“The Firefly was designed to evade and protect the President of the United States. It isn’t equipped to bring the President into dangerous situations.”
Jude sighs. “Well, we are in a dangerous situation, whether you want it or not.”
TheHighwaymenopen fire toward the King’s men, and we stand right in the middle. TheFireflyveers to the side and I find myself glued to the chair with the G force and I almost bite my tongue off.
“Please, fasten your seatbelt,” Fyfe says. “Evading protocol activated.”
Jude swears and helps me put mine on; I still can’t raise my arms. It’s some kind of harness that goes over the shoulders and chest. We’re strapped in just in time for theFireflyto swerve to avoid an honest-to-gods rocket. It explodes on one of the King’s trucks behind us. It looks like theHighwaymenhave access to military weaponry. It’s not a comforting thought.
I grind my teeth against the pain. Every movement hurts.
The two armies clash behind us as Fyfe takes us away, over the rocky hills, deep into the wastelands.
“Will the King survive?” I ask.
Jude sighs. “Oh yes. That man is a freak of nature, just like you.”Freak of nature, and notmonster. “TheHighwaymenhave been attacking the market for a while now. They never got close. And tonight, the market will relocate. And while it moves location, they will eradicate all theHighwaymenthey find in the surrounding wastelands.”
It sounds like an awful waste of soldiers and resources.
“Why do theHighwaymendo it?” I say.
“I don’t fucking know. They’ve always been a reckless bunch, but it’s gotten worse lately.”
He watches the horizon, a serious expression on his beautiful face. I wonder if he’s worried about his past lover, the King of Merchant.
Fyfe flies for twenty minutes before announcing, “Safe landing protocol activated. Damage to the aero engine must be inspected.”
Jude sighs as theFireflylands at the entrance of a wide cave on a small mountain range. I think we’re still in Nevada. The mountains are barren and depressing. I already miss Yosemite.
Jude gets out and inspects the damage to the engine. Then he walks to the cave. He comes back a moment later.
“Yeah, one of the blades is broken. Dumdumb, I think you can fit inside,” he says, pointing at the cave. “We should spend a few days here, to wait for theHighwaymento disperse. Then we can find someone to do the repairs.”
TheFireflyenters the cave and settles in the shade. We’ll be hidden from eyes in the sky. The smell of water hits me.
The suspicion is confirmed when Jude says, “There’s a river deeper into the cave.”
My genes react to the smell, and happiness bubbles to the surface. There is a reason why I decided to build an underground city, so close to a subterranean river. My mutations crave such an environment. My old god dwells deep into the underwater caves of Venezuela.
I watch as Jude sets up a camp inside the cave. TheFireflyis well equipped for survival. There are thermal blankets and sleeping bags. And because the President liked his comfort, even during a mad flight, they also packed folding chairs and a table. Jude could sleep in the aircraft again. There is a bed on top of the cupboards, but it’s close to the roof and a little claustrophobic. I don’t blame him for wanting to sleep on the mossy ground of the wide cave.
“Hey, asshole,” I call out at some point.
Jude’s eyes are cold as he looks up. “Is it me you’re calling an asshole? Me, the kind soul who is feeding you and keeping you alive?”
“I have an urgent need,” I say.
“Hold it.”
“I’ve been holding it for two days. If you don’t help me right now, I’ll soil the seat of your beautiful new aircraft,” I say calmly.
To be honest, the only reason I didn’t need to go sooner was because I sweated out most of the water in my body during the two feverish nights I survived. But I can’t delay bodily functions any longer. Even though I’m still surprised that I can evenhavebodily functions. It looks like I’m not dying anymore.
Too bad.
Jude sighs. “Spare me from useless monsters…”
He enters theFireflyonce again and pulls me out of my chair by the armpits. It takes all I have not to groan from the pain. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of my suffering.
