Barren

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  The three mechanics never saw the hits coming. Jesse, Bell and Abbas each took one down with precise strikes to the back of their heads, using tools they had picked up nearby, rendering the mechanics unconscious at once. They dragged the bodies out of sight and hid them inside one of the vehicles they had been working on, then climbed into the armored truck with the mounted Thunder Gun. Bell automatically climbed into the driver's seat while Jesse and Abbas took seats in the back space.

  It was far more cramped than Rhiannon had been, but they weren't looking for comfort. There were eight small, uncomfortable, seats lining the walls in the back, which Jesse and Abbas sat on, and there was a sliding hatch in the ceiling, which led up to the mounted Thunder Gun. Jesse examined it, guessing the user would simply open the hatch and stand up, sticking their upper body out through the opening to man the gun. He wanted to take a moment to familiarise himself with how to handle the gun, but knew sticking his head out now would risk getting them all caught.

  There was also another hatch in the floor. Abbas slid it open to see what was inside and uttered a quiet sound of surprise when he saw the contents. A wide selection of weapons and survival gear was packed inside. Guns, ready-to-eat meals, some water, a couple of radios, everything they would need to make it back to Town.

  "We might just stand a chance," Abbas grinned.

  The minutes ticked by painfully slow. Bell tapped her foot rapidly on the floor as nerves began to get to her. Jesse sat stoic and motionless, staring at the wall. Abbas was looking out the armored windows, searching for a sign of Mackenzie.

  "What's taking so long?" Bell asked nervously, biting on her thumbnail.

  "She should have been here by now," Abbas frowned, peering out of the truck between the slits in the armor. "What if she's been caught?"

  "She hasn't been," Jesse said determinedly.

  "But if she has?" Abbas insisted. "We need to consider that possibility."

  "You're not saying to leave her behind, are you?" Bell snapped.

  "Of course not," Abbas snapped back. "We never leave someone behind. We might need to sneak back in, do some recon."

  "I'll go," Jesse said at once, already beginning to rise to his feet, but Abbas placed a firm hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down into his seat.

  "No," Abbas said sternly. "You're injured. I'll go. You stay here."

  "If Mackenzie's in trouble, I'm going," Jesse argued. "She saved our asses, I owe her."

  "We all owe her," Abbas countered. "But you're in no condition to help anyone. I'll-"

  "Hey!" Bell interrupted excitedly. "There she is!"

  Abbas and Jesse both hurried towards the front of the truck and looked out the windows to where Bell was pointing. Sure enough, Mackenzie was creeping out of an elevator, looking around cautiously.

  "Where's Ileana?" Bell asked quietly.

  Mackenzie glanced around for a sign of any guards. When she felt mostly certain no one was around, she looked towards the vehicles she and Jesse had seen earlier.

  They must be here by now, Mackenzie thought.

  Sure enough, as soon as she looked in the direction of the trucks, one of them flashed their lights at her and the engine roared to life.

  Mackenzie hurried over as quickly and quietly as she could, still holding the gun in one hand, her muscles coiled to react at the slightest sign of danger. She reached the truck and hurried around to the back, where the rear door opened and Jesse leaned out, offering a hand to help pull her in.

  "We were starting to worry," Jesse said once Mackenzie was inside. Then he looked her over and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw the bruises around her throat. "What happened?"

  "Where's Ileana?" Abbas asked.

  Mackenzie closed her eyes and forced away the images that floated just beneath the surface of her mind. She couldn't think about it, not now. There would be time for guilt later. Right now, they had to escape.

  "She's dead," Mackenzie said simply.

  "What?" Bell gasped. "How?"

  "It doesn't matter how, she's just dead," Mackenzie snapped. "Are we getting out of here or what?"

  There was a moment of worried silence as Jesse, Abbas and Bell traded concerned looks, but no one questioned Mackenzie any further. Everyone took their seats and Bell began driving them out of the garage, towards the light that spilled in through the enormous doors.

  "You're hurt," Jesse pointed out, gesturing to Mackenzie's throat. "What happened?"

  Again, Mackenzie felt sick with guilt. Vasilii's lifeless face swam in front of her eyes, until she forced that away too. She was about to dodge the question, but when she looked at Jesse, saw the worry in his eyes, she suddenly felt incapable of lying to him. Not when he was so concerned for her.

  "Vasilii," Mackenzie whispered. "He... he tried to stop me. He was going to kill me, Jesse. But... but I killed him."

  Abbas ran his hands over his face. "Oh God."

  Jesse nodded. "You did what you had to do."

  Did I? Mackenzie wondered. Or was it what I wanted to do?

  As if reading her mind, Jesse reached across the space between them and gently gripped Mackenzie's knee.

  "Hey," he said gently, but sternly, the tone of his voice making Mackenzie look into his dark eyes. "It's all right. I know how bad it feels when you're forced into that situation. Inglis, when I... It sucks. You feel alone, like no one gets it, like maybe even you're an evil person. But you're not, Mackenzie. You did what you had to do to survive. Him or you. No one can fault you for that."

  Mackenzie stared back into Jesse's eyes as he stared into hers. No one else said a word, but Mackenzie didn't want them to. She wanted to lose herself in Jesse's voice, let all her thoughts drift away and only hear him tell her it was all right.

  "Guys?" Bell said from the driver's seat, breaking the silence. "We might have a problem."

  Abbas hurried to Bell's side and looked out the windows. "Oh, crap," he uttered.

  Mackenzie and Jesse also moved towards the front of the truck to see what was going on. When Mackenzie saw what the problem was, she felt her stomach lurch as though it was trying to escape her body.

