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  “I know, because I know what’s in your heart.” Jack pulls the helicopter around in a tight circle as more flashes come at ground level. “I know that whatever happened, you would never do that.”

  I don’t argue with him. Even though I’ve already done that, I don’t argue with him. Maybe Jack just guesses what I’m thinking, because somehow, in the midst of keeping the helicopter under control, he manages to reach out to me.

  “Every time you have used your powers, it has been to protect yourself or the people you care about. You’ve had a good reason.”

  “And how do we know that the lizard people don’t have good reasons, at least by their standards?”

  “Lizard people?” Jack raises an eyebrow.

  “I have to call them something. And ‘lizard people’ is a little less scary than ‘big, invulnerable thing that nearly killed us’.”

  “Lizard people it is,” Jack agrees.

  “You know what really scares me, Jack.” It isn’t a question.

  Jack nnow Jods. “I know.”

  What scares me is that while I’ve had a good reason for every time I used my power, I could also feel the joy of using it. The dark joy that welled up in me while things, people, burned. There’s always a part of me that’s horrified by what my power can do, but there’s another, deeper, hidden part that seems to revel in it.

  I look down at the ground again. “There are people down there, Jack. Every one of those flashes is a person dying.”

  Jack nods, but he looks torn as he does it. “We might already be too late.”

  I shake my head. “We can’t know that unless we go down there.”

  “And if we do, then I could be exposing you to danger when I should be getting you safely to Location Thirteen. Everything I’ve been taught tells me that I should be flying you out of here, Celes. Regrouping with the other Faders. Trying to come up with an effective plan rather than charging in against an enemy we don’t have a way to hurt, let alone stop.”

  Yet he doesn’t fly the helicopter out of here. He doesn’t move us away from the terrible carnage that must be taking place below. Jack might know what the logic of his mission tells us we should be doing, but he’s still a better man than that. I decide to make it easy for him.

  “Jack,” I say, “we aren’t leaving. We aren’t just going to abandon people to die.”

  “Even if it means exposing you to danger? Even if it means that we might not make it to the other Faders in time to warn them about what’s going on?”

  “My guess is that your uncle and your father are already better informed about what is going on than anyone else,” I point out. I shake my head. “Forget Location Thirteen for the moment, Jack. It’s a guess. A vague hope. We don’t know that there is anyone there, let alone anyone with a solution for all this. But we know that there are people down there, and that they are in trouble. I can’t leave them behind, and I think the truth is that you can’t either, or you would already have flown us away from all this.”

  Jack nods. “I guess, if we can help… and maybe it’s an opportunity to find out more about those things.”

  “Maybe,” I say, “but the main priority is to get anyone down there out of trouble.”

  Jack nods, and then smiles to himself.

  “What?” I demand. “What’s so funny?” span>

  “Not funny,” Jack says. “You know before you were asking how I knew you weren’t like one of those things? Well, how many of those do you think would stop to help people? Now strap yourself in, we’re going down.”

  SEVEN

  Jack takes the helicopter down, not heading directly for the flashes, but close. That’s a hard one to judge. We need to be close enough to help, but not so close that we’re right on top of any creature like the one that chased us before. In the end, Jack puts us down behind a stand of trees that back onto a small, square, concrete building with a glass front.

  As the rotor blades idle, he leaps into the back of the helicopter, grabbing supplies. The submachine gun is just the start. He even grabs grenades. As for me, he throws a spare gun my way, along with a couple of clips of ammunition.

  “You know how to use it, right?”

  I nod, checking the chamber of the gun before loading and cocking it. I holster it alongside the other pistol Jack gave me. I briefly think about grabbing even more weaponry, but if two pistols aren’t going to be enough to keep me safe, I don’t know what will do the job.

  We hop down from the helicopter, heading around the corner of the building. There are other buildings nearby, set off from the road. They look like office buildings, though the only sign on them is a highly stylized symbol a little like a star in the middle of a series of interlocking rings that remind me a little of the way people draw atoms.

