SAM
LIBBY, MONTANA
SAM PUSHED OPEN THE DOOR OF ROOM 11 OF THE Mountain Do Motor Inn and darted inside. He shut the door behind him and set a bag of food from the Golden Dragon Chinese restaurant on the small table that stood beneath the room’s single window, which, if the curtains were open, would offer a spectacular view of the parking lot.
“Dinner’s here, Mrs. Hubble,” he said, using the name under which he and Six were registered.
“Great,” Six said, coming over to inspect the bag. “I’m starving.”
“I can’t believe how cold it is out there,” Sam said. “My hands are freezing.”
Six pulled out a plastic container and handed it to him. “Here,” she said. “Hold the egg drop soup for a few minutes. That will warm you up.”
“Ahh,” Sam sighed. “Better. The girl at the restaurant said we’re in for more snow. I guess this is unusual for this time of year.”
“Thank you, climate change,” Six said, tearing open a packet of soy sauce with her teeth.
“What did I miss?” Sam asked as he sank onto the room’s only bed. The mattress groaned in protest.
“Not much,” Six said, pouring the soy sauce over a carton of pork with black bean sauce and poking into it with a fork. “The guy they sent to meet Rena and Nemo is grilling them, trying to trip them up. But they’re sticking to the script.”
She indicated the television. On the screen was an image, fed from the laptop on the bed, of a coffee shop. Rena and Nemo were seated at a table, across from a bearded man wearing a red-and-black-checked lumberjack coat and a red knit hat. Because the image was being fed through the contact lens cameras each girl wore, they only saw what Nemo and Rena were looking at.
“Whose camera is that?” Sam asked.
“Nemo’s,” Six answered. “You can switch between them, but they’re showing the same thing right now, so there’s not much point.”
“Those things are amazing,” said Sam. “Lexa really hooked us up.” He turned up the volume and listened as the trio talked. The microphones implanted in the jewelry each girl wore was also working perfectly.
“You expect me to believe they just let you walk out of that place?” the man said. “After what went down in Texas?”
“They didn’t let us do anything,” Nemo said, her voice dripping with hostility. “That’s the point.”
“They wanted everything their way,” Rena added, perfectly playing her role as the more levelheaded one. “I don’t like that. Besides, I want to see my friend Yo-Yo. Make sure he’s okay. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, even back in Texas. And Nemo wants to see her friend Ghost.”
The man nodded at Nemo. “What is it you do again?”
“Breathe underwater,” Nemo said.
The man snorted. “That’ll come in real handy around here,” he said. “And you make toys come alive?” he said to Rena.
“Something like that,” Rena confirmed.
The man shook his head. “I don’t know why the hell Dennings is taking a chance on you two,” he said. “Personally, I think you’re more trouble than you’re worth.”
“I guess it’s a good thing you’re not in charge, then, isn’t it?” Nemo said.
The man pointed a finger at her. “Watch your mouth. You ain’t there yet. I’d be more than happy to leave your asses right here.”
“Whatever,” Nemo said.
“She’s pushing it,” Sam remarked.
“You sound surprised,” said Six.
“You still think we shouldn’t have let her go, don’t you?” said Sam.
“It doesn’t matter now,” Six answered. “She’s there. Now we just have to hope this guy buys their story.”
A day had passed since Rena had boarded the bus in San Francisco. In Reno, they had met with a woman who grilled them just as the man in the coffee shop was, asking the same kinds of questions he was asking. Then they had been driven to a rest area and put into a van.
And then they had disappeared.
Sam and Six, watching the camera feeds and following the van at a discreet distance, had seen the feeds turn to static. Not knowing if the tech had failed or if Rena and Nemo had been physically injured or even killed, they’d panicked. But a minute or so later, the feeds were restored, and Nemo and Rena were staring at a stocky, pug-nosed teenage boy with buzzed blond hair who was holding on to them. They had been teleported to a new location, presumably to prevent anyone following them from knowing where they were going.
Fortunately, their microchips pinpointed their position in Montana. Six and Sam, who had trailed them the whole way, quickly detoured to an airport, where McKenna arranged for a private jet to take them to Montana. There, they had holed up at the motel nearby to monitor the situation. Given that James Kirk’s tracking device was putting him in the same general vicinity, they hoped this would be the final stop.
The man in the coffee shop stood up. “Come on,” he said.
“Here we go,” said Sam.
The man walked out of the restaurant. Nemo and Rena followed. Nemo turned to look at Rena, and for a moment Rena’s face was looking out at Six and Sam. She looked exhausted.
The man walked to a pickup truck. “Get in,” he ordered.
Nemo went in first, with Rena following. The man got in on the other side and started the truck.
