Apocalypse Before Finals by Julie Steimle (electric book reader txt) 📕

Peevishly, he rolled his eyes again. "Coach, have you listened to a word I've said? Zormna is not my girlfriend."

His coach nodded and continued anyway. "Well then tell me how their remarks about your...ah...friend makes you feel?"

Jeff moaned. He wanted it to be over. "Their rude remarks - "

"No labeling, just tell me the effects. How does it make you feel?" The coach sat back in his chair, arms folded.

"What do you coach again?" Jeff asked, glancing at him cockeyed. His eyes scanned the room, looking for signs of a particular sport.

"You're getting off the subject," the coach warned him. His cheeks flushed though, as he just coached P.E., and Pennington coaches were highly competitive.

"Golf?" Jeff asked, a smirk crooking up in the corner of his mouth. "Parcheesi?"

"Not the time - " the coach said with annoyance in his voice.

"How does that make you feel?" Jeff continued, masking his smirk.

"Streigle," the coach snapped, rising.

"Really, Coach, how can you expect me to face up to my emotional challenges when you haven't faced up to yours?" Jeff spoke in a mock serious tone.

"Now, Jeff Streigle - " the coach's voice went sharp.

Jeff sat back. "Such hostility, Coach. Maybe you should try breathing in and out. I hear that helps."

His coach sighed and shook his head. "I see you aren't taking this seriously."

Jeff smirked.

Zormna rode home with Jeff as usual. And as usual, they went to Jeff's house. But because Jeff's instruments were at her place, he did not do any of his usual musical practice. The listening FBI could get nothing except a thermal scan of their movements within the house, a new method of tracking they had adopted since the beginning of the Hard Watch. So far the occupants of the house went quietly about their business.

Jeff and Zormna sat at the coffee table in the living room finishing their homework. They had both finished reading The Hunchback of Notre Dame and were writing short essays for Mr. Humphries. The essays were due Friday.

"How did you answer this one, Jafarr?" Zormna held up her paper as she read from it. "Describe how discrimination in the story shows the blindness of those who discriminate?"

Sighing loudly, Jeff peered at it. "I haven't gotten to that one yet."

She placed her paper down. Zormna glanced over her shoulder down the hall. Then she looked back at Jeff and sighed. "Do you think we could join them in the radio room? I can't study, and I only have two essays left anyway. I can finish them tomorrow."

His tired eyes peered over the coffee table with a warning look.

"I'm done with every other class too," she added.

"Zormna, I think Eric and Aaron are too busy to have you hanging over their shoulder. And it would irritate Aaron," Jeff said.

Zormna scowled. She really didn't like 'Aaron'. Despite being an ex-cop that had worked with the rebellion, Asdrov Eddren's treatment of her was annoying. He always acted as if she were a bimbo - a hostile bimbo - but a bimbo with good looks that served no other function except to look pretty at Jeff's side. Of course, he also didn't like her. She kept shattering his perception of her with smart remarks and growls in defense of Jeff. Aaron was the least respectful of Jeff's leadership, and that irritated her so much that if no one had been around to stop her she probably would have kicked his face in. Eric wasn't bad.

"Well, I still want to listen to what's going on," she said.

Jeff sighed and nodded, putting away his homework. "Actually, so do I. Let's go."

When Jeff and Zormna entered the room, let in after two knocks by Eric, Aaron shot Zormna one dirty look as he continued to listen to the radio. He was talking with a man that sounded panicked.

<<...came from the tunnels. They have occupied the catwalks all over the undercity section five, and I really think they won't stop this time. I think they intend to wipe us out.>> The speaker sounded near tears.

Jeff immediately stared at Aaron in alarm. "What happened?"

Eric looked drawn, his eyes a little bloodshot. He whispered, "The PMs have taken undercity sections five, thirty and twenty three. They've swept the machine repair tunnels. We had to move D's group. That's R on the line now."

Jeff lurched to the radio, immediately leaving Zormna. He sat next to Aaron who was writing down the PM movements.

"I think - " Aaron grimaced when Jeff sat next to him. Jeff nudged him over, taking control of the radio.

"This is Big Z. Use emergency code Beh and clear out to safety holes," Jeff ordered.

Tired, Aaron sighed and nodded, backing off from his position.

<<I hear you Big Z. Clearing out. R.>> That end of the radio silenced.

"I didn't want to disturb you," Aaron muttered, glancing once at Zormna who was standing in the back of the room with her hand on her mouth. Her eyes were wide with comprehending distress. "But they called right before you got home, and I thought it was better not to...uh...alarm you both."

Jeff closed his eyes. "How bad is it?"

"Pretty bad," Eric butted in.

Aaron nodded.

"Orrlar thinks that the PMs won't wait another week before taking the whole undercity," Eric continued. "He expects us to evacuate Pennington by next week and regroup with the rebellion."

"And us?" Jeff asked, indicating Zormna and himself.

Aaron shot Zormna another look. Eric appeared hesitant.

"He was thinking that you two better stay here and wait it out," Aaron at last informed her.

Disgusted, Zormna exploded in a shout. "I'm not staying here if you aren't."

Yet Jeff understood what 'Uncle Orren' was thinking, and he found himself agreeing. The man didn't want Zormna in the middle of the fighting until absolutely necessary. She was too important.

"Zormna, I think he's right," Jeff said slowly.