  The flashes of light came from here. I’m sure of it. It’s just a question of where. There are a few more buildings around us, forming a loose, open compound. In theory, the flashes could have come from any one of them.

  “Where…” I begin, but Jack lifts a hand to cut me off. He presses himself flat against the wall of the building, reaching back as he does it to press me to it too. I’m so tight against it that I can feel the roughness of the concrete against the skin of my cheek. Jack is so quiet and focused now, edging forward, the weapon he holds leveled to fire in whatever direction he’s looking from moment to moment.

  A heavy set man in his late fifties rushes from the building opposite us, lumbering across the ground between the buildings. He’s wearing a suit and a lab coat, both stained with something darker. Something almost black. What does it say about my life these days that I recognize the blood stain for what it is instantly?

  For a moment, I think that Jack might shoot him, he’s so ready for action. Certainly he aims at the running man, before pulling his gun down, obviously recognizing that he isn’t an immediate threat. Light flashes, and this time, it doesn’t come from a creature touching anyone. There’s a beam of it, flashing out from the shadows of the building’s entrance, missing the running man by inches. He hits the ground in something that seems to be half a dive and half a stumble. Whatever it is, he ends up down in the dirt, scrambling to get to his feet.

  He looks terrified, and right then, I guess he has every right to be. Even so, the expression on his face is painful to watch. People shouldn’t look that scared of anything. There shouldn’t be things in the world capable of doing that to someone. The trouble is, I know exactly the kind of thing that could make someone that scared. I’ve seen them. I’ve been chased by them.

  Jack pulls me away from the wall. “Celes, you get him. Make sure that he’s safe. I’ll…”

  “You’ll what Jack? Take on one of those things on your own?”

  Jack shakes his head. “No. I’m not going to do that, but I’m fast enough to cause a distraction and still get away.”

  “That thing in the library was fast, Jack.”

  He kisses me then, fast and hard. “So am I, and I’m not about to take a risk. I’ll see it coming. You know I will. Just focus on this guy. Get him back to the helicopter, or to any other form of transport if that isn’t an option. Get to Location Thirteen. Complete the mission.”

  Why does that sound like Jack saying goodbye?

  “Jack…” I start to protest, but he’s already moving. He’s running, with that better than human speed he has, making his way out towards the building the man has just come from. I can feel my heart beating hard in my chest at the thought of what might be happening there. One heartbeat, then another. I hear the sound of gunfire, and want to run to Jack, but I know he’s right. I have to help this man. We landed to help people.

  We landed because I talked Jack into it to help people. That thought creeps into me as I start over towards the heavy set man who is only now coming back to his feet. What if Jack is hurt here, or worse? That will be my fault. Even so, I force myself to head over to the man we’re trying to help. see >

  “Come on,” I say. “Let�
�s get you out of here.”

  “Thank God, you aren’t one of them.” He looks bewildered at the fact I’m here, but he lets me take his arm. Close up, he looks haggard, his greying hair a mess, his shirt torn. His dark eyes dart from spot to spot as though expecting an attack at any moment. Maybe he’s even right about that.

  “One of whom?” I demand.

  “Them,” he says. “Them.”

  He points in the direction Jack has run, but I can’t see anything there. I can just see how scared this man is. We need to get him clear of this place before he panics.

  “Come on,” I say. “Let’s get you out of here.”

  He shakes his head. “There’s nowhere safe. Our cars…”

  “We have transport,” I say, pulling him along in one stumbling step, then another. “Is there anyone else here who needs our help?”

  “Anyone else?” the question seems almost to take him by surprise. “No. No, they’re all… they got them.”

  “They killed them?” I ask. It’s a tough question, and one I don’t want to ask someone so obviously terrified, but I know I have to. I can’t stand the thought of leaving someone behind.

