Code

CHAPTER 56

THE FLAMING CORDS sizzled in my subconscious.

They crackled with intensity, larger and more vibrant than ever before.

I fired a message to Hi and Shelton.

Get away from the truck!

On instinct I forwarded Coop’s mental picture, overlaid with my own fear.

The force of my sending staggered them. They didn’t think, didn’t hesitate. Both turned and dove for the bushes bordering the road.

The truck exploded in a titanic fireball, lifting five feet into the air. Shards of metal and plastic blasted in every direction. The concussion knocked me to the pavement. Ignoring the pain, I streaked to where I’d last seen my friends.

Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay …

Coop raced past me and bounded into the singed and burning shrubs.

This time water conquered fire. As the hammering rain extinguished the flames, a choking cloud of smoke billowed across the street.

“Hi? Shelton?” I slogged into a knee-deep stream racing alongside the street. “Where are you?”

“Get this mutt off me!” A voice yelled from somewhere just ahead.

The smoke shifted to reveal Hi, on his back, sunk to his chin in a gathering creek. Coop had two paws on his chest and was licking his face.

A groan sounded to my right. I turned to see Shelton drag himself from the water.

“An exploding truck almost drowned me,” he wheezed. “What are the odds?”

Despite their dousing, both boys still had fire in their eyes.

“Are either of you hurt?” I shouted.

Head shakes.

“Then get up! We have to catch Ben!”

I struggled back to the road, heard Shelton and Hi close behind. Coop shot ahead once more, but this time I called him back.

Heel. Wait.

Coop’s ears perked. He checked his sprint and circled to my side.

“We do this together,” I ordered aloud.

I paused to let my soggy companions catch their breath. Shelton coughed. Hi blew a mammoth snot-rocket from his nose. Finally, they both gave a thumbs-up. We raced up the block, alert for any sign of Ben or the Gamemaster.

Minutes passed. Not a trace.

“The wind is dropping,” Shelton said, gasping for air. “I think the storm has blown out.”

“Katelyn’s not done.” Hi pointed to a giant hole in the clouds. “The eye is passing over us. The backside of this baby is still to come.”

As we approached the shopping district, the wind died altogether. An eerie quiet blanketed the city. After the last hour’s mayhem, the stillness was unnerving.

We watched Katelyn’s eye slide over our heads.

“The hurricane’s moving super fast,” Hi said. “This break won’t last.”

We crossed King and were passing The Gap when a hand shot from the doorway. Terrified, I lashed out, punching and kicking with all my strength.

“Take it easy!” Ben’s yellow eyes shone from the gloomy recess.

“What are you doing?” I demanded.

“Shh. He’s just ahead.” Ben slipped from the alcove and crept to the corner of the building, forcing us to follow at his heels.

“He’s waiting for us.” Ben peeked around at the open expanse of Marion Square. “I saw him cut across the plaza.”

“Then let’s get him.” Angry. At Ben. At the Gamemaster. At myself for not confronting Ben then and there. “He could escape while we stand here talking.”

“The scumbag we’re chasing is a master marksman.” Ben kept his eyes on the plaza. “What do you think is in that duffel?”

“That field is a perfect ambush site.” Hi was also peering ahead. “And the wind just died.”

Shelton pointed a finger at Ben. “The Gamemaster called you—”

“Not now!” Ben snapped. “He’s a liar and a killer! We have to catch him first.”

Shelton crossed his arms, clearly dissatisfied with Ben’s response.

I wavered, unsure. Ben was hiding something.

But he was right. We had a job to do. A murderer to stop.

Answers would have to wait.

“Please.” Ben’s eyes practically begged. “I’ll explain everything later.”

“Okay,” I said coolly. “But you will explain.”

Ben nodded, then snuck another look at the square. “We need a plan.”

I cleared my mind to focus on the problem. “What are our assumptions?”

“There’s a sniper in the park,” Ben said.

“He’s heavily armed and highly skilled,” Shelton said.

“He’s had time to find an effective field of fire,” Hi said. “Create an ambush.”

I nodded. “And he’ll want to settle this while the eye is overhead and the wind isn’t a factor.”

“Options?” Shelton asked.

Ben’s hand slashed the air. “We flush him out, then take him down.”

“Great work,” Hi deadpanned. “Any idea how to do it?”

Ben shook his head. They all looked at me.

What did I know? Flush out a sniper? The only military strategy I’d ever learned was from watching Band of Brothers.

“I should’ve bought Call of Duty,” Hi moaned. “But my stupid mother doesn’t let me play first-person shooter games.”

Coop brushed my leg. As I reached to rub his ears, the answer hit me.

“We use our edge. Stalk him like a wolf pack.”

Hi took a deep breath. “Okay, but if you scan my brain’s hard drive, stay away from the Internet search history. You won’t like what you find.”

Ignoring that, I shut my eyes and dove into my subconscious.

On impulse I held out both hands. Hi took one, Shelton the other. I felt Ben join the circle. And there was Coop, standing in the middle.

Focusing our strength.

The cords appeared, pulsing with energy.

Five sparking lines connected us together.

With our pack huddled so close, the lines rippled and thrummed with power.

I pushed.

The lines suddenly expanded, hollowed, and became tunnels.

That’s never happened before.

Sweat joined the rain drenching my brow.

Acting on reflex, I forced my thoughts into the nearest tunnel.

Hiram.

There was a floating sensation, then I felt something click.

Eyes snapped open. A head turned.

I stared at a rain-soaked redhead standing to my right. A girl.

Me. I’m looking at me.

Hi gasped. Startled, I retreated from his mind.

Opening another pair of eyes, I found myself back in familiar skin.

“Wow,” Hi breathed. “Oh wow.”

“Amazing,” I said. “But that’s not what we need.”

Concentrate. You’ve done this before.

I visualized the glowing cords. This time, I grabbed one but did not enter it.

Light pulsed its length. Fragments of thought assaulted me. Images. Emotions.

Shelton.

I reached for another line, forcing the power outward. More fragments appeared.

Hi.

Another. The neural chaos grew as Ben joined the circle.

I was bombarded by their feelings and impressions. By their fears. But I felt in control. I could touch their minds. Send thoughts or images to all of them.

Then I noticed a void, like a missing limb. The circle was incomplete.

Cooper’s silhouette materialized in my mind. Every cord ran through him.

Coop’s the key. Center of the pack.

Reaching out, I drew the wolfdog into the mix.

Flash of light. Fusion. Five minds melded into one.

Coop howled with canine delight.

Our pack was finally whole.

I felt a telepathic link to each of the Virals.

The missing level. This is it.

The boys grasped it, too. They sent and exchanged thoughts, blown away by this new level of connection. By our effortless communication. It was the rush of a lifetime.

Without thinking, I narrowed my focus to Ben. Peeked behind his shield.

My brain captured a single image: Ben, aboard Sewee, deep in conversation.

Noooooooooooooo!

I looked up. Ben cocked his head, unsure what was happening. Then a mental wall slammed into place, blocking access to his thoughts.

Too late. I’d seen the truth. Recognized Ben’s companion.

The stolen memory seared my brain.

Ben had been speaking with the Gamemaster.