Danger's Race Read online

  “You have my word. That’s all I can give at the moment,” I answered. “If for some reason we don’t return, you get to keep all this. You’ll have Knox and Walt and the remaining scientists. If you pay attention, I’m sure the scientists will be willing to teach you what they know—at least enough to keep the tribe going once they’re gone.”

  Walt nodded helpfully.

  “We don’t want to live in this shithole anymore,” she replied unequivocally, standing, her body language aggressive. “I’ll do what you ask, but the condition is you have to come back here and get us. No matter what.”

  “I will if I’m able, that’s all I can promise. I have a crew in the city. As soon as we get back, they’ll know your location and situation. If I don’t return, they will. If nobody returns, it means we’re all dead and you’re better off down here—at least for a while. The city is unstable. Once we’re there, we’ll need to see to some things, try to make it a little safer. Then we’ll fly down here and get you. That’s all the assurance I can give.”

  Gia looked like she was going to argue, but Knox, who had come up behind her, nodded firmly. “We agree to your terms,” he interjected. “We will make sure everything stays safe here until you return.” He had told us about their bomb capabilities. The militia was well armed. It would definitely take the both of them, along with any others who were able to help, to keep the northern militia from taking over in our absence. But they had a good chance of success, and we had no other choice.

  “Good,” I said. “Then it’s done. Case and I are heading to the first militia outpost, which Knox said is next to Tandor’s, or Teddy’s, home. We’ll go to the next one after we check the residence for sodium alginate.” Knox had told us that the militia members lived together and that most of the original tribespeople had their own area. Not every tribe member was going to cooperate, but we’d focus on rounding up the militia first. There were twelve, not including Tim and Curtis. “Once we get them secured in the jail building, we’ll come back here.”

  Gia had her arms crossed, legs splayed. “I’m going with you. You may run into traps Knox doesn’t know about. If you do, you’re dead.”

  Knox had gone over all of the issues we could potentially run into. There was no reason for her to come. In fact, staying here to protect Walt was a better place for her to be.

  But I couldn’t mistake the intent. There was something more. I peered at her, trying to figure out the real meaning. “Are you out for revenge?” I asked.

  She jutted her chin out. “So what if I am?”

  I moved in front of her, getting up close. “I have no issue with that. Your past, and at whose hands you’ve suffered, is yours to deal with however you choose. I won’t stand in the way. But if you join us, you follow my lead. Not the other way around.” She gave me an infinitesimal nod. It was enough. I turned to Knox. “You stay here with Walt and Daze. Protect them with everything you’ve got.” Walt had assured us he had plenty of hydro-bombs, so they could defend themselves if need be.

  Case was already ascending the steps. I drew Gia’s gun out of my waistband and handed it to her.

  She took it with a grunt.

  I tugged Maisie out of my pocket and set her in Daze’s hand. “She should alert you if anyone’s approaching, especially if it’s not us. Isn’t that right, Maisie?”

  Her lights popped on, and she said, “Human signatures are all unique. Certain genetic markers include—”

  “Stop,” I ordered. “Not necessary to explain everything ad nauseum.”

  Daze’s expression was solemn, despite my attempt to lighten the mood. “Come back alive.”

  “That’s the plan, kid,” I said. I turned to Knox. “Do you know how to fly a craft?”

  Knox looked uncertain, but nodded.

  “If something happens to us and we don’t make it back, take Walt and the kid back up to the city. Daze will know where to go to contact my crew. They will help you.” I turned and followed Case and Gia out of the dome. Once we were all outside, I said, “We’re taking the craft these guys left behind so nobody will get suspicious if they see us in the sky.”

  Gia took the lead.

  We jogged after her as she entered the path we’d seen before. A short distance away, the craft came into view. It was beat-up, possibly once a shade of gray, but so scuffed it was hard to tell for sure. It looked like a B model, the one that came right after Luce. It didn’t have very many upgrades that I knew of, so she should be fairly familiar to fly.

  As we got closer, Case said, “Looks like a B9, or thereabouts. They weren’t known for much, just next on the assembly line.”

  “Exactly,” I said. “That’s why I’m flying.” I headed to the pilot’s side. Gia and Case headed to the passenger’s. The inside was in slightly better condition than the outside, but not by much. The seats had stuffing sticking out, everything was filthy, and if Daze thought my stuff stank, it was putrid in here. I took a big breath as I shut the door. It wheezed out as I said, “It’s too bad we can’t fly with the doors open. Man, when you only have one craft in the whole tribe, it might be a good idea to keep it clean.”

  From the backseat, Gia said, “This is a rarely used craft. One we’ve only gotten working recently. All our other crafts were taken a few months ago by Teddy and his followers. Another reason why the tribe wants to join with the militia up north.”

  I punched the motor on, and it gurgled, finally sputtering to life. “Did you know Teddy well?”

  “Not really,” she answered. “He kept to himself, and he was older than me. He joined the tribe with his father as a small kid, before I was born. But he knew how to convince people of things, so people thought he was smart. I never did, though. I thought he was strange.”

