Therehad been so many days when the two of them had run beside each other on thetreadmills. The only sky had been on theTV. And the hamster-wheel had kept themfrom ever making progress, or even having a goal to reach. Now, to be outsiderunning toward Katie, Amy could hardly believe it. It was surreal.    

Amy felt like screaming, "We're free. Look, we're free." But it just came out as an emotionally charged squeal, which she followed up by calling out, "Katie, I thought I'd never see you again."

Katie made a whoa sign with her hand and backed away two steps. Amy skidded to a halt. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." she said. "You just surprised me."

"What are you doing here?" There was more wonder in her voice than suspicion.

"Looking for you, silly." Katie patted down some of the frizz the sea air was putting into her hair.

They stood awkwardly apart, separated by five feet of empty space. Amy had the sense they should be holding each other in their arms, tears running down their faces. But then Katie always did have emotional boundaries, as Dr. Tan would say.

"I've been so worried about you. Just sick about it," Katie said, keeping her distance. "That's why I came after you."

"I've missed you too. But how did you ever find me? And here of all places?"

"Call it intuition." Katie scrunched up her face in one of her overly cutesy smiles that Amy had always found unsettling phony. It was no doubt intended to put Amy at ease, it had the reverse effect.

There was no way this was luck. They were in some small marina halfway across the country. No one could have just stumbled upon it. The faint scent of her skin carried something too. Amy hadn't noticed it at first. It was like an extra layer of brine hidden below the salt water.

"Oh my God," Katie said. "I almost forgot. I have something for you. I swear I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached."

Her words triggered something primal inside of Amy. When she was a prisoner inside the bunker, Katie was always sneaking things in for her from the outside. Candies, treats, books and baubbles. The words, "I have something for you" had a magical quality coming from her mouth. They erased their surroundings, the dusty parking lot, the boats, the great smothering presence of the sea, even any curiosity she may have had at the unlikely coincidence.

"What? What do you have for me?"

Katie beamed. There wasn't anything phony about the smile. It was made from pure pleasure at looking into Amy's eager, guileless face. She reached into her jean jacket to retrieve the present. Her hand hovered just out off sight as she fought to get the gift out of the pocket it was stashed in. Amy stepped in closer.

A boom ricocheted in her ears, while Katie's face dissolved in a spray of blood. A gout of plasma and rendered flesh erupted from her left eye and splattered all over Amy.

***

Even with no line of sight, Maxwell could tell the shot came from a small caliber pistol. As the echo of the blast faded away, it was replaced by a distant buzzing. A well trained voice in his head screamed, in-coming, and he had his Beretta raised, sweeping the barrel across the sky until he picked out the two Apaches moving in on their position. The gun lowered in his arms, as the strength for holding them up ebbed away. The trusty sidearm was useless against the helicopters. They'd soon be in range, but he might as well throw pebbles at them.

Emily saw them too. She stared up at the sky for a stunned second, then screamed, "Amy!" and launched herself over the boat's gunwale. She was running the moment her feet hit the dock but she only got a few yards before she ran smack into Sector Chief Kendall.

How the hell had that ferret, Roger Kendall, gotten here?

There was too much happening to focus on anyone thing, but Emily in the Sector Chief's hands created its own gravity well in this meteor shower of shit that was exploding around him. Black Zodiacs were taking position off the bow, while others landed on the shore. Humvees rolled up the berms. The attack helicopters had arrived and hovered above the parking lot, their blades thwump-thwumping through the air kicking up dust. Red sighting lasers dotted the landscape looking for targets.

Kendall pulled the 9mm from Emily's hand like she was a child and marched her back to the boat.

"Wylie, I knew you were going to fuck this up. Looks like I'm going to have my hands full mopping up this mess."

"I had everything under control before you got here."

"Really? Is that why your targets are still alive and there are hostiles running all over this place, including..." He made a show of looking down at Emily. "You're girlfriend here. Tell me, how long were you going to let her hold you at gunpoint?"

"It's a field situation. I was handling it. This circus you brought to town is going to draw too much unwanted attention."

"This operation was necessary. I'm very disappointed in you. It's a good thing Ms. Wexler called me. Where is Katie anyway?" He glanced around like Katie might come strolling in from any direction.

While they were talking Emily stood limply, her upper-arm held tight in Kendall's grip. She didn't even react when she was referred to as Max's girlfriend. She looked defeated and resigned to her fate. But when the talk ended, she took advantage of the Kendall looking away. Emily sprang like a cat, twisting her body around until she held a knife to his throat. It was a small blade, no more than three inches. It must have been concealed in a pocket. But even though it was small, pressed tight against his jugular.  It was enough to kill.

"Call your men off and get your damn hands of me," she ordered, while grabbing a wad of checkered shirt and pulling him and the knife in closer to each other.

Kendall released her and gave her a smile that could be photographed and placed in the dictionary next to the word smirk. "Go ahead. Kill me and my men will cut you down before your next breath. But I don't think you have it in you to look a man in the eyes and kill him. Do you?" he dared.

Aah, fuck...

Maxwell braced himself for blood to spout from Roger Kendall's neck and the inevitable sniper's shot to follow.