  “They took them. Rounded them up like cattle. I… I was the only one to get away.”

  “And is there anyone else in any of the other buildings?” I press him.

  He shakes his head. “No. I just said. They got all of them. The ones they didn’t capture, they… you won’t believe me.”

  “They disintegrated them,” I guess.

  He nods, and then comes to a halt, looking at me with surprise. “How do you know that?”

  “I know a lot of things,” I say, “and it has been a very long day. Now keep moving. Unless you want to be their next victim.”

  That’s harsh and I know it, but Jack is relying on me to get this guy out of there. Worse, the slower he moves, the longer Jacks, tÀnger Jas distraction has to last. That thought is enough to make me practically drag him. He’s a big guy, but I’m strong enough to keep him moving easily, keeping him on course for the helicopter. If we can make it back there-

  There are more shots, a flash of light from inside the building, shouting. It sounds like there’s a full blown battle in there, especially when I hear the dull thud of a grenade detonating. It’s loud as it rattles through the building ahead of me, and in that moment, I have only one thought. Jack.

  The first few shots made sense. The first few shots were his distraction. This isn’t a distraction. It can’t be. It’s more than that. I spin the man with me to face me.

  “Listen,” I say. “I need to know everything you can tell me about what is going on in there, and I need you to tell me now.”

  Maybe it’s the look on my face, but he doesn’t argue. “What do you want to know?”

  “What exactly is in there?” I demand. “What is Jack up against? How many, and where in the building are they? What exactly happened here?”

  He hesitates.

  “Tell me!”

  “We couldn’t predict what would happen!” That comes out as a startled bleat while he raises his hands as though he thinks I might hit him. “We couldn’t predict the solar behavior. No one could. We couldn’t know what it would do to our equipment, or our experiments.”

  “What experiments?” I ask. “Who exactly are you?”

  “Dr. Troy Florence. I’m a neurologist. My team was doing research that could have helped everyone, but now… they’re loose!”

  “What’s loose?”

  Dr. Florence shakes his head. “Not what. Who. We thought we were advancing humanity, but things changed so rapidly. The solar… event must have done something to the experiments.”

  “Do they look like they’re part lizard?” I ask.

  “No. Nothing like that. They look human. But they aren’t. They can do things that no human could ever do. They can manipulate energy in ways that are unbelievable… I know how mad this must sound.”

  “It doesn’t sound mad,” I assure him. C asan>Or at least no madder than the rest of my life. “Now tell me more.”

  “Some of them must have been overwhelmed by the effects of the solar energy. They’re… insane. Aggressive. They’ve killed people, and others of their kind. I saw them burn people. They burned people with the power of the sun, and I still don’t even know how they did it.”

  “Can they be stopped?” I ask. “Will bullets stop them?”

  Dr. Florence looks like he doesn’t know how to respond to that. “They’re still human. Tougher, stronger… but still human shaped. I guess that a bullet would stop one, or maybe several bullets, but you aren’t seriously considering…”

  I point to the stand of trees. “There’s a helicopter hidden behind those trees. On it, you’ll find food and supplies. If you know how to use a weapon, you should find those there too.” There’s more shouting from inside the main building. “Right now, I have to go help the man I love, and if you can’t help me, then you need to keep out of the way. Stay on the helicopter until I come, understood?”

  Dr. Florence nods. “Who are you?” he asks. “You have helicopters, weapons… are you with the government?”

  I think about Wilson Hammond being handed the presidency. Then I think about my own presidency, so far in the future now. “That’s pretty complicated. We don’t have the time.”

  “At least tell me your name.”

  “I’m called Celestra. Celestra Caine. Now go. Head for the helicopter.”

  He turns to go. I un-holster one of the pistols I got from Jack. I’ve seen him shoot with one in either hand, but I guess that without practice, this is better. I just hope that it will be enough. No, I can’t think like that. I have to believe that this will work.