  I took to the air. “That seems like an accurate picture of Teddy, although I only had one short interaction with him,” I said. “Why didn’t you go with him to the city?” There had probably been negotiations of who would leave and who would stay and protect the scientists.

  A slight red tinted her cheekbones. She really was quite pretty, in an unusual way. Her features were broad and sweeping. She sat back in the seat, crossing her arms. “I couldn’t. I was promised to our leader as a wife on my nineteenth birthday.”

  As we gained altitude, the motor sputtered and the craft undulated, but it slowly continued to rise. I wasn’t going to take us too high. I didn’t want to attract attention. “I take it that birthday is coming soon.”

  “It’s tomorrow,” she said.

  Case had been quiet up until now. “Stick close to the ocean. According to Knox and Walt, the first residence is six or seven kilometers straight south.”

  I veered the craft east toward the ocean. I wasn’t planning on getting too close, since the extra wind shear from the waves could bounce us all over the place. When we were stabilized over the sand, I increased speed. “Gia, do you know what this place looks like? I need landmarks. A place to stop ahead of the residence. My goal is to get in before anybody spots us.”

  “There are two buildings. Teddy’s dome is an unusual color,” she said. “It stands out. The other building, where the militia live, is a regular structure.”

  “What color is the dome?”

  “Bright red.”

  “How did they achieve that?” I asked.

  “How should I know?” she quipped. “It was always that way, ever since I was born.”

  “Are both your parents dead?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  “How old were you when they died?”

  “I don’t know. I was too young to remember.”

  Case sat forward. “I see something red up ahead.”

  I did, too. Any sort of change of color in this world and you noticed. “How far away should we land?” I started to decelerate.

  “A kilometer at least,” Case answered.

  Because nothing worked in this crappy craft, there was no distance information available. I eyeballed it and brought the c
raft down on the sand, partially behind a dune. It was going to have to do. The distance was likely longer than a kilometer, but that was fine.

  We all got out. It was a blessed relief to escape the stench. “Getting back into that craft is going to take some fortification, possibly more than I have,” I said as we began to trudge down the beach. “How did your tribe learn to make these domes?” I asked Gia.

  She shrugged. “They were designed by some engineer before I was born. We haven’t been able to duplicate them exactly, although people have tried.”

  “Why didn’t the militia take over the vacant one next to Walt?” Case asked.

  “Because the old man threatened to stop making slurry,” she answered. “He also told them he would set traps that would melt their skin off. So they left it alone.”

  I chuckled. He was a crafty old man, I’d give him that. He’d managed to stay alive and keep what was his.

  We walked in silence for a while, though silence was a misnomer. The waves were crashing a hundred meters away, the sound thunderous, angry, and pounding, and our boots crunched over remnants of sticks and twigs.

  As we edged closer, I noticed that the top of the dome was in disrepair. The red coloring was chipped, possibly eroded all the way through in some places. That didn’t bode well for what was inside.

  “Shit,” I said under my breath. “That doesn’t look good.”

  “No, it doesn’t,” Case agreed.

  We all trudged up a short hill, finally coming into full view of the dome. The other structure wasn’t visible yet. “Is the militia residence further inland?” I asked Gia.

  “Yes. It’s just up and over that slight rise.” She gestured. “They will likely be inside. No one much likes the rain.” That was an understatement.

  “We draw our weapons now,” I said, sliding out my Gem. “Case found tech phones on Curtis and Tim.” He’d brought one and left one behind. “It’s only a matter of time before these guys start communicating with each other. We also don’t know who else is out looking for you and Knox. It can’t only be Curtis and Tim. When did you leave?”

  “At dawn.”

  “When were you two supposed to check in?” Case asked.

  “Two hours ago,” she replied.

  Gia and Case both drew their weapons.

  “Since we’re here, we investigate Teddy’s place first,” I said, making a quick change to the plan. “We have to see if there are any supplies left. We owe it to Mary. Since the militia are not actively guarding this area, we take our advantages where we can.”

  Case nodded in agreement, and we slipped down a short incline, navigating large piles of sand. As we moved closer, it was obvious the dome hadn’t been kept up for a while. Cracks and chips marred its façade.

  We eased around the side to find that the dome was missing its front door.

  But that wasn’t the only alarming thing.

  Black scorch marks licked up the sides of the opening. Not only had it been damaged, but it’d been set on fire.

  I lowered my weapon. “Well,” I sighed. “I guess it’s clear why the militia aren’t actively guarding it. There’s nothing left to guard.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  I turned to Gia. “Did Teddy do this himself before he left?”

  She shrugged, looking as confused as we were. “I didn’t know it’d been destroyed. They don’t trust me with shit around here. Knox and me are low in status for a reason—because we don’t listen.” I was certain she’d paid a high price for that.

  “I’m going in to take a look,” Case said.

  “Why bother?” We didn’t have to go inside to know that everything was destroyed. The dome had holes open to the elements all over and was lacking a door. So, on top of the fire damage, there was probably knee-high water from the constant rain.

  “Because we’re here,” he said, holstering his Pulse. “My guess is Tandor did this. When he left, he took what he needed and didn’t want anyone else to have access to his home.”

  It made sense, as Tandor had been an unstable asshole.

