“Um, yeah. It was 36-24-36 HEY.”

  Eli quickly typed it into his commpad and saved it. Maybe it was a way to find Zapata. “Thanks, Kora.”

  “For what?”

  “Coming back to warn us.”

  Kora shrugged.

  A knocking sounded out on the door and Jade entered. “Just me. Shift is changing soon. Best time for us to move about. Get lost in the crowd.” Jade ushered them out of the room and led them through the maze of the rig.

  Eli spotted the entertainment level, and Kora tugged on his sleeve. “That’s where the virtual reality world rooms are.”

  “Fun?”

  “Amazing. I went surfing and explored places.”

  “You’ll have to show me one day.”

  Like before, no one paid them much attention. They were too busy hurrying to their work. Jade used the stairs and climbed up several levels. Rose and Agnes met them near a stack of huge rectangular steel objects. Eli was happy to see Agnes looking fit and healthy. She still walked with a slight limp but hid it well.

  “Hurry. Flight command is locking everything down because of the approaching hurricane,” Rose said. Eli figured she meant the weather. In the short space of time it had taken them to walk through the rig, the waves had only grown bigger and more ferocious, the wind louder and stronger.

  As the group crossed the open space, shouts rang out. A member of the rig security team was striding in their direction, recognisable by the distinctive blue- and white-patterned coveralls. Plus, his helmet said SECURITY in black letters across the front.

  Jade pivoted. “Kora. You know what the hoverplane you came on looks like?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “Good. We’re taking the one next to it. Not the freight one. Understood?”

  “Yeah, I get it.”

  “It’s on Deck Fourteen on the other side of the superstructure.”

  Kora nodded as something crackled overhead.

  Out of instinct, Eli grabbed Ley, whistled for Nox, and dived into the gap between the stacked containers. Jade and Colter landed on top of him as a bolt of electricity split the dark clouds to the west.

  “TSS!” Jade shouted, holding up her commpad at the approaching security guard.

  “Doesn’t matter!” he shouted. “Rig is on lockdown! All personnel are to return to quarters for your own safety!”

  “We have authority to leave!”

  “Rig safety overrules! You should know that, Agent!”

  Scrambling to his feet, Eli got a better look at the guard. He was short but muscular and stood almost rigid in front of Jade as if the gathering storm was nothing.

  “Normally, yes.” Jade handed her commpad to him. “Not when we are chasing a terrorist threat. Step aside so we can proceed.”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  “What’s your name?” Jade’s voice took on the same tone she had used when chewing out the containment specialist.

  “Gaff. Ninth Class.”

  “A bit high for Security.”

  “Not at all. Need someone smart enough to tolerate all these Gnats. Back to your quarters, Agent.”

  Several more rig security strode onto the deck.

  Jade signalled something behind her back, but Eli didn’t know what the signs meant. He glanced over his shoulder, looking for the other Echoes.

  Rose got his attention. She and Agnes were opposite them in a similar gap, keeping out of sight in the shadows. So far, it appeared Gaff hadn’t noticed them. Rose pointed up, then broke from cover. Agnes followed, drawing a pistol. They opened fire, scattering the rig police. Without explaining, Eli lifted Nox over his shoulders and began to climb. Kora was the first to react, and she scampered up the containers like a monkey. Ley and Colter followed suit. Eli climbed until he was at the top of the container stack, and spotted Rose and Agnes sprinting away as the security guard gave chase. Jumping to the next stack, Kora headed in the direction Jade had indicated earlier. The group were nearly at the edge of the stacks when klaxons bared out, orange lights strobing. Jade appeared moments later and urged them on as the rig security clambered up after them. Eli made it to the edge of the stack and shimmied down, closely followed by Kora, Jade, Ley and Colter.

  Ley shouted a warning. Several security personnel swarmed the area, tasers drawn. Eli did the only thing he could think of: something unexpected. He let Nox go and charged, screaming nonsense. One of the rig police paused and drew his weapon. Eli feinted left, dropped his shoulder, and visualised a game of scrag. He slammed into the man, knocking him into another two. Before they could react, Nox was on them, worrying their ankles and legs. Whistling, Eli turned on his heel and ran towards the flight deck.

