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"How are we going to know if it's saying 'take me toyour leader'?" Pan asked.
"I agree with Nash," Noi murmured. "Let's–"
The star slid sideways, quick as a piece of paper caught bythe wind, turned in a moment and settled across the shoulders of a bulky,sunburned guy, who tried and failed to dodge as it landed. For a moment it looked like a hooded cloak,then it sank out of sight.
"The hell–?" Pan and Noi said in unison.
The sunburned guy stood unmoving, face blank, as the crowdaround him drew back. Then he blinked,looked sharply left and right, lifted one hand and closed it, opened it.
"The noises are coming from him now!"
The sunburned guy looked toward the woman who had shouted,and she flinched back, then firmed and asked angrily: "Why have you donethis? What do you want fromus?"
"To–" Theman paused, repeated the word, a stutter of sound, frowned then said clearly,in a distinct Western Sydney accent, "To stand still."
"Stand...?"
"Fuck."
Pan pointed, the crowd turned. Then, as one, they ran.
ooOoo
The stars came from the east, dozens, hundreds, dropping outof the sky.
Madeleine raced with Emily directly for the lifeguard towerstairs, but the cross-current of people before her was too thick, and shediverted left, angling for the nearest ramp off the sand. Almost a hundred metres from the shoreline,those who had wisely left early were already jamming onto it, others divertingagain for the ramp further west. ButTyler's car was right near the head of the first ramp, and Madeleine took afrantic glance over her shoulder, trying to decide whether to forge into thepress or just dash west, and keep ru
The leading edge of stars were unfurling behind her, droppingdown onto the shoulders of those slowest to move. And one, distinctly brighter, bluer than therest, was so close, sliding unmistakably in her direction and she gasped andsnatched at Emily's hand and darted left, giving up the ramp in preference forspeed. But the things – kites,butterflies, angels – moved faster than any ru
The lightest touch, the breath of the sun.
A response roared inside her, an instinctive outflow, and shefound herself lifted off her feet, sailing forward to plough into thesand. Around her others had beensimilarly knocked down, and were struggling to their feet.
"Shield!"Gavin shouted, staring back. "You can shield! Shield against them!"
The very blue star which had been chasing Madeleine hadcurled partially closed and dropped close to the sand. The other stars were clustering toward it,filling the air with their oscillating song. Noi grabbed Emily up and took off, and Madeleine was about to followwhen she saw Shaun. One of those she'dknocked down, he was lying unmoving to her left, Nash trying to rouse him.
"Is he–?" With a frantic glance at the star cluster, she grabbed Shaun's arm andtried to lift.
"I think shield paralysis," Nash said. "On two."
With desperate energy they lifted, Nash doing most of thework until Gavin dashed back and helped.
"Can you shield again when they come?" Nash asked,gasping with effort.
"I don't know! I'll try!" Their speedcarrying Shaun meant she would have to.
But the stars swooped past them to settle on ru
"Go back past the lifeguard tower," Gavinpanted. "Up the wide stairs."
It was longer to run, but Emily was already standing at thehead of the lifeguard tower stair, signalling wildly and pointing east, so theydog-legged back. And the stars passedthem.
"They're avoiding us!" Gavin said.
"They might be – tack left."
People were ru
"C'n r'n,"he groaned, thrashing and gulping.
Remembering the agonies of the pins and needles, Madeleinesincerely doubted it, but he surprised her, managing to at least make it easierfor Gavin and Nash to haul him.
Two women ahead were on an intercept course – they wouldn'tmake it past them.
"Go straight through!" Nash ordered.
Madeleine shuddered, but knew they couldn't risk the delay ofa collision and held up one hand. Tryingnot to think of twisted metal, of tumbled cars, she pushed some of the energyinside her into a punch at the two women.
Their shields were just visible, a protective glimmer whichappeared as the punch struck them and sent one tumbling backward. The other was only knocked a little offcourse, spun onto her knees, but this was enough to get them past and in sightof the stairs. Emily was ru
"Noi's...coming..." Emilygasped, and clutched Madeleine, trying to catch her breath as Nash and Gavinhelped Shaun into the car.
"Go!" Nash told Nick. "Meet you at Rushies."
"Keep moving," Gavin added, as Nick obediently toreoff, narrowly missing a small van trying to get past.
They ran all-out alongside the one-way road in front of BondiPavilion, and Madeleine's legs were jelly, rubber bands, not forgiving theenergy cost of shields and punches, nor her general disinclination to run longdistances. She was falling behind, herbreath burning in her throat, but then there was a newly-familiar growl ofexpensive engine and she straight-out dived into the rear seat of Tyler's caras Noi slowed, then surged forward to collect the others, the car soonover-crammed with panting, gasping escapees.
The undersized rear seat was not a good fit for Madeleine,Fisher and Nash, particularly with Madeleine at the bottom. She wriggled out as Noi came to the end ofthe long one-way street and slewed right onto the main road.
"Hook a left at Blair," Gavin recommended,balancing Emily on his lap. "Arethey coming after us?"
Fisher stared back, his expression closed. "They don't seem able to move as fast asa car," he said slowly. He lookedat Madeleine, currently sitting mostly on Nash's lap. "Did you do that on purpose?"
She shook her head.
"I think you hurt it," Gavin said. "They weren't keen to come near youafter."
"What do we do now?" Emily's voice was high.
"I don't see any other option than to get out of thecity," Noi said. "Even thougheveryone's going to be totally paranoid about Blues and Greens, and there's ahuge chance of getting locked up if we're found. But better locked up than possessed. Did anyone from your school get taken?"
"Chris." Nash glanced at Fisher, but didn't find any answer in Fisher's puzzledexpression. "Hammadand Ryan were there as well, but I didn't see what happened to them."
"We've no way of knowing how much they can learn fromthe people they take over. Language,obviously, but they might know about your school from your friend."
Nash nodded. "Weneed to warn everyone there – if they don't know already – then grab what wecan and go."
"This car has about a quarter of a tank left." Noi pushed down on the accelerator. "But we've been collecting car keys backat Finger Wharf. And boats, thoughthey're probably not much advantage for getting away from flying balls oflight."