Blackout

Page 65

 

  What’s in San Diego?

  We’re supposed to go after military next, right? San Diego has a HUGE naval base. Subs. Carriers. Everything.

  And we can do anything about that? We’re 2 people.

  Hang on.

  Laura took the phone from him and looked up a map. Jack could see every detail—he saw the glow of Laura’s finger as she pointed out the Coronado Naval Base, the enormous bay that held a hundred ships, in the satellite photo. And then she pointed to a narrow channel. She tapped on it, and then pointed to some land to the west. It read “Point Loma. ”

  She closed the map and resumed typing.

  Dude, it’ll be your biggest score ever. There’s only 1 way in and out of that naval base and it’s that little channel.

  That “little” channel is half a mile wide. Didn’t u look at the scale?

  ? That’s the best part. Point Loma is a massive rock—way tall. IDK how you do your stuff, but u get up there on that thing and knock the whole damn point into the water, houses and everything.

  Seriously?

  Look at the map again. Look up Point Loma. It’s gonna be AWESOME. Alec will freak.

  Wow.

  For your mother and mine.

  Dan took the phone and switched back to the map.

  They didn’t type anymore, and now that they weren’t holding the phone between them, Dan’s head blocked the reflection.

  “How much longer are we looking at?” Jack asked. “I’ve never been down here. ”

  “The last sign said seventy miles,” Aubrey answered.

  “Where’s that map?” he asked, digging around in the footwell. It was the only reason he was asking about the distance.

  He found the map of California, and a close-up of San Diego.

  “I’ve always wanted to go to the zoo,” he said, trying to sound casual. “Probably not on this trip. ” He turned back to look at Laura and smiled. She gave him a half smile in return.

  The map was clear, and Laura had been right. The naval base was huge. Miles and miles across, with dozens of major piers—room for hundreds of boats.

  Jack didn’t know what enemy he had sitting in his backseat, but they wanted to stop the military. They wanted to freeze them in their tracks.

  And after seeing what Dan did to downtown San Francisco, Jack had no doubt that he could obliterate Point Loma, turning it into a massive avalanche that would tumble down into the narrow channel and block every single boat in the harbor.

  FIFTY-SEVEN

  THEY ARRIVED IN SAN DIEGO to find the city under a rough lockdown. Aubrey drove through roadblock after roadblock, and though everyone eventually let them pass, she was almost wishing that they wouldn’t. Jack had exchanged enough worried glances with her that she knew he was onto something. Maybe turning themselves in would be the best course of action. They’d be arrested, but they wouldn’t get shot. Hopefully.

  Unless Laura and Dan turned on the military at the roadblocks, which they almost certainly would. They were on the run, trying to do something wrong—Aubrey didn’t know what yet—but it had to be criminal. She’d completely given up on the lie that there was any secret stash of supplies somewhere. Aubrey and Jack were transporting fugitives.

  Aubrey and Jack were fugitives, too. But maybe they could get some leniency. They didn’t know what the others were planning.

  But it would be their word against the army. During a time of war.

  How much longer could they run?

  Laura steered them through the city. Streets were blocked with heavy cement road barricades to prevent cars from going in a straight line, and the skies were patrolled by helicopters. Aubrey’s eyes were getting tired and blurry.

  “Can we pull over, guys?” she asked.

  “We’re not far,” Laura said, “and then we can get out and relax. ”

  Aubrey nodded, and tried to keep her eyes on the road. They were going through residential neighborhoods, climbing a hill in the darkness. She couldn’t see much else besides what was right in front of her.

  Jack took her hand. The sky might have been getting lighter in the west. Was it morning already? She needed sleep.

  They continued on a few more blocks, and through another, even tighter roadblock. Laura had the story this time—that she had a grandma up here. Aubrey had no idea if it was true, but Laura gave the name and the soldier waved them through.

  “Okay,” Laura said, sounding plenty awake. “We need to make sure that the site isn’t compromised. Aubrey, can you come with me?”

  “Hey,” Aubrey said sincerely. “I can barely see. I need to close my eyes for a little while. ” She pulled the car over to the side of a wooded street.

  That seemed to throw Laura for a loop, but she thought for only a few moments before patting Jack on the shoulder. “You and me, ’kay?”

  Aubrey and Jack kissed, and she was sure he said something to her, but she was too tired to understand the words. As nervous as she was around Dan, she leaned back and closed her eyes. She didn’t dare fall asleep, but she needed her strength. If Dan tried to hurt her, she could disappear, but only if she had the energy.

  “You get tired?” she asked him. “I swear, this virus . . . ”

  “I used to. Not so much anymore,” he said. He sounded nervous. “The doctor back at the base gave me some pills. ”

  “I wish there were pills for sleepiness. ” She opened her eye and looked at him. “I mean, aside from meth or something. ”

  He laughed.

  “So you can turn invisible?”

  “I can,” she said. “With limits. ”

  “Pretty awesome. ”

  “You know what I used to do with it?” She was talking now mostly to keep herself awake.

  “What?”

  “Shoplift. That was my big contribution to society. ”

  “Like, steal jewelry?”

  “Nope,” she said, enjoying the reclined seat. “Just crap. Clothes. I stole school supplies, if you can imagine it. Pens. Paper. Notebooks. I always really wanted to have a nice stapler, so I stole one. ”

  He laughed. “Rebel. ”

  “As bad as they come. Who would have thought we’d end up here?”

  He paused. “Where?”

  “Running from the army,” she said, suddenly a little more alert. He was testing her.

  “What do you think we should do next?” he said. “I mean, I know what Laura thinks. What do you think?”

  “I don’t know,” Aubrey said, shaking her head. “Maybe go to Mexico. Maybe something else. ”

  “Don’t you have a family back home?”

  “I have a dad,” she said. “Who sold me and Jack out for beer money. I’m in no hurry to see him. ”

  “What about Jack?”

  “He has family. Well, parents. ”

  “That’s not what I mean,” Dan said. “I mean, is Jack like family?”

  She paused. She wasn’t expecting that question, especially not from someone like Dan.

  “I . . . I don’t know. I mean, yes, I think. The closest thing I have. ” She turned in her seat. “What about you? Family?”

  “My old man was from Denver,” he said. “But he died a couple years ago. ” Aubrey had read something like that in Dan’s military file—that he was from Denver.