  Kora stood in front of a bulbous transport, gesturing wildly as wind whipped around her, flinging up her hair. Eli spun when he reached the hoverplane, searching for Jade. She limped around the corner, favouring her right leg. He and Colter ran to assist her as the transport hummed to life and lifted a metre off the deck.

  “Rose and Agnes?”

  Jade shook her head in answer. “Don’t worry. They’ll be okay.”

  “Get on!” Ley shouted.

  Once inside, the heavy door of the transport slammed shut. Eli felt strange as the vehicle seemed to float. It spun on its axis and dropped towards the ocean at a dizzying rate before levelling out. He could see huge waves level with the craft, but whoever was flying was skilled. They managed to get out of the way of any crashing walls of water and, in less than a minute, the rig dropped away behind them. Turning, Eli watched it disappear behind a veil of storm clouds and rolling ocean. It was his last link to the life he had known, and leaving it felt like he had cut the proverbial apron strings. Again, he was reminded of the mammoth task ahead. Was he doing the right thing? He had to be. All that he had known — Lincoln — lay in ruins. His fellow citizens had died protecting their home.

  He pushed down his misgivings. A new chapter was beginning. He was on the surface, which he had longed to see. And he had a chance to make sure the citizens of his home had died for something. He clenched his right hand into a fist a few times. Perhaps it was fitting his body had been modified to help him navigate this new world.

  Ley joined him at the window and wrapped an arm around his waist. Maybe she felt it too — that sense of home, the place where their ancestors had set down roots, gone.

  “Colter. We need you up front,” Jade said.

  Colter flashed a grin at Eli and Ley as he squeezed past and took the seat directly behind Jade. She unlocked something, and the chair moved beside her.

  The pilot’s hand appeared and pointed at a board of blinking lights, snapping his fingers at a specific place. “Warn me if anything hits the red box. You got it?”

  “Wilco,” Colter said.

  “What’s happening?” Ley asked.

  “Company incoming,” Jade said.

  The craft shuddered underfoot and dropped, bouncing off the water before climbing again. “Strap in, ladies and gentlemen. It’s going to get nasty,” the pilot said.

  Shutters rolled down the side windows and over the front. Screens illuminated in front of everyone’s seats. All Eli could see was rain, clouds and washed-out greys from the cameras outside. The hoverplane bucked and rattled as if a giant had first plucked them from the sky, then shook them. They continued to gain altitude, the engines straining. Different alarms blared out. Nox howled and clamped his powerful jaws on his seat, tearing at the fabric as Eli secured the harness over the dog, cinching it tight.

  “What the hell, Vasquez? Are you trying to kill us?” Jade said.

  “Not me, sweetheart. Mother Nature.”

  “You’re the one flying into the fucking hurricane.”

  The hoverplane dropped, and Eli felt as though his stomach had risen into his mouth. His world spun and nausea took over. Before he knew what had happened, he was leaning forwards and vomiting into a bag Ley handed him. She too looked decidedly pale. Her other hand gripped the seat’s armrest as if her life depended on it. Eli wanted to comfort her, but another wave of nausea convulsed through his gut. He spat out chunks of whatever he last ate and sipped some water. Or tried to. Vasquez was flying like a man possessed by the devil. If it wasn’t for the harness strapping him firmly to the seat, Eli was sure he’d have been tumbling around the inside of the aircraft like a pair of shoes in the dryer.

  Something crackled, followed by a loud bang that caused everyone except Jade and Vasquez to jump — they were too busy trying to control the hoverplane. More klaxons and alarms sounded. A bright blue light flashed, joined by a wail. Again, Nox howled until Ley calmed him by resting her hand on his neck. Eli wasn’t sure how she was holding on to the contents of her stomach, but he noticed the tremor in her hands. When he glanced at Kora, she had her eyes squeezed tight. He didn’t blame anyone’s reactions. Flying — he thought that was what Jade had called it — was terrifying.

  “Will you shut that off?” Vasquez shouted.

  “I’m trying, you idiot,” Jade hollered back.

  “Ugh.”

  Despite arguing with the pilot, Jade flicked a switch and silence descended over the craft. On the inside, at least. Outside, it was still an insane cacophony of noise. Rain pelted the hull. Lightning and thunder boomed every few seconds, and the wind appeared to screech like a million banshees were escorting them on their last flight to hell.

