Strike (19 page)

“So we stop there and get out?” Kent asked.

“Something like that,” Sokol replied.

We reached the juncture and Sokol made the turn. Once inside the next tunnel, he increased the throttle until we were moving with frightening speed. I figured he wanted to give us as much time as possible to get away once we stopped and jumped out.

“Did they follow us?” Sokol asked.

I glanced at the monitor. “Yup. Right behind us. A little further back, though.”

“Perfect,” Sokol said with a satisfied smile.

I looked to Tori, who seemed as confused as I was. But Sokol seemed to know what he was doing so none of us questioned him.

“I’m going to come to a stop in the next station,” he explained. “It’ll be abrupt so hold on. Once we stop moving, get out fast.”

We rapidly approached the station but Sokol didn’t slow down. He wanted to buy every possible second.

“Here we go,” Sokol said. “Hang on. We’re stopping in three . . . two . . . one.”

The lights of the station flashed into view, and a second later Sokol powered down so quickly we had to hold on tight or we would have been thrown to the front of the car. It was an excruciating few seconds until the vehicle finally came to a stop.

Sokol quickly spun the vehicle until the door faced the platform.

“Go!” he yelled. “Get out.”

The door slid open and we piled out onto the platform. A few people were there, staring in wonder at the fools who had flown into the station at breakneck speed. As we ran for the stairs that would lead to the street, I glanced back to see that Sokol was still at the controls.

“What is he doing?” I asked.

We all stopped to look back.

Sokol was furiously inputting commands into the control panel.

Olivia laughed.

“Oh that’s great,” she said with a giggle.

“What’s great?” Kent asked.

“Watch,” Olivia said.

The car started moving again, in the opposite direction. As soon as it began moving the door started to slide closed. Sokol left the controls and sprinted for the opening, which was shrinking rapidly. He jumped out and cleared the frame just as the door sealed shut. A second later the nuclear-powered train car launched out of the station and disappeared back into the tunnel.

“Everybody out!” Sokol screamed to the people on the platform. “If you stay down here, you’ll get hurt!”

“I love this guy,” Kent said.

Sokol ran up to us and blew right by.

“Don’t want to be here,” he said as he ran past.

None of us did. We all took off running.

The few other people who had been in the station ran with us. They didn’t exactly know what was happening, but they believed Sokol did and whatever was about to happen, it wouldn’t be good.

We had an idea of what it would be. And it was very good.

We hit stairs that led us up and out to the surface.

Night had fallen. We found ourselves in what looked like an industrial area full of warehouses and barren lots. It was a desolate place with only a few dull streetlights that didn’t do much more than create shadows. The area was essentially deserted.

“We’re in luck,” Captain Sokol said.

“This wasn’t luck,” Kent said, breathless. “This was brilliant!”

“Sending the train back was brilliant,” Sokol said. “Doing it way out here was luck.”

“What happens when two nuclear-powered trains collide?” I asked.

“I’m not exactly sure,” Sokol said. “But we’re about to find out.”

Two hundred yards behind us, the ground erupted. The two trains had hit at full speed, causing an explosion that blew through the tunnel and continued on and up until it breached the surface beneath an ancient warehouse. The force of the explosion raged through the building and blasted through the roof, sending a cloud of debris into the sky that had to be seen as far back as the dome. A brilliant spray of light shot up through the hole, creating a beacon that lit up the decrepit neighborhood, making it come alive, if only for a brief moment.

“Yaaa!” Kent screamed in triumph. “I really hope Bova was on board.”

“That was pretty slick, Kenny Sokol,” Tori said.

“I told you I’d give ’em a run,” Sokol said.

The dust and debris settled as the light dissipated and the smoke drifted away.

“So what happens now?” I asked. “Feit knows about the Sounders. He’ll be out headhunting.”

“Now we do what we’ve been planning for all along,” Olivia said. “We strike back.”

W
e had a long way to go to get somewhere safe.

We didn’t dare use Captain Sokol’s communicator for fear the Air Force would zero in on it to track us down. That meant we had no way to call for a ride. Our only option was to walk.

I was exhausted and I’m sure Tori and Kent were too. To say it had been a long day was a total understatement. We didn’t talk much as we trudged through the darkened streets. Talking took too much effort.

The city smelled. The streets were filthy. The air pollution burned my eyes. Scattered showers dropped burning rain at every turn. If the rest of future Earth was anything like this, I could understand the anger that led the United States government to invade its past self. They were acting out of desperation. I got that. I actually tried to convince myself that their monstrous tactics were somehow justified.

It wasn’t that I wanted to let them off the hook; I was looking for a way to justify my
own
feelings.

If I could push the button that Tori asked about, I’d do it. I would wipe out the entire population of future Earth. Was I angry? Sure. Was I disgusted by the way Feit and Bova could so easily take lives? Absolutely. But it came down to a fight for survival. If the U.S. government of future Earth thought it was okay to murder billions of people in order to save their own population, why couldn’t we do the exact same thing to save our own?

