“That’s not possible,” Kara told him. “If you try to run away, Redeye will stop you. He’s blind, but he’ll do his best.”
Redeye stuck his hand in his pocket as though he had a pistol. “I promise not to hurt you,” he said, “as long as you do as I say.”
“As we say,” Kara corrected him. “Well, as I say, actually.”
Dash stared up at her, terror gleaming in his eyes. “Kara, I haven’t been apart from my brothers since … well, ever. I thought you understood. I thought we were friends.”
“We are,” Kara said, as engines rumbled in the street outside. “And as my friend, you’re helping me escape. Now come on, we’d better move.”
She unhooked her belt and climbed from the driver’s side window, helping Dash and Redeye up behind her. As they dropped to the tarmac she saw the Wildcats a short distance away, advancing cautiously through a carpet of broken glass.
The street was lined with houses, many of their doors standing open. Kara ran for one, leading the others inside. A small dog yapped but she ignored it, pushing through a kitchen with pictures of sailing boats on the walls and out through the back door. Down a long, sloping street she could see the ocean, sparkling blue between the buildings. Light flared and smoke rose from the distant city.
“Where do we go from here?” she asked Redeye. “How far’s this Golden Gate?”
“Too far,” he admitted. “We won’t make it on foot.”
“So we head for the water,” Kara said, looking at the shoreline dotted with white boats. “We steal a ship, hope no one tries to—”
“Wait,” Redeye said, holding up a hand. “I’ve got a better idea. Listen.”
Kara tipped her head. Beneath the wail of the sirens and the thrum of Wildcat engines she could hear a lighter sound: a bell ringing. “This way,” Redeye said, pulling Dash with him.
The street was wide with trees planted down the centre. The bell was louder now, clanging towards them. Kara turned to see a crimson vehicle rattling into view, running on silver rails. It was shaped like a box on wheels, the windows and the footplates crowded with frightened Mariners.
“What does it say on the front?” Redeye asked.
“Pier Ten,” Kara told him. “Is that good?”
“It’s perfect. Climb on.”
“But it’s full,” Dash said as the tram slid past. “We’ll never fit.”
Redeye frowned. “Look on the back. There should be a handrail, do you see it?”
Kara scanned the vehicle’s rear; there were two steel buffers and a single window, and above it a small steel bar. “It’s there but it’s tiny. We can’t all hang on.”
“But we can climb up,” Redeye said. “Me and Elroy used to ride the roof all the time. The conductors hated it but right now I think they’d let it go.”
They jogged behind the tram as it glided down the hill. Kara climbed on first, hauling herself up by the railing and turning to grab Dash’s hand. Redeye followed and they clambered on to the roof, ducking beneath the thick steel cables suspended overhead. In the centre was a nest of sparking wires, and Kara could feel the electricity in the air.
Hearing engines, she looked back up the steeply sloping street. The Wildcats took a tight corner behind them, skidding as they came. The tram descended towards the seafront but the cars were much faster, Lynx glaring furiously through the windshield as they closed the gap.
The cars swung in from both sides, Lynx and Leo harrying the tram, making it shudder and screech. Inside the passengers cried out, their screams amplified in the narrow space. Then the tram began to slow, brakes whining. “What’s it doing?” Kara cried. “Don’t stop!”
Redeye reached out blindly, fumbling for an electrical junction box bolted to the roof, from which a hooked pole connected to the cables overhead. He wrenched open a panel, frowning with concentration. “This is another old trick of Elroy’s. Hang on.”
He yanked a cable loose then he shoved it back into the junction box, sparks lighting up his face. There was a clunk and the tram began to accelerate, shops and houses flying by. There was another chorus of shrieks from below.
The ocean was ahead of them now and Kara wondered which way the tram would take them – south or north? Either way the bend would be tight – she hoped they didn’t come off the rails.
Then she saw a metal arch rising, the rails vanishing into the dark. Suddenly Redeye’s plan made sense.
The Wildcats braked hard, falling in behind the tram. They were still picking up speed as they shot into the tunnel, Kara’s ears popping as pressure hit them from both sides. The sound of the wheels changed from a distant whine to a clattering rumble and she felt a sudden rush of claustrophobia, remembering that awful subway beneath London, deep and dark and full of spiders.