  Eli felt his stomach heave and he vomited bile, which burned his throat. Ley rubbed his back and made him drink water, even though putting anything back in seemed like a crazy idea.

  Ten minutes of torture later, the hoverplane stopped climbing, and everything grew quiet. The shutters that had been covering the windows opened, and Eli saw one of the most beautiful sights he had ever laid eyes on.

  Pillows of soft white clouds caressed the aircraft. Below them, the dark, angry storm still raged, but directly in front was the yellow orb of the sun, surrounded by pale blue. The rays of the sun pierced the clouds like the fingers of gods. “Woah.” Eli lifted his dark glasses and immediately regretted it. Too bright for his born-in-the-mines eyes.

  “Stunning,” Ley said. “I bet people want to come up here to see that.”

  “Never thought I would,” Colter said through gritted teeth. He looked paler than normal.

  “It feels like it wants to stab my eyes, or whatever,” Kora said.

  The Lincoln residents all turned their heads, keeping their gazes on the patch of sky that held the sun, as the hoverplane banked away from it.

  Vasquez looked over his shoulder. “Sorry about that, folks. Had rig security drones on our tail. Only option was to fly into the hurricane.”

  “We’re above it now,” Jade added.

  “No thanks to you, Agent Wilson, dropping fugitive Gnats into my lap. What the actual fuck?”

  “They’re not fugitives.”

  “Tell that to rig security and the drones searching for us.”

  “It’s complicated.”

  “It’s always complicated with the TSS.”

  “Just fly and shut up for once.”

  “But then you wouldn’t hear my sultry voice.” Vasquez grunted and turned in his chair to stare at Eli. “Not bad-looking, for a Gnat.”

  “Be nice,” Jade said.

  Pivoting, Vasquez said, “Sit tight while Jade finds us someplace we can lay low. Now that we have Wey Corp up our ass, it’s going to be dicey.”

  Eli nodded his thanks. He didn’t dare speak. His stomach was still rumbling from flying through the hurricane. Some people got sick travelling on trains, but not him. This, however, was all new. He felt like his head was spinning, and that any movement would cause him to bring up whatever remained in his gut.

  “Med kit on the left,” Jade said. “Sorry. I should have realised you guys would get motion sickness.”

  Ley and Kora were fine, apparently. It was Eli and Colter who were suffering. Something which Ley was enjoying, particularly as she could tease her teammate and her boyfriend. The stim she injected into Eli had an instantaneous effect. His head cleared and his stomach stopped twisting in spasms. He relaxed into his seat and sipped on a bottle of water, feeling the strength return to his muscles.

  A shrill beeping sounded out.

  “No way!” Vasquez said. “Missile lock. Fuck-a-doodle-do.”

  The hoverplane lurched forwards, then dropped, and Eli’s stomach was back up in his mouth. Once again, they headed into the hurricane. The craft was soon being thrown to and fro by the awesome power of the storm.

  “Hold on!” Vasquez yelled.

  The side shutters clicked back over the windows, leaving only the cockpit clear. Before the pilot closed them, Eli spotted several pen-shaped craft coming towards them, and what appeared to be a ball of electricity. Vasquez flew straight into it, and the hoverplane suddenly seemed to have a mind of its own. Up, down, sideways. It even rolled over several times. Nox yelped in fright and clamped his jaws on Eli’s wrist. Eli didn’t mind the pain. He wanted to be there for his furry best friend as Nox had for him, numerous times. The aircraft dropped, then slowly tilted forwards, engines screaming at the abuse. More alarms blared, and something exploded beneath the fuselage, sending them into a spiral.

  “Engine three!” Vasquez shouted. Eli assumed to Jade. He had his eyes firmly on Ley. One hand was still in Nox’s mouth while he clung to Ley with the other. Still the hoverplane spiralled. The pilot kept shouting instructions, but the words were meaningless to Eli. A calmness flowed through Eli. He thought about everything he had been though and done. He was happy. Content. He had tried to always do the right thing, and now that he was with Ley, he was at peace. If this was it, at least they had tried. That was all one could do. Try.

