The Forbidden Trilogy(246)

Nothing buzzed in Lucy's head. He'd spoken the truth, but the thought of leaving Sam here alone made her sick. Her shoulders slumped, and she imagined her face looked as depressed as Drake's did in that moment. "You're right. Let's go. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can get them back."

They rushed through the halls which were blessedly free of guards—also free of any kids, though they probably couldn't get out of their rooms on their own. The thought of them in there—helpless, scared, alone, pawns in Simmons's games—seriously pissed her off.

They reached the hangar and Lucy opened the door for them. Robyn and her group were already entering the helicopter—not the kickass one, but the regular one—the Boeing CH-47 Chinook.

Armed guards surrounded them, firing bullets that got stuck in the air, blocked by her exhausted brother. Darren and Gary used their para-powers to attack the guards with parts from the hangar—pipes, tools, anything metal or movable. Guards dodged as these airborne objects accosted them. Some of them lost their guns, dragged away by Gary, but others didn't. Were they using something else? Carbon fiber maybe? They held their weapons close, dashing from side to side. Darren could levitate any material, but not easily if it kept moving, and not with the same force as Gary.

"Let's move!" Lucy ran to the helicopter, Drake and Toby at her heels.

She wished they could've gotten the attack chopper, but the guards blocked that option. Luke fell to his knees, and she knew his power wouldn't hold out for much longer. The team climbed in, and Lucy helped Luke up.

"Get in. You can't hold this much longer."

He shook his head. "If I stop, we won't make it. The shield will break and we'll get sprayed with bullets."

Lucy called for Darren and Gary. "Help him. Take them all down."

Gary looked around. "We can't. There's nothing big enough."

"That plane. It's big enough. Throw it at them."

Gary's eyes widened. "I can't move that. I'm not strong enough."

Darren frowned. "Neither am I."

Lucy wanted to swat them both on the head. Had they learned nothing during their Rent-A-Kid escape? "Work together. You can do it if you combine powers and work together." She braced herself at the entrance of the chopper, ready to help Luke in as soon as the threat had been neutralized.

Darren and Gary focused, and for several long seconds nothing happened. Then the plane started to skid, grinding into the asphalt with a shriek as it moved. The guards noticed it coming toward them, and stopped firing long enough to run, but the boys didn't let up. The plane accelerated and slid into them, crushing them and knocking them out of the way.

Lucy grabbed Luke and pulled him in. "Take off, now!"

Norm sat at the pilot's seat and clicked a bunch of controls. They'd all had the training, but he'd been the best, taking his required courses and turning it into a hobby.

They put on their headsets and Norm started the engine. The main rotor whirred to life and lifted the helicopter into the air.

As they were about to clear the hangar, Beleth tore through the plane that had stopped the guards and sprinted towards them. One more second, and he would have ripped their chopper apart. The man couldn't be stopped.

Lucy spoke to Norm through the headset. "Take us to the island across the channel, to the IPI base."

She moved through the small space to find Hunter lying on the floor, still out cold. She surveyed his body, this time too worried to take note of her own attraction. His arm had a jagged scratch, but not as bad as she'd thought. She ran her hand through his hair to check for bumps, but he felt fine. She hoped there was no internal damage. Why hadn't he woken up yet?

"Guys." Norm's voice came through the comm system. "We should have gone with the other helicopter."

"We couldn't," said Greg. "The guards blocked it."

Mary looked toward Norm. "Why?"

"Because it's following us."

Lucy looked out. The terminator helicopter chased them, and she'd bet all her money that Beleth was flying it. "Take him out," she told Gary and Darren.

They looked.

"We can't," said Darren. "He's too far."

"That thing doesn't have missiles, does it?" Greg asked.

Norm turned his head to look at them, then looked back toward his control panels. "Actually, that thing has—"

A missile flew at them from behind.

Lucy yelled. "Block it, now!"

Gary and Darren focused and the missile bumped to the left and missed their chopper by a hair's breadth. It crashed into the island in front of them, exploding into flames and lighting up the dark sky.

Lucy wiped sweat from her brow with a shaky hand. "Don't let any of those get close." They'd come so close to dying in that one moment, and if they died, so would all those kids, and Sam.