The Rule of Thoughts (23 page)

Michael and Bryson exchanged a quick look of alarm and then they were both beside her, helpless but there. Michael rubbed her arm, feeling like a fool. He didn’t want to push things, but he knew more cops could be on them at any second. Especially after … whatever she’d done. Two people dead. Two
police
. It didn’t get much worse than that.

Bryson did the asking. “Sarah, what in the world happened? We need to get out of here.”

“I know, I know,” she said, lifting her head. Michael had expected tears but there were none. Just a look of perfect heartbreak. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it all figured out.” She stood up and composed herself, brushing off her pants. “Just follow me and we’ll be out of here in five minutes.”

“But …” Michael couldn’t find the words.

Sarah walked toward the hallway. “I’ll explain along the way.”

A half hour later, the three of them were walking through a subway tunnel, on a raised platform above the tracks, heading for an exit that was far from the scene of action. And Michael’s heart ached for Sarah.

He remembered the thousands of times he’d thought
about why he loved the
Lifeblood
game so much: nothing was more exciting, more brutal, more like real life. What an idiot he’d been. The only reason it had been so fun was because it
wasn’t
real life. Not even close. Nothing like this.

“Maybe we should take a break,” Bryson said. “Sit our butts down.”

They reached a station full of people heading to or coming from their trains, eyes glued to NetScreens, avoiding each other in a fashion that had always seemed like magic to Michael. But then, walking and Netting at the same time had become as much a part of life as walking and breathing.

They found a bench and took a seat, Sarah in the middle. No one said a word. Michael leaned back against the cold brick of the subway wall and closed his eyes. He needed to somehow come up with the right words to make Sarah feel better. It wasn’t her fault. It wasn’t her fault at all.

She’d done what she had to. Hacked her way into the communications system, sending out a top-level alert to every officer in the building. It said that the “perps” had stolen uniforms and were in the kitchen of the fifty-fourth floor, planting a bomb.

All she’d hoped for was some confusion and a sense of panic—she’d figured someone might call all the police back long enough for the three of them to escape via a hidden route she’d already mapped out from the building schematics. A route that led to a private maintenance entrance to the tunnels of the subway system.

Not the greatest plan ever, but they’d been desperate. There had been police a few feet away, and it had only been
a matter of moments before they’d checked those cabinets. The fact that someone came in, guns blazing, not even taking the time to make sure they were firing at the right people … how could you expect that?

Because of Sarah, they had escaped. Stairwells, service elevators, back rooms, heating ducts, fire escapes—Sarah had figured out the best and most secret way to get down to the subway. And they’d been able to do it. But Michael didn’t feel safe at all. It felt like every person in the world was on the lookout for the three fugitives.

The Trifecta to Dissect-ya
, he thought. It should’ve made him smile, but instead he felt even sadder.

“We can’t sit here like this,” he said. “We need to get away. Hide. Not be seen.” The sense of urgency almost overwhelmed him, made it hard to breathe.

“Relax,” Sarah replied. He’d never heard her voice sound so hollow. “They think we’re still in the building. I took care of it.”

Bryson stood up. “We can never relax again. Michael’s right. Come on. Let’s get on a train and take it as far as it goes.”

They boarded the very next one that pulled into the station.

They huddled in a corner, leaning close together in their seats to work out what came next. So far no one seemed to
recognize their faces, despite their being plastered over the NewsBops.

“What’re we going to do?” Sarah whispered, so softly that Michael wondered if she might be talking to herself. “How can we possibly find my parents, much less save them?”

He shrugged. His mind kept wandering to Gabriela, wondering if somehow she could help them. She’d said she’d be with her dad in Atlanta.

As if Bryson had been reading his mind, he said, “There has to be someone out there who can help us.”

Sarah breathed out a heavy sigh. “Maybe we should’ve just turned ourselves in.”

“Don’t even go there,” Michael warned, still not ready to tell them about Gabriela. “Seriously. This isn’t just about some lazy detective looking to blame you for your parents’ kidnapping. People are out to get us. Kaine is out to get us. And who knows how many Tangents he’s downloaded by now. Or why in the world he’s doing it. We turn ourselves in, we’ll be dead come morning.”

Sarah slowly turned to face him, as if it took all her energy to move that much. “A bit dramatic, don’t you think?”

“You really need to ask that? After what we’ve been through? I can’t look at anyone anymore without wondering if they’re a Tangent, dying to test out their new human hands and squeeze my throat closed.”

Sarah sighed again. “
If
that’s what’s happening,” she murmured.

Michael knew where they had to go. And he knew that his friends wouldn’t like it. “We need to try the VNS again.”