“Where are we going this time?” Rena asked.
“Find out soon enough,” the man said as he pulled out of the parking lot.
“Should we follow them?” Sam asked Six.
Six shook her head. “I think this is it,” she said. “Besides, these roads are so deserted, it would be hard to stay out of sight. Let’s wait and see where they end up. Then we can go in.”
The truck wound its way up into the mountains, turning off the highway onto less-traveled roads until finally it was on what wasn’t much more than a dirt lane twisting through the forest. Eventually, after almost two hours of driving, even this ended, and the man pulled the truck over.
“Get out,” he said.
The two girls got out. Because of the darkness in the woods, it was difficult to make out much more than shadows. Nemo and Rena stood together. “Now what?” Rena asked.
“Now, we walk,” the man told her.
“Into the woods?” Nemo objected.
“Into the woods,” said the man.
“I’ve seen this movie,” Nemo said. “We’ll get ten yards in there, and you’ll shoot us or something.”
The man laughed gruffly. “You think we’d waste all this time just to kill you?” he said. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pistol, waving it at them. “But don’t try anything stupid.”
He disappeared into the trees. Rena and Nemo followed. The snowfall wasn’t deep this far into the forest, but it was thick enough to make walking difficult, especially as they were going uphill. For the next ninety minutes, they hiked farther and farther into the wilderness. The sound of their labored breathing filled the motel room.
“I feel guilty sitting here in a warm room while they’re out there,” Sam said, turning the sound down. “It’s like watching a horror movie.”
Six, who was testing the small receiver on which the girls’ transmitters could be followed, set the device down. “There are all kinds of hunting cabins in those mountains,” she said. “It’s easy to disappear in there. My guess is that Dennings has found something like that. What we don’t know—yet—is whether he’s moved the whole operation here or just part of it.”
“I don’t think even he is stupid enough to risk having us catch him with all those kids again,” said Sam.
“Agreed,” Six said. “And that’s what worries me. Why is he so willing to take these two in after what happened? And if Kirk is really here, what’s he doing with him? I don’t feel good about any of this.”
On the television, the hikers stepped out of the trees. They were standing at the bottom of yet another mountain. Snow fell lightly but steadily. Halfway up the mountain, lights burned in the darkness.
Nemo groaned. “More walking?”
“Relax, princess,” their guide said. “Your chariot is here.”
He pointed to an ATV parked at the edge of the trees. “Get on,” he said.
“You’re only supposed to put one person on the back of those,” Nemo objected as the man straddled the front seat and started up the four-wheeler.
“Then you’d better not fall off,” the man said. “I ain’t a taxi service, so if you don’t come now, you walk the rest of the way.”
“Come on,” Rena said to Nemo. “We’ll be all right.”
The two girls climbed onto the ATV. Reluctantly, Rena put her arms around the man in front, while Nemo squeezed in behind her and slipped her arms around Rena.
“Hang on tight,” the man said, laughing, as he gunned the engine.
Viewed through Nemo’s camera, the landscape bounced and shook as the ATV moved up the mountain. Its tires threw snow and dirt up in the air, and the girls grunted every time the vehicle leaped over a bump or slid sideways.
“I think I’m getting motion sickness,” Sam said, watching their progress.
Nemo closed her eyes, and for a few minutes the screen was black, and all they heard was the sound of the ATV’s engine. Then that came to an end. Nemo opened her eyes. They were parked next to a lodge. The three riders got off the four-wheeler, and the man led Nemo and Rena to a set of wooden stairs.
At the top, they entered through a doorway and went into a large, open room. The building was a cabin, and the walls were bare logs. Timbers crossed overhead, supporting the ceiling. Everywhere Nemo looked, her camera sent back images of animal heads mounted on the walls: bears, elk, deer, and mountain lions stared back with glassy eyes. There were birds, too, and fish, along with hunting rifles and traps. At one end of the room, a huge stone fireplace blazed with a crackling fire. The room was also lit by a huge chandelier made from deer antlers. Large windows provided a view of the woods below, which now were silvered with moonlight.
“Somebody likes shooting things,” Six remarked.
As Rena and Nemo looked around, Jagger Dennings came walking into the room. He strode over to the girls and stopped.
“Didn’t think I’d be seeing you again so soon,” he said to Rena.
Rena shrugged. “Me either,” she said. “But you know how it is. Things change.”
“Yeah,” Dennings said. “They do.” He gestured around the room. “Although I guess I should thank you and your Garde friends. Because of them, I got to move into this place. A little nicer than the other one, don’t you think?”
Rena shrugged. “It’s pretty sweet. Smaller, though. Doesn’t look like there’s room enough for everybody.”
“Ah,” Dennings said. “Smart girl. You’re right about that. Not everybody made the move with me.”