Throughout our ordeal I kept hanging on to the hope that we could one day return to our normal lives. I was kidding myself. Not only would that never happen, I felt certain I would never be able to return to my normal
self
. I had seen too much. You can’t erase memories. I had become numb to the loss of human lives. Maybe that was a defense mechanism. Seeing Scottie’s life so cruelly snuffed was the last straw. I would do whatever it took to survive, and to stop these monsters. Did that make me just as much of a monster as the Retros?

Maybe.

I didn’t care.

Olivia and Sokol brought us to another large, nondescript building and walked straight for the front door. Lights shone from several windows of the surrounding structures. The first signs that this building housed something other than typical residents were the two burly, armed guards with pulsers who greeted us as we stepped through the front door.

We were in Sounder territory.

After quick greetings, Olivia took us to an elevator that brought us up to a top floor.

“It’s late,” she said. “We all need sleep. There’s a room for each of you here. Take a shower. They’ll send up some food and then we’ll meet in the morning. That cool?”

We all grunted our approval. The idea of a shower, food, and sleep sounded better than perfect.

Olivia directed us each to a room. Tori took the first, I took the second, and Kent was last. If we needed each other during the night, we knew where to go.

My room was as simple as possible. There was a bed, a couple of chairs, and a bathroom. Even so, it was more than I needed. I immediately stripped down and got in the shower. It was the first normal, warm shower I had taken since Pemberwick Island. It was heaven. I stood under the powerful stream, letting the spray sting my skin and wash away the layers of filth. It was then that I realized how long my hair had gotten. It had been cut short for football season but now fell down into my eyes. At some point I would have to get it cut. But who would do it? It wasn’t like there were any barbers around. Compared to all of the horror we’d seen, it was strange to be worried about something as dumb as getting a haircut. It was just one more of the thousands of ways the life I knew had changed forever.

Once my skin started to prune, I figured I’d had enough so I got out and grabbed the rough white towel that was hanging on the door. At least it was clean. I toweled off and stepped back into the main room to see Olivia sitting on the couch.

I instantly covered myself with the towel.

“Jeez, really?” I said, annoyed. “You gotta stop sneaking up on me in the shower.”

Olivia laughed and covered her eyes. “Sorry. Bad habit. I brought you some food, and something to sleep in.”

Next to her on the couch were gray sweats and a white T-shirt. Olivia wore a similar set. I grabbed them and went back into the bathroom to put them on. When I came out, Olivia had set the tray of food on a low table. There was a bowl of some kind of grain, an apple, and a pitcher of water.

“Not exactly an Italian from Amato’s,” she said. “But it’s all we’ve got. The apple is a delicacy.”

“Thanks,” I said. “I’m so hungry I could eat the table.”

I sat and ate the bland-tasting gruel while Olivia watched. It was an uncomfortable moment. I didn’t know what to say to her because I didn’t know who she really was.

“I’m sorry, Tucker,” she finally said.

“For what?” I replied. “The list of possibilities is pretty long.”

“For messing with your head,” she said. “For getting between you and Tori. For flirting with you. For leading both you and Kent on. It wasn’t right. None of it was.”

“I’ll tell you what else wasn’t right,” I said. “You know I’m only fourteen, right? I know the rules of civilization have all gone out the window but some of the stuff you were doing was against the law. I mean, getting in the shower with me? Seriously?”

Olivia looked down, embarrassed, but she smiled. “It might not have been right but it wasn’t against the law. I’m only sixteen.”

That rocked me. I believed that the “old” Olivia might have been sixteen. She came across like a flirty, spoiled girl who was used to getting whatever she wanted. Especially from guys. But that was an act. She was a soldier. A rebel soldier. She handled herself like a seasoned fighter with the confidence that came from experience and training.

“You look shocked,” she said.

“Well, yeah.”

“Don’t be. Life is much faster now. I joined the Air Force when I was fourteen. That’s what happens when people only live to forty.”

It was yet another example of how cruel and joyless the world had become.

“Okay, well, so it wasn’t illegal,” I said. “But it was still wrong. I get that you were in a bad spot and had to play a part. But that doesn’t explain why you were messing with our heads.”

“I know, you’re right. How I acted had nothing to do with either my mission or with trying to hide my true identity. What you see here is what I was trained to become. I’m a soldier. I can survive in the desert for weeks. I can cut down an enemy with a pulser from fifty yards. I’m better at hand-to-hand combat than most guys. That’s what they turned me into. When I was flirting with you and Kent, that was me being . . . me. The real me. Yeah, it was wrong and I was being a brat, but by doing all that it made me feel like I had a little bit of control. And I’ll be honest, it was fun. I like you guys. Kent is full of himself, but he’s totally genuine. And loyal. You, on the other hand, are a sweetheart. I loved hanging out with you all summer and going to the movies and seeing the reaction you had when I wore that bikini.”

“Yeah, that was hot,” I said.

“I know, right?” she said, giggling.

For a moment I felt as though I was sitting with the old Olivia.

