Code, p.2
Code, page 2
A dead end, created just for me. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy.
I had two choices: get off my motor glider or go inside the building. I decided to do the latter. This was a mental mission after all, no matter how real it felt.
The two wheels slid into their slots and the machine became an aircraft when I tapped on the monitor. I banked straight up. Below, a handful of ISAN guards crashed into the structure, unable to pull up in time, but some stayed right on my tail. Fire exploded and flames roared up the edifice’s surface behind me.
I soared up the length of the skyscraper, wind rushing past me, and my peripheral view blurred. Vibrant colors from the busy city light blended into white. When I landed on the roof, I debated turning back around but decided to have a little fun. I took off to the next office building.
Too bad motor gliders weren’t made like in the olden days. I would have loved to throttle the engine, make that powerful sound, and traverse from one rooftop to the next.
ISAN guards gave a good chase. Taser pellets and bullets ricocheted. They missed and wasted ammunition. At the very last skyscraper, I pointed my glider into a nosedive. ISAN guards followed.
Faster and faster I plummeted, my hair flapping, my breath catching from the strong gale. But I felt a sense of freedom. Before, I had been too frightened to enjoy free fall, even on mental missions. But the sensation of my stomach dropping and energy jolting through me must have been the reason Rhett loved to fly, to be one with the aircraft.
At the verge of losing control of the machine and myself, I reached a pivotal movement—would I allow myself to die and hope I would wake up in the room? We came out unscathed no matter what happened in a mental mission. Not a scrape, even if we had been shot or sliced by a sword. But I had no idea if that was true here. Novak had a way of changing the rules unexpectedly.
I would have taken that chance before, but I had so much to live for. Thinking of Rhett, my friends, and the possibility of my mother being alive, I braked hard, made a U-turn, and launched upward right at the point of no return.
Fires blasted below as the ISAN gliders crashed one after another. None had survived the daredevil dive. The city disappeared, my motor glider and Taser gone, and my victory smirk faded.
I stood in a ... cave? No, not a cave, but a rocky tunnel.
“Ava? Help me.”
My mother’s desperate voice rang in my ears. I reminded myself this wasn’t real. I planted my feet with no intention of moving, no matter what appeared. Going after my mother, who had turned out to be a hologram, was how I’d gotten into this mess in the first place.
“I’m very impressed with your ability to function without being injected with Helix.” A man’s voice, somewhat distorted, boomed around me.
“Who are you?” I placed my back to the rocky wall, but flinched when I realized the scenery had changed. I stood back in the center of the same room with no doors.
“Your brother wasn’t as successful as you on the flight test, but let’s see how you fare on the next one.”
“I don’t have a brother.” I gritted the words through my teeth as I pushed back to the nearest wall.
“Now, Ava. Don’t let him hear you say that. It isn’t nice. You’ll hurt his feelings.”
“Oh, believe me. He doesn’t care. He’d rather see me dead. I won’t cooperate with your stupid tests.”
“Then your friend waiting for you outside the compound dies.”
How did he know?
“There’s no one waiting for me. I came alone. Don’t waste my time with empty threats.” I ran my hand across from wall-to-wall, looking for a knob or a button. Anything to open this room.
“Is that so?” his said. “Janine was instructed to let you in. She has a gun pointed at Naomi’s head. Do you want me to tell Janine to shoot her?”
How did I know he hadn’t already killed Naomi? The thought made me sick. This had been a setup from the get-go. Who was Mitch’s source? A traitor?
You were in one of the groups that escaped ISAN, Janine had told me before she’d let me inside the secret base. Your group was one of the lucky ones. Our group was found out and guards stormed the halls. I pretended to be dead when they shot and killed my team ... I swore if I could help the rebels, I would.
Had Janine made up a story to get me to trust her?
“Fine. I’ll do anything as long as you don’t touch Naomi.” I would cooperate until my backup got here.
What backup? If the rebel team hadn’t made it out alive, no one would come for me. Rhett and Ozzie would be devastated, and they’d need to gather the survivors. Most likely they would head to the mountain base. Hopefully they had all made it and were on their way.
