Thunder (28 page)

Mojica nodded. She turned and looked down the hall. “Tiller!”

One of the men straddling a bench looked up. “Ma'am!”

“Go juice!”

“Yes, ma'am!” Tiller trotted toward them and pulled a small vial from a pack on his hip. He handed it to Mojica and retreated back down the hall.

Mojica snapped the vial in half. “Hold out your hand.”

Selah's hand trembled as she forced it out. Mojica tapped the back of her hand with the small cylinder, then threw the empty container into a receptacle next to the wall.

Selah looked confused. “Was that it?”

Mojica smiled. “That's all. Try the hood now.”

She trembled as her fingers gathered up the material. She took a deep breath and worked the hood down over her head. She breathed in and out several times. Her shoulders began to relax.

Bodhi watched. “Are you going to make it?”

Selah's breathing came long and hard. “Yes, I think so. I don't feel the material anymore. Is it still there?” She rubbed her head, feeling the smooth fiber covering her face. The oddness subsided and she peered out. She could breathe through her nose and mouth. The tremble left her hands.

“I'm turning on your face screen. Don't be afraid,” Mojica said as she keyed the appliance.

Selah jerked. “Yikes! This is unbelievable.”

“It's face navigation technology.” She keyed in something else. “What you're seeing now is the map layout of Level Three Confinement. You don't have to remember directions, just follow the map. My team is the green active dots. Guards will be red dots and the Landers will be blue dots. Unknowns are black dots.”

“What about us?” Selah asked.

“Since you're not part of my system, I've keyed you four as black dots.” She tapped the appliance. “Okay, everyone. This is a look at this group.”

Facial navigations flicked on. Mojica showed up as a green dot encircled by four black dots.

“I'm a Lander. Why don't I show up as a blue dot?” Bodhi asked.

Mojica grinned. “These suits have special blockers. The wearers are invisible to the Mountain systems, and I code in our group so each individual gets the specific signal I want
them to show. It's people not wearing these suits the systems will pick up.”

“With these masks on, how are we going to be able to tell who is who?” Selah could tell Treva, Bodhi, and Cleon by their shapes and heights, and Mojica's team towered over them. She just needed the security of knowing where they were.

Mojica shrugged. “Transponders, and you'll remain in a group within sight of one another.” She pointed at Bodhi. “I need you to contact the individuals we're extracting. Tell them to be ready to go and not to make any undue movements. We don't want to alert the guards that anything is out of the ordinary.”

Bodhi walked to the other side of the wall, dropped his mask, and seated himself on the floor with his legs crossed, hands resting on his knees. He closed his eyes. Glistening moisture formed on his brow as he leaned his head back against the wall.

“How long will this take?” Mojica asked. She gestured to the meditating Bodhi.

Selah chewed her lip. “Not sure. He's only been here a week and the Landers he's trying to contact have been drugged for years.”

“I've done the best I could to bring them out of it,” Treva said. “I haven't been able to do any testing of synaptic—”

“That's more than I need to know,” Mojica said, raising a hand. “Just tell me how long.”

“To touch all of them, maybe a half hour.” Selah shrugged. “Maybe less.”

“Synchronize the time for thirty minutes. It will be a go.”
Mojica hustled off in the other direction, leaving the group standing there.

“What did we get into?” Treva asked, noticeable fear in her voice.

Cleon moved to her side and put his hand on her arm. She smiled weakly.

“I came to find my father. Unfortunately, freeing his countrymen will have to suffice,” Selah said with a note of sadness.

“Can you do it too?” Cleon asked, looking at Selah. “Contact the Landers using your mind?”

“My link is still weak. I only get random impressions.” Selah rubbed at her chest. “I still get rumblings, like the feeling you get when thunder sounds. It hurts, but I think it scares me more than anything. I don't understand the emotions yet. They're different from the way we express things. If I tried to help Bodhi, I might confuse the Landers and make it worse.”

At that moment a low moan punctuated the air.

Selah spun to face Bodhi.

His hands clutched at his head. He slumped back against the wall and slowly slid over sideways to the floor.

She pulled off her mask and dropped to her knees in front of him, reaching to touch his shoulder. The contact brought a surge of power shooting up her arm and across her chest. She jerked back. “What's that?”