  They were driving steadily towards the large open doors that led outside, but on the other side was not the empty expanse of dilapidated shacks that were home to Scylla's slaves. Instead, they were driving straight towards a group of five trucks that were pulling up outside. All full of armed soldiers.

  "What do we do?" Bell asked.

  "Drive casually," Abbas replied. "As far as they know, we're just another crew heading out."

  Everyone held their breath as they drove out of the evac shuttle. They drove straight into the middle of the convoy, driving slowly, as though they were in no hurry at all. Mackenzie saw one soldier look at them and felt her heart stop for a moment, but the soldier simply gave them a casual wave, as though he thought he knew them.

  "They can't see inside," Mackenzie pointed out, reminding herself as much as the others. "They don't know who we are."

  "Just everyone keep calm and it'll stay that way," Jesse said.

  Their progress through the other trucks was slow. Bell kept the truck at a crawl so as to not attract any unwanted attention. Some soldiers looked their way, but most ignored them. It appeared Abbas was right and they all assumed it was just another truck full of their comrades heading out on patrol. The soldiers and their trucks were heading into the shuttle, passing the stolen vehicle without concern. Mackenzie felt her heart lift with hope.

  "We're gonna make it," she whispered, scarcely believing it.

  However, she immediately knew she had spoken too soon. Because no later than had the words escaped her lips, another truck sped from around one of the prison blocks, screeching to a halt right in front of them, kicking up sand and dust. Bell hit the brakes so as to not crash into them, and once both vehicles had come to a stop, a familiar face exited the vehicle ahead.

  "Ah, shit," Jesse spat. "Sc
ylla."

  Scylla was staring at their stolen truck with an expression halfway between surprised and furious. She began to storm towards them, scowling.

  "What do we do?" Mackenzie asked.

  "Sit tight," Abbas said. "She can't see us. Let's wait and see what she does before we make a move."

  Jesse frowned and then vanished into the back of the truck while everyone else watched Scylla. She stormed around to the side of the truck and then banged her fist against the armor.

  "What are you doing?" Scylla demanded. "I didn't order any more soldiers to the site."

  Bell glanced over her shoulder at Abbas, who was glaring at Scylla with his lips pressed tightly together. Bell slowly turned back around to face forward. Mackenzie noticed her hand slowly move to the gearstick, her fingers tightening around it.

  Scylla was glaring at them with narrowed eyes now, trying to peer between the slits in the armor, trying to see who was inside.

  Jesse suddenly reappeared beside Mackenzie, two large items in his arms. Before Mackenzie could look at them, Jesse thrust one into her arms, then the other to Abbas. Mackenzie realized they were guns, but not like she had ever seen. Hers was like the rifles she had trained with, only this seemed much larger and heavier. Glancing around, Mackenzie saw that Abbas' gun looked different in shape and size. His was a long rifle-like weapon, but on the side of the gun was a a large rectangular box that looked like it was some kind of battery. There was a bluish-green glow coming from inside the box, making it look strangely alien. The gun Mackenzie held looked more like a conventional rifle, only much larger and seemingly powerful enough to punch a hole straight through the hull of the shuttle.

  "You take the HEL," Jesse said to Mackenzie.

  "Hell?" Mackenzie asked, confused.

  "H-E-L," Jesse spelled out as Scylla continued to bang on the side of the truck, drawing attention from her soldiers. "High Energy Laser. The kick isn't as bad as you'd expect, but treat it like it could shoot right out of your hands, like we trained. And don't point it at anything you don't want destroyed. Abbas, you've got a mini-railgun. It's slow to fire, but you'll only need one shot per target, guaranteed."

  Abbas nodded, temporarily relinquishing his command to Jesse, who was the weapon expert and tactician.

  "Get out of there!" Scylla demanded loudly. More soldiers were starting to head towards them now, but they still seemed unsure if they should be ready to shoot or not, most holding their guns uncertainly. "Get out! Now! Who are you?"

  "I'm gonna get on the Thunder Gun," Jesse said hurriedly. "Bell, when I say so, you plant your foot down. Don't stop for anything. We're gonna head straight for the canyon and go out the way we came in. Follow the river towards the cliffs, hopefully we can get rid of anyone chasing us before we get to the canyon. Everyone got it?"

  Mackenzie and the others all nodded. Adrenaline began to course through Mackenzie's body and she held her gun like it was her old teddy from when she was a child. She locked her eyes on Scylla and felt as though, in that moment, Scylla could see her. Mackenzie felt Scylla's piercing eyes on her face, felt the desire to see Mackenzie in pain. Mackenzie watched as Scylla pulled out her gun, having figured out that things weren't quite right. Mackenzie felt in the waistline of her pants for the hard drive she had taken from the Panspermia, reassuring herself that it was still there, and that stealing it would strike the biggest blow against Scylla. With it, they would know where to find water, and Scylla would never get the plans she wanted.

  Suddenly, a voice crackled loudly over Scylla's radio. One that was all too familiar, and far from pleasant.

  "Scylla!" Boroslav roared over the radio. "Scylla, they're escaping! The Diviners, they're escaping!"

  "Book it," Jesse said to Bell, strangely calm.

  Bell slammed her foot down on the accelerator and the tires all spun in the dirt, kicking up dust and stones at the soldiers behind them, who yelled in shock and outrage, shielding their eyes with their arms. Scylla leaped back and aimed her pistol at where Bell sat, and then started firing. Each round bounced off the armored hull like marbles being thrown at a tank, and then the tires found their grip and the truck lurched forward. Bell drove straight at the vehicle Scylla had arrived in and pushed through, hitting it so hard that they almost tipped it over. Mackenzie held on tight inside the armored truck as it shook violently, but then they were clear of the blockage and were speeding towards the river.

