by Franklin, TG
David landed a couple more body shots. Another to the kidney, a couple to the ribs.
She heard them crack under David's fists. It amazed her that the guy could still stand, but even though his breath sounded labored, and sweat covered his face, he stayed in a fighting stance.
Sirens sounded in the distance. "Hear that, mech? Hadrian's security forces are getting close. Be here any second." He took a deep breath and grinned. "See, I don't need to beat you, just hold you up until they get here. Then, while they're dragging your ass out of here? I'm going to drag that pretty little piece of ass who came in with you to the back and have myself a party."
David grabbed the guy by the throat. "Not." David's fists rammed into the guy's face. "Going." Again, his fist accentuated the word. "To. Happen." Two more rapid fire punches connected.
The last hit put the guy on the ground. Blood dripped from the guy's nose, his mouth, and a cut above his left eye. His jaw was probably broken in a couple of places.
"Let's roll, Princess."
Taking off in a sprint, she sidestepped the unconscious guy and ran out the door. David didn't bother, leaving a size nine boot print on the guy's cheek. It surprised her to see Ella sitting on the bike. "What's going on?" Mary pulled the keys from her pocket, tossed them to David, and mounted the bitch seat in front of Ella.
Ella shifted to the back edge of the seat. "Hadrian's goons are close. Driving big-ass, armored SUVs. Michael and three squids are already rolling. When we take off, you jump to one of the squids, and I'll jump to Michael. They'll circle around, takes us in opposite directions."
The bike dipped and shifted as David got on and started it up. "Which direction?"
"Left out of the parking lot." Ella shouted over the noise. "The other two squids are going to meet Hadrian's goons head on for a little game of chicken while we make the final jumps. In the confusion, you and Michael should make it out and to the interstate with no problems."
"What's the speed?" David yelled.
"Thirty," Ella answered.
Risky. Thankfully, most of the traffic had pulled off to the side or into parking lots when they'd heard the sirens. Still, thirty pushed the limits. To catch a baton, the rider had to go slow enough to make sure the jumper didn't get pulled by wind shear, stayed on course and landed safely, but fast enough to take the hit of body weight without dropping the bike—if the baton was jumping side to side. With the bikes going in opposite directions, it meant the baton had to twist midair to land properly. Not something she'd done often, even before her brainwave transformation started.
David pulled out of the parking lot and hit the gas. "Get ready."
She pulled her feet up and, using David's back for balance, crouched on the seat. It didn't leave much room for Ella, but her friend managed to do the same.
"We're going in tight," David warned and aimed the bike between the two incoming riders. "Can you two turn? Face to the sides? Mary to the right. Might make the jumps easier."
Palms sweaty and head pounding, Mary took a deep breath and shifted. No time. Had to jump now, and she didn't think Ella had enough time to get turned around. Didn't, couldn't, matter now. "Good luck," she said under her breath and launched her body to the squid's bike.
The cruiser bounced when she hit, but she managed to keep her feet planted. She spared a quick glance in Ella's direction and let out a little prayer of thanks when she saw her friend had also made the jump. Staying in her crouch, she held on to the squid, leaned into the turnaround, and readied herself for the next jump.
Shit! Why didn't they have a third bike? Without a third bike, she and Ella had to switch places.
Going in opposite directions. At thirty freaking miles per hour.
Could it even be done?
Maybe....
No. Not under these circumstances. Not under any circumstances.
Adrenaline kicked her heart into overdrive. Pushed blood through her body, pulsing hard into her arms, her legs. Even the spot below her solar plexus throbbed. The rush of it heated her skin, covered her in sweat. Screwed with her mind. Made her feel strong enough, fast enough, to make the jump. Taking a deep breath, she shook it off and looked at her surroundings. There had to be something.
"Over there!" She pointed right. "Go toward the Impala."
The squid didn't argue or hesitate, even though he had to cross the four lane and risk hitting one of the idiots who hadn't pulled over and stopped for the sirens.
