particularly. He’s about as well known as other members of the council. But they know he helped corrupt the Brotherhood so they’d certainly shout about catching him.”
I sighed. “Alright. Let me talk to the thing.”
“Be nice,” Hazel said, stepping aside and letting me get close to the chicken.
“Will you talk to me?” I asked it.
The chicken just glared at me, scratching the worktop with a metal claw. I think it was threatening me.
“Come on,” Hazel said. “Rayna won’t hurt you.”
“Oh, thank goodness for that. I was all of a flutter,” Clucky said. I swear it was being sarcastic.
Hazel ignored this and nodded at him. “Yes. In fact she’s going to say sorry for overreacting. She sees now that she was wrong.”
“Seriously?” I muttered at my sister out the corner of my mouth. She nodded at me determinedly. “Alright. I’m sorry I got so startled by you. And I’m sorry that I might have overreacted.”
I don’t think Hazel was very happy with my apology but that was all she was getting. I still wasn’t convinced that this chicken was on the side of the angels.
“It’s alright,” Clucky said. “I’m not up to fowl play.”
I just blinked at it. “Was that a joke?” I asked.
“I told you Jesse had been spending time with him,” Hazel said, nudging me gently. Then she addressed the chicken again.
“And so, Rayna is going to thank you for everything you’ve done to help us.” Hazel gave me a gentle squeeze on the shoulder as she said this; a gentle squeeze that might just bruise bone.
“No chance,” I said. “But I would like some more help now. If that’s OK.”
The chicken seemed to try and shrug, but instead it made an odd head-bobbing movement. “Alright. What do you need to know?”
“I know you were listening.” I felt Hazel glare at me and tried to calm down. “Do you know if Jesse has been captured?”
The chicken shook its head. “I checked recently. There were no reports of anyone being captured near our base in the last few days.”
I counted to ten under my breath. It just felt so weird talking to a chicken and I had to constantly throw off the impulse to put a metal bucket over its head. “Can you check again? Just to be sure?”
“Well, if you insist…”
The chicken obviously thought it was a waste of time but it did as I asked anyway. Maybe it just wanted to be friendly. Maybe it just didn’t want to get kicked by an angry girl.
It was the sudden stillness that grabbed my attention. The chicken had been bopping this way and that, the way any chicken does when it’s not got much to do. Then it suddenly came to a halt, frozen in place. Then it burst into motion, bouncing up and down in the air like an agitated beach ball, wings flailing all over the place.
“What’s wrong?” Hazel asked, concerned. I frowned. So this wasn’t normal behaviour.
“You’ve got to go back, you’ve got to go back,” the chicken shrieked.
“What is it talking about?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Clucky, can you calm down and talk to us? Who has to go where?”
The chicken’s eyes seemed to focus on me. “Her. She’s got to go back. To the hotel. She’s got to stop it.”
“Stop what?” I asked, though I felt that familiar sinking feeling in my stomach. It could really only be one thing.
“The C-800. It’s on the move. It’s going for its next target.”
“Who?” I demanded but I’m not sure it could hear me. It seemed to be disabled by panic and it could only squawk stuff out.
“The hotel… bawk… Get to the hotel… bawk… It’s coming… bawk… For the leader.”
“Cody?” I asked, shocked. The chicken shook again.
“Not Cody… bawk… Noah.”
CHAPTER 16
I’ve never sprinted as hard as I did to get back from the warehouse to the hotel that morning. I had to stop the next kidnapping. I got there just in time.
The guard was being changed and lots of people with shock-sticks were hanging about. I grabbed a
I sighed. “Alright. Let me talk to the thing.”
“Be nice,” Hazel said, stepping aside and letting me get close to the chicken.
“Will you talk to me?” I asked it.
The chicken just glared at me, scratching the worktop with a metal claw. I think it was threatening me.
“Come on,” Hazel said. “Rayna won’t hurt you.”
“Oh, thank goodness for that. I was all of a flutter,” Clucky said. I swear it was being sarcastic.
Hazel ignored this and nodded at him. “Yes. In fact she’s going to say sorry for overreacting. She sees now that she was wrong.”
“Seriously?” I muttered at my sister out the corner of my mouth. She nodded at me determinedly. “Alright. I’m sorry I got so startled by you. And I’m sorry that I might have overreacted.”
I don’t think Hazel was very happy with my apology but that was all she was getting. I still wasn’t convinced that this chicken was on the side of the angels.
“It’s alright,” Clucky said. “I’m not up to fowl play.”
I just blinked at it. “Was that a joke?” I asked.
“I told you Jesse had been spending time with him,” Hazel said, nudging me gently. Then she addressed the chicken again.
“And so, Rayna is going to thank you for everything you’ve done to help us.” Hazel gave me a gentle squeeze on the shoulder as she said this; a gentle squeeze that might just bruise bone.
“No chance,” I said. “But I would like some more help now. If that’s OK.”
The chicken seemed to try and shrug, but instead it made an odd head-bobbing movement. “Alright. What do you need to know?”
“I know you were listening.” I felt Hazel glare at me and tried to calm down. “Do you know if Jesse has been captured?”
The chicken shook its head. “I checked recently. There were no reports of anyone being captured near our base in the last few days.”
I counted to ten under my breath. It just felt so weird talking to a chicken and I had to constantly throw off the impulse to put a metal bucket over its head. “Can you check again? Just to be sure?”
“Well, if you insist…”
The chicken obviously thought it was a waste of time but it did as I asked anyway. Maybe it just wanted to be friendly. Maybe it just didn’t want to get kicked by an angry girl.
It was the sudden stillness that grabbed my attention. The chicken had been bopping this way and that, the way any chicken does when it’s not got much to do. Then it suddenly came to a halt, frozen in place. Then it burst into motion, bouncing up and down in the air like an agitated beach ball, wings flailing all over the place.
“What’s wrong?” Hazel asked, concerned. I frowned. So this wasn’t normal behaviour.
“You’ve got to go back, you’ve got to go back,” the chicken shrieked.
“What is it talking about?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Clucky, can you calm down and talk to us? Who has to go where?”
The chicken’s eyes seemed to focus on me. “Her. She’s got to go back. To the hotel. She’s got to stop it.”
“Stop what?” I asked, though I felt that familiar sinking feeling in my stomach. It could really only be one thing.
“The C-800. It’s on the move. It’s going for its next target.”
“Who?” I demanded but I’m not sure it could hear me. It seemed to be disabled by panic and it could only squawk stuff out.
“The hotel… bawk… Get to the hotel… bawk… It’s coming… bawk… For the leader.”
“Cody?” I asked, shocked. The chicken shook again.
“Not Cody… bawk… Noah.”
CHAPTER 16
I’ve never sprinted as hard as I did to get back from the warehouse to the hotel that morning. I had to stop the next kidnapping. I got there just in time.
The guard was being changed and lots of people with shock-sticks were hanging about. I grabbed a
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