by S. S. Segran
“Hey,” Mariah said, “the freeway! Don’t miss it!”
Jag stomped on the brakes but the truck slid forward, overshooting the exit that led to possible safety. He accelerated again, not wanting to be caught in the storm of glowing red nanomites. The truck went under an overpass and over railway tracks, then passed a brightly-lit intersection on the road.
“Why aren’t they stopping?” Mariah snapped. “The Ransom swarm gave up eventually!”
“I think these ones are different,” Jag answered, holding onto the wheel tightly. “They chased me through the fair and didn’t give two hangs about being seen.”
“What are we gonna do now? How do we get rid of them?”
“I . . . I don’t know,” Jag said, the words like acid on his tongue. This was supposed to have been an easy task; get in, drop the anti-nanomite bomb, get out. Nothing to it. Now because of his mistake, they were in a perilous situation with no solution present. The swarm hunting them wasn’t going to give in until they’d taken down the teenage threats.
Nice going, Jag. You messed this up big time.
69
Marshall inhaled the water of the test pool and thousands of daggers punctured his nose, throat and lungs. The searing pain was always present with these intakes. For the first few seconds he would have to fight the urge to get his head out of the water until, eventually, his lungs would switch to aquatic respiration and metabolize the oxygen in the pool. He saw the Marauder swimming toward him even as his vision went dark around the edges until only a small disk of light filled his view. His body felt heavy and he sank further into the deep pool.
It was only seconds later when his body started to course with energy again, but it may as well have been an eternity. He jerked back to life and his eyes snapped opened. The Marauder was mere feet away from him, its narrowed pupils holding his complete attention. With a burst of power, Marshall flipped around and swam away as if he was naturally a creature of the water. He maneuvered smartly, always staying ahead of the beast. It was a competition now—which one of them would succumb to the need for air first. It would never get to that, Marshall knew, because the Marauder would eventually pop to the surface while he could survive in the water indefinitely.
The beast paddled its lion-like paws, enraged that the man had dared to abuse it and take the teenagers away from its grasp. Though it didn’t belong in the water, it was apparently programmed to be relentless in the pursuit of its prey. Marshall twisted away to keep a safe distance but was an instant too slow. The Marauder dug its claws deep into the Sentry’s thigh. Marshall wrenched his head back, fighting the impulse to open his mouth and bellow in agony. With his free leg, he delivered a savage kick to the beast and lucked out when the tip of his boot struck the creature’s left eye. With a tormented growl muffled by a cloud of bubbles, the creature let him go and remained motionless as it tried to regain its bearings.
Marshall seized the moment and shot away as quickly as he could, leaving a crimson trail in the water. Its equilibrium recovered, the Marauder swung around and immediately re-engaged its prey. With powerful strokes it pushed its massive, muscular frame toward the Sentry, intent on a kill.
Marshall swam into the deeper end of the pool and reached for the switchblade in his pocket. He hoped that the Marauder, driven by rage and the scent of blood in the water, was ignoring the depleting air in its lungs to maintain pursuit. As he reached the bottom of the thirty-foot-deep pool, he slowed down, partly to draw the creature nearer and partly to reserve some strength for what was to come.
He glanced back to gauge the distance only to see the beast’s massive head inches from his feet. Ignoring the pain from his wound, he pulled his legs in and flipped around just as he reached the bottom. Using the pool floor as his springboard, he propelled himself toward the startled creature, the six-inch knife in hand. He stabbed at the Marauder’s face, hoping to blind the creature; instead the blade plunged into the side of the beast’s neck. A veil of bubbles rushed out from the creature’s snout as it screamed, losing what little air it had left. It started to paddle furiously to the surface.
Sensing the animal’s desperation, Marshall rushed toward it and locked both of his arms around its neck. He used the full weight of his body to try and drag the creature down. Even in its weakened state, the beast kept swimming toward the surface.