  “Fine. If you see anything, holler.” I kicked an errant stone big enough to hurt my toe as Case descended into the semidarkness.

  According to Walt, there wasn’t any seaweed growing anywhere and it was clear we weren’t going to find any here at Tandor’s residence. We had no way to access any sodium alginate.

  “How are you going to get your stuff now?” Gia asked.

  “We’re not,” I said. “There’s no way to get it if it’s not here. We knew it was a long shot when we took off on this journey. I just hoped we’d be successful. There’s someone waiting for it back up in the city, and if we don’t have it, we can’t help her.”

  “There might be another way,” she said quietly.

  My eyebrows eased up. “What are you talking about?”

  “Teddy lived with some of the scientists when he was younger. They took him in as a sustainee when his father left.” She gestured toward the dome. “If he decided to burn this, he did it as a show of power. But he wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave anything valuable inside when he did it.”

  “Where would he have put his stuff?” She had my complete attention now.

  “With the scientists or Jorgen,” she said. “My guess is with Jorgen. And if it’s not with him, he’ll know where it is.”

  Case emerged from the dome, looking grim. “Nothing left down there except water and charred remains.”

  “We may have some hope after all,” I said. “Gia thinks Teddy would’ve left anything of value with the scientists who sustained him or with Jorgen.”

  Case nodded and glanced at Gia. “Where do the scientists live?”

  “Not too far from the other militia outpost,” she replied.

  “And from what Knox told us, Jorgen lives in town, in the middle of things,” I said. “So we check in with the other scientists first—”

  A shout came from the distance.

  We all eased around the back side of the dome, which faced the sea, away from the militia residence, our weapons out once again. Something suddenly dawned on me. We hadn’t shared with Walt, Knox, or Gia any of what had happened in the city. I leaned toward Gia and whispered, “Has word gotten back here that Teddy and all of his followers are dead?”

  By the surprise on her face, I could see the answer was no. “They’re gone?”

  “Yes,” I whispered. “At least as far as we know. Teddy was the one Daze was referring to who got a hole blasted through him. There might be a few stragglers hanging out in Port Station, but we’ll take care of them once we get back.”

  Gia was contemplative for a moment. “That will change things here. People who were fearful of Teddy and his followers will have no reason to fear any of them any longer.”

  The shouting was getting louder, the voices definitely headed this way. It was unlikely that they’d spotted the tribe craft, but it was possible.

  Case nodded. “Time to move.”

  He crept forward, and we followed. Once around the dome, the three of us spread out. The area was hilly, and whoever was coming to investigate hadn’t yet crested the final hill that led to the dome. I nodded at Gia to take the lead. She shifted to the right, slowly moving toward a small incline.

  Once she was there, she lay on her stomach.

  I took up the space next to her, unable to see past the rise. Male voices floated over the short expanse, closer this time.

  “Curtis, come in, Curtis,” a voice said.

  “What’s the matter, Sammy?” another man said. “They ain’t answering?”

  “No—”

  A tentative voice crackled out of the phone, surprising me. “This is Knox.”

  I held my breath as Gia tensed beside me.

  “What the fuck are you doing on the phone, Knox?” the angry voice that must be Sammy railed. “You were supposed to be back hours ago. It’s because of you Curtis and Timmy went out that way.”

  Static. “I know, sorr
y.” Knox’s voice was barely audible to us in this position. “Gia got hurt and we were stranded. But Curtis and Tim helped us out. We’ll be back soon.” Knox was buying us some time. The kid was smart.

  “Hurt like what? And where the hell is Curtis or Tim?” Sammy asked. “You’re not supposed to be on their phones. We only got a few of these things, and nobody trusts you.” If they had, we likely wouldn’t be in this position, as Knox and Gia would owe them loyalty.

  “Ask them when they’re picking up the slurry,” another voice said.

  “Shut up, Keegan,” Sammy retorted.

  Static.

  I was certain Knox was trying to decide what to tell these guys.

  “Everybody’s here with me.” Walt’s voice wavered over the line. The old man had decided to take charge. “The girl was hurt badly and so was Curtis when he tried to help her. But I’ve administered aid. Everybody is going to be just fine. They should stay out here with me for the night.”

  It would be funny to witness the confusion on these guys’ faces as they tried to process what the hell was going on. I turned to Gia, keeping my voice extremely low. “That’s only two voices, Sammy and Keegan. Do you think they’re alone?”

  She shook her head.

  Almost instantly, another voice joined the fray, this one farther in the distance. “What the fuck is the craft doing here? I thought Curtis and Timmy took it.” He sounded both excited and confused.

  “Are you sure it’s ours?” another voice called, likely Keegan.

  “I’ve got fucking glasses on. I see what I see. It’s our crappy craft. But if the boys are back, they should be here by now.”

  Case came up beside us. “We go now, while they’re still confused.”

  I nodded, easing my body up. “We incapacitate these two and wait for the advantage.”

  The three of us crested the hill.

  The two men were below, talking on the tech phone. It took them a moment to register what was going on as we descended. My taser was aimed at the chest of the man with the phone, and I was ready to take him down temporarily.