Edge of Truth (9781310978142)

by Hanova, Natasha

  Rena leaned her head on his shoulder as she squeezed his arm.

  “If I had only...” His voice cracked. He cleared his throat and tried again. “If I had been a little more careful and not in a rush, we mighta stood a chance.”

  “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “Told Mr. Elliott about it the next morning. He warned me never to tell anybody about what happened. Said if the Syns took Cyrus...” His voice caught in his throat, again. “Let’s hope they don’t have Blaze, too.”

  She was confident that the Buyers—Topaz specifically—had Blaze. Nothing else made sense. Topaz had watched with overt interest when they sold the brown book to Grunge. Plus, she believed Grunge when he’d said Topaz took his finger. She wondered what reason the Syns had for taking Cyrus, though. “I hate to ask this, but is there a chance your friend is Other?”

  Nevan shook his head. “His only talent was seducing women, and even then, he wasn’t successful all of the time.” He swiped his hand down his face. “We can’t control what other people do. At least, we can try to get your friend back. You ‘bout ready?”

  “Yeah, let’s go. It’s getting dark. I’ll carry the backpack for a while.”

  “It’s kind of heavy.”

  “I can handle it.”

  He shook his head.

  “Noodle, give me my backpack. Let your back and shoulders have a chance to rest.”

  “I haul heavier things than this around all day.” He glanced over at her. “My back and shoulders are fine.”

  She scoffed. “And you call me stubborn? This is my mission, and it’s only fair I carry my share of the burden.”

  He paused as if considering her request.

  “Please,” she added. That sometimes worked with her brothers when they were being difficult.

  “Whatever you want.” For some reason it sounded more like a promise than a statement. Or maybe she was letting her imagination carry her away, again.

  He helped her wriggle on the backpack. The added pressure brought a different kind of discomfort to her back, but she forced any register of pain from her expression.

  As they walked, all she could think about was what Nevan had told her. People disappeared everyday, but she’d always assumed those people were Other or had broken some kind of law. There were too many of them, and some were easy to forget when she wasn’t trying to remember them for a citizen’s test. A shiver ran down her spine. If the Nesties really stole random citizens of Hollowcrest for experiments, did she really want to buy her way into a community with people like that?

  Assuming Nevan was right about her cave, she held the key to immense wealth. She’d discovered how much people were willing to pay to get their hands on twentieth century antiques when the Grunge bought a book without moving images. Though in the end, the man ended up paying much more than money to possess it.

  The discovery of time capsules was supposed to be her way out into Eden but now, the best thing that’d ever happened to her—barring Nevan’s kiss—was turning out to be a curse. The thought weighed heavily on her shoulders and slowed her pace. That’s when she felt it, a slight tremble rumbling through the ground. She stopped and turned around, but couldn’t see very far in the fading daylight. She knelt down, one hand on the ground.

  “Is something wrong?” Nevan asked.

  Rena didn’t respond.

  He moved closer to her. “What are you doing?”

  “Listening.”

  “To what? I don’t hear anything.”

  She held up her hand, motioning him to quiet down. Closing her eyes, she put her other palm on the ground. “What is that?”

  Nevan stooped by her, spreading out his long fingers next to hers. “I don’t feel anything.”

  “It’s smaller than a quake. Quieter. The tremors are faster. Uneven.”

  He stood. “Like a motor?”

  “Maybe...”

  “Synbots! Run!”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  In one swift move, Nevan grabbed Rena’s hand and pulled her up. They sprinted toward the domes. She tripped over her feet, but his firm grip yanked her up before her knee touched the ground. Her braids whipped at her face. Bolts of anxiety shot through her, yet somehow, never sank underground. No time to wonder why not. The Syns were close. Her toes curled against the awful sensation of the motor. She stumbled without falling, again.

  They weaved around the domes until her legs gave out and she collapsed against the weight of the backpack. Her raw throat burned with every wheeze. Her mouth was in desperate need of water.

  Nevan knelt next to her, barely winded. “Still feel them?”

  Moving as little as possible, she placed one hand on the warm cement, the other on the grass. “It’s different.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. It’s constant. Like a really huge cat purring.”

  “We should hide.”

  “Think they spotted us?”

  “Not yet. But let’s not take any chances.” He extended a hand to help her stand and didn’t let go after.

  They only made it a few hundred yards before she picked up on the Synbots again. Not riding anymore. On foot, patrolling. Could be ten, could be fifty. They marched in unison. The mechanical footsteps thudded against the ground like an approaching thunderstorm. Her muscles tightened in response.

  Nevan noticed her subtle reaction, and they simultaneously turned around. Red beams scanned the domes from the ground up then zigzagged across the sidewalk, a slow steady patrol, not a hunt.

  Without a word, Rena and Nevan ran across the grass toward a tall, white building. It had half a ladder and stairs that led to a railing, which wrapped the round structure.

  The purring grew stronger as they neared it. “What’s that building?” she asked.

  “Control house.”

  “Hide inside?”

  “Not exactly.”

  They stopped behind it.

  “Alarms would go off,” Nevan explained.

  “Can’t keep running around it.”

