Annex by Rich Larson

Author:Rich Larson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 2018-07-23T16:00:00+00:00

19

How do we get her out?”

Violet’s words broke through the fog in Bo’s head and he slowly stood up. He didn’t look at Lia. He’d always imagined getting to the warehouses and finding her waiting for him on her cot, still sharp, still ready, scolding him for taking so long. Maybe with the other kids already prepared to escape, a plan already in motion, something he interrupted on accident. She was the one who’d found out about the drinking water. She was the one who’d told him to take the chance when he had it.

She shouldn’t have been the one floating in that tank like a human puppet, with the tubes squirming into every part of her, naked and drugged to sleep.

“Yeah,” Bo said, wiping his face. “How, Gloom?”

Gloom flitted back and forth in a swirling mass of motes, then re-formed in front of them. He rolled his hat between his long pale fingers. “I did say we would move the keys,” he said. “But that might not be possible. It might be better to destroy them here.”

Bo stepped between Gloom and his sister and the static surged so hard from his Parasite, it flew blue sparks down his arms.

“Without killing the hosts,” Gloom amended, putting his hands up, palms out. His hat flowed up his arm and back onto his head. “I can use a single mote for each. The entry wound will be very small. Working simultaneously, if I am quick, I can destroy the keys before our enemy arrives.” He gave a stiff little nod, looking pleased with his plan. “I am always quick,” he added. “I am a saboteur.”

“You can kill the Parasites without it hurting the host at all?” Violet demanded.

“Yes, yes,” Gloom said. “The key needs a host. The host does not need a key. Although keys can be very useful.” He gave Bo a pointed look.

Bo looked back hard, trying to gauge if Gloom was telling the truth. Motes were scurrying down his long lanky legs, spreading out, one to each tank.

“Wait,” Violet said. “If they come back and find all the Parasites dead, what’ll they do with the kids?”

Gloom had a blank look on his face. “I do not know,” he said, but his toneless voice put goose bumps on Bo’s arms. The motes fanned out, finding their targets.

“They’ll kill them,” Bo realized. “That’s what they do when kids aren’t useful. They put them down.” He looked at the mote creeping toward his sister’s tank. “Stop it,” he said.

“We cannot let them have these keys, Bo and Violet,” Gloom said. “They will open the door.”

Bo let out a focused wave of static. The mote vanished, taking a small chunk of floor with it. Gloom’s face twitched, maybe in surprise, maybe something like pain; the other motes stopped where they were. Then Gloom’s mouth twisted into an unnatural snarl, his teeth bared.

“I’ll do the rest of you too,” Bo said, forcing bravado into his voice. “You’re not as fast as you think you are.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.