Repossession (The Keepers Trilogy)

by Rachael Wade

  NINE

  The claustrophobic pathway bore down around me, closing in inch by inch. My breathing was growing shallow, my palms sweaty and heart crashing against my breastbone. Still, I kept moving as Kale instructed, cursing the reality that I was at his mercy. “You said you wouldn’t hurt me,” I said. “Make up your mind.”

  “I’ll explain everything when it’s safe. Just keep moving.”

  The sound of trickling water echoed throughout the cavern maze, growing louder when we approached a clearing—and a dead end. “Duck down, right there,” he directed, pointing to a hole near the ground. “Slip through. I’m right behind you.”

  “Is that supposed to be comforting?”

  “Just do it, damn it.”

  I crouched down and pushed my body through the narrow hole, standing to my feet when I reached the other side. The hollow echo of running water morphed into a heavy roar. Kale was next to me in an instant, and my jaw dropped when I spotted a waterfall. It spilled over blue, glistening rocks, creating a mesmerizing curtain over a vast, shimmering pool. Blood thumped hot in my ears as my heart worked overtime, thinking of what might be happening to Jet. He could handle himself, but without Kale and me there to back him up, it was one to nothing.

  “What’s this?” I asked.

  “It’s what’s behind it that’s important. Here,” he chucked my backpack at me. “Your stuff. And don’t bother reaching for your other weapons.” He patted his own backpack, sliding his knife into his belt. “I have everything. I also stocked up on meds and some food. We’re getting out of here.”

  He took my hand and started walking us along the rocky ledge toward the waterfall. Resistance hadn’t gotten me anywhere. It was time to resort to begging. “Wait, please. Kale, I need to make sure Jet’s okay. I’ll go wherever you want me to go, but please … I need to know if he’s safe.”

  “He’ll be fine.”

  “You just said Rico and his men would take him out.”

  “If he does something stupid, yes.” He froze. “Damn, they really are gonna kill him.”

  “Kale!”

  As fast as he’d been dragging me along toward the waterfall’s veil, he turned around and moved even faster, cursing under his breath and shaking his head as he led me back the way we’d come. “If we all die because of this, I’m so haunting you in the afterlife.”

  My fear vanished and was replaced with adrenaline, the relief pumping it thick in my veins at the prospect of saving Jet from Rico’s wrath.

  Just as we began to backtrack our way through the narrow, cavernous maze, gunfire sounded from the opposite end.

  “Skylla!” Jet’s voice echoed, bouncing into me and hooking itself in my heart. I leaped forward, trying to worm my way around Kale, but Kale wasn’t having it. “Skylla, you in there?”

  “I’m here!” I screamed through the gunfire’s ringing, squirming against Kale’s grasp.

  Kale pivoted on his hip and reached for two Glocks, gripping one in each hand. “When he reaches us, we have to haul ass or we’ll never make it out.”

  I nodded and we started to walk backwards, my breath catching when I spotted Jet moving toward us. He fought to push his big body through the narrow tunnel, firing behind him until his gun clicked empty.

  He ducked but continued to move while Kale took over, firing shot after shot over Jet’s head. We reached the end of the clearing and I dropped through the hole, pulling Kale through after me. Jet was harder; his broad shoulders hindered him from sliding through.

  “Come on!” Kale yelled, leaning down to help me tug on Jet’s arm. He squeezed through, and then we were racing over the rocky ledge, back toward the waterfall, plunging through it and ducking into the cave situated behind the mask of rushing water.

  Three long, oval white Capsules, similar to the ones we’d grown accustomed to seeing in our skies since the Invaders’ arrival, lined the cave. They sat side by side on a launch platform, the cave’s ceiling sky-high and seemingly endless. Kale tossed us each weapons and rushed forward to the first Capsules, hitting a silver button near the hood. “Get in!” He popped the side panels on the other two Capsules and ripped at the wires, unloading a few shots into the controls for good measure, then returned to our escape Capsule.

