Rise of the Elgen Read online

  “Hey, sis,” Jack said.

  “Jack,” she said, her surprise at seeing him evident in her voice. “Where have you been?” She looked at the rest of us with a confused expression, then came around the counter and hugged her brother.

  After they separated, Jack said, “I just came from the house, or what’s left of it. Where’s Dad?”

  I held my breath.

  “He’s staying with me until he can find an apartment,” she said.

  Jack’s expression relaxed. I breathed out a sigh of relief.

  “Where have you been?” she asked again.

  “California.”

  “Who are these people?”

  “Friends of mine,” he said. “We need a place to hide out.”

  Her expression changed from curiosity to anger. “Hide out? What have you done?”

  “Nothing,” Jack said. “We haven’t done anything wrong.”

  She looked at me and I nodded in confirmation.

  “Then why are you hiding?”

  “It’s a long story,” Jack said. “And the less you know the better. We just need a place to hang until we figure out what we’re going to do.”

  She looked at him for a moment, then said, “Okay. But you can’t stay up front. I’ve got a business to run. And you owe me an explanation.”

  Just then the front door opened and a tall, professionally dressed woman walked in. She looked around at us. “Excuse me, are you all in line?” she asked Taylor.

  “No,” Taylor said. “We’re just visiting. We’ll get out of your way.”

  “May I help you?” Jack’s sister asked.

  “Yes,” she said, walking up to the counter. “Do you have a tanning bed available?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Great,” she said. “Do you have one a little more private—perhaps something near the back?”

  “Yes. The last room has the Ultra Ruva bed. It’s one of our best. Are you a member of our executive tanning club?”

  “No. I’m just traveling through town.”

  “Very good. How long would you like me to set your session for?”

  “Twenty minutes should be sufficient.”

  “Twenty it is.” She handed the woman a key with a large key chain—a pineapple-shaped piece of plywood with the number six painted on it. “You’re in room six. Just push the start button on the bed when you’re ready.”

  “Thank you. Do you have lotion?”

  “We have Coppertone and Beach Bum.”

  “Coppertone will be fine,” the woman replied. She suddenly turned and looked at me, her gaze lingering a little longer than was comfortable. I twitched a couple of times.

  “Here you go,” Jack’s sister said, handing her a bottle of lotion. “Cash or credit?”

  “Cash. How much is it?”

  “With the lotion it’s twenty-nine dollars.”

  The woman handed her a couple of bills. “Keep the change,” she said, stepping away from the counter. As she walked past me she dropped her cell phone on the ground near my feet. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said.

  “No problem.” I bent over and picked it up. “Here you go.”

  She made no effort to take the phone from me. “That’s not mine.”

  I looked at her quizzically. “But, you just . . .”

  “I believe it’s yours, Michael.” She looked right into my eyes, then handed me the tanning room key along with two other keys. “Take these into the room. Someone needs to talk to you.”

  My chest constricted. “Are you with Hatch?”

  She touched her finger to her lips to silence me. “Room six,” she said. “Turn on the tanning bed. I’ll watch the door.” She patted her jacket, making me think she was carrying a gun. I looked over at the others. No one was paying attention to me except Ostin. I could tell he was trying to figure out what was going on.

  “Hurry,” she said. “We haven’t much time.”

  I looked back into her eyes. Something about her seemed trustworthy. “Okay,” I said.

  “Room six. Don’t forget to turn on the bed when you get inside.”

  I walked back to the room and stepped inside, shutting the door behind me. I turned on the tanning bed and the sound of the machine filled the room. The phone she had given me rang immediately. I raised it to my ear. “Hello?”

  “Hello, Michael. Are you alone?” The man’s voice was deep and grave.

  “Who is this?”

  “One of the few people in this world who knows what you’re up against. They’re following everything you’re doing.”

  “Who is?”

  “You know who. We don’t have much time. If we can find you, so can they. Now listen to what I say and follow my directions precisely. You have to leave immediately. As soon as you get in your car I’ll text you an address. Drive directly to that location and abandon your vehicles. The Elgen van you borrowed has a tracking device, and I’m sure that by now they’ve identified your friend’s Camaro.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “I haven’t time to explain,” the voice said.

  “How do I know this isn’t another trap?”

  “You don’t. But think about it, if we wanted to capture you, we would have just done it. The building you’re in right now is a death trap. It only has two exits, the front glass door and a back door that leads to a narrow alley. You’re sitting ducks. You have to trust me. If you want to escape the Elgen, you’re going to need our help.”

  “Why would you help us?”

  “We have our reasons. And we know even better than you what the Elgen are planning and what they’re capable of. The Elgen are rising. You should also know that there are more electric children. And they have terrible powers—worse than anyone you’ve met so far.”

  “Great,” I said.

  “You can defeat them, Michael. You might not be strong enough to face them today, but by the time you do, and trust me, you will, you’ll be ready. But you’ll need to act quickly to stop them.”

  “But we did stop them. We shut down the academy.”

