Slayers (29 page)
Authors: C. J. Hill
T
ori’s heart stopped, her logic racing ahead of her intuition. But the next moment she knew it was Dirk, just like she’d known where he was when they’d talked together in the forest. She looked up at his darkened visor and could almost make out his blue eyes staring at her.
ori’s heart stopped, her logic racing ahead of her intuition. But the next moment she knew it was Dirk, just like she’d known where he was when they’d talked together in the forest. She looked up at his darkened visor and could almost make out his blue eyes staring at her.
She put her hand in his and he effortlessly pulled her onto the platform. She felt better now that they were together. Safer. Dirk must have had the same idea: to see if he could leap from the tree branches onto the top of the enclosure.
Without saying a word, she climbed from the platform onto a large branch, then edged out toward the building. He followed her. “It’s a long way down if you fall,” he whispered.
She nodded. “I’ll be careful.”
Then, in what was clearly not the most careful thing she’d ever done, Tori took three running steps across the limb and leapt onto the roof. Before she could turn around, Dirk landed beside her.
She hadn’t realized how big the building was until she stood on it. They could have held a football game up here and had plenty of room
for bystanders. She walked along one length, examining it. The roof was made of metal and each step she took made a deep clanking sound. “Look at this seam,” she said, following the line with her eyes. It seemed to go around the entire surface of the building. Another seam crossed through the middle. “It’s a retractable roof. That’s how the dragons get out.”
for bystanders. She walked along one length, examining it. The roof was made of metal and each step she took made a deep clanking sound. “Look at this seam,” she said, following the line with her eyes. It seemed to go around the entire surface of the building. Another seam crossed through the middle. “It’s a retractable roof. That’s how the dragons get out.”
She ran to the short end of the roof, not even caring how much racket her footsteps made. What she’d thought was a row of air-conditioning units were actually gears and motors. Behind them lay a shaft where the roof would slide down when it moved, but she couldn’t find any sort of controls. She found a hatch door and tried the knob. It was locked.
Dirk came up behind her. “It won’t do any good to break that down. It’s the door to the stairs in the outer room.”
Jesse said, “I’ve searched the ceiling. I can only see one seam. It’s where the steel wall hits the roof …” He let out a grunt of effort. “I can’t …” another grunt, “budge it.”
Over the radio, Theo said, “The roof is probably controlled by remote, but they always make a manual override—either inside or outside the building. Look for a metal box.”
Dirk walked to the other side of the gears. “I found it.”
He knelt down and opened the box’s lid to reveal a keypad and switch. He turned the switch. Nothing happened. “There’s a number pad.”
“Use your code breaker,” Theo said.
With forced calm, Jesse said, “Six minutes.”
Dirk took an electronic gadget from his vest, then turned to Tori. “I’ll work on this; you patrol the roof for gunmen.”
She nodded, and walked toward the long side of the roof. He called out after her, “If anyone starts shooting, get back here and stay behind me, do you understand?”
“I’m not going to use you as a human shield,” she said.
His voice was clipped, intense. “Yes, you are. This isn’t your fight.”
But it was. She knew that now. No one had to convince or coddle her anymore. This fight was intertwined not just with her body but with her soul. “I’m an heir of the dragon knights, too,” she said.
He glanced up from the box. “I’m giving you an order, Tori.”
“And you’re not my captain.”
“I’m your counterpart, and I don’t plan on losing you after one day. If things go bad, stay behind me.” He turned his attention back to the box, his hand gripping the code breaker with fierce determination.
Over her earpiece, Jesse said, “I’m your captain, Tori, and I’m ordering you to do whatever Dirk says. Now if the two of you could get on with it, we have five minutes left until our powers fade and drugs shoot out of the vent at us.”
Tori paced along the roof, looking out across the property at the picture-perfect barn and the large brick house that stood behind it. A light shone through one of the windows. Was Brant Overdrake in that room, or had he gone somewhere else? Did anyone live with him? Could such a person have a wife and children?