For a brief moment Marshall thought he had the edge in the furious tug-of-war. Then with a last burst of its remaining energy, the Marauder clawed its way upward with Marshall in tow. The Sentry, still holding onto the beast, soared out into the open air as the creature broke the surface.
“Marshall! Catch!”
The Sentry had a mere moment to react to Tegan’s voice. He blindly reached out at the height of his trajectory. A green cube landed in his hands. With no time to think, he twisted toward the Marauder as it heaved for air and plunged the explosive into its open jaws, deep into its throat.
He fell back into the water and kicked his legs vigorously, diving deep as pain flowed like venom up his limbs. Just as his feet touched the bottom, he heard a muffled boom above him. Even at his distance from the surface, shockwaves from the explosion threw him violently against the side of the pool. Tossed about like a rag doll, he quickly shook off his disorientation and swam slowly toward fresh air.
Breaking the still-churning surface, he dragged himself over the concrete edge and proceeded to purge his lungs of water. Feeling better almost immediately, he looked across the massive pool. Bits of the Marauder’s carcass floated on the water saturated with the creature’s blood—a sorry tribute to an undeniably formidable but cruel adversary.
Two pairs of hands helped the Sentry up. Aari grimaced at the wound on Marshall’s thigh. “That thing did a number on you, huh?”
“You could say that,” Marshall offered, “but I think we did a bigger one on it.”
“So you knew I’d already armed the device with the shortest time?” Tegan asked.
He smiled through a twitch of pain. “No. I was just betting on it.”
“You’re crazy. Like, really crazy.”
“We should leave,” Aari said urgently. “This place is gonna go down any second.”
Limping, Marshall led the way to the courier truck and over the guards that lay on the ground. Fortunately, he’d finished loading the vehicle with the inactive nanomites and empty pods when he was jumped by the guards.
The three of them crammed into the cab—Marshall and Aari wincing in pain—and the Sentry swerved around the complex. As they barreled through the exit, they heard the first explosions in the underground lab. They held on tightly to their seats as detonations rocked the vehicle. Marshall maintained a firm grip on the wheel, keeping the truck on course.
As they drove past the security post, they saw the second of the four buildings collapse in on itself. Marshall slowed down to get a good look at their handiwork. The juddering of blasts sent his teeth into an involuntary chatter.
“Ka-boom,” Aari murmured. “We did it. Somehow . . . we did it.”
Soon all that was left of the building was a massive pile of rubble and debris. A stout column of gray dust swirled into the starry night. Marshall and the teenagers, thoroughly satisfied, suddenly felt an adrenalin crash drop its weight onto them.
“I think we’re done here,” Marshall said. Aari and Tegan slumped against each other without argument.
The Sentry changed gears and drove away from the scene, leaving the complex to stand watch over the conquered laboratory for the rest of the night.
* * *
“They’re not letting up,” Mariah warned from the backseat, looking through the rear window of the truck. The nanomite swarm kept pace as the trio sped past the freeway exit and entered a long, lonely farm road.
Kody flopped around beside her; he hadn’t stopped slapping at himself. “I’m being bitten in places I can’t see! I can’t get them off!”
“’Riah, can you help him?” Jag asked.
“I’ve been trying to!” she exclaimed, swatting the back of Kody’s neck as the pickup swayed left onto a narrow dirt road. When she looked behind again, she noticed that the nanomites had fallen back. “Uh, Jag? I think they’ve stopped chasing us.”
“What? Just like that?”
“Seems so.” She watched the swarm hover for a time before the red glare faded and the nanomites could no longer be seen. “Looks like they only wanted to chase us out of town.”
“We’re definitely far enough out of Vernon, plus I think they know they can’t get to us as long as we stay in the truck. Kody, how you doing back there?”
Kody rubbed his arms, face and neck. “I’m not being attacked anymore, if that’s what you’re asking. They just stopped. Got some pieces taken out of me, though.”
Mariah fished out napkins from a door pocket and handed them to him. “Here.”
“Thanks.” He dabbed at his skin. “So, what now?”
