the door. Without waiting another second I grabbed the knob and threw it open.

At that instant, Bova made a quick move to reach under his desk.

We were all so tense that the little movement was enough of a warning.

We all dodged out of the way . . .

. . . as Bova’s desk exploded.

The force came from a pulser shot that he fired from underneath that blew through the wooden desk and nailed the wall next to the closet, blasting out a huge hole. Though he didn’t hit any of us, the sudden and surprising explosion had done its job. While we were trying to clear our heads, Bova bolted from behind the wreck of his shattered desk and threw himself out of a window.

“What the hell happened?” Kent muttered, dazed and angry.

I pulled my head together enough to remember what I had been doing. I looked through the doorway I had just opened, hoping to see my mother. What I saw instead was a closet. An empty closet. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but it crushed me. My disappointment was quickly replaced by anger and I took off after Bova.

We all jumped out of the same window to land in an open dirt field between buildings.

The sound of a motorcycle firing to life brought our attention to Bova, who perched on a bike next to the building we had just come from. Kent sprinted for him. But Bova hit the accelerator and squirted away a second before Kent could reach him. The powerful motorcycle kicked up dirt, leaving a filthy cloud in its wake as it tore across the empty field with the murderous camp commander on board . . .

. . . along with the last hope we had of finding my mother.

But we weren’t the only enemies Bova had to worry about.

As he sped toward the open space between the two newly constructed buildings, a group of orange-clad prisoners appeared between them. There were dozens of them, all with the same thing in mind: stopping Bova.

He turned hard to avoid them and sped toward another passage between buildings, but that was soon clogged with several more prisoners. Bova turned again and hit the throttle, headed back our way. Behind us, another group of prisoners had appeared. Within seconds the area was clogged with hundreds of prisoners that formed a circle around the fleeing man.

Their tormentor.

Bova had nowhere to go. As the circle of vengeful prisoners tightened in on him, he spun the motorcycle, desperately looking for an opening. Any opening.

“Why aren’t they running away?” Tori asked.

“Unfinished business,” I replied.

In one final, desperate move, Bova gunned the engine and sped directly for the circle, hoping to break through by mowing down a few lowly primates.

He didn’t get far. The first prisoners he reached dodged away and grabbed him, sending the bike flying forward on its own.

They had their man.

Bova screamed, though I couldn’t tell if it was with rage or agony. I didn’t want to know. I also didn’t want to know what those people would do with him. They carried him off as he squirmed and fought futilely.

“Payback’s a bitch,” I said, with absolutely no sympathy.

Kent laughed. I was glad that Bova had gotten what he deserved but I didn’t think it deserved a laugh.

“I guess we’re done here,” Kent said.

“Not yet we’re not,” I said.

“Sorry, I can’t wait anymore, guys. I’m out of here.”

“Why? Where are you going?” Tori asked. “We still haven’t found Mrs. Pierce.”

“No?” Kent said with a smile, and pointed to our right.

“Tucker? I heard a familiar voice call. For a moment I didn’t want to believe what I had heard. I didn’t want my hopes to be smashed again. But in my heart, I knew it was real and I spun quickly to where Kent had pointed.

She stood there alone, looking dazed but very much alive.

“Hi Mom,” was all I managed to say.

I ran to her and threw my arms around her.

She hugged back and did her best to control her tears. We both did.

“Where were you?” I asked. “We looked everywhere.”

“I was in one of the barracks,” she said. “The door blew open and people started flooding out and I got caught up in it and went with them until I heard that SYLO had invaded the camp. I came back with the others looking for Bova and what did I find? You.”

She held her arm out for Tori, who joined us as Mom held us both close.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” she said. “And here you are. In SYLO uniforms. What is going on?”

I wanted to tell her everything, but there wasn’t time.

“They’re going to destroy the dome,” I said. “We’ve got to get out now.”

“Who is?” she asked. “SYLO?”

“No,” Tori answered. “There are rebels among the Retros called Sounders. They’ve been plotting against their own people to stop the invasion and—”

“Wait!” I shouted.