“Open up,” Dirk muttered. Seconds later he called out, “I got the number.”
The gears on the side of the building lurched and groaned. One side of the roof stayed put, but the other pulled back, making a slowly widening gap.
Tori stepped onto the stationary lip at the edge of the roof, an area about the size of a sidewalk. She hoped the right side of the roof was opening; if not, they would have to figure out how to open the other side.
As soon as the gap grew large enough to slip through, Jesse emerged. He carried a Slayer in his arms—judging from the size, Lilly—while another Slayer hung onto his back. Jesse deposited them onto the roof, then dived back into the enclosure.
Lilly walked to the corner of the roof, eyeing the distance. “How are we supposed to get down from here?”
Tori didn’t answer; she’d spotted four motorcycles zooming away from the gate toward the enclosure. “Incoming,” she said.
The other Slayer peered off the roof, and then Shang’s voice said, “We’ve got company from the other side, too.”
Tori turned. A jeep roared out of the house’s garage. Two men, both clad in black, were coming toward the enclosure. One man drove, the other held a weapon so big it rested on his shoulder. It looked like some sort of rocket launcher.
Dirk took hold of Tori’s arm. “We’re sitting ducks up here. We’ll have to jump the others to the tree.” He motioned to Shang, “Get on my back. Lilly, you do the same with Tori. Once you’re on the ground, Shang and Tori, you take one bike. Lilly, wait for Kody and take the second. I’ll use Tori’s motorcycle on the other side of the building.”
Without waiting for a response, he squatted down so Shang could get a good grip on his back.
Tori did the same, but Lilly stared at the distance to the nearest branch. “Are you sure you can make it?”
“I made it over here,” Tori said, but a lump of uncertainty caught in her throat. It was one thing to leap from a narrow, unstable branch onto a roof. It would be harder to jump from the roof onto a crooked, moving branch.
Dirk took a running jump off the roof and landed on a large tree limb. It swayed and bowed underneath his feet, but he didn’t lose his balance. Shang slid from his back and disappeared into the foliage.
Lilly still didn’t move. “You’ve never practiced jumping with another person on your back, so how do you know you can do it?”
“I don’t,” Tori said. “But we haven’t got a lot of choices. The men are almost here.”
Dirk jumped back to the roof at the same time Jesse emerged from
the opening again. This time he carried Bess in his arms, and Kody held onto his back. It must have been hard to fly with that much weight. Jesse kept sinking over the roof and had to lift himself back into the air. Bess was nearly limp in his arms. “I’m fine,” she told Jesse, answering some question Tori hadn’t heard. “Or at least I will be now that the simulator signal can reach us again. It’s just hard to hold a shield up for that long.”
the opening again. This time he carried Bess in his arms, and Kody held onto his back. It must have been hard to fly with that much weight. Jesse kept sinking over the roof and had to lift himself back into the air. Bess was nearly limp in his arms. “I’m fine,” she told Jesse, answering some question Tori hadn’t heard. “Or at least I will be now that the simulator signal can reach us again. It’s just hard to hold a shield up for that long.”
Jesse flew toward the edge of the building by Dirk. “I’ll take Kody to the motorcycles, then fly Bess out. Once she’s safe, I’ll come back to help open the gate.” He disappeared over the side of the building without another word.
Dirk strode over to Tori and Lilly, holding his hands out in frustration. “Why are you still here?”
Instead of answering, Lilly climbed on his back. He let out a growl. “Fine, we don’t have time to argue about it.” To Tori, he said, “Your motorcycle—”
Tori cut him off, because she knew what he was going to say. She needed to run across the roof, jump to the other tree, and take her motorcycle. “I’ll see you at the gate,” she called and didn’t wait for a response. She ran along the narrow edge of the roof as fast as she could manage. The men were close now. The sound of engines reached the building and then stopped. They were getting off their motorcycles.
A bike started up and peeled away from beneath the tree. Probably Shang and Kody. Another followed it. She hoped it was Dirk and Lilly, not enemies pursuing the first motorcycle.