Mariah stared out at the darkness; the area didn’t seem inhabited. A small wooden structure stood in the distance, but even from afar it appeared run down.
This feels eerie . . . wish we had more than just these headlights out here.
“We have to finish what we started,” Jag muttered. “Safe to say that the nanomites will be going back to their pod, so we can try again with our last football.”
“Is there enough time for that?” Kody asked. “Wouldn’t they be on their way to ruin more crops?”
“If we hurry, maybe we can still catch them. If not, we’ll have no choice but to wait until they return.”
“Then I would suggest finding a way to turn around, my good sir. I’m not overly fond of this route we’re taking. Gives me the heebie-jeebies.”
Jag slowed and, with some tight maneuvering, got the truck into a U-turn and headed down the narrow path to the road that led back to Vernon. Mariah toyed with the football, then placed it on the seat between her and Kody. As she did, Kody began slapping his calves, looking startled and annoyed. “They’re biting me again! What’s with that?”
Mariah smacked him anywhere that he wasn’t covered to get the nanomites off, but her efforts were in vain. “Why are they only attracted to you?”
“How on earth am I supposed to kn—augh! Come on!”
“Mariah!” Jag yelled.
“I can’t see or do anything!” she cried.
Kody threw himself against the door and the backrest, thrashing. Mariah sat back, powerless, as her friend battled the invisible assailants. If the nanomites were bigger or at least glowed red, she could locate them and get rid of them instead of having Kody flounder about like a fish out of water.
Jag braked suddenly, catching Kody and Mariah by surprise as they slammed into the backs of the seats in front of them. Mariah pushed herself away furiously. “What was that about?”
“There’s some dude in the middle of the road,” Jag growled. “He’s not walking straight. Might be drunk.” He honked the horn. “Great. He’s not moving out of the way, either.”
Kody resumed his fanatical self-slapping and scratching. “Help him move, then! Ow! Noooo! Get off!”
Through the windshield, Mariah saw the man’s outline in the truck’s headlights. He appeared to be garbed in a dark coat. She watched mutely as the fuzzy figure tottered forward before stumbling and falling face-down to the ground. Jag groaned and jumped out of the truck, Mariah following him out of instinct. The man lay still, his body was shaking.
“Sir?” Jag called as he approached. The impatience had ebbed just slightly from his voice.
The man didn’t respond. Mariah heard cursing behind her and turned to see Kody hopping hurriedly through the shadows toward them, still fighting the nanomites. He was calling out to her but she was unable to decipher what he was saying through the yelps and angry oaths escaping him. It didn’t help that the truck’s headlights and the noise of its engine filled the space between them. He reached them, eyes wide in terror, just as she and Jag got closer to the fallen drunk. About five feet from him, Mariah finally understood what Kody had been trying to tell them.
But it was too late.
The man in black started dissolving right in front of their eyes and dispersed into a cloud of particles that glowed a deep blood-red. The friends stared in growing horror as the nanomites rose from the ground in front of them, forming into their massive bird of prey silhouette. Jag started to yell for them to run but before they could move a muscle, the ghastly form morphed into a pulsing sphere that began to engulf them, trapping the teenagers as if they were inside a snow globe crafted by a devil.
Mariah thought she was screaming but the sound did not leave her throat; the nanomites’ glow burned bright in her eyes. She tried to maneuver away but they stuck on her like a layer of new skin, pressing down on her and gnawing away. With a screech, she writhed violently in an unsuccessful attempt to get the nanomites off her body. She could feel them tearing away the smallest bits of her flesh and thrashed harder.
Jag’s muffled voice reached her through the blinding swarm. “’Riah! The football!”
I can’t see anything but red! she wailed silently. I need to see it before I can move it!
The device was in the truck, far out of her sight. Try as she might, she wasn’t able to push against the thrust of the swarm and run to the vehicle. Jag shouted at her again, and this time he sounded more desperate than ever. “Mariah! Football! Please!”
Stretching out one arm, Mariah let out a roar so powerful that she stunned herself amidst the onslaught. The nanomites fully covered her exposed skin and closed in over her eyes, drowning her in blackness. She fell onto the road, screaming.
