trappedtrappedtrapped.
“Expand,” I croaked. The board did nothing, as it didn’t recognize my voice when it was filled with particles of glass, dust—and fear.
I jabbed at the buttons and leapt on the board as the first electro-spheres dropped at my feet.
“Up!” My board shot toward the ceiling, which I rammed with my skull. My back arced when the techtricity hit me, and my board faltered.
Go , I said in my head. Go.
Maybe I said it out loud. Maybe I didn’t. But my board went. I’d fallen to my stomach, and that suited me just fine as my board careened only six inches from the ceiling. There was so much pain in my back, it felt like it had caught fire.
Out , I pleaded, the edges of my vision turning dull. My head felt heavy and soft. Voices shouted below me. Electronics sparked, sending bright bits of techtricity into my path.
Blood dripped from my chin, pooling on my board. I felt so, so tired.
Trapped , I thought as a very solid wall loomed closer. My mind looped on that thought. Trapped, trapped, trapped.
Through it all, I heard Ian’s voice. “You’ll never get out of here alive.”
Was he right? Maybe. But he didn’t have to be so arrogant about it.
Out , I thought. “Please,” I said aloud.
I managed to maneuver the board along the perimeter of the room. Below me, smoke curled, men shouted, and electro-spheres continued to discharge. No escape presented itself in the next corner, so I made another right turn. Soon I’d be back where I started, and I knew what waited for me there.
Up ahead I spotted the air duct. Zenn had already removed the vent. Two feet from the opening, my board bucked. A new pain radiated from my thigh. I lifted my body enough to peer over the edge. A grappling spider spread its legs, hooking itself to my craft.
Ian would then reel me in like a bloated fish. Cage me in that capsule again. Death would be better. My breath clogged my lungs. I couldn’t think clearly; I’d lost so much blood.
“Deactivate,” I said, brushing at the spider with my hand. “Dislodge.”
The spider obeyed my voice, retracting its legs before the green lights of its eyes winked into darkness.
A small—possibly pointless—victory. My board now vibrated because of the damage, my thigh was bleeding, and I’d passed the air duct.
I looped back around and positioned myself below the opening. An electro-sphere landed on the board next to my head. I snatched it up, intending to launch it right back to the floor.
Instead I held it. Felt the humming tech beneath the ball’s aluminum surface. If I timed it just right . . .
I checked my position again. Straight up to freedom.
I dropped the e-sphere. Said, “Up.”
My board obeyed, and the sphere detonated about five feet below me, sending a shock wave of techtricity in all directions.
Including up.
I rode the wave through the duct system as far as I could. After that I twisted and turned and doubled back inside the ventilation system until it spat me out into the too-bright sunshine.
Oxygen greeted me, and I couldn’t suck it in fast enough. I expected EOs to be hovering, but a commotion on the ground had drawn them all away.
I recognized River’s tangled hair in the fray before I nosed my board toward the ocean. Clever girl.
I did not have the strength to sit up. Or speak. For now, breathing was enough.
The soothing sound of the ocean called at me to sleep. What can it hurt? I thought. I closed my eyes against the malicious sunrays bouncing off water.
I thought, I’ll just rest for a minute.
I thought, It’s a twenty-minute flight anyway.
I thought . . .
Zenn
10 . After our return to the hideout, Vi had attended to Raine, who’d lost consciousness on the flight.
Then Vi turned her attention to her father. Neither of them looked good, but at least Vi was alert, which was more than I could say about Thane.
Now she chewed her nails as she paced the length of the war room. Back and forth, back and forth. I
“Expand,” I croaked. The board did nothing, as it didn’t recognize my voice when it was filled with particles of glass, dust—and fear.
I jabbed at the buttons and leapt on the board as the first electro-spheres dropped at my feet.
“Up!” My board shot toward the ceiling, which I rammed with my skull. My back arced when the techtricity hit me, and my board faltered.
Go , I said in my head. Go.
Maybe I said it out loud. Maybe I didn’t. But my board went. I’d fallen to my stomach, and that suited me just fine as my board careened only six inches from the ceiling. There was so much pain in my back, it felt like it had caught fire.
Out , I pleaded, the edges of my vision turning dull. My head felt heavy and soft. Voices shouted below me. Electronics sparked, sending bright bits of techtricity into my path.
Blood dripped from my chin, pooling on my board. I felt so, so tired.
Trapped , I thought as a very solid wall loomed closer. My mind looped on that thought. Trapped, trapped, trapped.
Through it all, I heard Ian’s voice. “You’ll never get out of here alive.”
Was he right? Maybe. But he didn’t have to be so arrogant about it.
Out , I thought. “Please,” I said aloud.
I managed to maneuver the board along the perimeter of the room. Below me, smoke curled, men shouted, and electro-spheres continued to discharge. No escape presented itself in the next corner, so I made another right turn. Soon I’d be back where I started, and I knew what waited for me there.
Up ahead I spotted the air duct. Zenn had already removed the vent. Two feet from the opening, my board bucked. A new pain radiated from my thigh. I lifted my body enough to peer over the edge. A grappling spider spread its legs, hooking itself to my craft.
Ian would then reel me in like a bloated fish. Cage me in that capsule again. Death would be better. My breath clogged my lungs. I couldn’t think clearly; I’d lost so much blood.
“Deactivate,” I said, brushing at the spider with my hand. “Dislodge.”
The spider obeyed my voice, retracting its legs before the green lights of its eyes winked into darkness.
A small—possibly pointless—victory. My board now vibrated because of the damage, my thigh was bleeding, and I’d passed the air duct.
I looped back around and positioned myself below the opening. An electro-sphere landed on the board next to my head. I snatched it up, intending to launch it right back to the floor.
Instead I held it. Felt the humming tech beneath the ball’s aluminum surface. If I timed it just right . . .
I checked my position again. Straight up to freedom.
I dropped the e-sphere. Said, “Up.”
My board obeyed, and the sphere detonated about five feet below me, sending a shock wave of techtricity in all directions.
Including up.
I rode the wave through the duct system as far as I could. After that I twisted and turned and doubled back inside the ventilation system until it spat me out into the too-bright sunshine.
Oxygen greeted me, and I couldn’t suck it in fast enough. I expected EOs to be hovering, but a commotion on the ground had drawn them all away.
I recognized River’s tangled hair in the fray before I nosed my board toward the ocean. Clever girl.
I did not have the strength to sit up. Or speak. For now, breathing was enough.
The soothing sound of the ocean called at me to sleep. What can it hurt? I thought. I closed my eyes against the malicious sunrays bouncing off water.
I thought, I’ll just rest for a minute.
I thought, It’s a twenty-minute flight anyway.
I thought . . .
Zenn
10 . After our return to the hideout, Vi had attended to Raine, who’d lost consciousness on the flight.
Then Vi turned her attention to her father. Neither of them looked good, but at least Vi was alert, which was more than I could say about Thane.
Now she chewed her nails as she paced the length of the war room. Back and forth, back and forth. I
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