The Wanted

I searched for the Survivors, hoping to catch a glimpse of them walking, but of course, they weren’t there. They would hide well. They weren’t likely to be caught in the open.

Gwen and I whispered to each other as we passed over the first town. “When we hit the ground, we will have to run, like really run. How are your legs?” I asked.

Gwen raised them in front of her and wiggled her bare feet. “Better than ever!”

The soldier snorted next to her and rolled his eyes.

I stared down at my dress, torn and muddy. I had court shoes on, better than nothing, but they would slow me down.

The small man spoke, his voice sounding like the air being let out of a balloon slowly. “Unless you have super speed on your side, I don’t like your chances. Once you touch down, you’ll have thirty minutes before the tip, the…” He stopped midsentence and pulled his top lip into his mouth.

A few soldiers jerked their heads in his direction but then the older soldier growled, his teeth sharp and gappy. “No talking. No questions. Those were the orders.”

“Yes sir,” several said in unison.

Denis slept, and I wondered what I was going to do with him. Did I owe him anything? Should I include him in my plans? The truth was I felt very little for him, but he had promised to save my life in exchange for my help with Grant. He had said he wanted to change things…

The chopper jolted over an air pocket. Below, the rings of Bagassa darkened the perfect forest. We were close now. Pau was next.

Just before Pau, the helicopter slowed and hovered, bouncing lower and lower, sending us flying up out of our seats. The soldiers started unbuckling their harnesses and hooking themselves to ropes. The chopper lowered until it was quite close to the ground, hovering like a dragonfly.

Denis startled awake when the body of the chopper tipped as soldiers shifted their weight around the craft.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

The door slid open and the soldiers jumped out one by one without answering. Only two were left behind, plus the pilot and the computer man, who glanced up from his screen. “An ambush works better with the element of surprise, don’t you think?”

They were going to sneak up behind Joseph and the others.

I grabbed at my harness and started unbuckling it, ready to hurt someone, push them out of the door, scream a warning, anything, but the soldier next to Gwen braced me with his strong arm and pushed down on my chest until the last soldier dropped and the helicopter rose higher. When we were high above ground, he violently shoved me against the wall and re-buckled my harness, sneering.

“Wouldn’t want you to fall out and kill yerself, now would we?” he growled.

I closed my eyes and banged my head back in frustration. They won’t find them.

It took very little time to arrive at Pau.

The chopper brushed over the walls and headed for the center circle where it touched down. The soldiers undid our harnesses and shoved us out of the door. Denis fell flat on his chest, the saturated sandstone pavers absorbing more blood. I heaved him up and stared at the chopper, everything coming full circle. I was back. Changed. The same. My hair whipped around my face as it rose. I shivered and tugged my ragged sleeve up over my collarbone, an insubstantial gesture against the cold morning. The small man shut the case and waved happily at me.

“Good luck!” he shouted before a soldier slammed the door.

Thirty minutes.

JOSEPH

We walked through the night, collapsing at the edge of the forest, nestling in several small caves that punctured the rocks leading to Pau. I woke after a short sleep to hear Pelo’s voice echoing off the walls.

He was electrified, bouncing up and down, peppering Desh with questions about the mechanisms behind the technology. He was nervous. I started to wish I were going with him, if only to keep him safe for her.

“So… let’s get down to the nitty gritty,” he said.

“The what?” Desh didn’t understand what Pelo was talking about, so I stepped in.

I slung my arm over Pelo’s bony shoulders. “Pelo, all you need to know is how to set off the bomb and where to place the video disc. Do you know those two things?” I held two fingers in front of his eyes.

He nodded jerkily.

“And where to find your parents!” he exclaimed, his finger pointing to the ceiling.

“Yes, if you have time. Please, Pelo, don’t risk your life for them. I know them, and once that bomb goes off, they’ll find their way out all on their own.”

Pelo slowed to a sway, his head bowed over his clasped hands.

“I’ll find Esther and the baby first, then your parents. I… I just want to do her proud.”

I pushed through my uncomfortableness and said, “You will. You have already, Pelo.”

He seemed to accept this and started rousing the others.

Gus was crouched at the entrance, quietly. His hand braced against the wall. I shuffled towards him and his shoulder tensed as I approached. Quickly, he grabbed his handheld and sent a message.

“What’s going on?” I asked as I squatted down beside him.

“What do you suppose they’re looking for?” Gus whispered, pointing through the trees. I froze, my face caught between the lighthearted grin of before and the panic rising up my throat. Fa

I didn’t need to answer, but I did. “They’re looking for us.”

Gus nodded slowly. “Tell everyone to arm themselves swiftly and quietly.”

I cursed internally. “Wait, what are you going to do?”

“What I have to,” he muttered from one corner of his dry, bristly lips.

I told the others and soon the cave entrance was crowded with gun tips.

Olga leaned over the men and whispered worriedly. “Can’t we just let them pass? They may not notice us if we’re quiet. Gus, you can’t kill all those men!” Her voice was high with panic.

He ignored her and took aim. “Who said anything about killing them?” he grumbled.

She shook his shoulder just as he pulled the trigger, the shot hitting the dirt in front of one of the soldiers. They scattered and took cover.

Gus swung around, his gun still loaded, and leaned in on Olga. “Damn it, woman! Why did you do that? I was aiming for shoulders and legs. Disabling shots, not kill shots.”

Olga’s pale face turned anemic. Her lips trembled. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to… I was worried you would…”

As I watched, everything rolled into place, and I understood why Olga tried to stop Gus. I could see it plainly on her shiny, white face.

Shots fired and chipped the rocks around us as we backed further into the cave. Olga slid along, her hands creeping backwards, but there was nowhere to go.

“How did they know we were here?” I demanded as shots pinged around the cave entrance.

She took way too long to answer. “I… I don’t know.”

Gus pressed the rifle to her chest right over her stuttering heart, and she gasped.

“We’ve disabled three of them,” someone shouted from the front. “The others are too well hidden.”

Gus swore. “Take this,” he said, pushing the rifle into my arms as he returned to the entrance to help the others, pulling a handgun from his waistband.

My hand shook and slipped over the black plastic.

Olga blinked up at me. “Let me go and maybe I can negotiate with them to get Rosa back.”

Don’t trust her.

“I can’t believe you betrayed us, Olga,” I stammered, my finger grazing the trigger. I was so glad Rosa wasn’t here to see this.