instinctively knew the less verbalised the better. We were deep in enemy territory. Being hunted. Any noise now could mean our end.
“We need help,” I whispered in her ear.
“The children…” she started, her face turned to mine, soft breath across my cheek. I closed my eyes; now was not the time to fantasise about make-up sex.
“I think we have to let your father know what’s happening.”
And there went any chance of getting Lena horizontal.
“I trust them,” she argued, nodding towards our new found allies.
I sighed, looking at the conviction I could see on her face, in her eyes.
“You shouldn’t,” I whispered, regret making my words raspy.
She knew. I knew she knew. Lena was not stupid. She’d laid a trap for them, and they’d flipped the trap on end. Just because it looked like they’d changed their minds, decided to disobey their orders, and help us, didn’t mean it was real.
“Ten minutes ago these kids were attacking us,” I murmured. “Ten minutes ago they were the enemy.”
Lena blinked. Long lashes coasting over cream skin. Utter perfection. I’d always thought her stunning, but dressed in combat gear, laser gun in hand, several knives strapped to her torso, hair tied up in a messy bun, she was out of this world incredible.
“I’ve never thought them the enemy, Trent,” she said. “That’s always been your angle. Not mine.”
And then she was up and following the last person to cross a spindly arse plank of wood across a deep chasm that must have gone on to the centre of the earth for how pitch black it seemed at the bottom. No hesitation. No arms outstretched for added balance. Gun in hand, feet light as a feather, she rocketed over the makeshift bridge to the other side and then waited.
Well, all right then. I gritted my teeth, muttered several times, “Do not look down,” and took the plank a whole lot slower, but at least not embarrassingly. I might have moaned a little in relief when I reached the other side.
Alan followed and then the rear guard; two of Beck’s most trusted Cardinals. It’s not often that Alan would be comfortable with someone at his back. But right now comfort was a luxury we’d long since bypassed.
Lena didn’t carry on our conversation, she simply nodded her head at Nirbhay once we’d all made it across the divide, and then we were off. More dark spaces. More fallen masonry. More too tight holes to climb through.
Until we came out into a vast space.
The night sky was once again visible, stars like you never see in over-illuminated Wánměi shone down from above. The moon lit up everything. Shattered remains of what had to have been a huge station lay all around us, like skeletal fingers the brick walls jutted out from the ground spotlighting a huge target area for all to see. X marks the spot. If there was a better place for an ambush, I’d never seen one. But the kids didn’t hesitate, keeping their heads down, they moved out across the vast space, ensuring we kept to the natural shadows.
We’d never have been able to cross the area unseen without them. If they were leading us into a trap, they were taking their time about it, and ensuring we got there in one piece while they did it.
I wasn’t sure what to make of that; I didn’t trust them. But then I didn’t trust a lot of people. Alan. Si. Paul. Lena, and even then lately she’d been doing things I questioned. Certainly not a bunch of forgotten kids in a broken city working with the enemy.
We needed to get a handle on this situation and fast. I could feel the reins slipping out of my fingers. I could almost feel the laser sight in the centre of my back.
But then we made it across the shooting gallery and into the darkness of The Underground again.
This time it was different. This time there was clear evidence of the path down having seen some action. Forget about alarm bells clanging inside my head, I had a fucking klaxon blaring a warning, the loud sound reverberating
“We need help,” I whispered in her ear.
“The children…” she started, her face turned to mine, soft breath across my cheek. I closed my eyes; now was not the time to fantasise about make-up sex.
“I think we have to let your father know what’s happening.”
And there went any chance of getting Lena horizontal.
“I trust them,” she argued, nodding towards our new found allies.
I sighed, looking at the conviction I could see on her face, in her eyes.
“You shouldn’t,” I whispered, regret making my words raspy.
She knew. I knew she knew. Lena was not stupid. She’d laid a trap for them, and they’d flipped the trap on end. Just because it looked like they’d changed their minds, decided to disobey their orders, and help us, didn’t mean it was real.
“Ten minutes ago these kids were attacking us,” I murmured. “Ten minutes ago they were the enemy.”
Lena blinked. Long lashes coasting over cream skin. Utter perfection. I’d always thought her stunning, but dressed in combat gear, laser gun in hand, several knives strapped to her torso, hair tied up in a messy bun, she was out of this world incredible.
“I’ve never thought them the enemy, Trent,” she said. “That’s always been your angle. Not mine.”
And then she was up and following the last person to cross a spindly arse plank of wood across a deep chasm that must have gone on to the centre of the earth for how pitch black it seemed at the bottom. No hesitation. No arms outstretched for added balance. Gun in hand, feet light as a feather, she rocketed over the makeshift bridge to the other side and then waited.
Well, all right then. I gritted my teeth, muttered several times, “Do not look down,” and took the plank a whole lot slower, but at least not embarrassingly. I might have moaned a little in relief when I reached the other side.
Alan followed and then the rear guard; two of Beck’s most trusted Cardinals. It’s not often that Alan would be comfortable with someone at his back. But right now comfort was a luxury we’d long since bypassed.
Lena didn’t carry on our conversation, she simply nodded her head at Nirbhay once we’d all made it across the divide, and then we were off. More dark spaces. More fallen masonry. More too tight holes to climb through.
Until we came out into a vast space.
The night sky was once again visible, stars like you never see in over-illuminated Wánměi shone down from above. The moon lit up everything. Shattered remains of what had to have been a huge station lay all around us, like skeletal fingers the brick walls jutted out from the ground spotlighting a huge target area for all to see. X marks the spot. If there was a better place for an ambush, I’d never seen one. But the kids didn’t hesitate, keeping their heads down, they moved out across the vast space, ensuring we kept to the natural shadows.
We’d never have been able to cross the area unseen without them. If they were leading us into a trap, they were taking their time about it, and ensuring we got there in one piece while they did it.
I wasn’t sure what to make of that; I didn’t trust them. But then I didn’t trust a lot of people. Alan. Si. Paul. Lena, and even then lately she’d been doing things I questioned. Certainly not a bunch of forgotten kids in a broken city working with the enemy.
We needed to get a handle on this situation and fast. I could feel the reins slipping out of my fingers. I could almost feel the laser sight in the centre of my back.
But then we made it across the shooting gallery and into the darkness of The Underground again.
This time it was different. This time there was clear evidence of the path down having seen some action. Forget about alarm bells clanging inside my head, I had a fucking klaxon blaring a warning, the loud sound reverberating
Similar Books