A few feet from the car, the squid slowed the bike down, and she jumped onto the hood of the car. The engine was still running, and the driver sat wide-eyed behind the wheel. The impact of her boots left dents in the metal, which the driver didn't appreciate. He flipped her off, revved the engine, and put the car in gear.
Michael pulled up beside the car, and Ella jerked the door open.
"You move, you die." Michael didn't even raise his voice. Didn't have to. His cold enunciation matched the dangerous look in his eyes and had the driver scrambling to get the shifter back in park. "Now, get out."
The man stumbled out of the car, choosing to hit the pavement instead of the bike, regained his footing, and ran.
Ella took his place behind the wheel. "Get out of here while you can. I spotted military vehicles coming off the interstate ramps, and copters are flying by every two seconds. Me and the squids will run interference as long as we can." She shut the door and shifted the car into drive. "Good luck."
As long as they were still alive was what Ella meant. Too choked up to do anything but nod, Mary jumped from the hood of the car onto the back of Michael's bike.
Michael made a sharp turn and headed toward the interstate.
Behind them, the flared civil defense system speakers crackled to life and blasted the screeching tones that indicated trouble, followed by the president's voice. "Citizens, please do not panic. I have been informed that the wave is expected to hit in approximately forty-eight hours. By executive order, I have implemented martial law. I advise everyone to retreat to their survival shelters, or if you do not have a survival shelter, bunker, or reinforced cellar, the military will escort you to the designated safe haven for your community. No one will be allowed out of their survival shelters, bunkers, or the community havens after 6:00 p.m. tonight. This restriction will remain in place until further notice. I repeat, no one will be allowed out after 6:00 p.m. this evening. The safety of our citizenry is our number one concern. If you have any questions or concerns, please direct them to the military liaison in your area. Thank you and Godspeed."
The screeching tones signaled the end of his speech, and the countdown started. "Four hours until mandatory restriction."
The mechanized voice almost drowned out the sounds of the M-4 gunfire.
Almost.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Heading up Norris Freeway toward Lafollette, a little town about thirty miles north of Knoxville, Niko was living his twelve-year-old self's wet dream. And had the hard on to prove it.
Their destination was an old fireworks factory where his contact told him he could get his hands on some heavy duty explosives. In this scenario, he wasn't a hacker, or a street rat. This is what he'd envisioned when he'd taken his dad's gun and crossed the threshold of his safe home into the insane world the wave had created. The game he'd imagined himself in a hundred times. The reason he'd scoured the seedy lower levels, built a rep, and upgraded.
Level up. Weapons, objectives that included blowing shit up, and dusting the bad guys along the way. Gamers nirvana.
Okay, maybe not any dusting. At least, not yet.
And the best part? Rippin' it on the back of a 'Busa with Ursula's ass against his crotch. He pressed his chest against her back, closer than he needed to, and kept his face flat against her shoulder blade just to smell the sweat and leather. To catch the scent of her skin in the wind.
He was positive that if even if he made it to the end and survived the wave, nothing would ever be more perfect than this ride.
<
br /> They crossed Norris Dam with no problems from the guards, turned onto Cherry Bottom Road, which had his thoughts traveling from the dam back to Ursula's ass. Ursula cruised the rest of the way and through the heart of the city. Or what used to be the city. Businesses were boarded up or left to rot. Graffiti decorated buildings, abandoned vehicles, rusted signs. Streetlights no longer worked.
But the civil defense speakers did. The ear-piercing tones cut through the wind and the roar of the bike.
Ursula's body tensed, and she stopped in the middle of the main drag. "This can't be good."
The president's voice echoed through the abandoned town, and even though Niko expected the speech, his stomach roiled more with each word. Four hours? Not enough time. People needed to find family members, gather supplies, and avoid the mobs while getting to safety. Surviving the wave had better odds than surviving the riots.
"Survival shelters?" Ursula shook her head. "Who can afford a survival shelter? And those 'community safe havens' are nothing more than internment camps."
"Welcome to tomorrow world," Niko whispered. "Let's get the explosives and out of here."