  A contraption rose from the floor and locked his legs in place inside a cushion of material. Sparks, smoke and blaring noise came from the cockpit. The hoverplane slammed into something, throwing anything not tied down around the passenger hold. The harness held Eli tight, and airbags prevented his neck from snapping.

  The craft slowly stopped moving forwards and all grew quiet. They began to rise, the hoverplane shuddered, and they were flying again. Eli glanced at the screen to his left and saw water draining off the hull. Had they just been underwater? Vasquez shot the craft forwards, skimming the giant waves. More klaxons sounded out — or was it the same ones?

  Massive ships came into view, each one piled high with containers of all different colours. They were travelling in a convoy. The hoverplane tipped sideways and ducked between two of the ships. Then, as they flew above a stack of containers, part of the craft broke away to explode a second later in an orange fireball. They dropped back beneath the ocean waves. Clangs echoed through the hull, then everything was still.

  Vasquez switched off the lights. “No one make any noise.”

  Nox stirred, and both Ley and Eli hugged him.

  Minutes went by.

  Thirty. Then forty.

  Vasquez finally illuminated the space with a dull red light. “Whisper only. Everyone enjoy the ride?”

  “Not in the slightest,” Ley said.

  “I’m okay, but that was heckin’ bullshirt,” Kora said.

  “Now I really need a beer.” Colter shook his head and rubbed his eyes.

  “Sorry about that.”

  Vasquez unclipped his harness and moved through the cabin, checking on various items, picking them up and placing them back where they were meant to be. “Had to use every trick in the book to evade Wey Corp drones. We should stay out of sight for a bit.”

  “Nifty flying.” Jade sat next to Colter and handed him a bottle of water. “No beer. I’ll buy you one in Okinawa.”

  “Oki-what-now?”

  “Okinawa. An island in the Japanese archipelago which, thanks to centuries-old treaties, is friends with the UCA. We’ll be safe from Wey Corp there. They’re not well liked in that part of the world.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Eli whispered. “I thought travelling in a buggy with Colter was bad.”

  “Hey. My driving is impeccable.”

  “If you pretend it’s a rollercoaster, then yeah.” Jade nudged Colter’s ribs. He smiled at the TSS agent and laced his fingers through hers.

  Eli wanted to make a smart-ass comment about it but decided to give his friend a break. Banter was fun, but one needed to know when to say nothing. Instead, he unclipped Nox’s harness and threw the dog’s favourite toy to Ley. She smiled and joined Eli playing tug-of-war with the Alsatian.

  CHAPTER 25

  Was she being selfish? Kora didn’t think she was. They were her family, after all. Their lives were at stake, and their wellbeing depended on her actions. She would do anything to save them.

  Her mother’s face on the video Helstrop had shown her had looked just as she remembered it: round and cherubic. Brown eyes that seemed to sparkle when she was telling Kora a story. When she did something silly or said something dumb, she would giggle and say, “If your father heard me now.”

  When he had been reassigned, her mother had held the family together. Stoic. Though she’d acted like nothing was wrong, Kora had heard the weeping in the night. She had seen her mother looking longingly at the front door of their house, every day around the time her father would have come home from his job.

  The following year, her brother was reassigned. Older than Kora by five years, he had only just started driving the heavy drillers. Though not unusual for one so young to be taken, it was still a shock. Again, her mother had put on a brave face, but Kora saw the cracks. It was the little things. She stopped taking care of herself so much. Didn’t brush her hair or shave under her arms. Laundry and dishes piled up. Kora went to school in dirty clothing and was bullied mercilessly for it. She was the smelly one in school, and even by the time she taught herself how to do the laundry, her nickname — Whiffy — stuck with her.

  Census became a feared time of the year for her mother. Her condition got worse. She would disappear for days at a time. Wandering the bars and clubs, Kora would find her and drag her home with the help of a kindly barkeep. That was how she met Eli and Nox. They had seen her enter a dive bar on Level Two and followed her in. Nelly’s Bar had become her mother’s favourite because she could trade sexual favours for an ounce of snuff or a bottle of liquor. The owners didn’t care either way. If they got their money, they were happy. Eli had tried to help Kora’s mother, kept her from being charged, and found a spot for her in rehab.