»» BOOK #3 of the X-MARKS: Shadows Series «« Valen and her friends have ended their long journey but all isn't as it seems.
In the care of their new hosts they find riches, fame and the watchful eye of Genevieve Vossler, the beautiful and mysteri...
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The screen of the controls went black as my heart melted to the damp ground.
What had I done?
Nate let out an exhausted sigh and tucked his head into his chest as he leaned over the controls.
"It's, it's over," he said and looked back where the screams of the others were gaining in clarity.
"I'm so sorry Nate," I said as tears began to swell under my tired eyes, "We can still -"
But before I could finish my words the light of the screen began to flash blue.
Nate turned his head back to the controls, "Hold on a minute -" he said with excited eyes.
Swirling blue circles danced around the screen as glowing words scrolled in and out of the loops.
"Did it work?" I said and leaned closer to the screen.
"I'm not sur -" Nate said slowly when a force knocked the train forward in a sudden jolt.
A light underneath a lever flashed beside the control screen, and the engine of the train began to whirl beneath our feet.
"I think, I think it worked!" I said and clapped my hands together.
"Now let's get this thing out of here," Nate said and pushed the creaky lever up slowly.
The train moved back in a sudden jolt than forward.
"It's moving," Nate laughed with a beaming smile, "I can't believe it's moving!"
The screen of the control panel went black again then faded into the shape of a familiar face.
"You worthless little runt," Gen said from a video within her tower.
Gen's hair was disheveled to the side, and the makeup on her eyes was smudged down her cheeks. On the floor people laid around her like rag dolls and in the background the skyline of the upper city glittered not with the rays of the sun but bursting flames.
"Don't worry," Nate said and pushed the lever of the train to full speed, "You'll have the rest of your never-ending life to decrypt what's left of the Union's research data once the network is down."
"Give me the girl," Gen said with a cutting growl, "This is my last warning."
"It's over Gen," Nate scoffed, "We'll be out of this tunnel before you'll ever get the network back up to do anything about this."
"My reach goes further than you know, young man," Gen said as the screen turned back to blue.
"What did she mean by that?" I said and stood back from the screen.
"Come on, come on," Nate said as the train raced towards the light at the end of the tunnel, "We need to get out of here while the network is still up."
"When does it go down?" I said and looked back at the whirling circles of the screen.
"Not for another thirty seconds or -"
"What took so long?" Mat huffed from behind us.
He was covered in blood. His red face singed on his right cheek.
"What happened," I said and ran towards him, "Is everyone okay?"
"Just barely," Evee said with a slumped but conscious Macie wrapped over her shoulder.
"Is the train going to make it?" Valencia walked ahead beside Nate at the controls.
"We're almost there," Nate said and focused his eyes ahead, "Almost -"
A bone breaking force rocked the train and knocked me to my knees. I looked up, tangled underneath someone else's legs and peered as far down the cabins as I could. There between a small break of light I could see the flames and the flood of water rushing into the train.