  He clasped his hands together, palms up, as he bent forward.

  “What the feegees are you doing?”

  He craned his neck to meet her gaze. “Get on.”

  She stomped her foot “You bodink! This isn’t time for games.”

  “Not playing. Step on my hands. I’ll lift you to the ladder.”

  The sweeping red glow across the sidewalk sent shards of panic through her. Fear glued her feet to the ground even though the Syn would round the building any second.

  “Rena,” he whispered. “Can’t get to it without you. Otherwise, I’d grab your stubborn butt and haul you up there myself.”

  “We should hide under something, not on top, out in the open.”

  He let out a quick breath. “Don’t you feel the heat coming off this building? It’ll disguise our body signatures. Trust me.”

  Those two words carried so much weight. Now wasn’t the time to debate options. She placed her palm on his shoulder and a foot in his hand.

  He straightened, his other hand clasped around her ankle. “Now, step on my shoulders and reach up to the ladder.”

  Breathing through an open mouth, she followed his directions, stretching as high as she could. “I can’t reach. Not even close.”

  “We don’t have much time.”

  The red beam skittered across the sidewalk and grass a few yards away, edging ever closer to the building. Grotesque images of human experimentation flashed through her mind.

  “Lil’ Mama, d’you hear me? Step on my hands. I’ll boost you up.”

  His fingers crackled under her weight; the unpleasant sensation made her cringe. She almost lost her balance. His arms trembled as he grunted and boosted her straight up. She glided her hand along the control house wall for support. The concrete felt warm and the rough texture scraped her palms. When she reached the bottom rung, she put all her weight into pulling it down. The metal screeched in protest as the ladder released. The base o
f it hit the ground with a loud thump. Rena glanced over her shoulder in time to see a set of Syns round the building.

  “Climb!” The urgency in his voice spiked her with adrenaline, propelling her to shift her full weight to the ladder.

  Below her, Nevan’s foot hit the bottom rung, but it was too late.

  “Halt!” said one of the Syns.

  Rena scurried down the ladder between Nevan’s arms and ducked under them to jump off. “Hide around the building,” she whispered to him.

  She didn’t wait to see if he complied. With her head tilted down to hide her face and her ID ring behind her back, she walked toward the machines. She wanted to tackle them, but had to maintain the appearance of someone experiencing remorse or else they might stun her. She followed the pound of their footsteps through the ground and allowed the fear of getting caught to roil through her. Her soles tingled for a moment, then her calves clenched so hard, she stumbled and fell. The pain moved into her legs and across her back as she hunched on the ground. She whimpered, but refused to release her power.

  The Syns stopped in front of her.

  Rena risked rolling forward on the other side of them and forced them to turn their back to the control house. Still crouched, she spun to face them.

  “Citizen, please stand and identify yourself.”

  “Identify this!” Rena reached out, one hand on each Syn, and imagined every ounce of her fear jolting from her hands and into them. She envisioned billions of tiny tremors ripping apart their internal circuitry. After a loud pop, sparks rained down on her and she jumped to her feet. The backpack caused her to lose her balance and she stumbled. The Syns twitched as tendrils of smoke curled from their nostrils. Rena covered her nose against the stench of burning plastic.

  “Rena,” Nevan said. “We gotta hide.”

  She peered at him between the Syns. Somehow, he’d snuck close enough for her to see the shock on his face. She slipped between the machines. “We should run.”

  He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the white building, once again. “Nowhere else to go. No time to argue.”

  When they reached the control house, she climbed the ladder. Her limbs felt weak from exertion. Every thud of Nevan’s feet against the rungs thundered through the metal as he followed. The ladder folded up after he reached the fire escape landing. They dashed up three, four stairs at a time.

  At the top flat, Nevan covered Rena’s mouth. He pinned her against the building with his body while pointing down through the vertical slats of the steel railing at another set of Syns below. She gasped. Thankfully, his hand muffled the sound. The Syns approached the ones Rena had short-circuited. Her breaths came in shallow pants. What if they figured out what had happened?

  Seven feet stood between them and the rooftop. No ladder in sight and her powers depleted. Moisture blurred Rena’s vision. Nevan put one finger to his lips in a silent “shh” as he removed the other hand from her mouth. He pointed up to the roof then tapped his shoulders. She nodded, not arguing this time.

  He turned around, and with his feet shoulder-width apart twisted, as if to see her face. In quick succession, he tapped his right thigh, left thigh, right shoulder, left shoulder. She nodded and he placed his hands on his knees to brace himself, ready for her to climb up his back. She glanced at the Syns. With their back to the control house, they opened the skulls of the fried ones. She knew they planned to run some sort of diagnostics and prayed there was nothing left for them to trace.

  With her hands on Nevan’s shoulders, Rena stepped onto his right thigh and then left. Sweat dampened the back of her shirt and slicked her palms. She wiped them on her pants before she grabbed Nevan’s lifted hands for balance and stepped onto his shoulders. He let out a quiet breath as he pushed to a standing position and pressed her shins against the back of his head. From the vantage point, Rena saw another set of Syns approach. How long until they scanned the control house?