Something cranked, and metal screeched against metal all around me. The room quaked as it expanded.
No time to rest.
Chapter Three — Aftermath
Rhett
Rhett stood alone, three feet away from the lip of the massive crater, wondering what he could have done to prevent this. Nothing. He had been at the black market when ISAN had attacked. And Gene ... well, no one could have guessed he’d had an undetectable tracker inside him.
Rhett tightened the fabric covering his nose and mouth. Everyone wore a mask. The lingering particles floated like phantoms in Hope City—haunting—covering the sun, darkening what was left of the day. The aftermath of the destruction stung his eyes and poisoned the air.
Zen had ordered Rhett to take the survivors to the mountain base. So few of them had survived the attack. Half of Hope City had been destroyed.
Gone in a blink of an eye.
The already-dilapidated building had not only collapsed, it had sunk under, as if smashed by a titanic meteor. Metal, wood, plaster. Their personal things. Everything. All had turned to ash.
Hope City looked like death. Smelled like death. It stunk of something burnt and left a powdery taste in his mouth.
Rhett kicked a pebble and watched it tumble into the rubble-filled pit. He shoved his hands inside the front pockets, thinking of his friends.
Reyna had used her power to shield against the blast, with help from the two girls they had recruited—Mia and Ella. Mia, the tall redhead, and Ella, the petite one, had the ability to move things with their breath and could also change the temperature within limited space.
Rhett didn’t want to think how it might’ve turned out without them.
Someone came toward him, but Rhett kept his gaze rooted to the pit of hell, so deep and massive. He couldn’t stop staring. Everything they owned and people he knew had turned to ash.
Momo tugged at his shirt, snapping him out of his reverie. “Rhett. Jo told me to get you.”
The destruction in front of him made him feel small. Vulnerable. ISAN had taken a piece of his soul. Hope City had been their home. Their shelter. A safe haven for those who wanted a better future.
“Rhett. Rhett.” Momo shook him again.
Rhett swayed, numb.
Then there was Ava, off God-knew-where. She was supposed to send him the coordinates when she arrived at the facility, but he hadn’t received anything.
His sensible half said she had been delayed. She would reach out soon. Rhett hated being separated from Ava. Something must be wrong. Except Tamara and Naomi were with her—and that was the only reason he wasn’t having a panic attack.
Ava better not have gone inside without backup. She had promised she wouldn’t, but he knew her too well. He needed to be at the secret base with her. He had to hurry.
Something hit the back of his leg. No, not something, someone.
“Momo. Did you just kick me?” He narrowed his eyes at her and flicked the grimy cap she wore that said “Renegades.”
The pale ash and dust coating Momo’s clothes made it look like she had jumped into a barrel of flour. She crossed her arms in an attempt to look defiant, but then shrugged. “Well, you wouldn’t answer me. You’re spacing out. I need you to stop staring at the big hole. What’s done is done. Don’t think about what-ifs. You’re creeping me out, and besides, we need to go.”
Rhett brushed her shoulder and waved at the white powder that flaked off her. “Sorry, kid. I was just—”
“Thinking.” She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I know. Adults do that a lot. But us kids don’t like to think. We want to dive into action. Come on.” Momo rushed ahead to her group of friends without him.
As Rhett shuffled across the powdery debris, he flashed a weary glance at the destruction one last time. He would never forget what ISAN had done. Never forgive. Momo was right. He had to stop dwelling on what could have been and concentrate on getting the rest of the survivors to safety.
No sign of ISAN gliders in the dark sky or guards on the premises, but they might be back. Novak would want no survivors.
“Ready, Jo?” Rhett gave her a curt nod by the transporter.
“Yes. You shouldn’t have any problems with the kids.”
“Wait. You’re not going?” Rhett had to be sure. Her voice sounded muffled under the fabric covering half her face.
“No. I’m staying with Marissa.” She rested her hands on the little girl’s shoulders—petite, shy little thing with blonde hair, blue eyes, and an innocent face. “Marissa will worry about being left behind and she won’t be able to perform. You’ll be fine.”