Sarah shook her head. “After that sweet, warm reception we got at the junk-hole with Cigar Man? I don’t think so.”

“Yeah, it didn’t go so well,” Bryson added.

“I’m telling you,” Michael insisted, “we have to try.”

Neither of his friends looked convinced.

“I’m serious!” Michael half shouted.

“You just said we shouldn’t turn ourselves in!”

“To the
cops
.” Michael breathed in, then tried to exhale his frustration. “Look, I know. This is different. I’m not going to waltz into some random VNS branch again. We need to go to Atlanta and find Agent Weber. Break in if we have to. In fact, I think we
should
break in, because I don’t want to risk getting caught by guards or cops. She’s the only one we can risk talking to.” And if that didn’t work, he’d have to contact Gabriela.

Bryson wore an expression of genuine disbelief. “We already did that, Michael. You were there, remember? She blew us off.”

“I know. But there was something weird about it. Maybe our mission on the Path was top-secret, or maybe what happened to
me
is top-secret. I’m sure of it, actually. I bet only she and a few others know about the Mortality Doctrine, especially that it worked. She came to me, guys. She came to my—to
Jackson’s
apartment and said that she’d be in touch with me. For all we know,
she
was threatened by Kaine and now she’s backing off. There’s a ton of possibilities. But she’s the only person on this planet I can imagine giving us a chance. They need us because we’re so close to the situation, and we need them. Someone has to stop what Kaine’s started.”

Sarah took on a contemplative look. “Maybe she can also help find my parents.”

“Exactly.” Michael had her. He tried not to show too much relief. She’d come to his side far more quickly than he’d expected. Now they just had to convince Bryson.

“What do you think?” he asked him. “She’s in Atlanta.”

Bryson nodded slowly, reluctantly coming on board. “I guess we find a sneaky way to buy bus tickets, then. We can sleep on the road.”

It was a long, long bus ride ahead of them, and Michael couldn’t get comfortable in his seat. A plane, train, or car—anything would have been a better option, but they couldn’t risk it. A bus seemed the most anonymous mode of transportation. No one seemed to care too much about three shabbily dressed teenagers riding the lonely road to visit some faraway grandma.

His friends had dozed off quickly, Bryson’s head hilariously bobbing all over the place, and Michael seized the opportunity to contact Gabriela. He wanted to see if she had any value to them before he bothered telling his friends about her. Had to.

Michael couldn’t risk staying connected to the Net for a long time, but if he could quickly convince her to meet him when they got to Atlanta, they could talk in person. After igniting his NetScreen, it didn’t take long to find her information
and send a message, using a brand-new fake ID. She responded almost immediately.

MichaelPeterson240:
Gabby, it’s Jax. We need to talk.

GabbyWonderWoman:
Hi.

MichaelPeterson240:
Oh. Hi. That was fast.

GabbyWonderWoman:
I noticed all your accounts vanished.

MichaelPeterson240:
My Jackson accounts?

GabbyWonderWoman:
Yeah.

MichaelPeterson240:
Yeah. Look, I needed WAY more time to explain everything.

GabbyWonderWoman:
No. No one could possibly be that stupid.

MichaelPeterson240:
Exactly.

GabbyWonderWoman:
Consider me the most confused girl in history. Since the Big Bang.

MichaelPeterson240:
I know. I’m just as confused about most of it.

GabbyWonderWoman:
Are you really trying to tell me you’re not Jax?

MichaelPeterson240:
Give me a chance to explain in person.

GabbyWonderWoman:
Okay. I need to see you, too. I’m going crazy.

MichaelPeterson240:
Okay. I’m sorry. About all this. Bye.

GabbyWonderWoman:
I love you.

Michael saw that last line and let out a breath. Not knowing what else to do, he quickly exited the conversation and turned off his EarCuff. He stared at the now-dark spot where the NetScreen had been hovering, his heart hammering, his thoughts flying. The bus hummed and bounced along the night-black road.

Gabriela’s dad worked for the VNS. VNS security, which was redundant, like she said. Things made a little more sense now. Kaine wanted that inside track for some reason, which was why he’d sent Michael into Jackson’s body through the Mortality Doctrine. And now, no matter how guilty it made him feel, Michael was going to take advantage of the connection himself, if for nothing else, to find out more about the VNS. And at best, to find a way inside their headquarters for a meeting with Agent Weber. In person.

Michael settled himself and closed his eyes, leaning against the cool glass of the window. The vibration of the bus, the thrum of the tires on the road, the inviting darkness—it all started to lull him to sleep. On some level, he knew the real reason he wanted to see Gabriela again. Gabby. She was real, a tether linking his new life to its origins. And … she loved him. It was all messed up.