Fall of Hades (19 page)

W
e got to sleep in the next morning, which was good because it took me like three hours to fall asleep. Around ten o'clock Ben brought us breakfast: sweet sesame-seed biscuits with honey inside and hot soy milk. It probably doesn't sound that good, but it was. Or, as the Taiwanese like to say,
Fei chang bu tswo
. Extremely not bad.

Ben said there were a lot of Elgen in the area, so Gervaso didn't want us wandering around. After breakfast Taylor and I went up to the roof. It reminded me of our last night in Taiwan—the night we were told Timepiece Ranch had been attacked by the Elgen.

The city's traffic was ridiculously loud, as if constantly honking your horn was a requirement. I'd been through some seriously dangerous things, but driving in Taiwan would probably rate high on that list.

I tore apart a cardboard box and laid it down on the gravel roof floor for Taylor and me to sit on. Taylor pulled her knees in to her chest. She was quiet, as if she had a lot on her mind.

“What are you thinking about?” I finally asked.

“I don't want to tell you.”

“Us again?” I hesitantly asked.

She reached over and touched me. “No, it's just . . . I had another one of my bizarre dreams last night.” She looked back down at her feet. “As usual, I have no idea what it means.”

“Tell me about it.”

“We were in Taiwan. All of us were standing in front of a school.”

“What kind of school?”

“I don't know, like a high school or something. All the students were Chinese and wearing, like, sailor uniforms, you know? The weird thing is, so was McKenna. She looked just like them. And there was some American guy I didn't know; I think it might have been Welch. Then there was an Elgen army. They were about to get us, but suddenly everyone turned into statues. No one was moving.” She looked into my eyes. “Except you and some girl. The two of you were just walking around between us.”

“A Taiwanese girl?”

“No, she was American. She was our age, pretty, with short blond hair. And she liked you.”

“How did you know that?”

“I always know when girls like you. It's the curse of my power.” She sighed. “What do you think it means?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“It scares me. Maybe it means that everyone's going to die except for you. You and some mystery chick you're going to run off with.”

“That's not going to happen.”

Taylor looked back down at her feet. “I wish I'd stop having these dreams. It's not like they're helping. I get just enough information to freak me out.”

Just then Nichelle walked up the stairs. “Hey, there you are. Ian said you guys were up here.”

“There's no such thing as privacy with Ian,” Taylor said.

“I think of that every time I shower,” Nichelle said.

“It doesn't matter if you're showering,” I said. “He can see through your clothes, anyway.”

“That makes me feel a lot better,” Nichelle said sardonically.

“So what's up?” I asked.

“Gervaso says to hurry down. It's almost time to go for Welch.”

“How far do we have to go?” Taylor asked.

“I don't know.” As we walked to the stairway, Nichelle turned back and said, “All Gervaso told us is that we're meeting Welch in front of a school.”

B
y the time we got down to the first floor, everyone else was already gathered. Gervaso and Ben stood next to each other on one side of the room, looking at a map. They both looked up as we came down.

“We're here,” Nichelle said.

“That is everyone,” Ben said.

“All right,” Gervaso said, looking around the room. “Everyone listen up. I just got off the phone with Welch. He's ready to surrender to us. This might be tricky. We know that the Elgen are in the area. Ben has seen them, and Welch said they've been tracking him for some time now and they're getting close.

“Keep this in mind. Our number one priority isn't rescuing Welch. It's to make sure that this isn't a trap. That's why we're meeting in a public place.

“The plan is to meet in front of the Cheng Gung High School near the center of town. As soon as the bell rings, the students will flood the front of the school to go home. Welch will be hiding somewhere near the school. Once there is a crowd, he will walk out with the students.” He turned toward McKenna. “McKenna, we have a high school uniform for you. You will blend in with the rest of the students.”

Taylor shook her head. “It's just like my dream.”

I frowned. “Exactly like your dream. I need to tell Gervaso about it.”

Ostin said proudly, “The part about McKenna was my idea!”

McKenna dramatically crossed her arms and turned back to him. “Why, because we Chinese all look alike?”

“Well, you do,” Ostin said. “Genetically speaking, you have the same hue of hair color, dark-pigment irises, an unusual relativity of height and . . .”

McKenna glared at him.

“But not you,” he said. “You are one in a billion.”

McKenna smiled.

“He's getting so much better,” Taylor said softly.

Gervaso continued. “McKenna, you will find Welch and lead him back to where we are waiting. That way we are in charge of the situation. If Ian, or any of us, sees anything suspicious, we'll call off the mission and leave Welch to himself.” He looked at his watch. “We have one hour and forty-eight minutes until the bell rings. McKenna's uniform is on its way. We leave in one hour.

“We won't be coming back here, so get your things packed up and have them waiting by the door. Once we have Welch, we'll be going directly back to the airport to leave the country. Any questions?”

Tanner raised his hand. “If we don't rescue Welch, are we still going to try to steal the
Joule
?”

Gervaso looked at him. “As of now, the plan is to steal the
Joule
no matter what.”

“Even if it's impossible?”