  "Get after them!" Scylla screamed at her soldiers.

  Everyone instantly leaped into the nearest vehicle and sped off in pursuit of the truck, everyone armed to the teeth. Scylla waved down the last truck in the convoy, which skidded to a halt beside her. Scylla climbed into the cabin, shouting at the driver to go, and they sped off after the others.

  "They're catching up!" Abbas reported loudly from the rear of the truck, peering out the rear window. Turning towards Bell, he shouted, "You might want to go faster, Bell!"

  "This truck is shit on wheels!" Bell shouted back, turning the wheel as they reached the river, heading in the direction of the cliffs, back where they had come through the canyon. "It's the armor! We're too heavy! We're already at top speed!"

  "They'll be on top of us soon," Jesse said flatly. "Bell, don't stop going, no matter what. Abbas, Mackenzie, you two get to the back of the truck. You're our cover, keep them off of us. Mackenzie, you lay down a constant stream of fire to make them keep their distance. Abbas, pick a target and take it out."

  "Got it," Abbas nodded, moving to the rear of the truck and opening the narrow window that allowed soldiers to shoot outside through the armor plating.

  "Jesse, I..." Mackenzie began, feeling nauseous. "I don't know if I can kill anyone else."

  Jesse regarded her for a moment, as thought examining her, then nodded. "It's okay, you won't have to. Just damage their trucks, keep them from getting alongside us. If they get beside us, they might force us into the river or get a clear shot at Bell. Just make them keep their distance. Abbas and I will take care of any other threats. Got it?"

  Mackenzie hesitated, looking at Jesse, wondering if she should say something, but wasn't sure what. Then, nodding her understanding, she switched off the safety on her gun and joined Abbas at the rear of the truck, sticking the barrel of her HEL rifle out and aiming at the soldiers who were quickly catching up.

  "Wait until you've got a good shot," Jesse yelled as he opened the hatch to the Thunder Gun, the rush of wind suddenly filling their ears. "Abbas, you fire first, just to get their attention. You've only got three rounds, though, so make 'em count. Mackenzie, you provide cover fire until Abbas is ready to shoot again. It should take about fifty seconds between shots."

  "That long?" Abbas asked, but was already taking aim.

  "As soon as Abbas takes out his target," Jesse began, talking to Mackenzie, "you start shooting."

  "Okay," Mackenzie replied, nodding. Her heart was racing, but she also felt strangely calm. She didn't know if it was the adrenaline or some other primal urge to simply survive that kept her in control, but she was glad for it. Anything to distract her from Vasilii and Ileana.

  "When you're ready, Abbas," Jesse said.

  Abbas slowly let out a breath as he took careful aim. The gun hummed gently, powering up. The pursuing trucks were gaining on them quickly, the nearest one within thirty feet. Two soldiers were standing on the back, holding their rifles, getting ready to shoot.

  Before they could, though, Abbas shot first.

  The sound of the mini-rail gun firing was like an explosion of electricity. The air crackled and the gun kicked so hard in Abbas' hands he nearly fell over. The trail of the bullet seemed to be pure energy, leaving in its wake a line of spiralling blue and white light that faded away like smoke in a breeze. Mackenzie watched the spiral as it shot quickly through the air, faster than her eyes could follow, but she saw where it struck the nearest truck.

  The front of the truck instantly blew apart, as though it was made of onl
y cardboard. A heartbeat later, the entire truck exploded into a fiery ball that was launched up off the ground, flaming bodies of already dead soldiers tumbling away from the wreck as it flipped through the air. It seemed all eyes were on the flaming truck as it fell back to the ground, where it crashed heavily, sparks and flaming pieces of steel going everywhere. The truck bounced once, rolled through the air, crashed again, then cartwheeled into the river, where it splashed and sizzled loudly.

  "Open fire!" Jesse roared.

  Mackenzie tore her gaze from the truck that had been annihilated by only one shot and started squeezing the trigger on her HEL rifle, aiming at the remaining pursuing trucks, while Abbas ducked out of sight to allow the mini-rail gun time to power up again. Mackenzie watched a stream of red light that seemed hot enough to burn the very air fire out of the end of her gun. She was aiming too low, however, and fired several bursts into the sand, which instantly crackled with heat and turned to glass. Adjusting her hold on the rifle, Mackenzie took more careful aim and started firing at the trucks.

  Their pursuers were being more cautious now, having seen one of their own explode and then the burning laser beam firing in their direction. They swerved and kept their distance, making it harder for Mackenzie to hit them directly. One stream of fire raked down the side of one truck, burning a long hole in the doors, but the truck kept coming, despite the scorched steel that was bending and breaking.

  Abbas was quietly urging his gun to finish charging, a look of grim determination on his face. Mackenzie saw one of the trucks farthest to her right suddenly pick up speed and rush ahead of the others, quickly catching up. They were clearly planning on getting beside them. If they got that close, Jesse was completely exposed on the Thunder Gun. They could kill him, or do as Jesse predicted and force them into the river.

  Turning her gun, Mackenzie took careful aim and fired. The laser beam burst from her rifle and struck the rear tire. The thick rubber instantly exploded and, even though she couldn't see it, the heat from the laser melted the steel axels and fused all moving parts together. The truck immediately lost control and spun to the right, but it was going too fast for such a sharp turn. It tipped over and then flipped, tumbling over and over, the other trucks swerving to avoid it, until it came to a stop on its roof, acrid smoke rising from the ruin.