But this tunnel wasn’t dingy; it was clear-sided and luminous, sunlight rippling down through the water. Boats drifted overhead, black against the green sea. Schools of fish darted in the depths, undisturbed by the madness above.
“Look at this place,” Dash marvelled. “It’s incredible.” His initial panic seemed to have abated and he was showing few signs of trying to escape.
“And just think,” Redeye said. “You and your brothers wanted to blow it all up.”
“No,” Dash turned to him. “We never wanted that. Or at least I didn’t. We just want the chance to make things like this for ourselves. We want your people to share what they know.”
“And if they don’t, you’ll kill them.”
Kara barked a laugh. “Now who does that remind me of? You’re all as mad as each other.”
The tracks levelled out, the tram speeding through the aquamarine light. Then the chassis shook and she looked over the back, seeing Lynx’s car nudging against the buffers. The other Wildcats were lined up behind, Leo hunched over the wheel, Tigress leaning from her window clutching a pistol. She fired but her aim was poor; the shots ricocheted off the ceiling.
“She can’t crack the tunnel, can she?” Kara asked worriedly.
“Not with a handgun,” Redeye said.
Dash let out a whimper. “How about with a grenade launcher?”
Leo had hoisted himself up on to the driver’s side window, keeping the big vehicle steady with his foot. On his shoulder was balanced a long black tube with a firing mechanism at the rear end.
“He’s crazy!” Kara exclaimed.
Dash shook his head. “No. Just really stupid.”
Leo squinted as the car jerked beneath him. He fumbled for the trigger, swerving slightly, tyres grinding against the tramrails. Kara heard a clunk as they crossed a junction, the tram veering left. Lynx steered through but Leo didn’t see it, his car bouncing hard as it slammed over the rails. His finger squeezed instinctively and fire burst from the launcher’s barrel, the kickback sending him flying from the car. The spinning grenade missed the tram by metres, shooting towards the ceiling.
Kara held her breath but the tunnel didn’t crack. The grenade struck it and dropped back vertically, missing Lynx’s car by a whisker and exploding on the tracks. The fireball ripped through the tunnel, slamming the tram forward.
Kara lifted her head to see Leo’s car rolling sideways, the tyres and the windshield bursting in the heat. It landed upside down on the tracks and Tigress braked desperately, careening into it in a confusion of metal and flying glass. Through the smoke Kara could see Leo picking himself off the floor of the tunnel, then sitting back down again with his mouth open.
Kara shook her head. “What an idiot. Still, it’s perfect for us. He’s managed to—”
Lynx’s car slammed into the tram and she was taken by surprise, losing her grip and tumbling over the back, clawing at nothing. Kara landed flat on her back, the air knocked from her. Looking up she could see the roof of the tunnel flying past, Dash’s startled face looking down. She was splayed on the hood of Lynx’s car, her feet on the cracked windshield, her head smacking from side to side as the smuggler twisted the wheel, trying to shake her
loose.
“Grab my hand!” Dash shouted, reaching down as far as he could. Kara tried to roll over but her jacket was snagged on the radiator grille, tearing as she tried to steady herself. The car weaved along the tunnel, bumping over the rails, the walls on either side turning pale. She clung on, gritting her teeth as they shot out into the daylight.
22
Evacuation
On the pier beside the Neptune everything was in chaos. The gangplanks had been lowered and people were streaming on board, carrying whatever they could – children, pets, precious possessions. The Ark was huge, Joe knew, but there seemed no end to the number of evacuees. Ahead and behind he could see more ships, smaller frigates and transport vessels, plus another Ark that Nate told him was the Neptune’s sister ship, Poseidon. Others had already left port, steering out into the Bay.
As they reached the gangway, Joe saw Cortez at the top, shouldering into the hangar. He was like a machine, emotionless and determined. Joe remembered the way he’d marched past Cane’s body, hardly even looking back. He felt a wave of sickness and sadness, unable to believe she was gone. He shook his head, trying to fix on the present, but he kept seeing her face in his mind.
