Danger's Race Read online

  The girl took offense at Walt’s assessment of them. “We aren’t at the bottom,” she spat. “We’re in the middle. There’s at least ten below us.”

  Rank mattered. Good to know.

  “What’s your name?” I asked, moving to stand in front of her. When she acted like she wasn’t going to answer, I slid my Gem out slowly. “I asked your name.”

  “Gia.” Her chin came jutting out in a Daze-worthy move. She tipped her head toward the boy. “He’s Knox.”

  Before I could say anything, Daze strode forward purposefully, stopping in front of her. “They’re not going to hurt you,” he said, his voice full of emotion. “I’m a street kid, and they saved my life. All you need to do is cooperate, and you’ll be okay.”

  I placed a hand on Daze’s shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. “What he means is, if you cooperate, we won’t hurt you. If you don’t, we will.” Daze’s heart was in the right place, but he got the hint.

  If Gia truly thought we weren’t going to hurt her, she’d never cooperate.

  The kid cleared his throat. “Yeah, what I meant was, if you cooperate, you’ll be fine. But Holly”—he gestured to me—“shot her laser through this guy and smoked him a couple days ago. Then she gave this other guy a radium ball, and he started bleeding from the mouth and his skin started sliding off.” Had Dill’s skin slid off? I hadn’t known that, likely because I’d been busy fighting off the insane effects of Plush. “Then this other guy—”

  I applied a small amount of pressure to Daze’s shoulder again, and he stopped. He had more than redeemed himself. The girl and the boy were rapt by his revelations, their eyes so wide white showed all the way around. My previous actions had sounded even more grisly coming from the kid in such a casual tone.

  Using their reactions as my guide, I drew up a chair and sat backward, resting my arms across the top of the back, my Gem still out. Affecting a conversational tone, I started, “Gia and Knox, do you see what’s around you? You know where we are?”

  They both tore their eyes off of Daze and glanced around, their gazes lingering on the green plants, as I’d suspected.

  Knox spoke first. “I’ve heard about this place. You’re one of the scientists,” he said to Walt. “The one who lives a day away.” That was good information. The rest of the inhabitants were a day’s walk from here. “They say you, out of all of them, are the most important.”

  “That’s good,” I told Knox, coaxing his gaze back to mine, giving him a warm smile. “Everything you see in here is important and needs to be protected at all costs.” I’d emphasized the last few words. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  Gia’s expression changed quickly, and it appeared like she was about to spit on the ground in front of her. “It means you want to take our stuff,” she snarled. “We’re not going to let you. We’ll fight you before—”

  Case placed both hands on her shoulders to keep her still. At the contact, she jumped like she’d been struck by an electrical pulse.

  No one ever got used to abuse, no matter how much they tried to harden themselves against it. My tone was quiet as I addressed her. “We’re not going to leave the tribe with nothing,” I replied, careful to use the word tribe instead of militia. “Whoever cooperates will be taken care of.” I decided to change my line of questioning. “Do you want to have a child someday?” It was an extremely intimate question, and her expression showed exactly what she thought of me asking her something so personal. “It’s a fair question,” I argued. “Are you planning on having a family?”

  “Maybe,” she muttered, her eyes darting to the boy, then away as her cheeks tinted red.

  They were lovers.

  “Do you want that child to have a good life? Better than yours?” I asked. It was a rhetorical question—of course she did.

  “They will have a good life,” she countered stubbornly. “We live here with this stuff. We have food and medicine, everything we need.”

  I gestured to Walt. “Does this man look young to you? Does he look like he’s going to survive to see your children grow up?”

  Before Gia could reply, Knox stood abruptly, taking us all by surprise.

  Case was on him in the next instant, grabbing him by the shoulders. “I didn’t mean any harm,” Knox sputtered. “We will cooperate. We will do whatever you want. We want a better life than this one! Living here, under the militia, is awful.”

  Gia looked as if she was trying to decide whether to punch him or protect him.