  "Nice shot, Miller!" Jesse shouted from the turret.

  The gun in Abbas' hands suddenly beeped loudly and a green light flashed on the side.

  "Charged!" Abbas announced.

  Mackenzie moved away from the window, allowing Abbas to take her place. Abbas steadied himself, remembering the powerful kick of the weapon, and aimed at one of the remaining three trucks.

  Abbas pulled the trigger and the bluish-white trail of the powerful bullet shot through the air. At the exact moment Abbas fired, however, the truck he had targeted suddenly swerved to the left, and the bullet soared by, barely missing them by inches. It struck the ground far behind them and a plume of sand and dirt and rocks exploded out of the ground and into the air, like lava erupting from a volcano.

  "Dammit!" Abbas roared. "I missed!"

  "Don't worry," Jesse shouted back. "I got 'em."

  As the enemy truck drew closer, Mackenzie could distinctly see the faces of the soldiers on the back, all of them glaring back at her. One lifted his gun and started firing, but Mackenzie ducked back out of sight as bullets bounced off the armor plating. An instant later, Jesse swivelled the Thunder Gun in the direction of the truck that had opened fire. The driver of that truck saw Jesse at the gun and his concentration on driving turned into an expression of horror. He started turning the wheel, trying to get out of range, but Jesse had already pulled the trigger.

  The resounding boom that emanated from the Thunder Gun was just as deafening as Mackenzie remembered, though they were slightly protected within the truck, the thick armor softening the brunt of the shot. The pursuing truck, however, had no such protection.

  The side of the truck crumpled as though it had been t-boned by a semi. The truck bent at the point of impact as the powerful shock waves slammed into it, lifting it completely off the ground. The soldiers who had been standing on the back were flying through the air, blood pouring from their destroyed ears and eyes. The truck flipped completely over and landed hard on its roof, ploughing through the sand until it finally came to a stop, bent and broken.

  "Two left!" Jesse reported.

  "They're keeping their distance," Mackenzie said, noticing the last two trucks weren't trying to get any closer.

  "I guess they're the smart ones," Abbas replied, smiling grimly.

  Mackenzie peered out at the remaining two trucks, then saw a familiar face glaring back at her from the cabin of one. Scylla met her gaze, her expression twisted with fury. Mackenzie glared back at her, grinding her teeth.

  Without thinking, without hesitation, Mackenzie turned her HEL rifle towards the truck Scylla rode in. She lined up Scylla's snarling face in her sights, slowly exhaled, and then squeezed the trigger.

  This time, though, no bright fiery light appeared from the barrel of the gun. The rifle hummed loudly, like a spaceship powering up, but then the sound died and the rifle began to grow hot in Mackenzie's hands.

  "Ahh!" Mackenzie cried, dropping the burning hot gun on the floor and awkwardly scrambling away from it.

  "What happened?" Abbas asked.

  "There's something wrong with the gun," Mackenzie replied, shaking her burned hand and examining her bionic for scorch marks. "It wouldn't fire, then it got hot."

  "Crap," Jesse said, ducking his head down to peer into the truck. "It must have jammed. Don't touch it, it'll burn your skin off."

  Scowling, Mackenzie looked back towards Scylla. Despite not wanting to kill anyone else, Mackenzie wished that the gun could have fired just one last shot. Her longing to have ended Scylla's life seemed both logical and frightening to Mackenzie, and would undoubtedly eat her up later, but right now she was only mad.

  "Scylla," Mackenzie spat. "Why can't she just let us go? We're no use to her now!"

  "You are," Bell pointed out.

  As Mackenzie glared, she saw Scylla touch her finger to her ear then start speaking. Mackenzie jumped when she heard a voice right behind her.

  "I know you can hear me, Miller," Scylla's voice said. "Answer me."

  Looking around, Mackenzie couldn't figure out where Scylla's voice was coming from. Bell looked equally confused, but then tapped the dashboard of the truck.

  "She's speaking through the radio," Bell explained as she realized.

  "Talk to me, Miller," Scylla hissed. "Answer me."

  "There," Abbas said. "The radios."

  Mackenzie scowled, then walked towards the chest, keeping her head low so as to not bang it on the low ceiling of the truck. Mackenzie reached into the open chest and retrieved one of the small radios. She looped it over her ear, then touched her finger to the side of it, triggering the microphone to activate.

  "I've got nothing to say to you," Mackenzie said into the radio, turning her gaze back to the truck Scylla was pursuing them in.

  "Well I've got something to say to you," Scylla snarled through the truck's radio and the one in Mackenzie's ear. "Stop that truck and give me what I want. Give me the metric or I'll slit your friends' throats, one by one, until you do."

  "Go to hell," Mackenzie snapped, glaring at Scylla out the back of the truck. "We're leaving, and you can't stop us." Then, bluffing as she thought of her now useless rifle, "We've got better firepower than you. You should have picked up some better guns before coming after us."

  Scylla's chuckling, humorless, laugh crackled through the radio into Mackenzie's ear. The sound of it sent shivers running down Mackenzie's spine.

  "You won't be going anywhere," Scylla sneered. "I know where you think you're going, but what do you think you will do when you get there? The canyon is deadly. Your Diviner truck was nearly destroyed by the gravity wind that blows down
from the mountain. If you drive back into that place with that truck, you will die."

  Mackenzie glanced around at Abbas and Bell at this. Jesse lowered himself down from the turret to listen in. Mackenzie had almost forgotten about the wind, but remembered all too clearly how it had picked her up and nearly flung her out into the canyon, which would have certainly meant her death. Abbas and Jesse also looked nervous, but Bell remained stoic and focused on the path ahead.