  I sprint over to the main building, not knowing far too many things. I still don’t know how many people there are in there, or how dangerous they are. I just know that Jack is in trouble, and I have to help.

  EIGHT

  I sprint towards the building, my gun coming up as a figure streaks towards me from inside, almost faster than the eye can follow. That figure twists away from my line of fire and a hand comes up to keep the pistol pointed in the other direction. As my reflexes let me think again, I see Jack standing there, looking like he’s been in a fight.

  “Celes, I thought you were heading to the helicopter? Come on, we need to go. Run.”

  I start to ask why, but then I see them. They look so ordinary, a man and a woman, with pale, almost grey hair, dressed in dark jumpsuits. They’re moving slowly at the moment, and they seem almost like they’re asleep, even though their eyes are wide open and staring at us with obvious hatred. There’s something about those eyes, too. Something blank and almost empty.

  “Go get them,” the man says, in a flat monotone.

  “I am. You get them.”

  “How about if no one does anything to anyone?” I suggest. I don’t raise my gun again, but Jack levels his. “We don’t mean you any harm.”

  The man laughs, taking another step forward. “You think we’re going to believe that. We know what you are. Both of you. You’re the things that burn people up.”

  “You mean you aren’t?” I ask. We saw the flashes from above. Dr. Florence told us that people were being burned, yet these two are right. They don’t look anything like they might burn things.

  “We’re not,” the woman puts in, “but you are. We can tell. And you have to be stopped.”

  I raise my gun. “I don’t want to hurt you, but if you come any closer, I’ll shoot. Now, who are you? What are you?”

  “You’re asking us?” the man demands. He looks at the woman, like it’s some kind of joke I don’t get.

  “Who are you?” I repeat.

  “Celes,” Jack says, interrupting. “There’s no time to talk. Things are getting too dangerous here.”

  “You’ve seen something?”

  e="+0" fac"justify"> Jack nods tightly. “We need to get out of here. We need to leave now.”

&nbs
p; I hear the urgency in his voice and start to back away, but it’s too late. I hear the whir of rotor blades, and a second later a large, black helicopter with multiple weapon systems hanging from it is hovering over the compound. A voice booms from it, amplified through speakers. It’s unmistakable. Wilson Hammond speaks down to us, his voice carrying easily over the whole space.

  “Celes. Jack. There you are. I was starting to wonder where you might have gone after you escaped my shelter. It’s good to see that you got through the apocalypse okay. Of course, you might not like what happens next so much, but it isn’t like I care what you think. Good work in finding them, you two.”

  That’s obviously directed at the man and the woman on the ground. They work for Hammond? The woman takes a step forward and I kick her back.

  “Run!” Jack yells.

  We do, but with the helicopter hanging over us, we don’t dare run for our own transport. Instead, we sprint with Jack firing seemingly blind behind us, heading for the nearest of the buildings, the one with the largely glass front. There’s a roar above us and the ground nearby is churned up by gunfire. The helicopter is attacking!

  We sprint for the safety of the building, and I find myself wondering if it really will be safe. What if Wilson Hammond’s helicopter has rockets? What if we go in there and he brings the building down around us? I’m still thinking that when Jack shoves me through the door, turning to send a burst of gunfire back at the helicopter.

  He jams the door shut and reaches forward to pluck a grenade from my belt. With him so close, it’s easy to think about him doing so many other things, and I find myself wondering how I can think that way about him even in the middle of being attacked?

  Jack pulls the pin on the grenade, wedging it into the door handle, then he takes me by the arm, pulling me deeper into the building, down empty corridors.

  “We need to get away from here before they decide to break in.”

  We move into a room that looks the same as any of the others from the outside. Inside, this one has overturned tables and chairs, a selection of shattered glassware that was probably used in experiments, and a few noticeboards with information about safety procedures. I wonder if they have anything suitable for this? There’s also a small window in one corner, obviously there to let in more light.