  Jet lifted me up and then jumped in after me. I slid into the middle seat, my body forming to the smooth bucket-shaped cushion, and Jet hopped into the seat behind me. Kale took the front seat and jammed another silver button. We all scrambled to pull on harnesses while the Capsule’s clear lid hummed and slid closed above our heads, making a robotic drone ringing in our ears to alarm us of the Capsule’s lockdown. The lid clicked into place and the machine purred to life, smoothly lifting us from the ground. The gray, blue, and silver panel illuminated what appeared to be a dashboard. Kale’s fingers worked over the panel, gliding to touch all sorts of buttons. I’d never seen anything like it. The entire panel was transparent, floating in the air in front of him, over the Capsule’s console.

  Kale was obviously busy, so I asked Jet, “How’d you find me?”

  “I went back to where I’d left you. Saw your bagel on the ground when I was looking for an escape from Rico’s men—that’s when I saw the passage. You know how to fly this thing?” he asked Kale, snapping the final piece of his harness.

  “Yeah. The rebels stole all three of them on their last recon. We were able to override the Invaders’ language barrier and rig them. Hang tight.”

  Muted pops sounded from outside. “We got company,” I said, braced myself and dug my fingers into my harness straps. Rico and his rebels poured into the cave, jumping through the waterfall.

  We ascended higher, moving vertically toward the cave’s ceiling. The rebel’s fire stopped, and I caught a glimpse of Rico’s enraged expression as he shouted something to his partner, pointing upward to the ray of light that was now beaming over us. The cavern’s ceiling opened up and sunlight flooded the vehicle, streaming down through the clear hood and casting warmth on our skin.

  I squeezed my eyes shut and bit down on my lip as we shot through the opening. I’d never felt g-force power like this before. Kale was screaming and laughing like a kid on a roller coaster as we powered straight up into the sky, then thundered forward, away from the Black Hole. “Woooo-hoooo! Haha! This never gets old!”

  Jet’s hands clamped onto my shoulders from behind and my stomach dropped as the Capsule flipped. I could feel our direction shift, the machine rolling and banking a right.

  “I promise, it gets easier, you just have to let your body get used to it—”

  “No talking!” Jet hollered from behind me. “I mean it, you SOB, I’m gonna kill you for putting us in this thing!”

  “Haha, get in line!” Kale flung back, still laughing.

  “I thought you loved to fly,” I offered, stifling a laugh myself.

  “This isn’t flying … this is … I don’t know what this is, but I swear I’m gonna enjoy puking on Kale’s shoes the minute we step out of this thing.”

  “Bring it, brother. I’d pay to see you lose your shit. That would absolutely make my day.”

  “What were you doing with my girl, anyway, jackass? You just take off with her and leave me to the wolves? I don’t think so, brother. I’m gonna do more than puke on you when we land.”

  “It’s not my problem you weren’t with her. Noooo, Mr. Alpha-Knows-All had to go and duke it out with Rico instead. You chose a testosterone rush. You snooze you lose.”

  “He was gonna send her into fucking service! Why’d you take off like a bat out of hell, anyway? Where are we going?”

  “Sounds to me like it was her decision. And I took off because things were about to go south and trust me, we didn’t want to be around for it.”

  “Um … guys?” I said, “I’m right here, you know.”

  “Well, it was a bad decision,” Jet snapped back, ignoring me. “I’m looking out for her. Something you’re obviously not concerned about, sneaking off to escape in
this thing. You could’ve killed her. And why do you get to decide what we do and don’t wanna be there for? We had a deal—you wanted allies, we wanted revenge. It was a fair trade—one you wanted, remember? What are we supposed to do now, huh? Being with those rebels was our ticket. The deal’s off. We are not amigos, yo comprende?”

  “Oh, first off, will you cut the knight-in-shining-armor bullshit? I came back for your ass, didn’t I? I did that for her. Instead of puking on me, you should be kissing my feet. And we were never amigos. Nothin’ new there.”

  I tipped my head back against the headrest. “You guys!”

  “Whatever, punk. You play Nice Guy, but I’m onto your game. You’ve known my girl for all of what, forty-eight hours? Kick that puppy-dog crush of yours and go meddle in someone else’s business. The deal’s off. The second we step out of this contraption, me and Skylla are gone, you hear me?”