  "We'll take our chances," Mackenzie said through the radio.

  "You stupid girl!" Scylla roared in her ear. "You will die! And you'll take that metric with you! You have no idea what I'm doing, what I'm trying to achieve! Give me the metric and I will let you all leave, you have my word."

  "Your word doesn't mean shit," Mackenzie spat. "Do you think I forgot about you telling Boroslav to shoot me and Jesse in the head? Right after I gave you the files? I don't remember that being part of our deal!"

  Scylla instantly exploded as all her patience evaporated. She screamed through the radio so loudly that Mackenzie had to quickly remove the earpiece before she went deaf. Following her lead, Bell switched off the radio so that the truck was not filled with Scylla's deafening threats and curses.

  "What do we do about the gravity wind?" Mackenzie immediately asked Jesse.

  Jesse shrugged. "Nothing we can do. We just have to hope for the best."

  "Better chance of survival than if we do what Scylla says, I suppose," Abbas said thoughtfully.

  "And if our timing sucks?" Bell asked. "What if the wind comes through while we're in the middle of the canyon?"

  "Then Scylla still loses," Jesse said coldly.

  Looking ahead, Mackenzie could see the cliffs growing closer and closer. They were within sight of the small canyon they had originally entered through, now. It seemed like so long ago that they were all swimming and laughing in the river, thinking that they had succeeded in their mission. Then, in only minutes, everything had fallen apart. They had woken that morning with a purpose, a clear job to do. Lowe was still with them at that stage. He had been smiling, like always, as though amused by his own private joke. Mackenzie didn't want to remember him the way he died, bleeding out and scared. She clung to the moment before that time. Swimming in the river, splashing around. His laugh. The way he teased Bell. How he had...

  Mackenzie's eyes widened when she remembered. The answer was so clear, it was staring her in the face! She felt so taken aback by the realization that she gasped out loud and drew looks from Jesse, Abbas and Bell.

  "What's wrong?" Bell asked.

  Mackenzie didn't reply, she was too focused on her own thoughts. She quickly fumbled to place the small radio in her ear again, almost dropping it in her hurry. She finally managed to get the radio in place and then changed the frequency. She didn't want Scylla listening in on this.

  "Mackenzie, what the hell are you doing?" Jesse asked impatiently.

  Finding a new frequency, Mackenzie pressed her finger down on the 'talk' button and almost shouted into the microphone in her urgency.

  "SALINA!" Mackenzie cried. "SALINA, can you hear me? SALINA? Answer me if you can!"

  A moment later, there was a loud crackle and a strange clicking noise over the radio, followed by a calm, "I am glad to hear your voice again, Mackenzie."

  Mackenzie almost laughed with glee. "Yours, too, SALINA! I need your help."

  "How may I assist?" SALINA asked monotonously.

  "What the hell is going on?" Abbas asked.

  Mackenzie took her finger off the talk button to quickly explain, talking in an excited breath.

  "SALINA said she can intercept radio transmissions," Mackenzie said, still grinning. "She can access almost any piece of technology for miles around her."

  Abbas and Jesse glanced at one another, looking confused. Jesse looked back to Mackenzie, frowning as he said, "That's great, but how does that help us?"

  Mackenzie ignored him and instead spoke to SALINA.

  "SALINA, a few days ago a friend of mine fired a drone into the air. He was going to monitor the weather conditions on the mountain so he could predict when a gravity wind might happen. Can you access that drone?"

  Understanding suddenly dawned on everyone else's faces. Jesse was nodding at Mackenzie, clearly impressed.

  "Of course," SALINA replied. "I am now in control of the weather drone."

  "Brilliant!" Mackenzie laughed. "Okay, I need you to tell me when there's a safe window for us to drive a truck through the canyon without the wind hitting us. Is it clear right now?"

  "Negative," SALINA reported. "Gravitational winds are presently strong, moving down the mountain and funnelling directly into the canyon intermittently at speeds exceeding 250 miles per hour. I strongly advise that you do not enter the canyon."

  Mackenzie groaned in frustration, grabbing a fistful of her hair as Jesse sighed and shook his head in dismay.

  "What now?" Bell asked, still driving towards the canyon, waiting on a new plan.

  "There must be another way out," Abbas said. "Scylla and her people come and go all the time."

  "Yeah," Jesse nodded. "She gets all those trucks and her slaves out the Panspermia wreck, there's got to be another way."

  "And how long do you think it would take us to find it?" Bell asked dubiously. "We could be driving around for hours. Scylla could disable this truck before we even had any idea of where to go."

  "Wait, wait," Mackenzie said suddenly. Then, speaking through the radio to SALINA, she asked, "What do you mean by the wind is blowing intermittently?"

  "The wind is strong, but not consistent," SALINA replied. "Powerful gusts are blowing through the canyon in approximately thirty-to-forty second bursts, with wind speeds dropping to survivable speeds in between for a period of sixty-to-ninety seconds at a time. Though the drone does not have complete data on these conditions. If you allow me one hour to examine the conditions, I can provide a more accurate report."

  "Thanks, SALINA, but we don't have that kind of time," Mackenzie said. "We just have to work with the information we've got."

  "What are you talking about?" Abbas asked.

  "The canyon is our best way out," Mackenzie said firmly. "So that's the way we're going."

  "That wind will tear us apart," Jesse replied, pointing towards the canyon entrance they were quickly approaching. "You want us to drive right in there? With the gravity wind in full force?"

