“That thing’s still coming after us!” Mariah informed them as she tried to help Kody.
Jag peeled down Main Street through the middle of the town. “Of course they are.”
Kody was smacking away at himself, too busy to even remotely care about the exchange.
“Hey,” Mariah said, “the freeway! Don’t miss it!”
Jag stomped on the brakes but the truck slid forward, overshooting the exit that led to possible safety. Jag accelerated again, not wanting to be caught in the storm of glowing red nanomites. The truck went under an overpass and over railway tracks, then passed a brightly-lit intersection on the road.
“Why aren’t they stopping?” Mariah snapped. “The Ransom swarm gave up eventually!”
“I think these ones are different,” Jag answered, holding onto the wheel tightly. “They chased me through the fair and didn’t give two hangs about being seen.”
“What are we gonna do now? How do we get rid of them?”
“I . . . I don’t know,” Jag said, the words like acid on his tongue. This was supposed to have been an easy task; get in, drop the anti-nanomite bomb, get out. Nothing to it. Now because of his mistake, they were in a perilous situation with no solution present. The swarm hunting them wasn’t going to give in until they’d taken down the teenage threats.
Nice going, Jag. You messed this up big time.
M
arshall inhaled the water of the test pool, feeling thousands of daggers puncture his nose, throat and lungs. The searing pain was always present with these intakes. For the first few seconds he would have to fight the urge to get his head out of the water. Eventually though, his lungs would switch to aquatic respiration and metabolize the oxygen in the water. The Sentry saw the Marauder swimming toward him even as his vision went dark around the edges until only a small disk of light filled his view. His body felt heavy and he sank further into the deep pool.
It was only seconds later when his body started to course with energy again, but it felt like an eternity. The Sentry jerked back to life and his eyes opened. The Marauder was mere feet away from him, its narrowed pupils holding his complete attention. With a burst of power, Marshall flipped around and swam away as if he was naturally a creature of the water. He maneuvered smartly, always staying ahead of the beast. It was a competition now—which one of them would succumb to the need for air first. It would never get to that, Marshall knew, because the Marauder would eventually pop to the surface while he could survive in the water indefinitely.
The beast paddled its lion-like paws, enraged that the man had dared to abuse it and take the teenagers away from its grasp. Though it didn’t belong in the water, it was apparently programmed to be relentless in the pursuit of its prey. Marshall twisted away to keep a safe distance but was an instant too slow. The Marauder dug its claws deep into the Sentry’s thigh. Marshall wrenched his head back, fighting the impulse to open his mouth and bellow in agony. With his free leg, he delivered a savage kick to the beast and lucked out when the tip of his boot struck the creature’s left eye. With a tormented growl muffled by a cloud of bubbles, the creature let go of him, remaining motionless for a brief moment as it tried to regain its bearings.
Marshall seized the moment and kicked away as quickly as he could, leaving a crimson trail in the water. Its equilibrium recovered, the Marauder swung around and immediately re-engaged its prey. With powerful strokes it propelled its massive, muscular frame toward the Sentry, intent on a kill.
Marshall swam into the deeper end of the pool and reached for the switchblade in his pocket. He hoped that the Marauder, driven by rage and the scent of blood in the water, was ignoring the depleting air in its lungs to maintain pursuit. As he reached the bottom of the thirty-foot-deep pool, he slowed down, partly to draw the creature nearer and partly to reserve some strength for what was to follow.
He glanced back quickly to gauge the distance only to see the beast’s massive head inches from his feet. Ignoring the pain from his wound, he pulled his legs in and flipped around just as he reached the bottom. Using the pool floor as his springboard, he propelled himself toward the startled creature, the six-inch knife in hand. He stabbed at the Marauder’s face, hoping to blind the creature; instead the blade plunged into the side of the beast’s neck. A veil of bubbles rushed out from the creatures snout as it screamed, losing what little air it had left. It started to paddle furiously to the surface.
Sensing the animal’s desperation, Marshall rushed toward it and locked both of his arms around its neck. He used the full weight of his body to try and drag the creature down. Even in its weakened state, the beast kept swimming toward the surface.