Bodhi shook his head violently from side to side. He clawed at the wall, trying to gain control. “Too many. Reaching out all at once. Scared.” He snatched Selah's arm in a viselike grip. “I need you to help me with them, but we have to bond first.”

She tried to pull away from the energy streaming through her body. It frightened her, or maybe it made her feel she'd
never be the same again. Either way, she steeled herself and focused on his eyes.

Concentrate.
Bodhi's thoughts flooded her head.
Feel where I am and join with
me.

Selah whimpered.
I'm afraid. It feels like I
'm going to explode.
She wrestled the expanding waves. Sweat poured from her brow, stinging her eyes. She threw her head back and clenched her eyes tight.

Relax into
the wave.
Bodhi focused his eyes on Selah.
Let it
carry you to me.

Hair matted her wet face. Selah gasped.
I'm trying. It's so strong. I feel
you reaching for me.
She could sense Bodhi smoothing the noise, allowing her to feel their base emotions.

Finish the
connection the way I taught you.

Selah took Bodhi's left wrist with her right hand, then gripped her right wrist with her left hand. Bodhi held his right wrist with his left hand, and his right hand held her left wrist. As they created the power grid, a surge of white energy encompassed the two of them.
We did
it!

Selah felt the flood wash over her. Being linked mentally with Bodhi blossomed nerve endings in her mind that had been trying to connect for the past few days. A warmth radiated from the connection.
I feel like I
'm floating.
Her body relaxed into the energy flow as the sensations turned from random stabs and poundings to an even hum of activity.

We've secured the bond.
Bodhi's features relaxed. He took a deep breath and reached to hold her hand.
It will be easier to
focus on personal communications between just the two of us,
now that we're linked. We have no time to
waste. Can you feel that?

S
elah and Bodhi became a voice of reason in the darkness. The only way she could describe it was like standing in a pitch-black room and calling to this mass of voices all talking at once. They argued for the better part of a half hour. Several of the stronger Landers wanted to overpower the guards.

You must be patient.
Bodhi sounded authoritative.
We are coming very soon.

Landers recovering from the brain fog were agitated.
We've been patient long enough. We
've become strong again. We want out. We are not
slaves to this world. We are immortals.

Selah tried to soothe them.
We will get you out. I promise. We
have a whole team.

Promises don't mean anything
in this world. All are lies.

Bodhi spent a lot of time quelling what amounted to an uprising.
Give us
one hour. I give you my word.
He motioned
to Selah that she could break the connection and let him handle the rest.

She pressed her fingers to tight lips and backed away from the connection. The feeling of so many voices overwhelmed her. She rubbed at her temples and rose to walk to the other side of the hall. She didn't know if Bodhi could convince the Landers to remain calm.

She grabbed something to eat from the nearby table and paced the area. Past midnight.
Please
let this start soon.
The compressed protein bar sat in her stomach like a logjam that industrious beavers would make on the pond back home. Acid backed up in her throat.

Her immediate concern—Amaryllis. Yes, the child was capable of taking care of herself, but that didn't cause Selah any less worry. She wanted to kick herself for not having made a plan if they got separated. Where was Rylla? Had she run back to her home or was she still waiting outside?

She reached for water, gulping it to push down her queasiness and her fears. The hum of the security team interactions echoed along the walls of the corridor, adding to her unease. She recognized one of their weapons, the pulse disruptors. They were similar to the model Raza had used in the forest. Weapons like that signified death. Fear.

Mojica verified that they wouldn't get weapons but each would be assigned a competent watcher. The guys balked at not getting to act like warriors, but Selah and Treva were relieved not to sport weapons.

Mojica marched up the hallway with her team. She motioned each of their watchers into position. With everyone's masks in place, Selah could see only their eyes. Her watcher
was about six feet tall and had kind eyes. Confident he was male by his sturdy build and the way his belt slung on his square hips, Selah had a moment of levity picturing herself addressing him as a man only to find out the person was a woman.

“Everyone, facial navigation on,” Mojica said. She keyed the face displays for Selah's group. The rest of the team controlled their own.