She scowled at him. And though she disagreed - thinking 'Uncle Orren' was just trying to reassert a superior position over Jeff in the rebellion by making decisions for all and telling Jeff after the fact - she knew Jeff's reasons for going with it.

"So where is he going to stay? It will look fishy to the FBI - and anyone else with eyes - if Jafarr is left here all alone," Zormna said, folding her arms and glaring at the men. "Mr. Humphries, if he ever found out, would have conniptions."

"You've got one nosy teacher," Aaron muttered.

But Jeff cocked his head and smirked. She had a point. He looked to Eric. "Eergvin?"

Eric shrugged. "I dunno. I guess Orrlar thought Jafarr would stay at your place."

Both Zormna and Jeff pulled back.

Zormna laughed dryly. "Yeah, right. And have the entire school think worse thoughts about us? No way. He can't live with me. Principal Anders just threatened to call social services and get my emancipation revoked if I don't cooperate with his stupid counseling sessions. If he found out Jafarr had moved in with me, it would all be over."

Jeff flushed, following that train of thought. "Well, uh...obviously Orrlar hasn't entirely thought this one out." He looked back at Eric and Aaron. "He wouldn't have one of you stay here with me, would he?"

With a dirty smirk, Aaron said, "Do you need a babysitter?"

Zormna looked likely to throttle him.  

Jeff didn't appreciate it either, getting in her way to make sure she didn't strangle Aaron. "No. It's just that the FBI are still watching us, and it would look suspicious if I were left all alone in this house."

"Maybe Alzdar can stay," Eric suggested. "He can tell the Feds that his aunt and uncle have gone on vacation, leaving you two at the house."

"Like they'll believe that," Zormna murmured. "Didn't you evacuate the rest of your so-called family? If Al gets left behind, the FBI might pick him up and use him as a hostage."

Jeff paled, eyes widening. 

Eric gazed tiredly at her. "Well what do you suggest, besides you coming with us? It's a lot better than just leaving Jafarr alone with you, if it really is a problem. At least then the FBI might think the rest of us were coming back."

"They wouldn't think that," Zormna snapped. "They're not stupid."

Jeff nodded. "Ok, but what about if I stay with the Hendersons? They've said if I ever needed - "

<<Big Z! EG! V! O! Anyone! I need someone to pick up!>>

Spinning around, Jeff pressed the speaking button on the machine. "This is Big Z. What happened?"

<<This is P - PMs are in the tunnels. I repeat PMs are in the tunnels. Alert Q and R!>>

Jeff nodded. "Will do, P."

He was about to change frequencies but P continued to speak. <<They're all dead, Big Z. They got our Tarrn. Big Z, they got our Tarrn!>>

Zormna let out a painful gasp. Jeff stiffened. She had known about the other Tarrn the rebellion was hiding and had been attempting to train for fighting. She had even offered to go back and teach him at one point, though everyone had said 'no.'

"What did you say?" Jeff asked.

The caller sounded like he was weeping. <<The Tarrns. They're all dead. The PMs found the last Effron Tarrn in the Surface Patrol. The Kevin was hiding him, if you can believe that. They killed our Tarrn too. The fool just froze up when they attacked. All our training wasted. We're done for, Jafarr.>>

Jeff's blood froze. Behind him, with her hands over her mouth Zormna smothered sobs so that she wouldn't be heard. It was done. It was over. She was the last, exactly as he had predicted.

<<Big Z?>>

Jeff hadn't realized that he had been silent for a full minute. He tried to bring himself back to the present. "Ok, P. Take your group and spread the alert to retreat. You know the evacuation routine."

The man on the other side still wept. <<Already done.>>

Nodding morosely, Jeff punched the button to change the frequency. Aaron and Eric watched him, peeking back at Zormna who swayed palely on her feet. She looked likely to faint - though it was not her nature.

"Big Z calling R. If anyone is still there, evacuate. Repeat, evacuate." Jeff blinked out the tears in his burning eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. There was nothing on the other line. They were already gone.

He changed the frequencies again and punched the speaking button. "Big Z calling Q. Is anyone there?"

An answer came immediately. <<This is Q.>>

However the sound did not match Jeff's memory of Q's voice. His heart raced in his chest and his mind stuck in panic.

<<You have message?>> the voice sounded too calm for the situation.

Jeff immediately punched off the radio button and pulled the power cord out of the wall. Eric and Aaron both stared at Jeff. Covering his mouth, staring at the ground, Jeff trembled.

"That was a PM," Zormna's said from behind.

Both Aaron and Eric turned to look at her. Her eyes were wiped dry, but now red. She clenched her arms across her stomach and stared at Jeff.

He looked to her with a firm nod. "And they're going to come here."

Popping out of his seat, Aaron's breathing went rapid. His panic washed out all color from his skin.

"Do you think they traced us that fast?" Eric said, disbelieving what he had just heard.

Aaron nodded, running straight for the computer. "I do."

Jeff nodded also, but did not move. "In those few seconds, if they were waiting for a call, they could have traced us to this state, if not this city, especially if they were waiting for us." He then shook his head. "I don't think they got the house, but they might have."

Eric still looked like he didn't believe it. But Aaron pulled out all the vital parts to the computer like a techno-thief, cramming them into an empty computer paper box at the foot of the desk. He then hurried to the walls, pulling off all maps without a care where the tacks flew or if the paper tore.

"So we go back," Zormna said once again, waiting to see what the two men would say.

Hastily dismantling