Rhett didn’t like the team splitting up, but they had no choice. Marissa had to stay and heal the soldiers who were too wounded to move. So much responsibility rested on this little girl. But she was the only one with a healing gift.
“I understand,” Rhett said. “Keep your com on and keep me updated. I’m coming back for you when you let me know you’re ready.”
He gazed behind Jo to the group of kids waiting for her, all wearing “Renegades” caps. Cleo, Mia, and Elle had been keeping watch over them.
Their clothes were coated with dirt and ash, and their eyes sullen and red-rimmed. The devastation left them broken. Unsure. Weakened. Too many losses to comprehend. But Rhett was grateful for every survivor. It could have been worse.
“I’m counting on it.” She lit a small smile and turned to the kids.
Something pricked at Rhett’s chest. Not a warning, but ... No. They’re going to be fine.
Jo gave a last talk to her group and watched them get into gliders with Cleo, Mia, and Elle. Then hand in hand, Marissa and Jo trudged toward the structure that had been untouched.
Reyna, Ozzie, and Brooke walked out of the makeshift compound the kids had made. Had the kids not built it, some—if not all—of the survivors would have died.
Stop thinking about the past. You’ll drive yourself crazy.
“Oz and Reyna, I’m putting you in command here,” Rhett said. “Stay safe until I come back.”
The three gliders were just big enough to fit most of them, a tight squeeze nevertheless. Rhett would have to come back and pick up everyone who stayed behind.
“You be safe too.” Reyna poked his chest. “I’m ready to be Ava’s backup, so count me in.”
“You don’t have to ask me. You know I’m there.” Oz squeezed Rhett’s shoulder and kicked a small bug out of the way.
“Me too.” Brooke shifted, wincing.
“Feeling better, Brooke?” Rhett asked.
Brooke rubbed at her chest. “Still sore, but I think Marissa fixed all my cracked ribs.”
The blue and green bruises on her face had disappeared within an hour. Thank God for Marissa, who had healed all of Brooke’s broken pieces. A miracle child indeed.
Gene had beaten Brooke so badly she’d nearly died from internal bleeding. HelixB77 made the males do horrible things, but ISAN was able to manage the guys’ behavior with HelixB88, which came from Gene’s DNA. Perhaps getting dosed with it on top of producing it naturally made him psychotic.
Brooke jerked her head up, her eyes growing wider. She must have heard something. Ozzie and Reyna yanked their Tasers from their holsters, reacting at Brooke. Rhett’s heart ricocheted against the walls of his chest and he pointed his weapon at the incoming glider. It had been invisible seconds before.
ISAN guards would have begun shooting already so Rhett eased his shoulders. Zen, Frank, and Vince were on a mission Zen would not disclose, so scratch them out. The sleek silver bullet-shaped glider, somewhat dusty, was too fancy to be one of theirs. So that left one person ... Zeke.
Ava had forced Zeke to take her, Tamara, and Naomi to the ISAN’s secret facility. They’d had no option but to go their separate ways at the black market when the news of the rebel base being bombed had come through Ava’s chip.
The transport landed fifty feet away from him and a ramp dropped down. Someone came out, someone Rhett thought was Ava for a second before he realized it was Tamara. She and Ava had similar short hair and they were about the same height.
Reyna gave a relieved sigh and lowered her weapon. Rhett held his breath, waiting for Ava.
No Ava and no Naomi. Why was he not surprised?
Tamara sprinted toward him, her features twisted in concern. She slowed when she turned her head to the destruction and covered her nose and mouth.
“Where are Ava and Naomi?” Rhett didn’t mean to sound harsh. Tamara could have been hurt or in danger. He breathed out slowly, trying to calm down.
Tamara glanced at Brooke, who stood there in grimy, torn pants and bloody shirt, and then back to him. “We tried to reach you, but that place has no reception. We couldn’t get through to you, so Ava sent me back with Zeke.”
Rhett clenched his jaw. “Naomi is with her then?”
“Yes.”
“Did she go inside?”
