Blackout

by Robison Wells

Page 63

 

  All three soldiers had their guns readied, searching the dim light for her, not knowing she was just inches from them.

  She ran to the warrant officer and gently patted his chest pocket. The detonator was there.

  “Kubato,” the officer said into his radio. “I want you to find those other two. Get eyes on them, and then radio me. Don’t get shot. ”

  “Jack, they’re coming for you. Get out of there. ”

  Aubrey very gingerly—well, as gingerly as possible—attempted to open the pocket.

  Crap. It was Velcro. She wouldn’t be noticed, but would ripping open a Velcro pocket be?

  It would put suspicion on all the Lambdas on team 9128. They were going to get shot, because someone was stealing the detonator.

  She couldn’t let that happen.

  But the other Lambda—the fast one—was chasing down Laura and Jack. He was going to lead the other Green Berets to them.

  Aubrey had to do something.

  She could tie this girl to the officer—that way if he blew up the leg, he’d hurt himself.

  No, that was stupid.

  She could appear—announce that she wasn’t with them, and make a show of leaving the girl alone.

  No. She’d get shot as soon as she appeared.

  She’d have to make him forget about the detonator. That was the only way. Make it so far from his mind that he wouldn’t ever consider it.

  “Jack,” she said. “You’re going to hear gunshots. Ignore them. ”

  Aubrey took a breath and pulled the officer’s sidearm from his holster. Just as he was turning, feeling the motion, she emptied the magazine, firing wildly into the few cars that remained in the parking garage. Glass exploded and tires boomed. Gas was leaking from one, but nothing was on fire.

  The soldiers were scrambling now, searching everywhere, panicked and calling for backup.

  She disassembled the M9 and dropped it on the ground with a clatter, then moved to the next soldier. She yanked the pistol from his hand and did the same, though she was firing into the puddle of leaking gas now. On the third shot there was a spark and the small sedan burst into flames.

  “Get out!” the warrant officer barked. One man grabbed the Lambda girl by the collar and pulled her toward the exit ramp. The warrant officer followed and Aubrey tripped him. He splayed out on the concrete, and as he tried to get up she tore open his pocket and stole the detonator.

  The group dashed up the ramp, and she followed, running in weird loops and circles around the Green Berets. The snipers could see her now. They could take a shot, and she had to make it too hard for them to take her out without shooting a fellow soldier.

  It was stupid. She didn’t have the energy for this. She wasn’t in as good of shape as they were anyway, much less so when she was invisible. She hadn’t thought this through.

  But then the men stopped at the top of the ramp.

  “There’s a terrorist here?” the officer shouted into his mic. “What do you mean you can see her?”

  She grabbed the third soldier’s pistol—not because she knew what to do with it, but because it might make the snipers pause. She kept moving around the soldiers, inches from them. She was shorter than all of them, which made her feel better, because any headshot on her would hit a soldier in the chest. No sniper would take it without risking their own man.

  Another man was running toward them across the plaza.

  Dan.

  She was stumbling now as she moved around the men. She yanked the microphone from the officer’s ear, and cut through the cable with his knife. She jumped to the next man and did the same, but by the time she got to the third, he was holding on to his—the snipers must have been telling them what was happening.

  Dan approached cautiously.

  And then suddenly the ground erupted, like an earthquake, and everyone fell to their knees. She tried to hold on to a soldier, but she was an open target.

  She jumped up and dove for the cover of the ramp, and the ground bounced under her feet. She couldn’t tell if the cracks and pops she heard were shattering stone or rifle blasts, but she was a sitting duck.

  The ramp bounced again, the cement sides starting to crumble inward, and she rolled to the center. Dan couldn’t see her—he must have just been incapacitating her.

  She spun, tried to run, and tumbled farther down the ramp. She was almost out of the snipers’ view, almost under the cover of the smoke-filled garage.

  The ground thumped again, and she was underground, bits of cement dropping all around her.

  Dan was standing at the top of the ramp, the battered Green Berets all around him. Aubrey stood and reappeared, only for an instant, and waved for him to come forward. Then she disappeared again, and ducked into the darkness of the garage.

  The place was thick with smoke and the scent of burning oil. She leaned against a pillar, the pistol in one hand and the detonator in the other.

  Dan appeared out of the darkness.

  She made herself visible, and held up her hands.

  “I’m a friend,” she said, and then tossed him the detonator.

  His eyes went wide. “How did you find me?” There was an uncertain grin on his face.

  “I have Laura Hansen with me. ”

  “Laura? I didn’t think she survived. But, of course she did. ” He was marveling at the little device in his hand.

  Aubrey looked past him. “They’re going to be here soon. I can’t make you invisible. And the snipers can see me. ”

  He looked up at her, his face full of confidence. “I can get us out. Can you run?”

  “Kind of,” she said. “This wears me out. ”

  Dan looked like he could hardly control his happiness. “I’m going home. ”

  “First we have to get out of this garage. ”

  “Easy,” he said. “We just need to get to the top of the ramp and then out to the road. Roads are easy. ”

  She had no idea what he meant, but she nodded. “I’m going invisible. Just know that I’m with you. ”

  He nodded. “Like old times. For my mother and yours. ”

  She stared awkwardly for a minute and then disappeared.

  “There’s going to be some dust,” he said, looking where she had been.

  He walked to the ramp and saw the three soldiers, their M4 carbines drawn and pointed down at him. “It’s okay,” he said.

  For just a moment they relaxed, and then the entire ramp exploded in a puff of fine white concrete powder.

  “Run!”

  He darted through the cloud and Aubrey followed on wobbling legs. There was another tremendous crash and when they reached the top of the ramp all three men and the Lambda girl were on their backs, clutching at their feet and ankles.

  Dan jumped into the street and as she followed, a wall of asphalt and dirt jutted up out of the road, creating a barrier between them and any sniper on the surrounding buildings. With the wall in place, she reappeared to get some of her strength back, and they sprinted down a side street, the path and wall forming just in front of them as they ran.

  He was amazing—far more powerful than anything she’d seen in the training area at Dugway, or even when the terrorists attacked the convoy. And as she ran, her stomach fell, wondering what kind of monster she had just unleashed.

  She prayed Laura was telling the truth—that her actions the night before had just been moody, not sinister.