  “They were going to close it anyway—you just sped up their timetable. I wish we had more time, but that’s a luxury neither of us has, so try to understand what I’m saying. Now is the opportune moment to strike. The Elgen are divided. To most of its board members, it is just a business. To Hatch, and a few others, it’s more. Much more. They’re building a secret society, and they’re growing fast. They’ve made inroads in government, police, and military. If you don’t believe me, check the state records to see what happened to the man who robbed your mother.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “He’s not a worry to the Elgen anymore.”

  “How do I know you’re not one of them?”

  “Like I said, you’re going to have to trust a little. I won’t ask more of you than that.”

  “If we ditch our cars, how will we get around?”

  “Where you leave your cars, there will be two other vehicles. My associate gave you the keys.”

  I looked down at the keys in my hand.

  “I’ve programmed the address of a safe house into the GPS system of the yellow vehicle. Go there and wait for my call. But you must leave now. The police are already on their way to the salon.”

  “The police? Why?”

  “To arrest you for burning down Jack’s house.”

  The phone went dead as the man hung up. I put it in my front pocket and walked quickly out of the room. Apparently Jack’s sister hadn’t made everyone go to the back, because they were all still in the lobby. The strange woman was gone.

  I walked up to Jack, who was talking to his sister. “We’ve got to go,” I said. “Fast. The police are on their way.”

  “How do you know that?” he asked.

  I looked at the others, who were now all looking at me. “I just do.”

  “Who was that lady?” Ostin asked. It was the first thing he’d said since we’d left the apartment.


  “I’ll tell you in the car,” I said. “We’ve got to hurry.”

  “Why don’t we just wait for the police?” Taylor said. “They’ll help us.”

  “No. They’re coming to arrest us.”

  “Arrest us for what?” Ostin asked.

  “We stole a van, Einstein,” Jack said.

  “It’s worse,” I said. “Someone told them that I burned down your house.”

  Jack frowned. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

  “You stole a car?” Jack’s sister asked angrily. “You said you didn’t do anything.”

  “We borrowed it,” Zeus said. “And they owed us big-time.”

  She looked flustered. “What’s going on, Jack? Why are the police coming?”

  “I can’t tell you right now. Just tell them that you don’t know anything.”

  “I don’t,” she said.

  “Good. It’s better that way.” He looked at her sadly. “We’ve gotta run. I’ll explain when I can.”

  “C’mon, everyone,” I said. “To the car.”

  * * *

  When we were in the Camaro, Jack asked, “Now what?”

  “I have an address,” I said. I picked up the phone, but it was out of power. “I can’t believe it, it’s dead. It was perfectly fine a minute ago.”

  “Let me see it,” Ostin said. He took the phone from me and examined it. “You just need to hold it.”

  “I was.”

  “Put out your hand,” he said. He handed me the phone and this time it lit up.

  “You were holding it wrong. See these metallic strips on the side? They’re made of a silver alloy. The phone is designed to run off your electricity. That way it never runs out.”

  “And it won’t work for anyone else,” I said. I looked down at the address the man had texted me. “Thirty-eight South Malvern Avenue.”

  “I know that area,” Jack said. “It’s an industrial park. There are a lot of printing shops.” Jack shouted to Wade, “Follow me!” Then he backed up and screeched out of the parking lot, followed by Wade, who also tried to screech but managed only a small chirp.

  After we’d driven a few blocks, Taylor asked, “What’s going on, Michael? And who was that woman?”

  “I don’t know who she was. But she knows who we are and who’s chasing us.”

  “She knew about the Elgen?” Ostin asked.

  I nodded. “She gave me the phone. A man called who says he’s going to help us. He also told me that the van Wade’s driving has a tracking device. That’s how they’ve been following us. We need to ditch our cars.”

  “Wait a minute,” Jack said. “No one said anything about ditching my car.”

  “Who is this man?” Taylor asked.

  “Just . . . some man.” I looked at her. “I know it sounds stupid, but I believe he’s trying to help.”

  “I’m not ditching my car,” Jack said.

  “How do you know you can trust him?” Taylor asked.

  “I don’t. But do we have a choice?”

  “Yes,” she said, “we do.”

  I took her hand. “Here, read my mind. Listen to what he said.”

  She closed her eyes as I thought back on the call. When she opened her eyes she nodded. “Okay. I trust him too.”

  Jack was still upset. “You’re saying that some dude I’ve never met wants me to ditch my car? I’m not ditching my car.”

  “They want us to trade cars.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” he said. “Do you know what this baby is worth?”

  “The Elgen are following your car. They can either capture you and the car, or just the car. It’s your call.”

  Jack shook his head. “This just keeps getting better.”

  * * *

  We had driven about a half mile from the salon when two Meridian Police cars sped past us headed in the opposite direction. Their lights were flashing but there were no sirens.

  “There they go,” Jack said. “Looks like your man knows something.”

  “Maybe he’s the one who called the police,” Ostin said.

  Possible, I thought.