“Why’s that?” Rena asked.
“Let’s just say we’ve refocused our business model,” Dennings replied. “Nothing to worry about, though. We can still use someone like you.” He turned his attention to Nemo. “And I see you’ve brought along a friend. You didn’t like what the HGA was offering either?”
“Not much,” Nemo said.
Dennings continued to look at her without saying anything. Nemo stared back. Finally, Dennings said, “Well, I’m sure we’ll find something to do with you.” Turning his attention to Rena, he said, “That reminds me. I’ve got somebody who’s been waiting to see you.” He turned and called over his shoulder, “Sparky! Come on out. Your friend is here.”
A young man appeared in the doorway. Tall and thin, with dark skin and close-cropped hair, he seemed nervous. He hesitated before running into the room and heading for Rena.
“Yo-Yo!” Rena shouted, and opened her arms. She hugged her friend for a long time. As she did, Six and Sam saw his mouth moving.
“Switch over to Rena’s feed,” Six said.
Sam did. By then, Rena and Yo-Yo had parted.
“I’ll back it up a little,” Sam said.
They watched Yo-Yo’s mouth moving again. This time they heard him speak.
“You shouldn’t have come back,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
Sam switched back to the live feed. Now Yo-Yo was standing silently, looking at the floor.
“I love a reunion,” Dennings said, clapping Yo-Yo on the back. “You and your friend have a lot of catching up to do, eh, Sparky?” To Rena he said, “Sparky here has some big news. Really exciting news.”
“Yeah?” Rena said. “What’s that?”
Dennings beamed. “He got his Legacy back. Well, Drac gave it back to him, after he showed us he deserved it.”
Rena looked at her friend. Yo-Yo was still looking down at the floor.
“Come on, Sparky,” Dennings said. “Show her.”
Yo-Yo lifted his hands and cupped them in front of his body. He stared at the space between them. A few seconds later, a spark appeared, and a small flame burst to life. Yo-Yo held it in his hands as it burned.
“Look at that!” Dennings said. “Good as new!”
“What’s this about?” Sam said to Six. “Why does Yo-Yo look so scared?”
“I don’t know,” Six said. “But I don’t like it.”
Back in the lodge, Yo-Yo pulled his hands apart, and the flame disappeared. He put his hands at his sides and hung his head again, as if using his power was somehow embarrassing or shameful. Dennings put an arm around the boy’s shoulders, making Yo-Yo flinch.
“Pretty great, huh?” he said to Rena and Nemo.
“How’d you do it?” Rena asked.
Dennings held up a finger and wagged it. “That’s a secret,” he said. “The important thing is that Sparky here is back in business. And just in time.”
“In time for what?” Nemo asked.
Dennings took his arm from around Yo-Yo’s shoulders. “To play a game,” he answered. “You two like games, right?”
Nemo looked over at Rena. “Depends on the game,” Rena said.
Dennings nodded. “Sure,” he said. “I get it. I promise you, this game is a good one. It’s kind of like hide-and-seek. You’ve played that one, right, when you were kids? It’s easy. Somebody hides, and somebody else tries to find them. You don’t get found, then you win. In this case, if you don’t get caught, I let you back in.”
“And if we do get found?” Rena said.
Dennings frowned. “Well, then, I’m afraid you’re out of the game.”
“What’s he setting them up for?” Sam said. “I don’t like this. At all.”
“Why does Yo-Yo need his Legacy back to play?” asked Rena.
“Let’s just say it could come in handy,” said Dennings. He looked at his watch. “The seekers should be here in a couple of hours. Then we can start.”
“Who are these seekers?” Rena asked. “Other kids with Legacies?”
“No,” Dennings answered. “No Legacies to worry about.” He smiled, but there was nothing friendly about it. “But you’ll want to make sure they don’t catch you. Now, let’s go over the rules. You’ll get a fifteen-minute head start. Then the seekers will come after you. They’ll have twelve hours to find you.”
“Twelve hours?” said Nemo. “You expect us to hide out there in the cold woods all night?”
Dennings nodded. “You can always use Sparky’s Legacy to start a fire to keep warm,” he said. “Of course, that would probably give your location away. It’s up to you. The game ends at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. Like I said, if you haven’t been caught, you’re in.”
“How many seekers are there?” Rena asked.
“Good question,” said Dennings. “Two. And to make things a little fairer for you, I’m adding one more person to your team. Cutter, bring their other teammate out.”
The man standing behind the girls left the room. He returned pushing someone in front of him. The man’s hands were tied behind his back, and he stumbled as Dennings’s henchman shoved him to his knees.
When he looked up, Sam and Six were looking at the face of James Kirk.