  “Wah, wah, wah. I’m over it, dude. Cry me a river. You didn’t get to save the day this time. You’ll still get your revenge, don’t worry. Believe me, what Rico had planned was only going to make things worse. I just did you a favor. Obviously you felt that way, too, or you wouldn’t have been ready to beat his ass over sending Skylla on the mission.”

  “Forget it,” I whispered, closing my eyes.

  “A favor? Really? Rico’s plan sounded good to me. I just didn’t want Skylla to be at the center of it.”

  “Finally, something we agree on.”

  “You almost got us killed back there to get us into this hunk of metal. So tell us, what’s so bad about Rico’s plan?”

  “For one, he’s keeping it from the other rebels. They have no idea what he’s really up to. Plus he’s getting sloppy, resorting to extreme tactics when he doesn’t even know what he’s up against. If he was really concerned with long-term survival of the human race, he wouldn’t be all about taking out the Shepherds. Attempting to get rid of the Sacred Seven is only sweeping things under the rug. It’s not a long-term solution.”

  “And you know this how?”

  Kale’s eyes flickered to Jet’s in the rearview mirror. “The rebel movement’s been around a long time, before the Invaders ever came around. I’ve heard and seen it all—each and every theory about how to try and take them down, or prevent them from completing their mission. At first I thought Rico was different, I thought … maybe he was one of the few to see things differently. When he started suggesting accessing Central Control to gather the Shepherds, I thought he might be on to something. But I was wrong. He just wants to get rid of them, like every other rebel group, and he refuses to see that’s only a means to an end.”

  I attempted to speak again. This time, their bickering was cut short long enough to actually be heard. “We don’t know that for sure. It’s worth a try, isn’t it?”

  “So is attempting to make peace, if it means avoiding more bloodshed.”

  “I don’t get it,” Jet mumbled. “If these rebel groups knew about the invasion before it happened, why didn’t they do something? Warn people? Maybe something could’ve been done.”

  “They did try,” Kale replied. “No one listened. Their voices were drowned out, along with all the others who had theories about the end of the world. They were just more crazies building bunkers in their backyard, raving on and on about the apocalypse. Eventually they just gave up trying to convince people what was coming. So they went into hiding. Prepared.”

  “That’s no way to live,” I said.

  “I disagree. Look at them now. They’re the ones with the most weapons, the most knowledge about the Invaders … and they have a whole support system, people they can rely on. That’s smart, if you ask me.”

  Jet huffed. “Nah. I’m with Sky. I’d never wanna live like that. Preparing for the end all the time. You’re not living that way. You’re just waiting to die. I’m glad I didn’t find out until it happened. Even after this, even now, I wouldn’t change a thing. Wouldn’t go back and do it differently.”

  Kale’s voice went quiet. Something about the tone drew my eyes to his. “Yeah, me either. I wouldn’t have changed a thing.”

  At some point, Jet and Kale resumed their quarreling, and I tuned it out, losing track of how long we’d been speeding through the air. Kale’s amusement could still be heard from the front seat, his boyish laughter filling the tight Capsule, while Jet’s rigid fingers remained pressed into my shoulders. Their wisecracks zinged relentlessly over my head. Back and forth, back and forth, as if there was nothing better to argue about than a girl and their cavemen-dick-measuring contest.

  Seriously. Boys.

  The robotic drone I’d heard earlier started to sound again, its alarm alerting us we were nearing our destination. “Getting close,” Kale said.

  “The others can’t see us?” Jet asked.

  “Look,” I turned my head, pointing to the glass. “It’s incredible.” Invaders zoomed past us, zipping by in the same Capsules like shooting stars, the sun’s reflections bouncing off their hoods’ silver linings. We were in the middle of their beautifully orchestrated skyway, gracefully whizzing by, completely undetected.

  “Positive. According to their radar, we’re one of them. We’re going to land right on their base station runway. They won’t know what hit ’em.”

  “If you’re not on board with Rico’s plan, why’d you fly us here anyway?”