***

Alicia was almost at the dock. Circling the perimeter of the lot more than doubled the distance but kept her hidden from Blass and anyone else who might be watching the entrance to the wharf. The grip of the Glock 17 dug into her palm. The sensation was familiar. It wasn't only the excitement of the moment that made her hold it so tight. She clutched it when she was alone and worried too, feeling the solace of cold steel travel through her skin and warm her being. If she stopped and put the gun down—which she wouldn't do—the flesh on her hand would be a mottled from the rough pattern of the grip and red pips would be pressed into three of her fingers.  They would fade, but for a brief moment they would be like a tattoo of a lover's caress.

She glanced over at the pickup. Amy was no longer there.

Shit.

Alicia's steps slowed to a stumbling stop as she scanned for the girl. She found her on the other edge of the parking lot, running toward one of the high banks that hemmed it in. A woman was standing there. Alicia had never seen her before. She looked like a spin class instructor.

A civilian complicated things. Alicia checked herself, uncertain whether to continue with the plan or move in to assist Brett. Who knew what that idiot would do? He'd probably try hitting on the woman and forget about the Beast altogether.

Amy stopped just in front of Spin Class. They spoke to each other. The words were lost over the distance and the lapping of the waves in the harbor. Did they know each other? They both seemed relaxed, neither one threatened by the other. Then Spin Class casually reached inside her jean jacket and Alicia found herself racing forward raising her Glock, trying to find a clear shot. The movement to the jacket was unmistakable. Alicia had practiced it a thousand times herself, often in front of the mirror. It was a slow draw from a shoulder holster designed not to alarm an unsuspecting target.

If the girl wasn't in the way, she'd start blasting just to throw the assassin off balance. But she didn't need to. A shot rang out from one of the berms behind the woman. Spin Class went down.

Alicia spied Brett lying on his belly on the hill, his gun still gripped tightly in both hands. The son-of-a-bitch had done all right.

The beast shrieked and a horrified note of, "No!" carried across the wind but didn't last long. It was soon drowned out by the sound of rotors and engines.

It was like watching a bear trap close in slow motion and Alicia was the little toe. Animal fear threw electric agility into her feet. Where the fuck did all these feds come from all of a sudden?

She glanced at Brett and he was gone, replaced by four heavily armed men.

Alicia kept low, dodging and weaving across the parking lot, making a course toward the road. Automatic fire from an unseen source kicked up the dirt around her. Her odds of survival were dropping by the second. There was no escape.

Alicia threw herself behind a minivan. The bullets stopped flying. It wouldn't stay that way long. Peering out around the side she saw the Beast pinned down, dozens of red laser points marking her body like radioactive chicken pox.

She had to do something to save her. Alicia's life wasn't important. How many times had Janet drilled that into her? The only thing that was important was the cause. She had to protect the girl. A suicidal dash to shield Amy played through her mind. She might not win but she had to stick to the mission.

Two deep breaths and she psyched herself up to break cover. But her feet didn't move. Her brain was sending a very different signal. Every synapse was screaming.

Forget your orders. Protect yourself.

The words from the dream came back to her like it was the voice of God.

Only there was nowhere to go. The ships on the dock were too far. Inflatable motor boats with gunmen were riding up the canal. Tactical teams on land had the lot surrounded. She'd be cut down before she could get out of this noose.

She needed a distraction

Resources, Alicia thought concretely. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and tried to retrieve every detail of her surroundings. Eight cars, one minivan, and four pickup trucks including Blass's were distributed randomly about the area. Four dirt bikes were parked at a stand by the road. By the entrance of the docks was an industrial looking propane tank.

Alicia opened her eyes and oriented herself. She stuck her arm out around the side of the van and fired blind. On the forth shot, a deafening crack knocked the minivan into her, throwing her to the ground. She hit the gravel hard. Everything felt sharp and gray. Consciousness was slipping.

The last thing she saw was a plume of fire towering into the sky.

***

Katie crumpled to the ground like a toy whose batteries were swiftly dying. Amy knew she should go to her. But the splatter of blood covering her face repelled her. This one thing she was able to smell clearly over the sea. It might as well have been sprayed directly into her nose. The confusing scent was filled with waves of horror and crippling need. It invoked nausea and hunger simultaneously as though forcing a violent reaction from both the girl and the wolf.

She was disgusted with herself. Her friend had just been killed in front of her. Brutally gunned down for no good reason. Why? Who?

Then the answer came.

The beating that had been only a background noise like blood in her ears finally grew loud enough for her to detect the two machines in the air. The ground was rumbling with more activity, wheels and feet in such number that the trembling ran through the earth, up into her legs.

A spot of blood on her hand was glowing, but when she raised her palm to investigate the blood didn't move with it. And then she knew: rifles with lasers.

Even though it had been years ago, Amy had never forgotten them and their intimidating presence. They had used them on her when she was a little girl, scared and confused. Each beam of light was a consummate threat, bullying her into submission.

The bastards had come again. They killed Katie. And now they were going to drag her back to her cage. Amy couldn't go back.

Just go away, she thought.

A ear-splitting percussive thump filled the world and lit up the sky like a exclamation mark from God. Almost as though the blast had swept them away, the red lights scattered while the men took cover.

Amy screamed. Her body leaned back into it until it felt as though her hair should be scraping the ground behind her. The noise broke out as an unrelenting roar.

The same roar she voiced two mornings ago. Only this time, with infinitely more anguish and rage.