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Alec held up a hand as if he thought Mark would go charging after the guy Then he peeked around the edge of the doorframe
"All clear And the rat round I’ only has a few people on it Coo catch that weasel"
Alec leaned out into the open a bit farther, sweeping his gaze back and forth one last time Then he moved into the dimly lit area beyond Mark took a deep breath and followed hiust As it clattered across the roo straight out of his shoulder Mark wished he had ehah the narrow hallway It was slightly curved, as if it followed the circular outer edge of the craft Glowing panels like the one they’d seen in the hatch rooht They passed several doors, but each was locked when Alec tried the to be ready if anything jumped out at hi--he remembered that the man had once been a pilot--when he heard a door slam up ahead, then more footsteps
"Go!" Alec yelled
Mark’s heart lurched and he broke into a sprint, following Alec down the curved passage Mark could only catch a gli shadow up ahead, but it looked like soreen suits they’d seen earlier, without the headgear The person yelled so, but the words were indecipherable as they echoed off the walls of the hallway It was definitely a ines revved all around the forward in a rush of power Mark lost his balance and crashed into a wall, bounced off, then tripped over Alec, as sprawled on the floor The two of therabbed their weapons
"Cockpit’s right up there," Alec yelled "Hurry!"
He didn’t wait for a reply--the e and Mark followed They reached an open area with chairs and a table just as the h a round hatch into what had to be the cockpit He started pulling the door closed, but Alec threw the sledgehammer just in time It hit the wall next to the hatch and fell to the floor, blocking the door fro Mark hadn’t stopped--he ran past Alec and reached the cockpit first, leaning inside without letting hilance of two pilot chairs, s above wide panels full of instru information One of the chairs was occupied by a wo shot forward, trees disappearing below the rate Mark had barely taken it all in when soht, both of their bodies crashing to the floor
Mark’s breath was knocked out of him as his attacker tried to pin him down Then the eharunt of pain and Mark scras Alec grabbed the reen shirt and pulled hi on here?" the for
The pilot continued to work the controls, ignoring the chaotic scene behind her Mark stepped up to her, not sure what to do He steadied himself and put all the authority he could into his voice
"Stop this thing right now Turn it back, take us home"
She acted like she hadn’t heard hi at his h a pitiful moan "We were just sent to do their dirty work"
"Sent?" Alec repeated "Who sent you?"
"I can’t tell you"
Mark was listening to as going on across the roonored his directions "I said to stop this thing! Now!" He held up his wrench but felt co orders, son," the lady replied Not a hint of e for a co the man on the floor tore his attention away
"Who sent you?" Alec repeated "What was in those darts you shot at us? Soh a whimper "Please, please don’t hurt reen suit now, and a sudden gray tinge washed over the hostly presence "Do it," he said, almost robotically "Take her down"
"What?" Alec said "What is this?"
The pilot turned her head to face Mark, who stared back, perplexed She had the sauy "Just following orders"
She reached out and pushed a lever, slao any farther The entire Berg lurched and plunged toward the ground, the s of the cockpit suddenly full of greenery
Mark flew off the floor and se shattered and the roar of engines filled his ears; there was a loud crash, followed by an explosion The Berg jerked to a stop and so across the room and smacked Mark in the head
He felt the pain and closed his eyes before the blood could ooze into his vision And then he slowly faded fro his name down a dark, endless tunnel
A tunnel; how appropriate, he thought before he blacked out completely That here it had started, after all…
CHAPTER 8
Mark leans his head back against the seat of the subtrans as it speeds along He closes his eyes, smiles School was a load that day, but it was over Over for teeks Now he can relax and chill--just veg Play the virtbox and eat outrageous a Trina Maybe he’d just say adios to his parents and kidnap her, run away There you go
He opens his eyes
She’s sitting across fro hi about her, or even that he’sti When you live next door to a kid, that kid is your buddy by the rules of the universe Male, female, alien--doesn’t matter But how could he have known she’d turn into this beautiful thing with the hot body and the dazzling eyes? Of course, the only problem with that is that every other dude in the school likes her, too And Trina likes being liked That is obvious
"Hey," he says The subtrans bullets through the tunnels beneath New York City, whisper quiet, itsItabout over there?"
Her eyes htens into a s to do for teeks Not think If I start to think, I’ until I quit thinking"
"Wow That alies kno to do it"
This is one of thoseabout liking her, ask her out on an official date, reach out and take her hand Instead, the usual du out "O wisest of the wise,to not think"
Her face scrunches up a little "You are such a dork"