The Lofties (The Echelon Book 2) by Ramona Finn (no david read aloud .txt) 📕

fine—we’d get out through the tunnel. Then, the train came, and—”

“Train? What train?”

“That’s what’s burning.”

My stomach turned over. “You set a whole train on fire? What about—”

“They sent it in burning. To trap us inside.”

Metal clanged on concrete. Sergey cried out, dismayed.

“Get down here. They’re battering us. They’ve got some kind of—”

That clang came again, and the scuffling of boots. Ben flung himself down, and I saw they’d blocked the stairwell, built a barricade from scrap. A blaster bolt sailed over it and took out the emergency lights. I dropped to a crouch and edged up next to Ben.

“Where’s Starkey?”

“Trying to force the outside door.”

I coughed out a smoky hah. “I’d better go help him.” I got to my feet, then a thought crossed my mind. “One of you should grab Jasper. Once I get that door open, we’ll have to move fast.”

“I’ll get him.” Ben slipped off his mask and held his sleeve over his face. The smoke swallowed him up, and I ran for the door. I found Starkey slumped against it, gasping for breath.

“Hey. Where’s your tank?”

He raised his head with an effort. “Couldn’t... find enough for all of us. Sharing with Ben.”

“Okay. Keep your head down. He’s just gone to get Jasper.”

Starkey slid down, coughing, and I went for the door. I pressed my fake palm to the reader, but this time, it buzzed. I smoothed it out and tried again, and got the same result. Ben came up behind me, Jasper leaning on his shoulder.

“Can you force it?”

I shook my head. “Not this door. It’s got those plates, meshed together. Even I can’t bend those.”

“Then—”

“In there.” I jerked my head at the guard booth. “Give Starkey some air. I’ll buzz us out.”

Ben took one last gulp of gretha, then pressed his mask to Starkey’s face. I kicked the booth open and squinted inside. Somewhere in here was a button, or a lever, or a switch, something I could flip and let us out.

Metal clanged behind me, and someone screamed in pain. I heard a crunch, then blaster fire, and something whizzed by my head. I blinked the smoke from my eyes and ducked down. The booth was full of old junk, coffee cups and magazines, a bag of squished pretzels. I swept it all to one side, and I found what I was looking for, a bank of buttons and switches, labeled with tape. I ran my finger across them, reading aloud—lights. Shift change. Shutdown—none of them what I wanted.

“Myla?”

“Just a minute.” I bit my lip, straining to focus. PA. Track close. Air.

“Myla!” Ben lunged in front of me as the barricade broke, but I’d found the right button, a black one marked Door. I mashed it down with my thumb, and the exit spun open. Bright light streamed in, which was wrong, because—

“We’ve got you surrounded.” A voice boomed from outside, bullhorn-loud. “Lay down your weapons, and you’ll be taken alive.”

Starkey dragged himself upright, a frail silhouette. Sergey backed toward him, penned in from behind. The guards closed ranks behind him, riot shields high. I saw Jasper crumple, still clutching Lock’s tank. Ben grabbed my arm, but I shook him off. I marched out of the guard booth, into the floodlight’s glare. I could see them now, through the smoke, half Lazrad’s army between us and the Outside.

“It’s me you want,” I said. “Let my friends go, and I won’t put up a fight.”

Someone laughed, low and nasty, and I felt my skin crawl.

“Oh, by all means. Put up a fight. I’ve a battalion behind me. How about you?” Prium Lazrad strode forth, heels clicking on the concrete. His eyes danced, full of glee, too bright behind his mask. I stood where I was, taking in his high boots, his long coat fluttering behind him. I glimpsed a blaster underneath, still holstered at his hip. My fingers twitched at my sides.

“I have names,” I bluffed. “High-placed traitors. Let my friends go, and I’ll give them all up.”

“You’ll give them up anyway.” Prium plucked at his glove. “I know what you’re thinking. You can take a lot of pain. But I needn’t hurt you to get you to talk.”

I fought down my rage and forced myself to stand still. Prium kept coming, boots clacking, eyes bright. His soldiers lined the tunnel, blasters primed to fire.

“Those are your new guns, right?” I raised my voice. “The ones that track your target, shoot where they’re headed?”

“Why, yes. They’re quite—” Prium stopped in his tracks. I saw the whites of his eyes, the flash of dawning horror. “No! Hold your—”

His hand flew to his blaster, too late. I launched myself forward, headfirst into his belly. A stray bolt pierced my shoulder, then grazed his hip. I bore him to the ground, and he hit with a scream, flat-backed on his gretha tank. I wrenched his blaster from his hip and squeezed off a warning shot.

“Next one goes in his head.” I hauled myself to my feet, and Prium along with me. He staggered and swayed, and I smelled searing flesh as I pressed the blaster to his temple. He squealed, and I laughed. “Hurts, doesn’t it?”

“You won’t get away with this.” Prium forced the words through clenched teeth. He was trembling all over, his rage palpable through his skin. “Lady Lazrad will find you, make examples of you all.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. But you won’t live to see it.” I gave his arm a twist. “Order your men back. We walk out of here, all of us, or you die.”

Prium went tense, shoulders bunching. I pulled him against me and jammed my blaster under his chin.

“Last chance. Call ‘em off.”

I felt Prium swallow. My blaster bobbed with the movement, digging into his throat.

“Clear the gate,” he said, and I heard his squad part behind me. I felt the breeze on my neck, and I backed toward it. Ben and Starkey came after me, supporting Jasper between them. Sergey came next, with the gretha for Lock. I peered past him,