For a brief moment Marshall thought he had the edge in the furious tug-of-war. Then with a last burst of its remaining energy, the Marauder clawed its way upward with Marshall in tow. The Sentry, still holding onto the beast, soared out into the open air as the creature broke the surface.
“Marshall!
Catch!
”
The Sentry had a mere moment to react to Tegan’s voice. He blindly reached out at the height of his trajectory. A green cube landed in his hands. With no time to think, he twisted toward the Marauder as it heaved for air and plunged the explosive into its open jaws, deep into its throat.
Marshall fell back into the water and kicked his legs vigorously, diving deep as pain flowed like venom up his limbs. Just as his feet touched the bottom, he heard a muffled
boom
above him. Even at his distance from the surface, shockwaves from the explosion threw him violently against the side of the pool. Tossed about like a rag doll, he quickly shook off his disorientation and started to swim slowly toward the surface.
Breaking the still-churning surface, he dragged himself over the concrete edge and proceeded to purge his lungs of water. Feeling better almost immediately, he looked across the massive pool. Bits of the Marauder’s carcass floated on the water, which was saturated with the creature’s blood—a sorry tribute to an undeniably formidable but cruel adversary.
Two pairs of hands helped the Sentry up. Aari grimaced at the wound on Marshall’s thigh. “That thing did a number on you, huh?”
“You could say that,” Marshall offered, “but I think we did a bigger one on it.”
“So you knew I’d already armed the device with the shortest time?” Tegan asked.
He smiled through a twitch of pain. “No. I was just betting on it.”
“We should leave,” Aari said urgently. “This place is gonna go down any second.”
Marshall led the way to the courier truck, stepping around and over the guards that lay on the ground. Fortunately, he’d just finished loading the vehicle with the inactive nanomites and empty pods when he was jumped by the guards.
The three crammed into the cab—Marshall and Aari wincing in pain—and the Sentry swerved around the complex. As they barreled through the exit, they heard the first explosions in the underground lab. They held on tightly in their seats as detonations rocked the vehicle. Marshall maintained a firm grip on the wheel, keeping the truck on course.
As they drove past the security post, they saw the second of the four buildings collapse in on itself. Marshall slowed the truck down to get a good look at their handiwork. The juddering of blasts sent their teeth into an involuntary chatter.
“Ka-boom,” Aari murmured. “We did it. Somehow . . . we did it.”
Soon all that was left of the building was a massive pile of rubble and debris. A stout column of gray dust swirled into the starry night. Marshall and the teens, thoroughly satisfied, suddenly felt an adrenalin crash drop its weight onto them.
“I think we’re done here,” Marshall said. Aari and Tegan slumped against each other without argument.
The Sentry changed gears and drove away from the scene, leaving the complex to stand watch over the conquered laboratory for the rest of the night.
* * *
“They’re not letting up,” Mariah warned from the backseat, looking through the rear window of the truck. The nanomite swarm kept pace as the trio sped past the freeway exit and entered a long, lonely farm road.
Kody flopped around beside her; he hadn’t stopped slapping at himself. “I’m being bitten in places I can’t see! I can’t get them off!”
“’Riah, can you help him?” Jag asked.
“I’ve been trying to!” she exclaimed gruffly, swatting the back of Kody’s neck as the pickup swayed left onto a narrow dirt road. When she looked behind again, she noticed that the nanomites had fallen back. “Uh, Jag? I think they’ve stopped chasing us . . . ”
“What? Just like that?”
“I think so.” She watched the swarm hover for some time before the red glare faded and the nanomites could no longer be seen. “Seems that they only wanted to chase us out of town.”
“We’re certainly far enough out of Vernon, plus I think they know they can’t get to us as long as we stay in the truck. Kody, how you doing back there?”
Kody rubbed his arms, face and neck. “I’m not being attacked anymore, if that’s what you’re asking. They just stopped. Got some pieces taken out of me, though.”
Mariah fished out napkins from a door pocket and handed them to him. “Here.”
“Thanks,” he said, dabbing at his skin. “So, what now?”
Mariah stared out at the darkness; the area didn’t seem inhabited. A small wooden structure stood in the distance, but even from afar it appeared run down.