“I don’t know. She gave me an order to come find you and give you the coordinates. The location you got from Gene was off. It’s difficult to find the place if you’ve never been. It’s out in nowhere-land. A heavy, thick fog covers the dome entrance like a blanket, so it’s easily overlooked.”
Rhett inhaled a deep breath through the cloth. “Did Ava tell you anything else? Did she say she was going to go in without backup?”
Tamara lowered her head, and then met his gaze. “Ava told me to tell you ...” She swallowed, her voice cracking. “That she loves you. Even when she didn’t remember you, a part of her was missing you. Her heart is her map, and it leads her only to you.”
Rhett’s heart might have stopped. Those words ... Ava’s words ... she left him those in case she didn’t make it out alive.
Reyna squeezed Rhett’s arm at the same time Brooke did. Ava’s two best friends. He tried for hopeful thoughts. Maybe Zen would reach her before she decided to go in. Or the facility would be a dead end. Perhaps she would listen for once and stay put.
Yeah, right. He had to hurry.
“Tamara. You have room in your glider?”
Tamara looked over her shoulder, her hands still covering her nose. “Yes. What are you proposing? But Zeke is—”
“He won’t be a problem. He has no choice,” Rhett said, then turned to Ozzie and Brooke. “Get the rest on that glider now. Reyna, ride with me.”
Rhett spotted something white by his feet. He picked up a dandelion in the mist of dead grass and dirt. That this single flower remained untouched amid the destruction boggled his mind.
Ava’s words rushed through. Dandelions put down deep roots and are impossible to destroy. It reminds me of us and what we stand for. They are strong and memorable. A reminder of us to be the same. Be resilient.
Carefully, he tucked it between his palms as not to destroy the petals and walked up the ramp. Hope. Dandelions reminded him not just of Ava, but hope. All was not lost.
Chapter Four — Sector Meeting
Zen
After Zen made his assessment of the destruction and passed his duty to Rhett, he’d left the rebel team. He didn’t want to leave them, especially after the devastation, but he had no choice.
It was imperative Vince, Frank, and Zen be present at the four-sector meeting to protect Councilor Chang. Citizens were allowed to attend, leaving the door wide open to assassins of all stripes. She needed more eyes than her personal guards.
There had been an attempt on Councilor Chang’s life at their last meeting at the East Sector. She’d been lucky. Vince had stopped by to get his next assignment, and had spotted a shooter. He’d pretended to be a passing pedestrian and tackled Chang nanoseconds before the bullet struck. The guard nearest to her had been shot instead and had died at the scene.
Chang had to go into the meeting and pretend one of the men in front of her, Verlot, had not tried to assassinate her. She’d played her part well. Made him think she had no idea of his connection to ISAN. But the attempt on Chang’s life indicated ISAN knew the rebels answered to her.
Zen wanted to be on top of his game to protect Chang, so he had injected himself with a small dose of HelixB88 when they had landed. Though, in truth, he also wanted to know what it felt like to be a superhuman—without the side effects. Zen hadn’t told anyone. He had taken it before, but that had been before the serum had been perfected by Dr. Hunt.
At first, he’d wanted to vomit. The serum had made him queasy and nauseous. When the searing sensation undulating through his body subsided, he felt renewed. His body moved with ease, reflexes faster, and his mind was sharper.
He felt damn euphoric.
He also had to get used to brighter lights, louder sounds, and his olfactory senses being overpowered by perfumes and colognes.
Standing in a shadow to the left of the stadium, Zen tapped his earpiece. “Can you hear me, Vince? Frank?”
Vince hid on the right side of the arena, Frank in the back. The councilors’ guards stood in various spots around the stage, and some hovered near the people on their aircraft.
“Yes,” Vince said.
“I’m here,” Frank said.
The grand, open platform seemed smaller from Zen’s vantage point, but beautifully designed. Its architecture had classical-style white pillars and a high, domed ceiling. The ceiling had hand-painted depictions of Greek gods. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades—thus the name Olympus Stadium. Fake vines outlined the platform with lights that twinkled as the sun went down.
