Race to Witch Mountain (3 page)

The black-and-white image was taken at night and was grainy, but there was no mistaking what they saw. There were now two new figures in the middle of the group, and they were getting back on the bus. They couldn't see their faces, but both appeared to be teenagers.

“We have a mode of escape and an extraction point,” Burke called out to the others. “I need to know where the package was delivered. We're losing time.”

Matheson didn't need to be told twice. He zoomed the camera in. “Nevada plates: Charlie-Peru-3-5-5-3-1,” he read while simultaneously typing them into his computer. Within seconds a flood of information started running across his screen.

“Silver State Trailways,” he continued. “Route schedule indicates . . . next stop . . . Sin City.”

“Odds are strong our targets are in Las Vegas,” Burke said, looming over the others. “Find them.”

Pope didn't need to be told twice. He hacked into a camera feed from outside the city's main bus terminal and announced, “Eight twenty-five a.m. the vehicle rolled into the Silver State Trailways depot on Ogden Avenue.”

They were getting closer. Pope scrolled through the footage until something caught his eye. As he zoomed in, the grainy image got even more difficult to see. The group still couldn't make out the faces, but it looked like the same two kids from the rest stop were in the picture.

“Our targets have entered a heavily populated city,” Burke announced. “Too many unmanageable options for hiding and human interaction. I want total access to every single surveillance camera Vegas has.”

Anticipating Burke's order, Carson had already bypassed two separate firewalls and was deep inside the grid of cameras that were positioned throughout the city. “We're interlinking the system,” he informed Burke.

Despite the amazing speed and skill his team was displaying, Burke was not satisfied. He wanted results. Every second lost increased the chance of these two disappearing—for good. That was unacceptable.

“The targets are on foot,” he reminded everyone. “Walk with them.”

In a flash, maps of Las Vegas appeared on their screens, and they started tracing out possible routes the teenagers may have used after leaving the bus station.

“We have their vehicle,” Burke said,“so we know they didn't fly away. They're out there somewhere.”

“Freeman Street at Main to be exact,” Matheson informed the others. “I have activity at an ATM. Twelve forty-three p.m.”

Once again, he brought up a grainy image taken by a security camera. On the video, two teenagers carefully approached the automated teller machine. They didn't come all the way up to it, though, so their faces were still off-camera. As the men watched, suddenly, even though neither kid had moved even a finger, the ATM started spitting out a steady stream of cash.

“Bank records indicate they withdrew the entire contents of the machine,” he continued.“They never used a card, and they never touched the machine. Not once.”

“Whoa,” Pope gasped. This was the real deal. “Nice trick.”

Burke considered the video and what it meant. “Gentlemen, it seems our EBEs possess some extraordinary skills.”

Carson's eyes lit up as something else on the video feed caught his eye.“Who found themselves a ride? Stewart Avenue, one twenty-nine p.m. Keep your eyes on the yellow cab, lower left of the screen.”

As they looked at the monitor, they saw the two teenagers approaching Jack's cab. Right before getting in, they turned back toward the camera. For the first time Burke and his team got a glimpse of Seth's and Sara's faces. The image remained frozen on the screen.

Burke studied their faces on the monitor, trying to take a mental picture. Even though the black-and-white footage was hard to make out, their eyes were haunting.

What were they hiding? And more importantly, why were they here?

CHAPTER 6

A
s Jack's cab drove along the highway far north of Las Vegas, he wondered—not for the first time—if taking this fare had been a mistake. He looked over his shoulder at Seth and Sara.

“Are we there yet?” he asked. The subtle joke was lost on the kids.

“We are not there yet, Jack Bruno,” Sara said. She rubbed a pendant that hung around her neck.

The meter was already at $397.85 and climbing fast. “Your parents going to be okay with spending all this money?” he asked.

“We have previously agreed upon our financial deal,” Seth said, his tone, as usual, serious. “If your concern is . . .”

Jack cut him off before he could finish. “My concern is that I got two kids with a wad of cash and a drop-off location in the middle of nowhere,” he responded. “Which in my book reads like a chapter called ‘Running Away.'”