Selah glanced behind her to find Cleon and Bodhi. Treva stuck close to Cleon, but Bodhi was being kept at arm's length by Selah's watcher. She heard him huff once or twice, figuring he was jockeying the man for position and losing.

The optical screens were fine when she was standing still, but as she walked they proved a distraction. She nearly walked into a wall while concentrating on the movement of the dots before her eyes. Her watcher redirected her with a slight nudge.

She marveled at the silence as the group of twenty moved through the buildings. They turned onto several corridors and traveled down numerous ramps to get to Level Three Confinement. The only plus of the long trip was that she could orient herself to ignore the map and not careen down the hall like a drunken merchant at a spirit tasting.

Mojica signaled with her hands and the group halted. Selah started to ask a question but her watcher motioned for silence. He whispered that they were at their destination.

Selah's throat tightened.
Are you ready, Bodhi? Can I be
scared?

He soothed her nerves.
It's going to be
fine. I'm here.

It was wonderful and a bit strange, communicating with
thought. She had the hang of it now. She wondered how Cleon was handling this. He didn't have a reason to like or help Landers. He only did this for her, and now she was one of them.

A technician moved forward, applying a laser appliance to the door's security panel. Mojica had explained earlier that instead of using door codes, they'd hack access. There'd be plausible deniability when Everling started searching for offending parties.

Selah watched as the door swished open. The team rushed in as a wave of black uniforms. They fanned out. First stop—the station inside the door.

The guard had fallen asleep with the remnants of his dinner spread out before him, and the takedown happened fast and easy. His face registered shock as he woke to black-clothed and hooded interlopers in his domain. Swiftly rendered inoperable, he was trussed like a chicken ready for the roasting spit and was dumped into the closet behind his station.

Selah's heart ramped up as she peered down the wide hall. The area looked similar to the office in the Borough building back home.
Are you still there
?

Bodhi chuckled.
Where did you think I'd be?

Just checking.

Tables and chairs, desks, and cabinets filled the space with only an uninterrupted aisle down the center. This didn't look like the facial navigation plans in front of Selah's eyes. Confusion filled her.

Entry teams on both sides of the hall used laser appliances to open doors, ignoring the obvious differences on the facial navigation. At least she could see dots signifying friendlies.

Suddenly a bright flash, a sharp percussion, and a yell. Selah's watcher pushed her to the floor, shielding her body with his own. She struggled to see around him.
Bodhi, what happened
?

Can't talk
, came his curt reply. Farther down the area, guards armed with laser darts poured from an open doorway, firing rapid volleys. Points of energy struck the walls and floors, leaving an ozone smell. The security team fired back with pulse disruptors. The silent weapons gave off a docile, shimmering waveform that slammed into the guards with the force of a boulder, throwing them about like twigs.

Mojica ducked behind a desk and returned fire. A guard dove for cover, shooting under the legs of the desk as he slid across the floor. The laser dart ricocheted off the rocrete floor about a foot from Mojica, striking the appliance on her wrist. As her arm bounced up, her shoulder slammed into the floor. She rolled and fired, striking the guard full in the chest. With arms and legs splayed, he slammed against the wall. Mouth open, he slid to the floor.

“Stay here and keep your head down!” Selah's watcher yelled. He scrambled forward to give Mojica backup from the onslaught.

Bodhi, where are you?
No answer. Selah's stomach turned to rock. The facial navigation system had gone down when Mojica's arm was struck. No dots, no hallways. Heart pounding, she tried to alert her watcher. He was engaged in a firefight with two guards who'd slipped past the advance force. Selah scoured the team to find Cleon and Bodhi. Only a sea of black amid the clouds of disruptor and laser fire. The smell burned her nose.
Bodhi, help!

A laser scanner attached to the first room on the right continued to cycle access codes. Selah crept to the appliance with shaking limbs. It beeped and the door clicked open. Laser darts slammed into the wall near her. She ducked, muffled a scream, and crawled into the room, pushing the door shut behind her.

She leaned against the wall, pulling in jerky, fearful breaths. The light sensor activated. The layout of this room didn't match the floor plan she remembered, and her spirits dropped.