  “Don’t move,” I warned, giving her a look. “If you do anything, I’ll shoot him in the leg.” I waved my Gem in the air. “It’s not a knife, and the laser will hurt more. It might even kill him.” I nodded to Case. “Let him go. Let’s hear what he has to say.”

  Case dropped his hold and took a step back. “We’re already in trouble,” Knox started. “We were supposed to be on patrol, but we decided to just keep walking.” He darted a glance at Gia, who refused to look at him. “We weren’t going back. We didn’t care where we got to, just as long as it wasn’t back there.”

  Now we were getting someplace.

  I got off my chair and paced toward him, making sure I proceeded slowly. “Do they hurt you? Who runs things? Tell us everything, and we’ll help you. We’ll remove the threat and take you back to the city with us.” My voice stressed what was at stake. “You two can start a new life together. Your children will be able to grow and flourish.” Hopefully. But from what Knox was saying, life here wasn’t great, so anything would be a step up.

  Maisie’s voice broke in. “I detect six humans within five meters and two humans within forty meters.”

  Not at all welcome information.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  I turned to Walt. “When they come to you, do they come from the sea or inland?”

  He sputtered nervously, “They come from inland. There’s a path. I believe they only have one craft these days. It’s not very reliable. A few months ago, all their crafts were taken. Most of the time they walk, or they only take the craft part of the way.”

  “If we lock the door, will they stay outside?” I asked. “Even if you don’t choose to answer it?”

  The old man shook his head. “No, they will persist until I open it. They are in possession of explosives that will blast through my door.” That wasn’t a risk I was willing to take.

  “Is there a place we can take cover within the dome?” Case asked.

  “Yes, yes, of course.” Walt moved toward a hatch set in the ground. “This is where I keep my specimens that need to remain at a constant temperature.”

  I grabbed Daze by the arm, pulling him close, murmuring, “Once we get down there, I’m going to need you to help keep the two of them quiet. You go first and scout it out.” The kid nodded once and took off, helping Walt hoist the door in the floor, scampering down the moment it was clear. I addressed Case. “If they’re arriving from inland, there’s a good chance they won’t spot Seven, even without the reflective cloth. There are enough hills to block her from sight, assuming they don’t fly high enough. My guess is they’re coming to check up on these two.” I gestured at Gia and Knox, who stood in front of Case, their hands still secured behind their backs. “If Walt can convince them he hasn’t seen them, there shouldn’t be any issues, and hopefully, they’ll leave.” I looked at Walt, who was breathing heavily from the effort of getting the door open. He must not use that space very often. “We’ll be listening. If it sounds like there’s going to be trouble, we will come to your aid. Tell them, with certainty, that you haven’t seen these two. Can you do that?”

  Case maneuvered the boy and girl forward and down the short steps.

  When Walt didn’t answer my question, I gently grabbed his arm, tugging him toward his sleeping pallet. “Listen, deception can be difficult, but I know you can do this. If you pretend you’ve been asleep, you can act flustered without it seeming unnatural. When you turn the lights on, tell them you haven’t seen anyone. If they d
on’t believe you, threaten them by withholding slurry. Can you do that?” We stood next to his pallet.

  He met my gaze, his eyes a little blurred. “Yes, I think so.”

  “Good.” I pressed him down on his bed, and he went willingly. “Remember, we will be listening and will come to your aid if necessary. Where are the light switches?”

  A bony arm came up, indicating a place next to the main set of stairs. I walked over, punching my shoulder light on so I could see once it was dark. “Lie back on the pallet.” He did as I asked. “Everything’s going to be fine.” I doused the lights, flipping multiple switches, and made my way over to the hatch.

  As I went, I opened my utility bag and drew out a dart. I was going to need it.

  Walt’s voice wavered slightly as he said, “They won’t hurt me. I’m sure of it. What I provide them is much too valuable.”

  Grabbing on to the door handle as I descended underground, I replied, “I’m sure they won’t, but if it sounds like they’re going to change their minds, we will intervene. You’re not dying today, old man.”