Kody was the one who caught sight of the football hovering out of the open back door of the truck and rocketing toward them. It was just a fleeting view through a minuscule window in the swarm. But that was all he needed.
“Football!” he cried.
Jag, with the layer of nanomites weighing him down, pushed forward to grab the football as it flew toward him. As though sensing the threat, the swarm furiously converged on him, blocking his vision altogether.
Kody heard Jag let out a sickening scream. With no realization of what he was doing, he dove—with his new layer of skin consuming him—into the path of the approaching football. It zoomed over his head but with quick reflexes he brought his hand back and caught it. As the nanomites swarmed over his eyes, he activated the football and released it. A loud bang was instantly followed by a thick cloud of blue dust that blanketed the friends.
Twenty seconds later, Kody found himself with his cheek pressed against rough gravel, looking down the road toward the truck. Did I do it? he thought groggily, slowly lifting his head. When his eyes readjusted to the headlights from the vehicle, he realized that he was not, in fact, looking at the surface of the road itself, but a carpet of inert nanomites that were no longer glowing red.
Someone helped him up; he had a vague sense that it was Mariah and her voice, hoarse from screaming, confirmed his impression. “They’re dead.”
Kody searched sluggishly for something comical to say but all he could manage was, “No, just doped.”
“You know what I mean.” Mariah made sure Kody was able to stand without swaying, then went to Jag’s aid but he was already halfway up. The trio scanned their surroundings. Kody turned to the others and saw for the first time that his friends were covered head to toe in red dots and streams of blood. He thought he’d gotten numb from the pain, but looking at their innumerable minute incisions, he felt the agony kick in tenfold.
“We’re done here,” Jag said hoarsely. He was stone-faced for a few moments, then cracked a smile. “We did it.” He turned to Mariah. “You did it.”
Mariah started kicking the nanomite dust onto the side of the road. “Powers are growing is all,” she muttered modestly. “Kody was the one who set the football off anyway.”
Jag and Kody swapped amused grins and joined in, then the three of them headed bac
k toward the truck, moving stiffly from the pain. When they reached the vehicle, they worked on cleaning themselves as best they could. Once they were done, they slammed the doors shut with a sense of triumph. Jag pulled away from the deserted road and sighed. “Well, hey. Could have gone a lot worse, right?”
Kody and Mariah couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of his question.
70
Tegan listened while Aari and Marshall caught up with Jag, Mariah and Kody over the phone. Her head lolled tiredly against her shoulder where she was slouched rather unladylike in the backseat. They’d abandoned the truck Marshall had hijacked after letting Josh’s contact know where to pick up the inactive pods, and were now back in their rented car. Exhausted as she was, Tegan forced herself to stay awake and be part of the conversation. They’d already reported on the success of their mission, and Jag and the others had just finished recounting what had happened with the Texas pod.
“It was nothing like the one in Ransom,” Jag said. “But yeah, we got it anyway.”
Marshall shook his head. “That’s crazy. It’s unfortunate that we weren’t able to enlist a Sentry in time to help you in Texas.”
“You guys can’t be everywhere,” Mariah’s voice came consolingly over the speakerphone. “At least it’s over. Are you and Aari gonna find a hospital and get your injuries looked at?”
“They’re a stubborn pair,” Tegan called, scowling. “When Marshall mentioned that he had more of his healing dust back in the farmhouse, Aari decided he’d bandage it and tough it out till we get back. Idiots.”
When Mariah replied, Tegan was certain she could hear her friend shrugging over the phone. “Men! Gotta be macho.”
Both Aari and Marshall snorted. Tegan smiled briefly.
“What’s up with the other pod locations?” Kody asked. “Any news?”
“I’ll reach out to Elder Nageau in a bit,” Marshall answered, then tsked when he missed the turn they were supposed to take. “He sounded jubilant when I told him we’d completed our mission, so hopefully everything’s going smoothly.”
