Rebel (Legend, #4)(91)

EDEN



Pressa jerks back with a gasp of shock. Blood sprays the floor as the bullet hits her hard in her left shoulder. She falls to her knees.

I’m stepping in front of her before I realize what I’m doing. “You know I was the one behind all this,” I snap at Hann. The iron smell of blood penetrates the air. Behind me, Pressa bites back a choked cry.

Hann doesn’t look moved at all. Instead, he aims his gun toward Pressa’s leg. “You can keep talking while I work,” he says. “I’ll let you know when it’s your turn.”

He readies to fire again. I lunge between them. “Wait!” I shout out, holding my hands up. “Please! Wait a second. I—”

But he’s no longer interested in talking. He shifts his gun slightly, aiming instead at her left arm.

My mind spins frantically. “Let her go, and I’ll do whatever you want. Use me as ransom, kill me, anything.”

He gives me a cool look. “I already plan on ransoming you out,” he replies with a shrug.

“And what would your son think of all this?” I demand.

“He would think you’re stalling me for time,” Hann says. There’s no sympathy in his eyes now, nothing but a low-burning fire at the audacity I have for bringing up his family. He points his gun at Pressa’s head this time. I stand in front of her, but it’s a helpless gesture.

“Is this what you imagined for yourself, if your son and your wife were alive?” I finally snap. “You think you’re the only one who’s ever suffered? You think this is the solution to everything that’s gone wrong for you?”

This time, a flash of anger darts across his features. He shifts his gun so that it’s now pointing at me instead. “I wouldn’t know, would I? Because they’re gone. And that’s the last time you will mention my family to me again.”

A surge of adrenaline floods my veins. He’s going to shoot me. I think of my own family—of my brother, all I have left, waiting alone for my signal. There’s no way I’m going to let this man kill me here. I’m walking out alive, one way or another.

As if something in the universe has aligned at my thought, I’m compelled to look behind Hann, toward the glass windows lining the top of the building. There, silhouetted against the shadows, is the shape of a young man crouched on top of one of the towering computer shelves.

Daniel is here.

It’s all I need to see.

I suddenly lunge toward Hann.

He doesn’t expect me to do this—all he’s known of me is the awkward brother, the shy one, the one who still has to wear glasses in the dark. I duck low as I reach him. Before he can fire at me, I barrel into his legs and throw him off balance. Remember what Daniel taught you. The words flow through me like a current of electricity. In one move, I seize the gun from his hand and hold it up to his temple.

His guards all still at the sight.

“Back away from her!” I shout at them as I nod toward Pressa’s kneeling figure. “Drop your weapons!”

In my grasp, Hann laughs. Only now can I tell that he’s noticeably weaker than I remember him from the last time I saw him. Either he didn’t avoid Pressa’s serum as well as he claimed, or his illness has worsened significantly. Perhaps it’s both.

“Well,” he says. “Thank goodness you’ve got some surprises left in you.”

A sharp elbow strikes me hard in the chin. Stars burst in my vision—I’m forced to release him. He still moves faster than I can. He whirls around, seizes my arm, and locks it into a hold. I barely manage to twist out of his grasp, but he knocks the gun from my hand. It clatters to the floor.

He reaches down for it. In the same moment, I take the chip and swipe all its data onto the platform’s system.

The entire web of nodes flashes in a ripple of scarlet. I allow myself a grim, satisfied smile. Hann’s system shudders, corrupted, then deletes. Almost immediately, I see virtual markers reappear over Pressa’s head, over Dominic Hann himself, over his guards—the city’s original system has reset.

This is the only thing that buys me some time. Dominic Hann freezes, shocked at the sight of his system undone. I don’t wait for his reaction beyond that. I’m already sprinting toward Pressa, who has managed to struggle to her feet. In the chaos of the moment, I grab her hand and yank her forward with me. I chance a single glance over my shoulder.

Daniel’s no longer where he was crouched by the window. If he’s here, then he might have already alerted the AIS as to where we are. The troops should be arriving soon. Hann’s eyes are trained on me now, and the fury in them sends a wave of terror through me. I turn around and run faster.

“Hang in there,” I say breathlessly to Pressa.

She just clenches her jaw and fights to keep pace with me. “I’ve had worse,” she replies.

A bullet pings behind us. I duck instinctively as we round a corner of one hall. Behind us come the shouts of Hann’s guards. I stoop for a second, frantically gathering my thoughts. We have to hold out until the reinforcements arrive.

Suddenly, a popping sound comes from the ceiling. I glance up to see artificial misters all turn on in unison, filling the space with a thick fog. It’s the building’s original fire retardant, meant to put out fires in this maze of computers without damaging the systems with water. The mist is so dense that it settles onto us like a blanket. I can barely see Pressa beside me. Around us, the guards shout in frustration. An alarm begins to blare.