  The address on my cell phone led us to an abandoned industrial area near an automotive wrecking yard. I was nervous and twitching. I’m pretty certain everyone was nervous, because no one was talking. I looked over at Jack. His face was tight and his eyes were darting back and forth, searching for danger. The yard was surrounded by a tall fence topped with razor wire, and the sun had nearly set, leaving the yard dark.

  “I don’t like this place,” Taylor said.

  “Not a lot of escape options,” Jack said slowly. “Keep your eyes peeled.”

  There was a loud snap of electricity from Zeus, and we all jumped. “Sorry,” he said. “Just keeping sharp.”

  I did my best to control my tics. “I told Ian to have Wade honk if he sees anything that looks like a trap,” I said.

  We slowly drove around the corner of a weathered, aluminum-sided warehouse. There, next to a Dumpster, were two brand-new Hummers, one yellow, the other black.

  Jack’s expression changed when he saw the vehicles. “That’s what they’re giving us to drive?”

  “Must be,” I said. “I don’t see any other cars.”

  “I’ve changed my mind,” he said. “I’ll trade.”

  We pulled up to the parked vehicles, and everyone got out of the cars.

  “Are we safe?” I asked Ian.

  “As far as I can tell. The only person around is a homeless guy sleeping in a Dumpster behind the building across the street.”

  I handed Wade a key. “You take the black Hummer. Follow us.”

  “Where are we going?” Wade asked.

  “A safe house,” I said.

  “Are you sure it’s safe?”

  “I’m not sure about anything,” I said, “except that the Elgen are hunting us and we just got some new cars.”

  Wade nodded. “Works for me.”

  “We’re trading places,” I said to Zeus, climbing into the front seat of the yellow Hummer.

  “No problem,” he said. “I’ll sit next to Tara.”

  “Taylor,” Taylor said.

  “Sorry,” Zeus said, sliding in next to her. “I keep confusing you with your evil twin.”

  “Well, you were with her a lot longer than you were with me.”

  Jack was in the driver’s seat checking out the console. I handed him the key.

  “Listen to that,” he said, starting it up. “I’ve always wanted to drive one of these bad boys. My brother drove one in Iraq.”

  “Cool,” I said.

  “It was blown up underneath him by an IED.”

  “Not cool,” I said.

  “He survived, so it’s even more cool. Where to?”

  “The man said they programmed an address into the GPS system.” I looked at the device. “I have no idea how this works. Ostin?”

  Ostin leaned forward over the seat. He pushed a few buttons and a map appeared. “There are your coordinates,” he said. “Just follow the arrow.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “You good, Jack?”

  Jack put the Hummer in gear. “I’m good.”

  As we pulled back out onto the street, Jack turned to me and said, “Hope it’s not a trap.”

  I leaned back in my seat. “Me too,” I said softly. “Me too.”

  According to the GPS our next destination was 7.3 miles from where we had picked up the cars, a distance we covered in less than fifteen minutes. The safe house was a small, ordinary-looking brick home in an ordinary suburban neighborhood. The yard was manicured enough not to warrant complaints, but simple enough not to warrant attention. The house was dark except for the front porch light.

  Jack pulled into the cement driveway on the west side of the house. The drive was narrow but widened in back at the entrance of a two-car garage.

  “I’ll wait to pull in,” Jack said. “In case we need to make a quick getaway.”

  “Good idea,” I said, trying
not to sound nervous. I realized that part of me was waiting for the worst to happen and I was ticking like crazy.

  Wade pulled the black Hummer up next to us. In spite of our situation, he was grinning from ear to ear. “This baby is sweet,” he said. “I never thought I’d get to ride in one of these, let alone drive one.”

  “I’m going to check things out,” I said to Jack. “If it’s a trap, just get everyone out of here.”

  “Warriors don’t leave a man behind,” Jack said.

  “What are we doing?” Wade asked.

  “Just keep your car running until we’re sure it’s safe,” I said. I turned to Ian. “Can you give me a hand?”

  “Sure, man. I’ll give you both of them.”

  “It’s your eyes I need.”

  “I’ll give you both of those, too.”

  The two of us got out of the cars and walked to the edge of the driveway, looking cautiously at the dark house.

  “What do you think?” I asked.

  “It’s empty,” Ian said. He looked around at the neighbors. “Neighborhood looks legit. A mom helping a kid with homework, a family watching TV, a couple eating dinner.”

  “All right, let’s go in.” I rapped on the Hummer, and Jack pulled into the garage, followed by Wade. Everyone gathered in the driveway.

  Taylor came up to my side. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “You’re ticking a lot.”

  “I’m nervous.”

  “But the house is okay?”

  “It checked out with Ian.”

  We walked up to the back of the house, but as I reached for the storm door Ostin said, “Stop!”

  I looked over at him.

  “What if the door’s booby-trapped? I saw this show where the bad guys had rigged all the doors with plastic explosives, so when the cops opened the door—ka-boom!” Ostin threw his arms out in demonstration. “Everyone’s dead.”

  We all just looked at him.

  Ostin shrugged. “It was a cool show.”

  “I’ll open the door,” Zeus said. He twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, then stepped inside the dark house. “Hey, McKenna, how about a hand?”