  "SALINA said it's intermittent," Mackenzie explained. "With her help, we can time it so we enter the canyon in the tail of the gravity wind. We drive as fast as we can through it, and hopefully we get out the other side before the next wind blows through."

  "That's your plan!?" Bell cried.

  "There's a lot that can go wrong with that," Abbas pointed out. "Weather is highly unpredictable, even for a computer as smart as SALINA. What if our one minute window suddenly becomes only five seconds? We won't stand a chance."

  "We don't stand a chance now!" Jesse snapped. "Yeah, this will probably get us killed, but it's better odds than turning ourselves over to Scylla. I say we do it."

  "Me, too," Mackenzie said, nodding.

  Bell shook her head in disbelief, but was grinning as she replied. "Screw it, worth a try."

  Abbas sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a moment. Then he shrugged and, looking at the others, said, "Who am I to stand in the way of a good time? Let's do it."

  Grinning with excitement, despite how terrified she was at what they were about to do, Mackenzie spoke into the radio again.

  "SALINA, we're about two minutes away from entering the canyon. How's the condition? Can we slip in between bursts?"

  "As dangerous as that is," SALINA began, sounding strangely disapproving, "it is probable. At this range, however, I am unable to tell you with any certainty when it is relatively safe to enter the canyon. Inform me when you are within thirty seconds of entering the canyon and I can be more precise."


  "Thank you, SALINA," Mackenzie said. "You're a life saver."

  "The outcome of your plan will determine the accuracy of that sentiment," SALINA replied.

  "Do you think someone coded her with sarcasm, or did she figure it out for herself?" Jesse asked, grinning at Mackenzie.

  "So, are we doing this thing or what?" Bell asked.

  "Go for it," Mackenzie answered. "When we're in the smaller canyon that branches off from our big wind tunnel, I'll call SALINA again to tell us our window."

  "I hope it's a good one," Abbas said. "Scylla's still following us."

  "Why isn't she trying to stop us?" Mackenzie asked. "Shouldn't she be shooting or something? It's like she's letting us go."

  "She's not stupid," Jesse conceded. "But maybe she's afraid of getting too close, in case we shoot her. Which, by the way, I'm not opposed to doing."

  "I've still got one round in the railgun," Abbas said, adjusting his hold on the large rifle in his hands. "Maybe taking down Scylla wouldn't be such a bad idea."

  "Tempting," Jesse nodded thoughtfully. "But if you've only got one shot left, we should save it for something that really matters. I seriously doubt Scylla is just going to let us go. She's planning something."

  "We're nearly at the smaller canyon," Bell reported. "Thirty seconds out."

  "Better hail SALINA, Mackenzie," Abbas said.

  Nodding, Mackenzie raised her hand to her ear and pressed the side of the radio to speak.

  "SALINA, we're thirty seconds from the smaller canyon, maybe a minute from the gravity wind's path. How's the weather look?"

  SALINA replied monotonously, reporting the conditions. "Based on current readings, you will have a brief window of opportunity in approximately seventy-to-eighty seconds. It is my recommendation that if you go ahead with this, you do not hesitate. You will not have long before the following blow down the mountainside."

  "Thanks, SALINA," Mackenzie said. Then, to everyone in the truck, she said, "We can't stop for anything."

  "Okay," Jesse began, nodding. "Let's-"

  "Bugger me sideways!" Bell suddenly cried. "Look!"

  Everyone looked ahead out the window and Mackenzie suddenly understood why Scylla wasn't trying to stop them from reaching the canyon. A large VTOL was flying in over the clifftop, hovering ominously as it faced the escaping truck. It set itself squarely between the canyon and the truck, hovering twenty feet above the ground. As everyone stared at it, there was suddenly a bright flash from the wings of the ship and two bright beams of purplish light fired out and struck the ground only feet ahead of them.

  "Ahh!" Mackenzie screamed as the ground exploded upward in front of them.

  Bell turned hard on the wheel, swerving the truck to the left, narrowly avoid the newly-formed crater by inches. The VTOL suddenly fired again and the ground erupted once more, this time just to their left. Bell swerved right and pressed her foot as hard on the accelerator as she could, gritting her teeth in concentration.

  "They're trying to make us crash!" Bell shouted.

  "Keep going!" Mackenzie yelled back. This was their one chance, if they missed this window, they might not get another.

  The VTOL fired again, creating yet another crater directly in their path, which Bell fought hard to avoid. The truck began to tip sideways as she turned, leaning sideways until it was balancing precariously on only the right-side wheels, but then the truck tipped backwards and landed heavily on all wheels again, jolting hard and shaking everyone inside around roughly.

  "We have to get past it!" Jesse shouted, glaring at the VTOL.

  "Shoot it with the Thunder Gun!" Mackenzie cried.

  "No good at this distance," Jesse said through gritted teeth.

  "I got it," Abbas said.

  He hoisted the mini-railgun onto his shoulder and raised his head and upper-body up through the manhole that led to the Thunder Gun. Instead of using the Thunder Gun, however, he took careful aim at the VTOL with the mini-railgun. Without a moment of hesitation, he fired.

  The pulse from the gun shot through the air towards the VTOL. The pilot must have seen what Abbas was about to do, because at the last moment, the aircraft began to swerve to its right, as if to avoid the round. It moved too late, however, and Abbas' shot struck home on the left-hand side of the VTOL, obliterating the engines on that side in a fiery blaze.

  Smoking as fires burned and steel melted, the VTOL began to spin as it fell. It struck the side of the canyon wall and more explosions followed, along with a sudden avalanche of rocks and dirt.