They were leaving, and she was still running across the roof. Why had she left her motorcycle at a different corner of the building than the rest? And why hadn’t Lilly trusted her instead of delaying her? Now she was in plain sight where anyone could shoot her. She wore a bulletproof jacket and helmet, but her legs were only partially
protected by shin and thigh guards. If they shot her in the knee, would she be able to make it to the motorcycle?
protected by shin and thigh guards. If they shot her in the knee, would she be able to make it to the motorcycle?
Finally, she reached the end of the building. She leapt toward the tree and landed on one of the inner branches, bending her knees to keep balance.
That’s when she saw the gunman climbing up the tree. His flashlight jiggled as he clambered onto the platform. And more flashlights were following him. The gunman saw her and swung his rifle forward.
She was too high to jump to the ground and didn’t like her chances fighting men with rifles. She turned and ran back across the branch toward the building. She would go down one of the other trees. The leap came easy and she landed effortlessly on the roof. Unfortunately, the door to the roof wasn’t locked anymore. Two figures—the men from the jeep—emerged from it. They wore Kevlar suits, and thick helmets that obscured their faces, making them look like dark astronauts. The tallest of the two stood at least six and a half feet tall, perhaps seven. He strode slowly toward her with the strange rocket launcher-like weapon sitting on his shoulder.
The second man flipped a switch by the stairs, immediately bathing the roof in white light.
Where could she go now? She might be able to get around these two here on the roof—their suits made them slower—but were gunmen climbing all the trees?
She sprinted toward the tree that the other Slayers had gone down. The panic made it hard to speak. “Dirk, were there men near your tree?”
“No,” he said. “Why?”
She didn’t answer; she had to concentrate. Both men jogged toward her, cutting her off from the corner she’d been heading toward.
Fine, she could beat them to a different corner. She turned, just as the tall man pointed the huge barrel at her. He fired and something
gray flew toward her, expanding like an opening mouth. It slammed into her, knocking her off her feet. She crashed into the roof so hard her helmet jammed into her face. She struggled to get back up, pushing against a metallic net that surrounded her. The fibers were strong, and as she moved they tightened around her like strands of a spiderweb closing around its prey. She tried to leap through it, but the mesh wouldn’t give. Half a dozen tea cup–size black circles stubbornly held the net to the roof.
gray flew toward her, expanding like an opening mouth. It slammed into her, knocking her off her feet. She crashed into the roof so hard her helmet jammed into her face. She struggled to get back up, pushing against a metallic net that surrounded her. The fibers were strong, and as she moved they tightened around her like strands of a spiderweb closing around its prey. She tried to leap through it, but the mesh wouldn’t give. Half a dozen tea cup–size black circles stubbornly held the net to the roof.
“They threw a net at me,” she said into her radio. “It won’t come off.” She grabbed the mesh near her head and pulled at it, using all her strength. Only a small bit ripped apart.
She’d hoped Dr. B would know what to do, would tell her how to escape. Instead, too many voices came over her earpiece simultaneously. Theo asked, “What’s the net made of?”
Jesse asked, “Where are you?”
Dirk asked, “How many men are there?”
She couldn’t sort out the questions, let alone answer them. The men were upon her.
She tugged at the netting again, this time managing to rip a hole large enough to slip her head through. A little larger, and she’d be able to leap out—
But then the huge man reached inside the hole and grabbed hold of her vest like it was a handle. He kept her in place while the other man leaned toward her.
The curve of the visor distorted his features, making his face look inhuman. Through the smoky glass, his eyes looked too far apart, his nose grotesquely huge. His mouth sneered in rage. “You think you can get away with this?” he roared. She recognized his voice. It was Overdrake. “You think you can cross me and not pay a price?”
Through the radio, Theo said, “This is bad.”
Yeah, that was an understatement.
Jesse asked Theo where Tori was, and Theo answered, but Tori couldn’t pay attention to them. Overdrake leaned toward her face, still yelling. “Do you know what happens to people who cross me?”
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