Meridian Six

He stared hard at the unfolding drama far below. The guards were dragging Rabbit toward the center of the compound. No doubt they planned on taking him to Castor for instructions. If we could make the bomb go off before they decided on a course of action, we might have a chance for getting Rabbit away from the guards.

Finally, Icarus looked at Dare with sorrow. "It’s too late for him."

She launched at him, punching at his chest and face with wild hands. "Fuck you! We’re not leaving him!"

"Stop, Dare. Stop!" He struggled to get her flailing limbs under control. His scars were pale against his flushed skin. "Listen! Our only chance to save him is to set off the bomb. Stop!" He grabbed her by the upper arms and shook her. "If the bomb goes off he’s dead anyway."

She stumbled back, sobbing. "We have to try!"

My chest felt like someone had bound my ribs with steel bands. Icarus looked at me for help. All I could think was that I would not let another child die by Troika hands. "That bomb has to go off no matter what. We need to get over that fence. You two go and wait for the first explosion and then grab the kid and run like hell."

Dare sniffed. "What about you? How will you get out?"

"We don’t have time to argue about this. We need to get in and make this happen or we’ll lose Rabbit and any chance to pull off this mission," I said. "If you make it out alive, we’ll rendezvous down river, in the abandoned church."

With that, I turned my back on the pair before they could stop me. There was no other way this could play out. If I tried to save Rabbit and Castor saw me, he would stop at nothing to kill all of us. Better for him to believe this was a ragtag team of random rebels.

It took me a few minutes to make it to the fence. In that amount of time, the furor over capturing Rabbit still hadn’t died down. The guards had done a quick sweep of the area round where he was captured, but finding nothing, decided to gather in clumps near the main building to watch Castor decide what to do with the kid. I tried to keep my eyes away from that area because I couldn’t afford to be distracted by what they were doing to the kid. Losing my nerve now would sign all of our death warrants.

As I neared the fence, I listened for the tell-tale hum that indicated electricity. Even though it was silent, I still threw at small metal wrench at it to be sure. When it hit without causing a spark, I knew it was safe to climb. I should have been surprised the Troika hadn’t bothered electrifying the fence, but they always underestimated what a group of determined rebels could accomplish. The metal fence was twelve feet high but the pillars were made from wood and stone, which gave me hand- and footholds and some semblance of cover until I got to the top.

I landed on the other side and crouched down to the balls of my feet. A quick glance around proved that the area was clear. Further into the compound, I could hear shouting and the sounds of running boots. But for now I was blessedly alone. The outbuilding that held the propane tanks was fifty feet from the fence. I ran there full-tilt and reached the back of the building in no time.

The black box was still attached to the bottom of the window. A quick peek inside made my stomach drop and a whispered curse escape my lips. A handful of guards were inspecting the tanks. Probably they were worried Rabbit had tried to sabotage them from inside the building. I ducked down so my head was below the window. Looking up, I studied the face of the device to figure out what had gone wrong. A green light flashed on the front, but the count-down timer wasn’t engaged. I realized that in his rush, Rabbit had forgotten to flip the final switch. Chewing my bottom lip, I adjusted the function of the timer so it gave us five minutes, instead of two, before it exploded. Then, I held my breath, sent a prayer to a God I didn’t believe in, and clicked on the switch that engaged the count down. Red numbers flashed up 5:00. Once I made sure it flipped over to 4:59, I took off running.

And ran straight into a chest wearing a black uniform.

My adrenaline spiked and lightning zinged under my sweaty skin. Luckily, he was as surprised as I was by our collision. Unlucky for him, I recovered first and grabbed his gun from his holster. I slammed the metal into his temple and pulled the trigger. His eyes widened and a gasp escaped his mouth. In the next instant, he slumped in to me. I let him fall to the ground and ran. The gun’s weight was reassuring in my hand. I started for the fence again, but a female scream reached my ears.

Dare.

Fuck. I swiveled and hauled ass across the compound, shooting any guard I ran into along the way. The gunfire drew more and more guards, but I didn’t care. If I didn’t get myself and my team out of there in the next three minutes we’d all be dead anyway.

I broke into the clearing at a dead run. The heat from the furnaces radiated off the building like a sun. Sweat covered every inch of skin and my heart pounded depth charges in my chest. In the center of the clearing, Dare knelt on the ground next to Rabbit’s still form. Meanwhile Icarus stood defiant before Castor despite the dozens of gun aimed at him. I didn’t slow my pace. Just ran toward them like a wild woman, screaming. The guards turned to see what the commotion was about and when they saw me their mouths fell open.

I was almost to Castor and his prisoners when a very large body stepped in my path. I skidded to a stopped mere inches from Astyanax. He loomed above me like a colossus. His fangs flashed in the light from the moon and the fires forming inside The Factory. My bowls went watery, but I raised the gun.

A massive fist swiped the weapon away with little effort. His other hand swung around and made contact with my jaw. I fell back as Castor started laughing.

"Meridian Six," Castor drawled. He held a hand up to forestall Astyanax’s advance. "Why am I not surprised to find you in league with this pathetic group of weaklings."

I spit a mouthful of blood at his feet. "Let us go or I’ll set off the bomb I just installed on your propane stores." I held up the remote we’d used earlier to warn Rabbit. Castor bought the lie and stilled.

"What are your demands?" His tone was too casual. He was coiling like a snake preparing to strike.

"Let the boy go," I said, looking him directly in his yellow eyes. "The other two, as well."

Castor’s eyebrows rose up. "That’s all?"

I shook the remote in the air. "We’ll see."

The corner of his red lips lifted. "Never try to bluff a professional liar, Six." He nodded toward Astyanax. I felt the air shift as the general moved toward me. In slow motion, I pivoted and held up an arm to ward off the fangs. But in the next instant, the deafening boom of an explosion blew across the clearing like a hurricane of fire, bringing with it searing heat and a concussion like a punch to the diaphragm.