pods had fanned out over the city; they were probably waking people up with their racket. Two pods were headed in my direction.
Leaning forward, I angled the CyJet down the hill and aimed for a road that could have fit maybe eight CyJets flying side by side. Why had they made these roads so wide? What a waste. Once I hit the road, I poured on the speed and let the ghostly path lead me generally to the east. I had to dodge strange, twisted piles of metal and trees regularly, but that didn’t slow me down. It seemed like the longer I was out in the dark, the more my eyes got used to the poor light. Part of my mind wandered as I rode. I wasn’t sure how far I had to go before they stopped searching for me. But if I left New Frisko, I couldn’t figure out what had really happened with Bren.
I thought of Bren’s mom and dad and sister, and I shoved the image of their heartbroken faces out of my mind. I couldn’t deal with that right now. Then there were the other Pushers. When word got out about Bren, Melisa, Koner, and Pol would have no way of figuring out what had happened. The Admins would have to say something that kept people reassured and calm. Like blaming me.
If they did, they’d be right.
I knew I was responsible for Bren; I shouldn’t have been so careless. I couldn’t think about that right now. I had to get away, find a place to stop, rest, and think.
I must have outdistanced the Enforsers because for the next hour, I saw no sign of them. By that time, I must have gone thirty kilometers or more. I couldn’t believe how far I’d come from New Frisko. The road I was following led me deeper into mountains where trees sprouted thickly. Most of the trees had pale trunks that glowed in the moonlight. As I rounded a hill, I saw a road that branched off of the one I was on. The new road headed almost directly east and looked like it cut through thick groups of hills and incredibly tall forests. That should work.
My eyes felt like they’d been scraped with sandpaper, and keeping my eyelids open was taking more and more of my attention. I rode maybe a kilometer down this new road, really wishing that the CyJet emitted more light than the glow from the propulsion units. The trees had been growing steadily thicker, and the wide, tightly packed trunks cut off the minimal light. These trees were different, too; their trunks didn’t glow. But some of them were immense. Some of the trunks were the size of my room. I pulled the CyJet off the road into the darker space under one of the trees.
Redwoods.
My bleary mind randomly recalled the name of these trees, calling the word up from a memory of some class from a few years back. As I dismounted, I looked around, hoping no wild animals were close and hungry. I found myself standing on a relatively clear patch of ground at the base of the huge tree. There were plenty of leaves, but only a couple of tiny bushes and saplings. I kicked some leaves together, pulled my zip tightly around me, and gingerly lowered myself to the ground, my right arm feeling strangely stiff. I must have had bruises on every inch of skin. Muscles I didn’t think I’d ever used complained.
Maybe I would just live out here. Find some way to get food. Maybe steal it. Nobody would find me in the middle of this place. Nobody ever came out here.
I don’t even remember my head hitting the small pile of flat leaves I’d quickly kicked together.
CHAPTER 13
The CyJet was singing. I was riding along, exploring the gray, overgrown corpses of ancient cities when the machine began singing. I couldn’t make out the words or see a mouth, but there was no doubt in my mind.
I blinked, the dream clinging to me with sticky fingers. The CyJet singing? I fought the strange images back and looked around, sucking in a deep breath. Singing? That was impossible. I stared at the CyJet, which was maybe a meter away from my head. It made no noise. Scuff marks dotted the machine’s body where bullets and
Leaning forward, I angled the CyJet down the hill and aimed for a road that could have fit maybe eight CyJets flying side by side. Why had they made these roads so wide? What a waste. Once I hit the road, I poured on the speed and let the ghostly path lead me generally to the east. I had to dodge strange, twisted piles of metal and trees regularly, but that didn’t slow me down. It seemed like the longer I was out in the dark, the more my eyes got used to the poor light. Part of my mind wandered as I rode. I wasn’t sure how far I had to go before they stopped searching for me. But if I left New Frisko, I couldn’t figure out what had really happened with Bren.
I thought of Bren’s mom and dad and sister, and I shoved the image of their heartbroken faces out of my mind. I couldn’t deal with that right now. Then there were the other Pushers. When word got out about Bren, Melisa, Koner, and Pol would have no way of figuring out what had happened. The Admins would have to say something that kept people reassured and calm. Like blaming me.
If they did, they’d be right.
I knew I was responsible for Bren; I shouldn’t have been so careless. I couldn’t think about that right now. I had to get away, find a place to stop, rest, and think.
I must have outdistanced the Enforsers because for the next hour, I saw no sign of them. By that time, I must have gone thirty kilometers or more. I couldn’t believe how far I’d come from New Frisko. The road I was following led me deeper into mountains where trees sprouted thickly. Most of the trees had pale trunks that glowed in the moonlight. As I rounded a hill, I saw a road that branched off of the one I was on. The new road headed almost directly east and looked like it cut through thick groups of hills and incredibly tall forests. That should work.
My eyes felt like they’d been scraped with sandpaper, and keeping my eyelids open was taking more and more of my attention. I rode maybe a kilometer down this new road, really wishing that the CyJet emitted more light than the glow from the propulsion units. The trees had been growing steadily thicker, and the wide, tightly packed trunks cut off the minimal light. These trees were different, too; their trunks didn’t glow. But some of them were immense. Some of the trunks were the size of my room. I pulled the CyJet off the road into the darker space under one of the trees.
Redwoods.
My bleary mind randomly recalled the name of these trees, calling the word up from a memory of some class from a few years back. As I dismounted, I looked around, hoping no wild animals were close and hungry. I found myself standing on a relatively clear patch of ground at the base of the huge tree. There were plenty of leaves, but only a couple of tiny bushes and saplings. I kicked some leaves together, pulled my zip tightly around me, and gingerly lowered myself to the ground, my right arm feeling strangely stiff. I must have had bruises on every inch of skin. Muscles I didn’t think I’d ever used complained.
Maybe I would just live out here. Find some way to get food. Maybe steal it. Nobody would find me in the middle of this place. Nobody ever came out here.
I don’t even remember my head hitting the small pile of flat leaves I’d quickly kicked together.
CHAPTER 13
The CyJet was singing. I was riding along, exploring the gray, overgrown corpses of ancient cities when the machine began singing. I couldn’t make out the words or see a mouth, but there was no doubt in my mind.
I blinked, the dream clinging to me with sticky fingers. The CyJet singing? I fought the strange images back and looked around, sucking in a deep breath. Singing? That was impossible. I stared at the CyJet, which was maybe a meter away from my head. It made no noise. Scuff marks dotted the machine’s body where bullets and
Similar Books