  “Because I’m going to keep my word. I still want you as allies. And you still want revenge, right?”

  “Hell yes.”

  “I’ll still give it to you. You just might not want it anymore, once we do this.”

  I turned to look at Jet and we exchanged long glances. Kale was either mighty confident in his ability to make peace with these creatures and the clean slate he envisioned to come with it, or he was certifiably insane.

  My money was on the latter.

  TEN

  More alarms emanated through the vehicle, the front console brightening while Kale worked his magic over the controls. The San Francisco skyline came into view, the majestic arch of the Golden Gate Bridge lining the horizon. Bodily discomfort took a backseat to my mind’s awe; the sight stole my breath and instantly captivated me. I’d never been far from Morton—the coast of the Florida panhandle was about it—let alone anywhere across the country. I was officially in California, and the realization was exhilarating.

  As exciting as it was spotting the Golden Gate and a glimpse of a world I never thought I’d see, the chrome base station hovering near the end of the bridge diluted that thrill. It was a fortress, wide and dreary, the structure’s intimidating nature beyond measure.

  We began our descent, horizontal flashes of blue and white light waving us in, directing Kale onto the landing track. I gulped as we touched down, thankful to be on the ground again but equally unnerved by what that meant.

  Kale hurriedly rummaged through his bag as he eyed our final descent. “It’s going to be a fireworks show the second we get out. Whatever you do, don’t lose me. I’m going to head for Corridor Seven on the left, and then haul ass toward the east wing. Here, drink this when the hood opens. It’ll take a few seconds to work.” He tossed two vials of something clear over his shoulder, along with the rest of our weapons he’d confiscated earlier. I handed one vial to Jet and gripped the other tight in my fist.

  “What’s this?” I asked.

  “Something confidential the rebels have been working on. They just recently perfected it. Rico was going to give you some for the mission, Skylla.”

  “What does it do?” Jet asked warily.

  “It’s an invincibility drug, but it doesn’t last long. It’s still pretty weak, but it’s better than nothing. I’ve only got one left, so we gotta make those count. Jet, hightail it across the track to Corridor Five. That’s the way to the children’s camp … and Skylla, you’ll come with me to Central Control. We enter through the east wing of the ship—”

  “What?” I sat forward.

  “Not happening.”

&
nbsp; As Jet spoke, Kale glanced up and his gaze locked with mine in the rearview. He said, “We have to stop Rico from going through with his plan. If we get there before he does, we can turn things around. For everyone. We need to make sure he doesn’t get his hands on the Shepherd activation console. The switch was flipped on when the Invaders arrived on Earth, and if Rico gets his hands on it, he could disrupt the whole activation process. His plan is to override the language coding so he can reroute the meeting-point location coordinates and redirect the Shepherds to his sabotage location.”

  “Wait a minute,” my brow furrowed in confusion, “I didn’t agree to that yet. The Invaders still need to pay for what they’ve done. We can’t just let them go through with their takeover.”

  “Maybe not, but if Rico’s mission succeeds, we’ll have nothing left. We need the Shepherds. Here, Jet.” He tossed a piece of paper back to me, and I handed it to Jet. “Directions for how to get back to Central Control from the children’s camp. When you’re done, come find us.”

  “You don’t need Skylla with you.”

  “She’s safer with me. I know my way around. You’ll be busy looking for your sister. She’ll slow you down.”

  “Wait. You’ve been to this control station before?”

  “Well, I mean, I have the maps. I’ve studied them,” Kale answered, shrugging. “Been to C1 in New Orleans. It wasn’t nearly as heavily guarded as this place.”

  “How long will this stuff last?” I asked, holding up the invincibility vial. I tipped it upside down, watching the clear bubbles float to the top. “Long enough for Jet to grab his sister and make it to where we are? She won’t be protected.”

  “You’ll have to get creative,” he said to Jet, shifting his gaze from me to the disgruntled passenger behind me. “You can shield her for a little while, but when the drug wears off …”

  “I get it,” Jet said sternly.

  “And prepare yourself for the possibility that she might not be there, man. Good luck. Seriously.”