The Far Dawn by Kevin Emerson Page B

voice from a tinny speaker interrupted us: “Sir, we’ve got activity.”
    Paul pulled a phone from his belt. “Copy that. We’re ready.” He looked around the room. “Time to go, everyone. Quickly. The electrodampeners worked to a degree, but now our presence has been detected, and a certain someone is waking up.”
    Lilly flinched, glancing to the ceiling like she’d heard something the rest of us hadn’t. I tried to catch her eye but she focused on helping Evan get to his feet.
    The soldiers started to file out. Emiliano moved to Lilly and Evan, taking them each by an arm, but Lilly tore herself free.
    â€œRelax,” she hissed, supporting Evan as he leaned heavily on her shoulder. “We’re not going anywhere.”
    Emiliano let her go, but Francine trained a handgun on her. Another soldier placed Leech’s skull in a black bag. I saw that Francine had the bag with Lilly’s skull from Desenna over her shoulder. As everyone moved toward the door, she looked at me, and I kept my gaze icy, like I didn’t know her at all.
    â€œOut,” she said to me, just as coldly.
    When Paul moved, I noticed a boy behind him in the shadows, wearing a dirty LoRad pullover and sweatpants. He had dark skin and kept his eyes on the floor. Paul glanced back at him and said, “Mateu, viens .” It sounded like French. Mateu followed. He looked a couple years older than me, and I guessed that he had been the target of the Eden raid in Coke-Sahel, the one we’d watched in Heliad tactical. Who was he? Why was he here?
    We all exited the skull chamber and followed the tunnel out onto the narrow bridge. I watched the soldier’s back in front of me, Francine in front of him, and weighed my chances. Could I knock them both into the chasm before I was hit or shot? Could Lilly grab me and fly us out? I thought to glance back at her, and see if she was thinking the same thing.
    Except she was busy talking softly to Evan.
    â€œDon’t worry, just keep moving. We’ll be all right.”
    â€œLilly,” Evan’s voice was tattered and thin, “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to . . .”
    â€œIt’s okay,” she said.
    â€œWe fought as hard as we could, but . . .”
    â€œSshh, not now. Let’s just get out of here.”
    I heard her kiss his forehead and I told the sliver of jealousy in me to shut up. This wasn’t the time. They were friends, and Lilly and I were so much more now, but of course Lilly cared about him deeply. The only problem with that care was that, with Evan’s condition, escaping or getting Lilly’s skull would be basically impossible.
    â€œKeep moving,” Paul said tersely.
    We were halfway across the bridge when something thundered from high above, a quick concussion followed by a deep rumble that made the bridge shudder.
    â€œWas that—” Francine hissed urgently.
    â€œThe sound of our time being very much up,” said Paul. He touched his phone. “Containment team, do you copy?”
    The only reply was a hiss of static.
    â€œContainment team . . .”
    Another rumble reached our ears, and then, fluttering behind it, a scream.
    â€œIt’s coming,” said Lilly quietly.
    â€œHurry,” Paul commanded and we all started to run.
    We’d only taken a few steps when more screams reached us and the sound of gunfire.
    A light began to grow up at the top of the wide staircase, cold and white and skull-like. It flickered on the walls, then sprayed out into the chasm. Wind slammed against us, stopping us in our tracks. And a sound grew, a sound like terrible wailing, like knives being sharpened for the kill.
    A streak of light burst out of the darkness, swooping from the staircase into the chasm, spiraling like a shark swimming circles above us.
    The Sentinel had arrived.
    Gunshots exploded from behind me: one of the soldiers, rifle pointed