Bodhi, where are you? I'm in
a room alone.
No answer. Selah looked around. An hour ago she couldn't have imagined herself with a weapon, but now, in a moment of abject fear, she couldn't picture herself without one. Seeing a weapons locker against the back wall, she ran to the case and snatched up a laser dart. She held the piece, molding her fingers to the grip in an effort to convince herself she could shoot someone.

A scrambling sound on her right. Before Selah could react, the door flew open. She was face-to-face with a large, aged security guard buttoning up his uniform. He reached for his weapon but his holster was empty. He turned back toward her and she darted away.

Adrenaline pumped her arms and legs. No time to decide where to go. The first open door offered refuge, so she scrambled inside and smacked the lock. Leaning against the door, she groped for a light switch.

The guard crashed into the door repeatedly, bouncing her away from it, but the lock held.
Help! Bodhi, where are you
? Why aren't you answering me? I need help!
Selah found the switch and flicked it on. She was in some kind of storeroom
full of rows of crates and boxes. She pulled in a couple deep breaths to steady herself and peered down. Her hand still held the laser dart. Could she really shoot someone?

A blast against the door sounded like gunpowder exploding. She flinched and sprinted down one of the aisles, shoving herself between two metal crates at the back. The loud banging continued. She put trembling hands over her ears to muffle the sound.
Please, please
, please help.

Another blast blew the door open. Hanging from one hinge, warped and twisted, the door squealed to a halt as it hung up on the rocrete composite floor. The light circuit was tripped, plunging the room into darkness.

Selah opened and closed her mouth to relieve the pressure in her ears. Ringing bounced around in her head. Could she hear Bodhi if he called out? Peeking around the crates, she froze. The outline of a hulking man obscured most of the light in the doorway.

“Come out here and give yourself up,” he yelled in a deep voice.

Selah jerked her head back. Where was everyone? Were they captured? Would he hurt her if she gave herself up? Or would he hurt her if she made him hunt her? She bit down on her lip, tasting the copper of blood. No one had discussed what to do in case of capture.

She felt the weapon in her hand. Maybe if she showed him she was armed he'd let her go. The fighting still raged full force in the main room. She shut her eyes and pleaded,
Someone come find me. I'm scared.
There, she'd thought it. She. Was. Scared.

She raised her hand and it trembled viciously. She used
both hands to steady the weapon. Maybe if he saw she was just a girl he wouldn't be so angry.

He held up an illuminator. A wide beam of subdued light washed the room, casting her shadow across the wall behind the crates. She tried to move away but he must have seen the movement. He walked toward her.

Selah sucked in a gulp of air. Nowhere to go. She moved into the open and came face-to-face with the man. Pointing the laser dart, she raised it at him. He scowled, moving closer.

“I see where you picked up that weapon. They're in for repair. It doesn't work,” he said with a sneer.

She knew that look. Raza had subjected her to the same disdain whenever she told Mother he was throwing boomerangs at her or pushing her off the dunes.

He aimed his weapon. “Go ahead, pull the trigger.”

Selah's hands trembled. She moved her finger from the trigger, fearing she would accidently fire.

“Shoot me!” he screamed. “Or I'm going to shoot you!”

Selah squeezed her eyes shut. Fear coursed through her limbs. Her throat tightened as she pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. She opened her eyes and pulled it again. Nothing. She pulled the trigger two more times in rapid succession. Fear weakened her.

She threw the weapon at the guard's head. He ducked, then threw back his head and laughed. “At least one of you is going to suffer the consequences of breaking into this area. Drop the weapon and get on your knees.”

A strangled sob welled in Selah's throat. She pushed it down. She refused to show weakness to a man laughing at
her. She could only hope cooperation would give her a chance for the others to find her.
Help me.

“On your knees!” the man shouted.

She dropped to her knees, wincing in pain at contact with the unyielding surface.

He strode to her. “Well, let's see what we have here.” He snatched her hood but also got a handful of hair.

Selah screamed and grabbed at her head to wrench it free.

“Well, by the voice I guess I have a female. Let's see what you look like.” He grabbed the neck of the hood. Selah tried to spin away from him, but he ripped the hood from her head and held it up like a trophy.

Selah tried to move away. He reached out with his other hand and grabbed her hair, yanking her back. Pain stabbed her scalp like hot needles, tearing her eyes.