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Authors: Margaret Peterson Haddix
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he’s
ex
-military?” Tessa challenged instead.
“One, he just bought a stolen military plane on the black market,” Dek said. “And, two, he flew it into enemy territory. If he wasn’t ex-military before, he’s ex-military now.”
Tessa opened her mouth to respond to that. She wanted to change the subject. What could she say to tease out more information about Dek and Dek’s reasons for stowing away on the plane?
How does she know this is a stolen, black-market airplane?
Tessa wondered.
Is she pretty much admitting that she works for the black marketers?
Just then the entire plane shuddered. Something had rammed into it. Tessa jerked her head to the right, half expecting to see a gaping hole in the side. The wall still looked the same, but a moment later the plane shuddered again.
“Change of plans!” Dek screamed. She was simultaneously fastening a seat belt across her lap and stabbing frantically at the computer screen. “We’re not waiting for the external cameras to come on! We are taking off now! Let’s get out of here!”
CHAPTER
17
The entire plane lurched to the side once more, almost rolling over. But then the engine zoomed to life. Dek
had
known how to revive it. She did something to rev it up, the almost inaudible hum of the night before replaced by a fearsome growl.
Gideon jumped back from the closet.
“No!” he shouted. “They’ll hear us!”
“What—don’t you think they already know we’re here?” Dek screamed back at him. “We need as much power as we can get!”
“You’ll have the whole country out here shooting at us!” Gideon yelled.
“You don’t think that’s going to happen anyway?” Dek yelled back.
The plane jerked forward. Tessa almost fell over backward, but caught the column at the last minute. Gideon slammed against the closet door.
“You don’t have the external cameras working yet!” he screamed, squinting toward the computer screen in front of Dek. “You’re flying blind!”
“Then look out the freaking window!” Dek screamed.
Objections flooded Tessa’s mind:
What? You want to give the enemy something to shoot at instead of you?
And
If the whole country’s going to be shooting at us, why even try?
And
Is this another of your tests? This is no time to check out how good our reflexes are, or whether Gideon is going to protect himself or me!
Tessa stepped toward the window anyhow. It was a relief, finally, to look out, to stop imagining the horrendous enemies swarming toward her and just stare them down.
Tessa saw … trees.
She blinked, thinking,
How can the enemy be so good at hiding when they’re attacking us?
She tilted her head this way and that. There. Off to the side, practically out of sight, a huge dark shape slammed against the tail end of the plane.
The whole plane shuddered again.
“It’s a … buffalo? A moose?” Tessa guessed. She tried to remember pictures she’d seen in books. “Bison?”
The plane lurched forward, the engine grinding louder.
“Prepare for takeoff!” Dek screamed from the front.
Tessa grabbed the rim of the window, holding on as well as she could. The plane zigzagged, and Tessa got a better glimpse of the creature behind them.
“Definitely a moose!” she cried. “I see antlers!”
Gideon dived toward her, pressing his face against the glass too.
“So the enemy is using animatronic robots, disguised as ordinary wildlife,” he muttered. “Could their robotics program be that far ahead of ours? I have to get back to HQ to tell them this!”
“I don’t know,” Tessa said doubtfully. “It looks real.”
“Exactly,” Gideon said.
“I mean …,” Tessa began, then gave up.
The plane lifted as it lurched forward, and the creature raised its head to watch. Tessa would have liked to just stand there and stare. The moose, if that’s what it was, was so majestic, so …
extravagant
… the immense antlers unfurling so gracefully on either side of his head. This was a creature that
ex
-military?” Tessa challenged instead.
“One, he just bought a stolen military plane on the black market,” Dek said. “And, two, he flew it into enemy territory. If he wasn’t ex-military before, he’s ex-military now.”
Tessa opened her mouth to respond to that. She wanted to change the subject. What could she say to tease out more information about Dek and Dek’s reasons for stowing away on the plane?
How does she know this is a stolen, black-market airplane?
Tessa wondered.
Is she pretty much admitting that she works for the black marketers?
Just then the entire plane shuddered. Something had rammed into it. Tessa jerked her head to the right, half expecting to see a gaping hole in the side. The wall still looked the same, but a moment later the plane shuddered again.
“Change of plans!” Dek screamed. She was simultaneously fastening a seat belt across her lap and stabbing frantically at the computer screen. “We’re not waiting for the external cameras to come on! We are taking off now! Let’s get out of here!”
CHAPTER
17
The entire plane lurched to the side once more, almost rolling over. But then the engine zoomed to life. Dek
had
known how to revive it. She did something to rev it up, the almost inaudible hum of the night before replaced by a fearsome growl.
Gideon jumped back from the closet.
“No!” he shouted. “They’ll hear us!”
“What—don’t you think they already know we’re here?” Dek screamed back at him. “We need as much power as we can get!”
“You’ll have the whole country out here shooting at us!” Gideon yelled.
“You don’t think that’s going to happen anyway?” Dek yelled back.
The plane jerked forward. Tessa almost fell over backward, but caught the column at the last minute. Gideon slammed against the closet door.
“You don’t have the external cameras working yet!” he screamed, squinting toward the computer screen in front of Dek. “You’re flying blind!”
“Then look out the freaking window!” Dek screamed.
Objections flooded Tessa’s mind:
What? You want to give the enemy something to shoot at instead of you?
And
If the whole country’s going to be shooting at us, why even try?
And
Is this another of your tests? This is no time to check out how good our reflexes are, or whether Gideon is going to protect himself or me!
Tessa stepped toward the window anyhow. It was a relief, finally, to look out, to stop imagining the horrendous enemies swarming toward her and just stare them down.
Tessa saw … trees.
She blinked, thinking,
How can the enemy be so good at hiding when they’re attacking us?
She tilted her head this way and that. There. Off to the side, practically out of sight, a huge dark shape slammed against the tail end of the plane.
The whole plane shuddered again.
“It’s a … buffalo? A moose?” Tessa guessed. She tried to remember pictures she’d seen in books. “Bison?”
The plane lurched forward, the engine grinding louder.
“Prepare for takeoff!” Dek screamed from the front.
Tessa grabbed the rim of the window, holding on as well as she could. The plane zigzagged, and Tessa got a better glimpse of the creature behind them.
“Definitely a moose!” she cried. “I see antlers!”
Gideon dived toward her, pressing his face against the glass too.
“So the enemy is using animatronic robots, disguised as ordinary wildlife,” he muttered. “Could their robotics program be that far ahead of ours? I have to get back to HQ to tell them this!”
“I don’t know,” Tessa said doubtfully. “It looks real.”
“Exactly,” Gideon said.
“I mean …,” Tessa began, then gave up.
The plane lifted as it lurched forward, and the creature raised its head to watch. Tessa would have liked to just stand there and stare. The moose, if that’s what it was, was so majestic, so …
extravagant
… the immense antlers unfurling so gracefully on either side of his head. This was a creature that
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