“I’m sorry for causing you grief, but it was fun for me. I needed it. I needed to be that girl every once in a while or else I would have gone out of my mind.”

“So you’re saying the Olivia I knew wasn’t a total act?” I asked.

She shrugged and gave me an innocent smile. “Like it or not.”

“Then I forgive you, and thank you.”

“For what?”

“For bringing back a little normal. Oh, and for saving my life back at Area 51. I like
that
Olivia too. And for this apple.”

I took a big bite. It was delicious.

Olivia smiled, leaned forward, and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

“You’re welcome. Finish eating and get some sleep. I’ll come and get you first thing in the morning.”

As she headed for the door she added, “Now I have to apologize to Kent and Tori.”

“Be careful. With Kent, at least. He has no idea you were messing with me. He really does love you.”

“I know he does, and he has no idea that I was flirting with you. I’m too good.”

She gave me a sly wink and left.

Her visit made me feel better. Any small sign that the world hadn’t been completely turned inside out was welcome. Learning that Olivia was a trained, competent soldier was unnerving; know-ing that she was still a flirty, hot girl made me believe that there were still some things that were right about life. It was a small comfort, but I took it.

I finished the bowl of ick, downed the apple and the water, and stretched out on the bed. The sheets were clean and crisp. It was another tiny comfort that made me smile. I fell asleep trying to focus on those small bits of normalcy, and not on the reality that I knew would come roaring back in the morning.

“C’mon Rook,” Kent said. “They’re waiting for us.”

I opened my eyes to see Kent and Tori standing over my bed. Both wore the same kind of gray sweats and white T-shirt that I had on.

Tori sat down on the edge of the bed.

“We have to decide something first,” she said. “The three of us.”

I rubbed my face with both hands and did my best to kick my brain into gear.

“Okay, what?” I said.

“Olivia said the Sounders have a plan to stop the Retros, and we’re the last piece in the puzzle. They’re going to ask us to do something. The question is how far are we willing to go?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I mean they may ask us to do something that one of us isn’t comfortable doing. For whatever reason. If that happens are we going to stick together? Or go on our own?”

Kent started to answer quickly, but stopped to give it more thought.

“I think we first have to find out what they want us to do,” I said. “After that we can decide how to handle it. But I’ll tell you this much, we came here to fight back. These people are giving us that chance. I can’t imagine anything they could ask me to do would be so horrible that it would make me change my mind about that.”

Tori thought about my answer, nodded thoughtfully, and said, “I hope you’re right.”

I pulled myself out of bed, put on the sneakers that were waiting for me underneath, then went to the bathroom and splashed water on my face.

“Good to go,” I said as I left the bathroom.

Olivia was waiting for us outside in the hallway. When I saw her, it gave me a momentary shock. She was back to wearing the full camouflage fatigue uniform of the Air Force.

“Ready?” she asked. Her voice was all business. She had clicked back into Olivia-soldier mode.

“Where are we going?” Kent asked.

“To meet with the Sounder command,” she replied. “They came here just to meet you.”

“Let’s hope we don’t disappoint them,” Tori said.

“You won’t,” Olivia said with confidence.

She led us down the corridor to an elevator that brought us to the basement. The place was a disastrous wreck of a building, which is probably why the Sounders picked it. Nobody would think to look for a group of people hanging out in a building better suited for rats. In another better world, the place would probably be condemned. We followed Olivia down a dimly lit subterranean corridor to the one room that had light shining from within.

“Here we go,” Olivia said. “Relax and be yourselves.”

“That’s funny coming from you,” Kent said.

Olivia ignored him and opened the door.

We stepped inside to see several people standing around, chatting. I had to catch my breath when I saw that they all wore Air Force fatigues. There were five soldiers in all. Two I recognized: Colonel Pike and Captain Sokol. There was another younger woman and two guys who looked our way. When they saw us, they visibly deflated.

“You’re joking,” one of them said to nobody in particular. “They’re children.”

Colonel Pike ignored him and stepped up with her hand extended for us to shake.

“Welcome,” she said. “It sounds like you had a bit more excitement yesterday.”

“Yeah, you could say that,” Tori said.

The woman shook all of our hands and looked each of us straight in the eye. Kenny Sokol did the same. We had their respect. I couldn’t say the same thing about the other three Sounders, who stood back, silently appraising us. Whatever they had in mind for us to do, now that they had seen us they were having second thoughts.

“Please sit,” Pike said.

There were a bunch of dirty, hard chairs scattered around that were probably made from the same recycled garbage as the rest of this sorry town. Tori, Kent, and I sat next to one another, facing the members of the Sounder command, who all stood facing us. Olivia stood behind us, a subtle statement that she was with us.

Colonel Pike looked at her people and scowled.

“You’re all making me nervous,” she said, half joking. “Would you mind easing up a little and planting it somewhere?”

Sokol chuckled to himself and pulled up a chair to sit. He was the least stiff of the group. The others grumbled but did the same.

“Better. Thank you.” Pike then directed her attention to us. “Please forgive my associates. As you can imagine, we’re a bit on edge.”