Reboot by [email protected]

Author:[email protected]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2013-01-25T16:00:00+00:00

UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

HarperCollins Publishers

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NINETEEN

THE KILL ASSIGNMENT CAME THE NEXT DAY.

They gave me a gun and told me to either give it to Callum to kill the Reboot, or use it on Callum myself. I hadn’t been given a gun to use in the field in a few months, and it felt cool and heavy against my hip.

I had the map in my pocket, even though I doubted Leb had managed to get his hands on a tracker locator in one day. I wouldn’t run without removing our trackers first. There was no point.

If Leb didn’t come through today, Callum had to perform the kill assignment.

Callum glanced down at the gun when I joined him on the roof. A cool breeze blew across the roof, bringing with it the stench of the slums, and I saw his nose wrinkle. From the smell or the sight of the gun, I didn’t know.

The shuttle hit the roof with a clunk and the door opened to reveal Paul waiting for us. If Leb wasn’t on this assignment, maybe he had the tracker locator and was waiting for us at the meeting spot.

I couldn’t breathe. The air was gone and my chest hurt. This could be my last assignment. My last time in the shuttle. The last day at the place I’d called home for five years.

Paul gestured for us to sit and I stumbled on the way to my seat.

Callum was shaking as he strapped himself in. I wanted to tell him it was okay, that he wouldn’t have to perform the assignment, but I didn’t know that for sure.

The shuttle was silent as we rode to the slums. Paul dug into his pocket and produced four bullets as we landed, holding them out to me.

“Take any unused ones out before boarding the shuttle,” he warned as I closed my fist around the bullets.

I nodded and followed Callum out into the cool night air. His eyes were glued to the gun as I loaded the bullets. I didn’t want to tip off the HARC officers watching our video feed. They needed to believe we were following orders, for as long as possible.

I held the gun out to Callum, but his hands remained at his sides.

“Callum,” I said quietly.

He wrapped his fingers around the gun, holding it away from him like it was contaminated. His eyes met mine.

“I have to?” he asked, his voice strained.

No. “Yes.” I cleared my throat and jerked my head to the right. “Let’s go this way. It’s a shortcut.”

Callum frowned down at his map and the assignment slip, then looked up at me, mouth open to most likely tell me we were headed in the wrong direction. He quickly snapped it shut as understanding crossed his face and I turned away so HARC wouldn’t see the hope there.

I led him to the intersection of Holly and Nelson, whipping my head around to find Leb.

Nothing.

The night was quiet, nothing but the sound of wind in the trees and a few crickets as we stood in the middle of the dirt road surrounded by little tents.

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