Vagabonds

Chapter Thirty-Two: Busted

Amile Robillard stood in the door, backlit by the sterile lights of the hallway, wearing the coldest smile Eliza had ever seen. She was as pale as a corpse, lips the color of the liquid around them, black hair glittering and straight as a knife against the sharp line of her jaw.

Behind her, the corridor was thick with men and women in uniform.

They were trapped.

Eliza backed away, half aware of the Vagabonds as they scrambled to the other side of the room, congregating behind her.

Amile grinned.

"I suppose I should thank you. You've made it almost easy. A call from your roommate. A missing sibling pulling at the heartstrings." She tutted. "Family people are so predictable." Eliza's eyes narrowed and Amile feigned shock, laying three delicate fingers on her Kevlar chest plate. "You think we haven't been tapping your phone? How cute."

"What do you want?" Eliza snarled, watching from the corner of her eye as Aquila's wings snapped out.

"Not you, that's for sure," Amile said, striding between empty beds, coming closer. "You're nothing but trouble. Expelled five times, multiple counts of brawling. Always one to stand up for the poor and oppressed, hero of outcasts." She chuckled. "But you've been useful enough."

"Back. Off," Eliza said, throwing out her arms, but for what? Soldiers were filing into the room, training handheld pistols on them, pinning them there. The uniformed men and women shifted nervously as their eyes snagged on Eliza, on the figures behind her. She glanced back. Otto's fists were tight, his muscles bulging with rage. Daisy's spines were all standing straight. Tero looked ready to pass out. And Aquila was shoving Tori behind him, stepping forward to grab Eliza.

But someone was missing.

Where did Moose go?

Eliza moved to meet Amile, stepping out of Aquila's reach.

"You won't get them," she said. "Not ever."

Amile was only feet away now, close enough for Eliza to see the yellow flecks in her eyes. They made the woman look feline, like a predator circling a meal.

"You don't seem to understand, Eliza," she said with a chuckle. "They aren't boys. They're army property, and therefore already mine."

"They're people, you sick bitch."

Amile folded her arms, cocking one hip.

"Not according to the government."

Eliza laughed, the sound half frantic as it echoed around the spooky tubes and encroaching soldiers.

"Really? Does the Senate know what's going on here? What about the President? Because I bet they'd be saying something different if they did."

Something flickered across Amile's expression, darkening her yellow-tinted eyes. Fear? Guilt?

Had Eliza struck a chord?

"Well I guess we'll never find out, will we—"

"Eliza, look out!"

Moose's shout broke the stillness, followed by a smash. Eliza threw a glance to the side, barely registering the fire axe as it swung, hit glass, shattered the nearest tube.

She gasped.

"You cretin!" Amile shrieked.

And then blood-like fluid was exploding out of the wall, splashing to the floor, surging toward them.

"Run!" Aquila shouted, grabbing Eliza's arms and dragging her away from Amile, who was now barking angry orders. They all knew she couldn't fire at the boys. The soldiers couldn't risk hurting the Vagabonds.

But the two perfectly normal girls were fair game.

Eliza ducked as a shot went over her head.

"Otto, grab Tori!" Aquila shouted sweeping Eliza into his arms as they all sprinted for the back of the long, narrow room. Air slammed out of Eliza's lungs as she was thrown into the air, pressed into Aquila's chest. She looked over his shoulder. The soldiers were swarming now, splashing through the swamp of red liquid with grim determination. They didn't seem concerned as the intruders sprinted for the back of the room.

Which meant there wasn't an exit back there.

"Aquila, we have go to back," Eliza said, struggling to get out of his grip.

"No," he snarled, eyes frantic as they hunted for another door.

"There's no other way."

"Tero!"

At Moose's shout, Eliza twisted in Aquila's grip to see Tero on the ceiling, hanging upside-down and ripping at the plaster.

"Stop them!" Amile barked.

"There's a vent!" Tero called down.

Before Eliza could do so much as gasp, Aquila used his significant strength to throw her into the air. She kicked, flailing as her body sailed up, up, up. The world spun. Soldiers shouted. A gun fired, crackling through the air by her head.

Tero grabbed her ankle and swung her into the piping.

"G-grab hold!"

She managed to lock her limbs around a thick water pipe, dangling like a sloth.

"Go, go, g-go," Tero breathed, hands shaking violently.

Eliza scrambled into the open vent, pulling her legs out of sight just as a bullet pinged against the pipe, too close to her thigh for comfort.

She heard Tori shriek as Aquila threw her up next. The others were following, surging for the exit Tero had created. But a problem was looming, huge and terrifying in Eliza's mind.

Aquila was never going to fit.

Perhaps Tero could squeeze himself inside, but there was no way that Aquila and his massive wings could follow. He was going to sacrifice himself to help the rest of them escape.

She couldn't let that happen.

Eliza ducked her head out, glimpsing Tori's tear-streaked face right by the opening. Tero was dangling next to her, waiting to grab Moose.

Otto was still on the ground.

"What's he doing?" Eliza gasped.

Tero didn't answer, swinging Moose up to the ceiling. Moose grinned manically.

"Just watch," he said, skittering along the nearest pipe.

They all looked down as Aquila snapped his wings open, lifting Daisy into the air. There was a moment of silence in which Eliza realized frantically, hysterically, that they were all now clear of the water-based fluid coating the floor. And, judging from Otto's grin, that was hardly a coincidence.

Then Aquila's voice rang out with a single, solid command.

"Now!"