“We’ll wait here for Aunt Sedna,” Nate said. “We’ll only go up at the very last minute.”
Joe climbed on to the sea wall, scanning the crowd for any sign of the old woman. He’d never imagined there were so many Mariners, as many as there were people in the Shanties, maybe more. He remembered that night on the Pavilion when he’d searched in vain for Kara, and wondered where she was now. With The Five no doubt, probably still trying to reason with them. Back across the Bay he could see movement around the base of the broken bridge, and the flash of intermittent gunfire. The clones must be seizing ships to ferry their men across. Soon they would storm the city.
The Neptune’s front gangplank started to retract and, looking up, Joe saw figures crowding the higher decks, faces framed in every porthole. The ship was getting full. Then he heard the screech of metal and turned back, shielding his eyes.
On the docks beside the pier was the entrance to a tunnel. Local trams had been emerging regularly, their passengers shoving for the ships. He could see another one now, rattling through the archway, crammed like the others. But this one was moving much faster, sparks flying as it rocketed on to the dock. There was another vehicle behind it; a mud-coloured car with something on the hood. He looked closer. It couldn’t be.
“That’s Kara,” Nate said in amazement. “What’s she doing?”
The crowd began to cry out, shoving back as the tram hurtled along the dock. Dropping from the wall Joe broke into a run.
“Look, on the tram,” Nate said, struggling to keep pace. “Is that one of The Five? And there’s someone with him. I can’t… No. No, it’s impossible.”
Redeye crouched, the cables whipping over his head. Dash was leaning over the back, hands outstretched towards Kara. But no one was watching where they were going, and as he turned to look, Joe’s heart seized.
The tram was approaching the end of the dock, where the rails took a sharp bend and doubled back towards the tunnel. “Hey!” he screamed, waving his arms. “One of you, look!”
Redeye raised his head blindly, recognising Joe’s voice. He reached back and tugged on Dash’s sleeve and the clone turned, his jaw dropping. Joe screamed Kara’s name but she was too far away and the engine was too loud. The tram hit the bend at full pelt, two wheels leaving the track as it cornered wildly. Dash and Redeye clung on, the passengers inside howling with terror.
But Lynx had seen nothing, too distracted by the obstacle on the hood. The car flew off the end of the dock, Kara spread-eagled as they hit the water, sending up a fountain of spray. Joe ran to the edge, watching the car flip over and sink. Kara was driven down beneath it.
He tore off his jacket and kicked off his shoes, jackknifing into the water. It was warmer than he was used to, and clearer too. Below him he could see the outline of the car, bubbles trailing as it plunged downward. It had started to level out, drifting roof-down towards the base of a tower sunk into the sea bed.
He could see Kara too, and to his relief she was moving, clinging to one of the wheels with her feet braced against the driver’s side window. She kicked, trying to break the glass and get to Lynx. But it was too thick and the car was still sinking, forcing her to hang on.
Joe swam towards her, putting on a burst of speed. Kara jumped as he took hold of her shoulder, pulling her round. Then she hugged him, the breath almost driven from Joe’s lungs as she squeezed him tight.
She pulled away, gesturing to her mouth; she was running out of air. She pointed to the car as it finally hit bottom, resting wheels-up on the concrete foundations of the tower block. Lynx was trapped inside, eyes lightly closed, suspended head-down by the seat belt. But the ocean was pouring in, a deepening pool filling the roof. Lynx’s forehead was already under; there wasn’t much time.
Joe reached into his pocket, pulling out his shard of metal, the one he’d found in the dust all those days ago. He pointed to the lock, turning the pick in his hand. Kara nodded.
He held her steady as she inspected the lock, fighting to stay focused. She poked with the metal, missed and tried again, working it in and twisting it round. The lock clicked and Kara reached for the handle. But her fingers slipped and Joe felt her body go slack, drifting away from him.