“Jack Bruno,” Sara interrupted. “Those vehicles behind us are indicating a pattern of pursuit.”

“As a counter maneuver,” Seth added, “I would suggest you increase your velocity to maximum thrust.”

“Speeding? Not on your life. Speeding gets you tickets and tickets cost money,” Jack said as he looked at a stack of unpaid parking tickets on the passenger seat. “And if you don't pay them off and you get one more ticket, you lose your license.” He looked over his shoulder at them. “Jack Bruno
can't
lose his license.” He looked through the rear window and didn't see any cars on the road.

“Besides,” he added, “there are no vehicles behind us.”

Just then a large black SUV came into view behind him. Suddenly two more SUVs appeared behind the first one.

“At your current rate of speed versus theirs,” Seth quickly computed, “they will overtake our vehicle in less than one mile.”

Jack shook his head. “Just because they're speeding, doesn't mean they're following us,” he assured them. “People speed.”

Even though Jack had said it, he wasn't exactly sure he was right. He checked the rearview mirror and saw that the cars
were
gaining fast.

“I'm going to let them pass,” he said.

Jack slowed down to forty-five miles per hour, expecting them to zip right by. Instead, the SUVs slowed down to match his speed.

That was a little suspect. Still, he'd rather give them the benefit of the doubt. Jack rolled down his window and waved for them to pass. “Open road, people,” he called out. “It's all yours.”

He checked his side mirror, but they gave no indication of trying to pass. Definitely suspect. Squinting, he tried to get a glimpse of who was in the vehicle, but the windows were too tinted.

The lead SUV started to pull up right alongside Jack's cab. First it pulled up even with the backseat, so it seemed to Jack that whoever was inside could take a long look at Seth and Sara.Then it pulled up to the front seat so that they could look at Jack, too.

Suddenly, the lead SUV pulled ahead and passed the cab. Jack breathed a sigh of relief and looked back at the kids.

“See, what did I tell you?”

But he had spoken too soon.

“Jack Bruno!” Sara yelled from the backseat as she pointed toward the windshield.

Jack whipped around and saw the SUV perform a tricky maneuver that spun it around and had it coming to a stop directly in front of them.

As Jack slammed on the brakes, another SUV purposely slammed into the back of their car.

With amazing speed, Jack yanked on the emergency brake, causing the car to fishtail. Then he gunned the accelerator so that it spun back around. It was an expert maneuver that allowed the taxi to miss both vehicles. Clearly, Jack had more than just cab-driving experience.

“Get down!” he ordered Sara and Seth.“Both of you! Now!”

The SUVs kept chasing Jack, trying to squeeze him in.

“Hold on!” he warned the kids just before he slammed on the brakes again. When he did, the two SUVs that were about to push into the cab shot past them and slammed into each other instead. They spun out of control and flipped over onto the side of the highway.

Once those two SUVs were out of the picture, Jack gunned the gas again and roared past them down the highway. There was only one vehicle left chasing him.

Jack assumed that these were more of Wolfe's goons trying to send him a message. But they weren't. It was Burke's team.

Sitting in the remaining SUV, Burke was re-evaluating the man they were pursuing. He had just taken out two specially trained military pursuit drivers.

“He
is
just a cabdriver, correct?” Burke asked.

Carson was at the wheel. He shifted into high gear to stay on Jack's tail, his eyes shooting daggers.

Meanwhile, in the backseat of the cab, Seth was taking matters into his own hands. He pulled his knees up to his chest as if he were making a cannonball and squinted in concentration. Unbeknownst to Jack, Seth's body started to dematerialize! He phased through the backseat and right through the cab itself.

He rematerialized on the side of the highway. Purposefully, he strode into the middle of the road—directly in the path of the oncoming vehicle!

“Look out!” Burke yelled from inside the SUV.

Carson slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. The vehicle crashed into Seth. But instead of hurting the boy, the SUV catapulted into the air, did a complete roll, and skidded along the highway. It came to a stop, a tangled mass of metal.