  "It's gonna seal the canyon!" Mackenzie cried in realization.

  "We can make it," Bell said through gritted teeth.

  "It's gonna crush us!" Jesse said as he watched the VTOL and boulders falling just ahead of them.

  "We can make it!" Bell yelled back.

  The truck's engine roared in complaint as Bell pushed it harder and faster. Mackenzie felt certain she was about to die as the VTOL fell directly above them now. All she could see was smoking steel and falling rubble.

  Mackenzie closed her eyes tight as they shot through the narrow gap between the VTOL and the ground. Small stones and debris clanged loudly off the exterior of the truck as they sped through, but they managed to squeeze past. Behind them, Scylla's truck screeched to a halt as the driver lost his nerve, but the second truck sped up and followed the escapees through the debris. The soldier who stood on the back of the truck was screaming at his driver to stop, but it was too late for him. As they sped into the avalanche, a falling piece of flaming steel impaled the soldier through the chest and he fell off the back of the truck, screaming. The truck, however, made it through just as the VTOL and tonnes of rocks and dirt blocked the canyon from anyone else who might want to follow the escaping Diviners.

  Scylla screamed in enraged frustration, banging her fists on the dashboard. Then she pulled out her pistol and pressed it to the head of her driver. The driver didn't even have time to react before Scylla pulled the trigger, splattering his brains all over the truck's interior.

  In the canyon, Bell was laughing maniacally as they sped towards the other end. Mackenzie felt like her heart was pounding in her throat. Jesse cheered and clapped Bell on the shoulder.

  "Thank God you're a freaking psycho, Bell!" Jesse crowed.

  "There's still one behind us," Abbas reported from the back of the truck.

  Looking behind, Mackenzie saw the one pursuing truck that had made it through with them. As she watched, the driver leaned out the window with a gun in his hand and started shooting. Following his lead, two other soldiers leaned out the windows and opened fire.

  "They're going for the tires!" Abbas yelled.

  "They've got armor shielding," Bell scoffed. "Bloody idiots."

  It was as if the soldiers heard her, because they suddenly started shooting directly at the back of the truck, bullets pinging loudly as they bounced of the armor around the small window Mackenzie, Abbas and Jesse were watching out of.

  "Get down!" Jesse yelled.

  Abbas dropped to the floor and Jesse dove on top of Mackenzie, and a split second later Bell cried out in pain, clutching a bloody wound in her arm, letting go of the steering wheel for a moment as blood gushed between her fingers.

  The truck veered to the right as Bell let go of the wheel and lurched violently over a cluster of large rocks, the truck rocking from side to side, but then Bell grabbed the wheel with one hand and reclaimed control, slamming her foot down on the accelerator and getting them over the rocks quickly before they crashed or flipped.

  "Bell!" Mackenzie cried, seeing the blood in her arm. "Are you okay?"

  "I'm fine," Bell panted. "He got in a lucky shot. But maybe get rid of him before he gets lucky again, eh?"

  "I'm out of rounds," Abbas said, tossing the mini-railgun aside.

  "My gun's toast, too," Mackenzie added. "What about the Thunder Gun?"

  "No good," Jesse said, shaking his head. "They're not close enough
for it to do enough damage. Best I can do is shake 'em up, but they'll keep coming."

  "Mackenzie," SALINA suddenly said urgently in Mackenzie's ear. "The tail end of the gravity wind is about to pass. In approximately seventeen seconds, you will have only a few minutes to enter the larger canyon and get out. If you are still there when the next wind comes through, you will all die."

  "Okay, got it, SALINA," Mackenzie replied. Then to everyone else she said, "We don't have time to get rid of these guys. We've only got a few minutes."

  "Bell, are you still okay to drive?" Abbas asked, sounding both concerned and anxious.

  "Well, I'm sure as shit not trusting any of you to drive us out of this," Bell grinned. "Just sit down, shut up, and hold on."

  Whereas the trip in through the canyon had taken quite a while, the trip out now was far quicker. The stolen truck was smaller and more manoeuvrable than the Diviner truck, Rhiannon, had been, and Bell was taken full advantage of every aspect. They kicked up dirt and stones as the tires tore into the ground with every turn around obstacles. Ahead, Mackenzie could see the opening into the larger canyon growing quickly closer.

  "The gravity wind has momentarily ceased," SALINA reported. "You must enter the canyon now."

  Bell urged the truck forward, still with the soldiers firing behind them, ignoring her bleeding arm. Mackenzie, Abbas and Jesse had all taken a seat and were holding on to whatever they could to keep from bouncing around the inside of the truck like popcorn in the microwave.

  They flew out of the smaller canyon, sliding sideways and kicking up the dirt as Bell fought to face the truck towards safety. When the tires finally found their grip, they kicked off down the canyon, swerving between boulders and broken debris that had been left behind by the previous gravity wind. Behind them, the soldiers stayed in hot pursuit, shouting at one another as they still fired wildly. The uneven ground rattled both vehicles horribly, making it almost impossible to keep a steady aim, for which Mackenzie was silently thankful. They didn't need anymore stray bullets finding their way into the truck's cabin and punching holes in people.

  "A cold front is forming on the mountain," SALINA reported. "You have less than three minutes!"

  "Three minutes!" Mackenzie repeated for the others, speaking far louder than normal as nerves and panic began to constrict her chest.

  Mackenzie and the others all felt a moment of weightlessness, as the truck got airborne off an elevated section of land and rocks. Bell gripped the wheel hard while Mackenzie felt her stomach rise into her throat, then everyone jolted hard as the truck landed heavily and Bell pushed the vehicle to its limits, the engine roaring loudly.