  Once I was down, I glanced around the small space.

  It was nothing more than a storage compartment. Rickety shelves stacked with glass jars lined one wall, their contents murky. Case had Gia and Knox on the floor, backs against the only available, dirty wall. I squatted in front of them, directing my gaze pointedly at Knox. “Will she try to alert them that we’re here?” I asked, my voice low as I rolled the dart between my fingers, unseen by either of them. The only thing illuminating the space was my shoulder light.

  Knox darted a glance at her, unsure whether to answer. I gave him a look that said I wasn’t kidding around. “I don’t…I’m not sure…”

  “That’s okay,” I told him. “I was only asking out of courtesy. I’m not willing to take any chances.” Before either of them had time to process what I’d said, I brought the dart up and inserted it into Gia’s thigh, punching it quickly through her pants. She gaped at me, her expression horrified, like I was killing her. “This is just temporary,” I murmured. “I know you think it’s the right choice to alert your tribe of any danger. But we’re not here to harm you. You’ll wake in about an hour, after they’re gone. You might have a touch of a headache, but nothing more.” She slumped to the side, onto Knox, her eyes fluttering shut. He took her weight willingly, leaning his head against hers sweetly. I turned my attention on him, making sure he was looking at me so he’d understand. “If you so much as cough, you won’t be getting a tranq dart,” I told him in a low whisper. “And it will also mean that we’ll have to kill the men upstairs. Do you understand? Make a sound, and they die.” He nodded, fear in his eyes. I was satisfied.

  Standing, I turned toward Case, who was positioned right below the hatch, listening. Daze had taken a seat next to the shelves.

  Before I could say anything, Daze asked, “She’s going to wake up, right?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I think she’s going to wake up,” he said decisively, with a quick nod.

  “She’ll wake up if she doesn’t have an allergic reaction to whatever’s in that dart,” I clarified. “It needed to be done, Daze. She’s too unpredictable, and we have to protect what’s upstairs at all costs.”

  “I know,” he said, his voice solemn and full of understanding.

  “You’re going to have to make sure Maisie doesn’t speak while we’re down here,” I told him. “Can you do that?” His face went slack as he began to pat his pockets frantically. Oh, no. “Please tell me you have the egg on you.”

  “I’m sorry, Holly.” His voice broke. “I left it upstairs, on the table near the plants.”

  I addressed Case. “Do you think if Maisie speaks, it will alarm them?”

  “Hard to know,” he answered. “Walt has a lot of tech up there. They can’t know everything he has.”

  “That’s true,” I said. “But what if she says something that gives us away? Like stating how many humans are in the room? That’s her favorite line.” I started up the short flight of steps, my palm bracing against the hatch. It came up easily. “It’ll be safer if I go get her. I’m pretty sure I can grab her and be back down here before they arrive.”

  “What is it?” Walt sputtered as I entered the room.

  “We left the status reader here,” I whispered. “She’s unpredictable, and I don’t want anything giving us away.”

  “Good idea,” Walt answered as I dropped my visor down and turned off my shoulder light as a precautionary move. There was barely enough ambient light for me to see via infrared, but I managed. I headed toward the plant table. “LiveBot software is quite adaptable,” the old man said, “and based on what she’s learned so far, she could say anything. She will have to be taught when to speak and when not to, but it will take some time. She’s too smart for her own good.”

  “Good to know,” I muttered. Once I was at the table, I searched around, but didn’t see the egg. “Maisie, where are you?”

  Maisie’s lights exploded from two tables over. “I am located north of you. I detect two humans upon us with hydrogen weapons—”

  “Stop,” I commanded as I rushed over and swiped her up just as the door above us shuddered open. I dove behind the table in front of me, bringing the egg up to my lips, and in a harsh whisper said, “So help me, Maisie, if you speak again before I tell you to, I will crush you into a million pieces.” Her lights zipped around. “And no more lights.” They snapped off immediately.

  I took that as a good sign that she would follow my commands and shoved her into my pocket.

