The Cure, стр. 18
The exit ramp was hydraulic, and Logan hit the switch to open the ramp leading to the empty town above them. Nothing happened.
‘Logan?’ Tallulah said. He hit the switch again and the ramp started to move. He breathed a sigh of relief and put a hand on Tallulah’s shoulder.
‘Guys get yourselves and the guns into the jeep. It’s showtime,’ said Tallulah.
Danny stopped Logan before he got into the jeep and pulled him to one side. ‘I know I’ve been a stubborn idiot and I know we haven’t spoken for way too long, but I need to tell you something.’
‘Tell me when we’ve stopped all this and are back safe and sound,’ said Logan.
‘Logan. We are doing the right thing aren’t we? I mean not telling dad.’
‘He’s blinded by Goldsmith and the rest of those snakes trying to save themselves. He’s a good man Danny, but even good men make mistakes.’ He put his head against Danny’s. ‘Take care little brother. We’re counting on you.’
Logan got into the jeep alongside Tallulah and lent over and kissed her on the cheek ‘He loves you. You know that right? As in, he’s in love with you.’
‘I know,’ she replied and kissed him back.
The jeep pulled away and headed up the ramp and into the unknown. A few yards out of the tunnel a lone figure on a motorbike flew past the jeep with its shadow raising a hand as it cut across in front of the headlamps and veered off right while the jeep continued straight on.
Only a few hours had past and already the sun was starting to rise. The desert was already getting hot and the back of a stuffy jeep was already taking its toll on the crew who weren’t used to being above ground or the constant bumping of a jeep going over almost non-existent roads.
Scott and Seth were the only ones who genuinely looked like they were enjoying themselves whilst even Xander had stopped chain smoking and was looking a shade of green. Brad had been squirming for a good twenty minutes and stuck his head through to the front of the jeep. ‘Any chance of a pee break?’ He said.
‘Give it five minutes,’ replied Logan. ‘The satellite imaging shows that there’s a gas station ten miles up. We’re not desperate but if we can replace the gas we’ve already used it’ll be a bonus.’ Brad nodded and sat down again, slightly more relieved than he was before.
Ten minutes later they arrived at the Gas station and pulled in close to one of the pumps. The station was abandoned, and no-one had been there in a long time. The windows were covered in sand and dirt and the petrol pumps had long rusted and were empty. ‘Worth a quick look inside?’ said Chuck to Logan. ‘Yes. Take the twins and be careful. Guns up always. Take no chances.’
Scott and Seth were already circling around by the door so when Chuck gave them the nod they smiled at one another and opened the door to the shop. It was empty with only a few can’s littering the floor and shelves. ‘Hey, found a candy bar,’ shouted Seth to his sibling. Seth lifted the bar of chocolate and squinted, looking at some string tied around it. In that split second he realized that he’d made a huge mistake and before he could look up to where the string ended an arrow from a spring-loaded crossbow was a meter from his face.
Seth closed his eyes awaiting the inevitable but when it didn’t come he opened one eye slowly and then another, his heart pounding in his chest. He blinked and looked at Scott standing next to him holding a baseball bat with an arrow sticking out of it. ‘It’s a waste of a good bat if you ask me,’ said Scott. ‘Would’ve done less damage to that head of yours,’ he chuckled.
‘Let’s get the Hell out of dodge boys. There’s nothing but trouble here and we’ve already got enough of that on the horizon,’ said Chuck.
‘Find anything?’ shouted Logan
‘Candy bar?’ said Seth, all too happy to give away the thing he’d almost died for.
‘Ooh.’ Brad’s eyes lit up hungrily.
‘Really dude? It’s been two hours,’ Zack said nastily.
‘Let’s get going. Back in the jeep,’ said Logan, hoping to get further ahead and closer to their goal.
By Logan’s timings he had hoped to be in Mississippi within the ten hours it would take for anyone to realize they had gone missing. They then had to make their way to the prison and get into the prison without raising suspicion before tracking down the Professor. Truthfully, he had hoped that when everyone back at the base had realized they had gone missing that his father would stop the plan to release the toxin. Instead choosing to send a search party out for them. But he knew his father and he knew that it wouldn’t take him and the other board members long to realize exactly what they were up to and push the plan into action immediately.
Danny had further to go to the reservoir in Nebraska but with a good head start and with avoiding any major towns or cities Logan hoped he would have an easier journey. The reservoir was far enough from civilization that human beings would hopefully not be around to slow his brother down. The robotic system to keep the water flowing to the other states was a static system, unlike some of the android systems which were used at the nuclear plants. But Nebraska was where his father’s military would be heading as soon as they had cottoned on to what was happening, and he feared they would not