  "They're still behind us!" Abbas reported, shouting from the rear of the truck.

  As if to announce their continued presence, the pursuing soldiers fired a couple more rounds into the rear armor.

  SALINA's voice suddenly said in Mackenzie's ear, "You have only ninety seconds remaining."

  "What happened to three minutes!?" Mackenzie shrieked into the radio.

  "Wind speeds have intensified," SALINA replied. "You must hurry."

  "We've got to pick up the pace, Bell!" Mackenzie yelled.

  "I guessed!" Bell shouted back. "I can see the canyon exit, we're about two minutes out!"

  "We don't have that long!" Mackenzie cried. "We have to go faster!"

  "This is as fast as we go!" Bell screamed.

  "We're nearly there!" Abbas shouted, pointing out the front window. The canyon exit was so close!

  "The gravity wind has entered the canyon," SALINA reported. "Get out, now."

  Mackenzie could already hear the sound of the gravity wind as it rushed through the canyon behind them, that haunting whistle, like the breathing of a sleeping giant, just before it would wake and crush them all. It seemed the soldiers chasing them also realised something was wrong, because they had stopped shooting and were now pulling themselves back into the truck, shouting frantically at one another.

  "Come on, come on, come on!" Bell urged the truck, driving straight over smaller obstacles, the truck getting airborne and bouncing sickeningly.

  Turning her head to look out the back window, Mackenzie's face paled instantly. Racing down the canyon like the grill of a semi-truck was a swirling wall of dirt, sand and stones. The gravity wind was catching up quickly. It would be on top of them in only seconds.

  "We're nearly there!" Bell screamed, also seeing in the truck's mirrors just how close the gravity wind was behind them.

  "Everyone, hold on to something!" Abbas roared, grabbing hold of the handrails on the ceiling.

  Mackenzie and Jesse followed his lead and stared out the back as the wall of swirling sand approached them. The soldiers behind them didn't seem at all concerned with stopping them from escaping now, as they drove recklessly to outrun the wind, flying over rocks and debris, almost flipping their own truck in the process. All the while, the gravity wind bore down on them all.

  "We're not going to make it," Mackenzie whispered.

  The wind hit the soldiers' truck like a tidal wave, lifting its back end into the air and then carrying the entire truck along with it. The soldiers inside screamed in terror as their truck spun wildly in the air and was pelted with debris. Then the wind slammed the truck down into the ground, where the front end crumpled instantly. The wind was merciless as it bounced and slammed the truck into the ground and against the canyon walls, again and again, twisting and tearing at the steel. If the soldiers inside were still screaming, the sound of the wind was far too loud for Mackenzie to hear them.

  "Hold on!" Bell screamed.

  They were mere feet from the canyon exit. Bell turned wide, arcing towards the open expanse of land beyond in a diagonal approach. The gravity wind struck them with full force and Mackenzie felt as though her arms might just rip out of their sockets as she held on for dear life. Abbas roared in fear and pain, and Jesse swore loudly. The back end of the truck went into a spin and Mackenzie suddenly found herself facing the oncoming wind as the truck turned completely around. As the truck continued to spin all the way around, Mackenzie watched the soldiers' truck bounce and crash towards them. It slammed into the ground in front of them, pieces of steel and glass flying everywhere and adding to the debris of the wind, then it was carried into the air again and hurled into the distance, expelled from the canyon like a shot put.

  Mackenzie held tightly to the ceiling rails as the truck spun all the way around to face forward again, Bell fighting furiously to regain control. The back wheels began to lift into the air and Mackenzie knew it was over.

  Just as Mackenzie felt certain they were all about to die, they all suddenly flew out of the canyon, exiting diagonally. As they passed the cliff walls that formed the entrance to the canyon, they broke away from the destructive path of the gravity wind and the back wheels slammed hard into the ground. They were still in a spin, though, and the truck skidded through the dirt another 360 degrees, Bell roaring as she held the wheel and fought to course-correct. Suddenly, the truck stopped spinning and all four wheels were on the ground. Bell slammed on the brakes and the truck skidded to a halt. Everyone looked back to see the gravity wind expelling untold amounts of debris, the roar of the wind almost deafening. The soldiers' truck had been tossed so far, they couldn't see it anymore.

  Mackenzie, Bell, Jesse and Abbas all looked blankly at each other for a few seconds, stunned to have made it out alive. Then a big grin broke out on Mackenzie's face and she began to laugh. As if taking their cue from her, the others all began to laugh as well. It wasn't a laugh as though something was actually funny. It was simply a relieved, almost insane, laugh that told of how amazed they all were to still be alive.

  "We made it!" Bell cackled. "Oh my God, we actually made it!"

  "You were awesome, Bell!" Mackenzie said, throwing her arms around Bell's shoulders and hugging her from over the seat. Bell flinched as the pain in her bullet wound flared, but she still laughed and affectionatel
y held Mackenzie's hand.

  "WOOOOOO!" Jesse hooted loudly, throwing his fists into the air.

  Abbas was laughing, too, clapping Jesse on the shoulder. Then he looked to Bell and said with a grin, "You are the craziest, most reckless, Aussie chick I've ever known, and I freaking love it!"

  "And Mackenzie!" Jesse added, beaming at her. "This was your plan! We're alive thanks to you!"

  "No," Mackenzie replied at once, shaking her head even as she felt her face burn red with embarrassment. "We all did it."

  They were all alive. They had escaped. And, for the time being, they had nothing to worry about.

  But as their former Commander, Vasseur, had once said: In the deserts of Icarus, things can change in a heartbeat.