Gervaso looked angry. “Of course not. None of us has a death wish. Now go get your things. You're dismissed.”

As we turned to walk away, Ostin said, “I wish Tanner would keep his mouth shut.”

Tanner overheard him. “Maybe I'm trying to save your little life, Einstein.”

“Knock it off,” I said.

“Why did you even come?” Zeus asked.

“Yeah,” Tessa said. “If you're already chickening out, you should just go home to your family.”

Tanner looked at us all sadly, then said softly, “You guys are my family.” He turned and went up the stairs alone.

None of us knew what to say to that.

*  *  *

An hour later we all met back downstairs. McKenna was dressed in a schoolgirl uniform that looked like a sailor outfit: a navy-blue skirt, knee-high white stockings, and a white blouse with a broad blue-and-white collar, with a matching navy tie. There were Chinese characters above her left breast, presumably the name of the high school. She didn't look happy about being in uniform.

“If anyone says anything, I'll melt you,” she said.

Ostin shrugged. “I think you look cute.”

I walked up to Gervaso. “I need to tell you something. Alone.”

“All right.” We walked into his bedroom and he shut the door. “What's up?”

“This is going to sound a little weird, but Taylor's been having these premonitions that come true.”

“What kind of premonitions?”

“Like she had a dream that Timepiece Ranch was attacked by fire-breathing dragons just before the Elgen torched it. She also dreamed that her father was shot by deer hunters the day before it happened.”

Gervaso looked at me with concern. “Did she have a dream about what we're doing today?”

“Yeah. She dreamed that we went for Welch in front of a school and that McKenna was dressed up like one of the students.”

“. . . Just like we are planning.”

“Yeah.”

“Did she see anything else?”

“The Elgen found us.”

Gervaso looked even more concerned. “How did her dream end?”

“This is the part that was most weird. She said that suddenly everyone was frozen like statues. Everyone but me.”

“Frozen? As in dead?”

“She didn't say ‘dead.'”

Gervaso looked down a moment to think. When he looked back up, he asked, “What do you think we should do?”

“I don't know. We need Welch.”

“Yeah, we do.”

Neither of us spoke for a moment. Then I said, “I just wanted to warn you that we need to be careful. If her dream is real, we're going to run into Elgen.”

He slowly nodded. “All right. Thank you. I'll keep Ian especially close.” He took a deep breath. “Now we better go. We're running out of time.”

*  *  *

We climbed back into the same vans we had arrived in and quickly drove off.

“How far to the school?” I asked.

“Not far,” Ben said. “Maybe just fifteen minutes.”

“Fifteen minutes,” I repeated. I wondered if we were driving into a trap.

T
he traffic was relatively light as we made our way downtown. When we were a block from the school, Ben said, “There is the school ahead of us. We are going to first drive pass the school . . .” He hesitated. “No,
past
the school, then drive around the block and park the van on the north side of the school. Gervaso will park across the street near the Yin Hang.”

“The what?” I asked.

“The bank,” Ostin said.

As we continued ahead, I looked back to see Gervaso turn left into the bank's parking lot. A moment later we passed a four-story, ivory-colored stone-facade building in the middle of the block.

“That is the Cheng Gung Gau Sywe,” Ben said. “Success High School.”

“I hope it is,” McKenna said.

I looked around but saw no one other than the people walking on the sidewalk in front of the school. I turned to Taylor. “Look familiar?”

She frowned. “This is the same place.”

“Ian sees nothing,” Gervaso said over our radio.

“Okay,” Ben said. We drove past the school, then took a right on the next street, drove to the corner, then took another right, driving past the back of the school. The grounds were empty. No sign of Elgen, at least.

A moment later Ben pulled the van up to the north side of the school. He killed the engine and looked back. “McKenna, the bell will ring in just six minutes. Are you ready?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Welch is tall and the only American, I think. He will stand next to the flagpole. It is pass that food truck.” He pointed to a large white truck parked to the north of the school's front doors. It had Chinese writing on it. “He is wearing a light blue shirt. When you see him, do not look at him, just walk pass him and tell him to follow you.”

“Wait, we're not sending her alone,” I said.

“Yes, that is the plan. It is most safe that way.”

“It's not safest for her,” Ostin said.

“That's not going to work for me, either,” Taylor said. “I'm going with her.”

“But they will see you,” Ben said, his voice rising. “That is why we have McKenna in a uniform.”

“We won't be with her,” I said. “We'll just keep in the background.”

“You are not Chinese. You will stand out.” Ben glanced at his watch. “We are almost out of time.”

I slid open the van door. “Ben, it's okay. I promise.”

Ben looked frustrated but helpless. “I do not like this. Do not get caught. You have thirty seconds until bell. Twenty seconds. Ten seconds.” The school bell rang. “McKenna, go now!”

McKenna glanced at Ostin. “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck,” Ostin said to her.

*  *  *

The front doors of the school opened, and students dressed in matching uniforms poured out like water. McKenna was dressed exactly like them, and we quickly lost track of her, which, I suppose, was the point.