Sterling Squadron by Eric Nylund

Author:Eric Nylund [Nylund, Eric]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780375899270
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2012-04-10T05:00:00+00:00

19

WARD ZERO

ETHAN WENT OUT THE WINDOW OF THE PRINCIPAL’S office.

There was no time to come up with an airtight plan. Ethan’s sister was here.

He’d thought he’d lost her forever.

Emma had always gotten Ethan into trouble, and they’d always argued, but she was also the only one who’d stuck by him when the other neighborhood kids teased him about coming from a small family.

Emma was a year older than Ethan. That meant she could hit puberty at any time. She could get absorbed into the Collective today!

If there was any chance she was still human, he had to get her out of here.

One more reason to hurry: Even if Principal Kendell hadn’t recognized Ethan’s face, someone was bound to check on her soon. Then every adult, every enemy I.C.E. fighting suit circling Fiesta City would come for them.

Ethan dropped from the window ledge to the ground. He crouched behind a juniper hedge.

Two adults in cybernetic athletic suits patrolled the freshly cut lawn between the administration building and the dormitories. The heavy steel frames made the ground tremble as they passed.

Madison landed next to Ethan.

Felix dropped with a thud after her. He crouched on all fours behind the hedge.

Paul eased out the window next and slid it shut behind him.

“Those guards are still patrolling,” Felix whispered, “not searching for us or running for the office. That means they still don’t know anything. So we just walk out of here—pretend we’re four kids late for class.”

“Then we better hurry,” Ethan said, “because that won’t last long.”

He gathered his courage and strode onto the lawn, walking past one of the hulking athletic suits. Its shoulder-mounted cannon looked big enough to take on an I.C.E. suit.

Ethan’s heart hammered in his chest. It took all his willpower not to run.

The adults in six hundred pounds of hydraulics, armor plate, and weapons clanked by, eyeing Ethan suspiciously but otherwise trudging along in a straight line.

Madison, Felix, and Paul caught up.

“You are crazy,” Paul said with a snort. “I’m beginning to like that about you.” He darted down a walkway. “This way.” He broke into a trot, and then a full sprint.

Paul led them to a part of the school that had chain-link fences topped with razor wire. There were signs on the fence showing stick figures zapped by lightning. There were no students or teachers anywhere in sight.

Ethan tensed, waiting for alarms.

The teachers, though, could communicate silently. Telepathically. They could signal each other to release sleep gas into the corridors.

Ethan and his team could just wake up, captured … or not wake up at all.

Paul skidded to a halt before a rusty gate with a padlock. It was plastered with more electrocution warnings and NO TRESPASSING signs.

Madison dug into her sweats, grabbed the flight suit gloves tucked under her belt, and snapped them on. From a tiny pocket on her flight suit, she took out a tool kit and pulled out two metal picks.

“Don’t touch it,” Ethan told her. “It’s electrif—”

She knelt and picked the padlock.

“Her gloves are insulated,” Felix told Ethan.

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.