He pulled her close, squeezing her wrist as hard as he could, but it wasn’t enough. Kara’s eyes rolled back in her head, her arms limp at her sides. Then he remembered something an old Beef had told him back when he was just a kid. He’d always found the idea disgusting, but if it worked…
He forced Kara’s mouth open and stuck two fingers inside, jamming them as far as he could. She jerked awake immediately, trying to cough but her mouth was full of water. Joe shoved her up, pointing to the surface. Kara began to kick, rising into the shimmering light.
Now Joe felt his own lungs burning; he didn’t have long. He tugged on the door but the hinges were stiff and his arms were weak. His vision was starting to narrow and he fixed on Lynx, tightening his grip on the handle. After Cane, after everything, he refused to let another one go.
Just the thought of Cane seemed to lend Joe strength and he tugged as hard as he could, wrenching the door open. Lynx’s belt was strapped tight so he scrabbled for the mechanism, the smuggler’s head lolling against his neck. After a moment’s fumbling the strap came loose and he hauled Lynx out of the car, feeling the weight as they began to rise. The surface was a long way off but somehow he found the determination, his eyes wide and stinging.
Then there were hands on him, Kara pulling him up the last few metres. They broke the surface together, bursting into sunlight. Kara grabbed him, kissing his face as Lynx bobbed beside them. “You saved me,” she spluttered.
“I know,” Joe smiled. “Usually it’s the other way round isn’t it?”
Lynx was still unconscious as they clambered from the water and laid the smuggler down. Kara leaned in, pressing her lips to Lynx’s and breathing hard. She pumped Lynx’s chest but there was no response; their face was ashen and their hands were motionless.
“I don’t think—” Joe began but Kara shook her head.
“Lynx is tough,” she insisted. “A fighter.”
She raised a hand, whispering, “I’m so sorry,” as she dealt Lynx a hard slap, then another. Joe winced as Kara drew back a third time, but the slap never landed.
A hand shot out, grabbing Kara’s wrist. Lynx coughed seawater and struggled up.
“You’re OK,” Kara said. “It’s—”
Lynx lunged for her, wrapping both hands around Kara’s throat and squeezing. Kara tried to pull away but Lynx’s grip was too strong, eyes wild with confusion and fear.
“Stop!” Joe shouted. “She just saved your life!”
But Lynx wasn’t listening, shaking Kara fiercely as she kicked and fought.
Then someone else broke
in, reaching down and taking Lynx firmly by the arm.
“Release her,” Dash said. “That’s an order.”
Lynx let go immediately, looking up in astonishment. “Y-you! But why… After she…”
“I know,” Dash said. Behind him the tram had been brought to a halt, the terrified passengers disembarking shakily. “Kara kidnapped me. At first it seemed like a mean trick. But then I thought about it, and … well, she’s got pretty good reasons. If she can persuade my brothers to stop the bombing, if we can make this end, then maybe it’s worth it.”
“But we came here to crush them,” Lynx said. “You… The Five… That’s what you wanted.”
“My brothers, perhaps,” Dash said. “But Kara showed me… Well, she helped me see that what they want isn’t always what I want.”
Lynx stared at him speechlessly, as though the world had just flipped upside down.
“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Kara said sympathetically. Then she pointed to the Neptune. “We’re getting on that ship, and he’s coming with us. If you want, you can come too.”
Lynx turned on her. “I serve The Five. I always will.”
“But one of The Five is here,” Dash pointed out. “And I could probably use a bodyguard.”
“We might all need one now that Cortez is back in charge,” Kara said.
“But I can’t leave my friends,” Lynx said, faltering. “And I won’t betray your brothers.”
“I know it feels that way,” Dash said. “But I promise, if they were here, they’d tell you to go with me. Lynx, I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’ve never been alone before and I’m scared. But I trust you, and I’m asking for your protection. Please.”
Lynx stared at him, eyes filled with uncertainty. Then the smuggler sank back, muttering a curse. “If anyone asks, you all forced me. At gunpoint.”
Kara clapped Lynx on the shoulder. “It’s a deal. Now let’s move.”
They ran for the Ark, reaching it just as the last gangplank was about to be raised. Kara went first, leading Dash. We made it, Joe thought as he hurried after them. It was impossible but we made it.
DustRoad Page 19
