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CHAPTER THREE

AN ACRID CLOUD OF BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT fro of fire I can hear footsteps beating across the paveency orders It’s chaos And from the sound of explosions off in the distance, I could tell it wasn’t just confined to our section of the base either So down around here--and that could only

That’s perfect They’re too distracted to search for us right now

"Where the hell are we?" I whisper

"Dulce Base," overnadorians"

"How did you findstory, Sam I’ll tell you e’re clear of this place"

Sloe inch our way along a back wall, trying to stay away frouards should peel away fro the bent steel grate from the ventilation shaft we clio, but it could do soht I’y I have left after e just went through

My dad points into the darkness, beyond the collapsed wreckage of what used to be a watchtower, into the desert

"Our ride is parked out there," he says

"Who knocked down that watchtower?"

"We did," my dad answers "Well, Adam did"

"Ho is that possible? They aren’t supposed to have powers like that"

"I don’t kno it’s possible, Sam But I do know he’s different fro my arm "He helped me find you And, wellI’ll tell you the rest once we’re out of here"

I rub my face; my eyes hurt fro My father and I skulking around a govern from hostile aliens Weirdly, it’s sort of like a drea our way to a patch of shadohere it’ll be a straight sprint towards the fence and into the desert

"I can’t figure out how you and the Garde both et here at the same time"

"We don’t know for sure it’s the Garde"

"Co frooverns, so we know it’s not the army What the hell else could cause all this?"

My dad stares ata little amazed "You know the his head guiltily "I never et you into this mess"

"You didn’t, Dad It’s not your fault my best friend turned out to be an alien Anyway, I’m in it now and we have to help them"

It’s hard to tell in the darkness and sour hurried reunion inside the base, he was probably seeing that little kid I hen he first disappeared But I’m not a child anymore From the look on his face--a mixture of sadness and pride--I think he realizes that

"You’ve turned into a brave young ht? Even if the Garde are here, I won’t risk it--won’t risk you"

He starts ain and I follow, our backs to the wall as we approach a corner of the base’s exterior wall My feet ishly, but it’s not fro andin the protest The chaos around the base reinia and of what happened afterwards--the chains, the torture--that could happen to Adahting I want to do so away

"We can help them," I blurt out "We have to!"