  Two men were murmuring above. Then a voice shouted, “We’re coming down, old man! If you retaliate, we will kill you! So no funny stuff.”

  Two bodies began to descend into the darkness. I was fairly secure behind this table, if they didn’t lean over the top. I wasn’t worried about them killing me before I could defend myself. I was worried about the repercussions of them not returning to their people before we had a solid plan in place.

  “I was asleep,” Walt croaked as he sat up. “Hit the lights when you get down here. They are next to the stairs.” It seemed Walt was a pro at feigning surprise.

  “What are you doing sleeping during the day?” a male voice said as the lights came on. “Get the hell out of bed. We’re almost out of slurry. You should be working hard instead of sleeping.” His voice held a pidgin accent similar to that of the boy and the girl. He must’ve been born here and not an original militia member. But that was just a hypothesis. I’d have to wait and see. Walt wasn’t moving fast enough, his legs just coming over the side of the pallet. I watched as one of the men strode over and grabbed Walt by the arm, dragging him forward, causing him to stumble. “Hurry up, old man.”

  These two were on edge.

  There was a distinct possibility they’d spotted Seven. I gritted my teeth, my hand on my Gem as I watched the guy manhandle Walt. I ached to use my weapon, even to give them a warning, but doing so wouldn’t work to our advantage. It was all about the advantage.

  The other man, who’d come in behind the first, moved through the dome methodically, taking everything in. He was the one to look out for.

  “I have the new slurry you requested, but it’s not here,” Walt protested. “I already took it to the usual meeting place.”

  The new man spoke for the first time. “We didn’t come in that way,” he said in perfect English, no hint of pidgin. “We came by craft.”

  Walt had said the tribe’s only craft wasn’t reliable. If they’d been forced to take it all the way out here, they were likely on the hunt for Gia and Knox, but my guess was they’d spotted Seven on the way in and were trying to figure out what to do. That would explain their hostile attitudes. They would try to coax some answers out of Walt, before getting physical.

  At least, that’s what I’d do.

  Both men wore helmets and the same green uniforms as Gia and Knox, marking them clearly as militia. They also had full waist
holsters for their weapons—which they hadn’t drawn—with several compartments attached to the belt that probably held small hydro-bombs, which Maisie had indicated they had.

  My senses were heightened, and I knew Case’s were, too. If one of them opened the hatch, they’d get a Pulse bullet in the face.

  “We’re going to need some information from you,” the first man said. He stood next to Walt in front of the bio-printer. He was definitely more nervous than the other one, his voice quaking in anger, or maybe fear. If I’d had to guess, I would have said he hadn’t had to deal with any surprises since the militia arrived. “If you answer truthfully, we won’t hurt you.”

  The other guy stopped walking, interjecting, “We’re looking for two of our members.” His voice held an edge. No fear. “Have they been out this way?”

  They’re trying to bait him. They know about Seven.

  As quietly as I could, I drew my Gem.

  “I haven’t seen anyone,” Walt said, his voice breaking slightly at the end.

  Damn.

  The man with no fear took a step toward Walt. “Are you sure about that, old man? We find you here sleeping in the middle of the day, and now you’re looking a little panicked. If you’re lying, it won’t end well for you. We know you bring us benefit, but we protect our own first. There are two more of you. I’m sure they can figure out what you’ve got going on here.” He waved a hand in front of the bio-printing machine.

  Walt sputtered, “You’re…you’re hardly an authority on my sleeping habits.” His voice lost its shake. Go, Walt! “I often take a nap at midday. I find it rejuvenates me. My work is difficult and arduous, something you couldn’t possibly understand. And, no, I haven’t seen a single soul. If they came out here with the intent to find me, you might want to try the other dome, because they’re certainly not here.”

  The man slowly removed his weapon from its holster.

  Shit.

  It was a large gun with a steel frame. I wasn’t sure what it shot, but it wasn’t a laser. My fingers curled around my Gem, which was positioned next to my thigh.