Ursula revved the bike and took off toward the outskirts of the town. The old factory stood nestled in the surrounding mountains and, according to his contact, the owners had managed to hide a large cache of black powder and other chemical explosives before the government went on its last search and destroy spree.
Ursula stopped the bike in front of the structure. A chain link fence, about eight feet tall and topped with razor wire, surrounded the building. A new, four foot sign hung on the front promising federal penalties for trespassing.
"Not as big as I thought it'd be." Niko dismounted, secured the backpack to the seat, and walked the length of the fence to stretch his legs.
"Must not take a lot of space to make fireworks." She followed him, stopped at the edge of the property, and pointed to the corners of the building. "Got surveillance cameras. Don't know if they're leftovers from the factory days, or compliments of the Feds."
"Don't see any guards, though."
"Or your contact."
Niko pulled his phone out of his pocket, checked the time. "He should be here by now."
"Maybe someone intercepted him. Maybe you've been set up. After all, you're a dangerous man. My commander pulled me off the wall just to go after you. Said he wanted your head on a pike."
"What'd I ever do to him?"
"Nothing. Doesn't make you any less dangerous." She turned, did a three sixty of the area. "Hadrian wants you in a bad way, and Dex played on in. Told the Commander you sold A to controllers so I could pull you out before Hadrian got his hands on you."
"Dangerous?" Niko snorted. "You make me sound like some licensed to kill spy or something."
She faced him. "Are you? I had a lot of time to think on the way here, and things don't add up."
"No. No way. I'm just a hacker."
"C'mon Niko. There's no one here but you and me, and we both know you're more than a hacker, or Hadrian wouldn't be salivating to get his hands on you. My commander might've thought your big sin was dealing A, but I get paid a lot of money for my retrieval services, and the commander wouldn't have gotten the go ahead for the expense unless Hadrian had authorized it."
"I've already told you everything, and my contact will be here any minute."
"Did you? I'm thinking not so much." She pulled her knife from its sheath, pressed the point against his Adam's apple, and backed him against the fence. "Or maybe you're the one pulling the strings on the setup? Are you working for Hadrian?"
"Are you nuts? No. Of course not. Why would you even think that?" Sweat ran down his spine. This was so not what he'd imagined his first mission would be like.
The knife stayed. "I don't."
"Then why the hell do you have a blade at my throat?"
"Dex's orders. We didn't have time to have Stran read you, so..."
"So you decided to go all femme fatale on me? Get me all hot and bothered to make me talk."
"Excuse me? This excites you?"
His fingers stayed curled around the fence, even though he desperately wanted to cover the tent in his pants. "Are you kidding? With the way you’re dressed?"
"It's leathers and a t-shirt, you moron."
"And they fit you really well." He licked his lips. "And what about the ride up here with the way you kept brushing your leather clad ass against my thighs? Oh, and the last time you had me backed against a wall? You kissed me."
"To distract you and keep you from seeing Dex. You didn't know he was part of this, and I didn't want you thinking Hadrian had sent us after you."
"It worked."
Ursula sheathed the knife and stepped back. "Let's do a perimeter sweep. It'll give you a chance to get yourself under control before your guy gets here."
"Hey." He grabbed her hand. "Just one question. Why didn't you try to seduce me for information last night while we were alone in your apartment?"
"Would you have believed it?"
"No."
"There's your answer." She pulled her arm free and looked past him to the building. "We need to find a way in. See if there's any cuts or breaks in this wire."
The rest of the building looked the same as the front. Fence, trees, weeds. Two bay doors in the back. No recent tire tracks. No signs of life. No way in.
She cocked her head, motioned for him to be quiet. "Someone's coming."
A man on a four wheeler appeared through the tree line. He drove up the left side of the property, stopped between Niko and Ursula, and cut the engine. He looked to be early forties, maybe a little older, maybe a little younger. Hard to tell. His face looked weathered, hard worn, but his hands looked younger, softer. "You folks lost?"