  Nevan angled toward the building. She hooked her hand over the ledge and hauled herself up, using his hands for extra support. The concrete scraped her chest and stomach as she crawled over the top and rolled onto the roof. In a split second, she was on her feet and reaching for him.

  He was too far away.

  Rena searched for the fried Syns, only to find them missing. The two that stayed behind marched toward the control house. From the rooftop, all she could see was the top of their heads. The red lasers from their badges crisscrossed the base of the building working up toward the ladder and stairs.

  Nevan tried to climb the railing, it screeched in protest. Trapped, his gaze shot up to her. She couldn’t let this happen. Couldn’t let the Synbots take him. She pressed harder. The concrete ledge dug into her ribs and abraded her already tender skin. She stretched out her fingers so far it hurt. They only managed to graze fingertips.

  Teardrops rolled down her cheeks and fell on his outstretched hand.

  Suddenly, it hit her. She swung the backpack around and dumped its contents. Rope in hand, she dashed across the roof and wrapped it around the first sturdy-looking post. Then she raced back and lowered the other end to him. The relief on his face as he gripped it almost made her cry. She twisted the rope around her hands and gave it two quick tugs.

  The instant he started climbing, it yanked her forward. She braced herself and leaned back. Her shoulders hovered inches from the ground to compensate for his weight. The rope tightened around her hand, grinding muscle against bone. She gritted her teeth, waiting, watching, willing his fingers to curve over the ledge. Her arm muscles twitched as she strained to hold on. Sweat beaded on her lip and she wanted to wipe it off, but resisted the temptation. What was taking him so long? She tried not to think about the Syns below with their red lasers zigzagging up the wall toward Nevan. If they hit him with the stunner from this height, she didn’t want to think of the consequences.

  Finally, the top of his head came into view, then his face, creased with concentration. He glanced toward the ground before he let go of the rope and gripped the ledge with one hand. A second later, both forearms supported his weight as he hooked a leg over the side and propelled himself forward. He fell to the roof, soaked in sweat and panting for a brief second before he pushed to a standing position. Three broad steps later, he had his arms wrapped tight around Rena. She could hardly breathe and couldn’t care less. She pressed her cheek against him, his collarbone pushed against her temple. His heart pounded against her palms and resounded in her ears. She nestled closer.

  “They see you?” she whispered.

  “No.” His breath rolled over her braids. “They’d only scanned halfway up the wall before I crawled over.”

  “Can they hear us?”

  He loosened his hold and gazed at her with a smirk. “Not unless you start screaming again.”

  It took a second to realize he was referring to what happened at the Underground. “Funny.” She pushed away from him and strolled to the ledge. The Syns had moved to the next building. Their lasers scanned it grid by grid, then they proceeded to the next building farther from the control house.

  After an hour of watching them, Rena sank against the half wall. They weren’t searching for them. It was routine patrol. She couldn’t help but wonder if she’d gotten away with short-circuiting the Syns.

  Nevan stretched on his side near the edge of the roof where it was cooler. “You’re gonna have a rough day tomorrow if you don’t get some rest.”

  “Gonna be a rough day no matter what I do.” She stuffed their things inside the backpack, then strolled toward him.

  Yawning, he rolled onto his back and tucked his hands between his neck and dreads. “Looks like a nice night to sleep under the stars.”

  She let out a long, slow exhale, and sat next to him. Slouched, she covered her face with her hands. “My dad would kill me if he knew where I was right now.”

  “You didn’t tell him?”

  “Well, did you tell your parents?”

  “Told my mom I
had to help a friend and probably wouldn’t make it home tonight.”

  “And she let you and Chai go?”

  “Nah, only me. Chai snuck out. Hard to keep secrets from her. But don’t worry, my cousin will make sure she gets home safely.”

  “Will she tell your parents about where we’re going?”

  “If anyone knows how to keep a secret, it’s my sister. Can you imagine, with her ability, the things she must know?”

  Rena scooted the backpack beside Nevan’s head and leaned back to rest on it. The sky twinkled above. “It’s rare to meet someone with a gift.”

  He closed his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me about yours? Sensing those Syns coming up on us. That thing you did when you touched them.”

  “Not supposed to talk about it.”

  He let out a lazy chuckle. “So, you are capable of following some rules.”

  “When talking about my ability could make me disappear, yeah, I know how to follow that rule.”

  His eyes remained closed. “Afraid I’d turn you in?”

  “No. I didn’t want you to know… that I’m …Other.”

  “Enhanced.” His word slurred with sleepiness. “Like my sister.”

  “Guess you didn’t think I’d turn her in either.”

  “Not a doubt. Chai woulda picked up on it anyway.” He was quiet for a moment. “At the Underground, you felt that guy walking up behind you, too?”

  “Yep. Everything has a different kind of vibration. That’s how I knew there was music playing somewhere.”

  “Makes sense.” He rolled his hands, one over the other. “The many mysteries of Rena Moon are starting to unravel.”

  “Yeah, right. I’m an open book.”

  “Not really. At my house, couldn’t figure out how you learned to drum like that.”

  “I’ve watched you play. I’m no where close to your talent.”