Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports

90

"Well, well," I said, using every bit of strength I had to make my voice sound chipper. "Fancy meeting you. Come here often? How's the food?"

Jeb moved closer, till he stepped into the dim circle of light given off by the amber emergency fixture. He looked just the same-maybe more tired than usual. I guess torturing kids takes it out of you.

He gave me his trademark smile tinged with sadness. "Actually, no one knows I'm here."

I made my eyes round. "Gosh, I sure won't tell anyone!"

"So you met the Director?" he asked.

My facade crashed down, but I struggled to keep it together. "Yes. And what a picnic she turned out to be. Three billion women with ovaries on this planet, and I had to get the one voted 'most likely to become a delusional psychopath' as my mom."

Jeb knelt down on the filthy stone floor, looking at me. I felt Angel wound tightly with tension next to me and wondered if she was picking up anything from Jeb. He hadn't acknowledged the others, including Ari.

"You can still save the world, Max."

A sudden wave of exhaustion almost sucked me under. I wanted to roll up into a fetal position and stay there for the rest of my life, which I hoped would be mercifully short. I had been working so hard for so long, going at 140 percent. I had pretty much hit rock bottom.

I closed my eyes wearily and leaned against the dank stone wall behind me. "How?" I said. "Through Re-Evolution? The By-Half Plan? No, thanks. I'm getting off the madcap train of mass destruction."

Max, you have to trust me, said the Voice inside my head. You were created to save the world. You still can.

Give it a rest, Voice, I thought. I'm beat.

Max, said the Voice. Max.

Then it occurred to me that the Voice wasn't actually inside my head.

Oh, God.

I opened my eyes.

Jeb was still kneeling in front of me. "You've come a long way, Max," said the Voice, except that it was Jeb's mouth moving, the sound coming from him. "You're almost home. Everything will work out, but you have to do your best. And you have to trust me again."

It was Jeb, speaking with the Voice, the Voice I'd been hearing inside my head for months.

Jeb was the Voice.