Niko stayed perched against the tree. "Nope. Just waiting on someone."
"You danger seekers? Looked like danger seekers on the feed."
One question answered. The cameras were live and monitored.
"Oh, you mean the knife?" Ursula stepped toward the four wheeler. "Foreplay."
The man's shrewd gaze went from Ursula to Niko and back again, but he didn't move. "What are you two really doing out here?"
Niko pushed off the tree, laid his hand on the shock stick. He didn't want to kill the guy, or more accurately, he didn't want Ursula to kill the guy, and the shock would only knock him out for a few minutes. "I told you, we're waiting on someone. A friend of mine is going to join us for a ride through your beautiful Cumberland Mountains."
"Ain't nobody in their right mind want to ride through those mountains. Too dangerous with all the nut jobs up there who think the caves in those mountains are going to protect them from the wave. What they are is fools, well armed fools, but fools nonetheless. And now that the President's done gone on television and told everyone the wave is coming in a couple of days? They'll be shooting anything that moves. If I was you, I'd get back on that machine of yours and ride back to where you came from. Your friend ain't coming."
Ursula relaxed. Either she didn't think this guy was a threat, or she was baiting him. "It sounds like you folks don't have much faith in the energy web."
"I'd say about as much as anybody else."
"Tell me," she leaned on the front of the four wheeler, "those cameras pick up sound."
The man's gaze went straight to her breasts. "Nope."
"You know why we're here?"
"Yep."
"Can you help us?"
"I'd surely like to, but I don't know where Eddie hied off to, and I don't know where he stashed the stuff." He shifted on the seat. "And I wasn't blowing smoke about those people up in the mountains. You go up there by yourself, and they'll shoot you. Don't care too much for me, either."
Ursula straightened, gave the guy a smile. "Thanks for the info. Listen, I know what the president said, but the wave is going to hit in about twenty hours. If you've got a bunker or somewhere safe you can go to, get there. Oh, and if you hear from Eddie, have
him give Niko a call, will you?"
The man nodded, started the four wheeler, and took off the way he came.
"What now?" Niko asked.
"We head to the rendezvous empty handed. Re-evaluate. Come up with a new plan."
Back where they started, Niko mounted the bike and grinned. "Just for the record, if you wanted to, you know, seduce me for information tonight, I'd believe it."
"If, you know, we live through the day, I might consider it."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Mary's optimism at escaping Hadrian's security forces faded as Michael cleared the entrance ramp to the interstate and came to a dead stop. The area looked like an urban combat zone. Drivers had attempted to crash their cars through the concrete barrier between the eastbound and westbound lanes. Wrecked vehicles peppered the roadway and hemorrhaged gasoline, oil, transmission fluid, radiator fluid. Puddles formed over the concrete, and the cars that managed to dodge the accidents ended up spinning out of control. Exhaust, smoke, and steam plumed into the sky and formed a noxious fog. Tempers rose as high as the fog. People got out of their cars, staggered through the destruction, bleeding and coughing, and fought over any car still running.
Behind them, military transport vehicles, flanked by armored Humvees, forced their way through the tangle of twisted and smashed metal.
Michael rolled the bike behind an abandoned Ford F150 and cut the motor. The truck offered a little bit of protection and kept them hidden. For the moment. "Princess, if we're going to make it out of here, we've got to get past the military's rolling road block before they get to the Campbell Station exit. The road's shit, and don't take this personal, but no matter what, keep hold of me and your mouth shut. Close your eyes and stuff your fist in your mouth if you have to, but no screaming. Gotta focus all my energy on getting us through this mess." He shifted in the seat, stretched his arms.
"Might not be possible. We've got a bigger problem."
"There's potholes the size of Nebraska all over the place, pieces of busted concrete littering what's left of the road, people out of their cars, their wrecked cars, and a jack-knifed eighteen wheeler covering over two lanes about a quarter mile up. Half the damn military is out here, shooting at anything and anyone that moves. What could possibly be a bigger problem than all that?"
