yeah. But at least I look like a superhero. Yours looks like you made it yourself.”
“I did make it myself! And I’d rather look like this than some guy who looks like he can’t find his snorkel and flippers.”
Thunder put up his hand. “Hold on. . . . There’s more trucks coming. Five . . . no, six. And they sound bigger than the others. Reinforcements—it’s the National Guard.”
Abby looked around. All she could hear was the constant hum of the helicopters. She turned back to him. “Can you hear, like, everything ?”
“Up to a distance of about five or six miles, yeah, usually. But right now there’s too much noise from the cops and the army and the helicopters for me to hear what’s going on inside the power plant. So . . . What’s your plan?”
“Don’t really have one. I just wanted to see if I could help. They said that Max Dalton got captured. I was sort of thinking of offering my services to the police.”
Thunder rubbed his chin. “Yeah, same here. But now I’m not so sure. They don’t know who we are.”
“We should sneak closer and maybe you can hear the guys inside the plant. Then we could tell the cops and they’d know we’re on their side.”
“And what’ll you do?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Thunder sneered. “Oh, good plan! You really are a newbie, aren’t you? First time out, is it?”
Abby ignored that. “We’re not helping anyone by sniping at each other. Let’s just get closer and see what happens.”
With Thunder leading the way, they crept forward through the long grass. After a few minutes, he said, “OK. . . . I can hear the army guy in charge—Colonel Morgan. He’s saying that Dalton’s helicopter pilot told them that Dalton’s sister is in there too. She went in after the others were captured, and got captured herself. Idiot.”
“Keep the noise down,” Abby said.
“They won’t hear us. We could set off a bomb here and they wouldn’t know unless they were looking. I’m stopping our sounds from reaching them.”
Abby wasn’t about to admit that that was a very useful ability. “So what are they planning?”
“I think they don’t know what to do. There’s supposed to be sixteen hostages. Eleven workers and Dalton and his crew.”
“Can you stop any sounds?”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
“So you could, like, block out every sound inside the power plant?”
“I could, but then they’d know something was up. We’re going to have to do something, though. Sounds like half of the cops and most of the army guys are coming down with the flu. Come on, we’ll see if we can get closer.”
It’s the perfect time to attack something, Abby thought. Seems like nearly everyone has the flu these days. She froze. Unless it’s not the flu. Maybe it’s something else.
She ran to catch up with Thunder. “Hey!”
“What?”
“Anyone you know got the flu?”
“Sure. Most of the teachers at school, my folks, most of my neighbors. Why?”
“Same here. My mother, my aunts. Four of the guys from work. Lots of the regular customers. The guy who lives in the apartment next door to mine was up all night coughing his guts up. . . . I don’t think this is the ordinary flu. There’s always some epidemic or other going around, but they take time to spread. This one is happening all over the world at the same time. That’s just not possible, unless it was done deliberately. Someone has created a plague.”
CHAPTER 8
“I swear I left it right here,” the man with the deeper voice said. Lance swallowed. Please don’t let them find me! He peeled off the latex gloves and tried once more to open the jetpack’s clasps, but couldn’t find a catch or a button.
The other man said, “You musta already loaded it inta the truck with the other one.”
“I didn’t.”
“Well, check anyway. It’s not like anyone woulda took it. Hey, you don’t think that Marcus had it on him when he got arrested, do ya?”
“We would have heard.”
Seconds
“I did make it myself! And I’d rather look like this than some guy who looks like he can’t find his snorkel and flippers.”
Thunder put up his hand. “Hold on. . . . There’s more trucks coming. Five . . . no, six. And they sound bigger than the others. Reinforcements—it’s the National Guard.”
Abby looked around. All she could hear was the constant hum of the helicopters. She turned back to him. “Can you hear, like, everything ?”
“Up to a distance of about five or six miles, yeah, usually. But right now there’s too much noise from the cops and the army and the helicopters for me to hear what’s going on inside the power plant. So . . . What’s your plan?”
“Don’t really have one. I just wanted to see if I could help. They said that Max Dalton got captured. I was sort of thinking of offering my services to the police.”
Thunder rubbed his chin. “Yeah, same here. But now I’m not so sure. They don’t know who we are.”
“We should sneak closer and maybe you can hear the guys inside the plant. Then we could tell the cops and they’d know we’re on their side.”
“And what’ll you do?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Thunder sneered. “Oh, good plan! You really are a newbie, aren’t you? First time out, is it?”
Abby ignored that. “We’re not helping anyone by sniping at each other. Let’s just get closer and see what happens.”
With Thunder leading the way, they crept forward through the long grass. After a few minutes, he said, “OK. . . . I can hear the army guy in charge—Colonel Morgan. He’s saying that Dalton’s helicopter pilot told them that Dalton’s sister is in there too. She went in after the others were captured, and got captured herself. Idiot.”
“Keep the noise down,” Abby said.
“They won’t hear us. We could set off a bomb here and they wouldn’t know unless they were looking. I’m stopping our sounds from reaching them.”
Abby wasn’t about to admit that that was a very useful ability. “So what are they planning?”
“I think they don’t know what to do. There’s supposed to be sixteen hostages. Eleven workers and Dalton and his crew.”
“Can you stop any sounds?”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
“So you could, like, block out every sound inside the power plant?”
“I could, but then they’d know something was up. We’re going to have to do something, though. Sounds like half of the cops and most of the army guys are coming down with the flu. Come on, we’ll see if we can get closer.”
It’s the perfect time to attack something, Abby thought. Seems like nearly everyone has the flu these days. She froze. Unless it’s not the flu. Maybe it’s something else.
She ran to catch up with Thunder. “Hey!”
“What?”
“Anyone you know got the flu?”
“Sure. Most of the teachers at school, my folks, most of my neighbors. Why?”
“Same here. My mother, my aunts. Four of the guys from work. Lots of the regular customers. The guy who lives in the apartment next door to mine was up all night coughing his guts up. . . . I don’t think this is the ordinary flu. There’s always some epidemic or other going around, but they take time to spread. This one is happening all over the world at the same time. That’s just not possible, unless it was done deliberately. Someone has created a plague.”
CHAPTER 8
“I swear I left it right here,” the man with the deeper voice said. Lance swallowed. Please don’t let them find me! He peeled off the latex gloves and tried once more to open the jetpack’s clasps, but couldn’t find a catch or a button.
The other man said, “You musta already loaded it inta the truck with the other one.”
“I didn’t.”
“Well, check anyway. It’s not like anyone woulda took it. Hey, you don’t think that Marcus had it on him when he got arrested, do ya?”
“We would have heard.”
Seconds
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