Inside the cab, Sara panicked. She was not about to leave her brother behind. Using her own telekinetic powers, she mentally took control of Jack's taxi. First she made the brakes lock, causing the car to skid to a stop.

“What now?” Jack asked, confused.

Then the tires started spinning backward, and the cab raced down the highway in reverse. Jack pumped the brakes, but the cab's speed kept increasing.

Back at the wreckage of Burke's SUV, Seth phased right through the tangled metal until he was hovering face-to-face with Burke.

The two stared at each other for a moment before Seth gave a warning: “Stop following us!”

Burke was too stunned to react. Seth phased back through the wreckage and onto the road. Burke looked up and saw Jack's cab heading right for them.

“Get out! Get out!” he yelled to the others in the SUV, but there was no time. The four of them braced for impact. But the taxi miraculously came to a stop—inches away from them.

Jack took a deep breath. “You both okay?” he asked, clutching the steering wheel.

“We are,” Sara said.

Just then Seth phased back into the cab. Jack had no idea that he'd been gone.

“We should just keep moving,” Seth said.

Jack didn't need to be told twice. If those men were connected to Wolfe, he wanted to be as far from them as possible. He hit the gas and sped away.

Burke watched as the taxi disappeared into the horizon. “I want a complete profile on the driver,” he told his team.

Matheson nodded. “Do you think he's collaborating?”

Burke wasn't sure how much Jack knew about the passengers in the back of his cab. But as far as he was concerned, it didn't matter.

“Either way, he's a liability,” he answered.

CHAPTER 7

A
s evening became night and the sun rested on the horizon, the desert was at its most beautiful and peaceful. Jack wasn't so concerned with the beauty, but he certainly appreciated the peace. It was a welcome change after the game of demolition derby that had just been played out on the highway.

“We're here, Jack Bruno,” Sara said, breaking into Jack's thoughts.

Jack eased his foot off the accelerator and looked around. He didn't see anything but desert. “Here?” he asked, puzzled. “There's nothing here.”

Sara motioned ahead of them, and Jack noticed a small dirt road about twenty yards away.

“Go figure,” he said, somewhat surprised. “You really do know your way.” He turned, and the cab rattled and bounced along the dirt road for about half a mile. Finally, they reached a dark, deserted cabin.

“There's someone expecting you two, right?” Jack asked as he warily eyed the building.“'Cause it doesn't look like they're home.”

The sun had completely set, and long shadows dominated the landscape. The beautiful desert had suddenly turned ominous and threatening.

“Do not worry, Jack Bruno,” Sara reassured him. “We will soon be reunited with relatives.”

Jack put the car in park and turned to the kids.

“All right, the fare comes to $721.80,” he told them. “But after everything that went down today, how about I knock twenty-five percent off ?”

In response, Seth shoved all of his money into Jack's hand. Neither of the kids said a word as they hurried out of the cab and toward the cabin.

“Okay, then, good-bye to you, too,” Jack said to himself. It was only fitting that the strangest fare of his life had ended in a decidedly unusual way.

Looking at his reflection in the rearview mirror, he thought back on the day. He was totally exhausted.

“I've got to get another job,” he told himself.

Sighing, he looked down at the money and began to count it. “I got a fifteen-thousand-dollar tip,” he said when he had finished counting. “That seems
reasonable
.”

Part of Jack just wanted to take the money and race back to Vegas. But he knew that wasn't
reasonable
. None of this was reasonable. And, for some reason, he felt that he needed to look after Seth and Sara. He got out of the taxi and headed to the cabin, determined to do the right thing.

“Hey, you guys overpaid . . . by a lot,” he called out. He looked around, but there was no sign of Seth or Sara. It was as if they had vanished into the night. Just then he heard the sound of glass shattering.

“Hello,” he called out, a little louder this time. “Everything okay in there?”

The closer he got to the cabin, the scarier it seemed. It was very dark, and most of the windows were boarded up. He looked at the porch and saw the cause of the noise. Broken glass lay on the wooden planks. Something was strange about it. It looked as if someone had broken the window from the
inside
.