This feels eerie
. . .
Wish we had more than just these headlights out here.
“We have to finish what we started,” Jag muttered. “Safe to say that the nanomites will be going back to their pod, so we can try again with our last football.”
“Is there enough time for that?” Kody asked. “Wouldn’t they be on their way to ruin more crops?”
“If we hurry, maybe we’ll catch them in time. If not, we’ll have no choice but to wait until they return.”
“Then I would suggest finding a way to turn around, my good sir. I’m not overly fond of this route we’re taking. Gives me the heebie-jeebies.”
Jag slowed down and, with some tight maneuvering, got the truck turned around and heading down the narrow path to the road that led back to Vernon. Mariah toyed with the football, then placed it on the seat between her and Kody. As she did, Kody began slapping his calves, looking startled and annoyed. “They’re biting me again! What’s with that?”
Mariah smacked him anywhere that he wasn’t covered to get the nanomites off, but her efforts were in vain. “Why are they only attracted to you?”
“How on earth am I supposed to kn—
augh!
Come
on!
”
“Mariah!” Jag yelled.
“I can’t see or do anything!” she cried.
Kody threw himself against the door and the backrest, thrashing. Mariah sat back, powerless, as her friend battled the invisible assailants. If the nanomites were bigger or at least glowed red, she could locate them and get rid of them instead of having Kody flounder about like a fish out of water.
Jag braked suddenly, catching Kody and Mariah by surprise as they slammed into the backs of the seats in front of them. Mariah pushed herself away furiously. “What was that about?”
“There’s some dude in the middle of the road,” Jag growled. “He’s not walking straight. Might be drunk.” He honked the horn. “Great. He’s not moving out of the way, either.”
Kody resumed his fanatical self-slapping and scratching. “Help him move, then! Ow! Noooo! Get off!”
Through the windshield, Mariah saw the man’s outline in the truck’s headlights. He appeared to be garbed in a long dark coat. She watched mutely as the fuzzy figure tottered forward before stumbling and falling face-down to the ground. Jag groaned and jumped out of the truck, Mariah following him out of instinct. They saw the man lying still on the road. His body was shaking.
“Sir?” Jag called as he approached the man. The impatience had ebbed just slightly from his voice.
The man on the ground didn’t respond. Mariah heard cursing behind her and turned to see Kody hopping hurriedly through the shadows toward them, still fighting the nanomites. He was calling out to her but she was unable to decipher what he was saying through the yelps and angry oaths escaping him. It didn’t help that the truck’s headlights and the noise of its engine filled the space between them. He reached them, eyes wide in terror, just as she and Jag got closer to the fallen drunk. About five feet from the man, Mariah finally understood what Kody had been trying to tell them.
But it was too late.
The man in black started dissolving right in front of their eyes and dispersed into a cloud of particles that began to glow a deep blood-red. The friends stared in growing horror as the nanomites rose from the ground in front of them, forming into their massive bird of prey silhouette. Jag started to yell for them to run but before they could move a muscle, the menacing form morphed into a glowing sphere that began to engulf them, trapping the teenagers as if they were inside a snow globe crafted by a devil.
Mariah thought she was screaming but the sound did not leave her throat; the nanomites’ glow burned bright in her eyes. She tried to maneuver away but they stuck on like a layer of new skin, pressing down on her and gnawing away. With a shrill screech, she writhed violently in an unsuccessful attempt to get the nanomites off her body. She could feel them tearing away the smallest bits of her flesh and thrashed harder.
Jag’s muffled voice reached her through the blinding swarm. “’Riah! The football!”
I can’t see anything but red!
she wailed silently.
I need to see it before I can move it!
The device was in the truck, far out of her sight. Try as she might, she wasn’t able to push against the thrust of the swarm and run to the vehicle. Jag shouted at her again, and this time he sounded more desperate than ever. “
Mariah! Football! Please!
”
Stretching out one arm, Mariah let out a roar so powerful and potent that she stunned herself amidst the nanomite onslaught. They covered her exposed skin and closed in over her eyes, drowning her in blackness. She fell onto the road, screaming.