Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1)(66)


A trembling breath.

“Jesus, I am scared.”

BOOM.

Grant flinches like someone hit her. Slumps like part of her died as well. She sits for two minutes that seem to last forever. Nothing but the engine noise and screams for company. But finally, she climbs to her knees. Her eyes on the lanyard at McNulty’s equipment belt, the flat strip of blue plastic attached to it. The bold black letters stenciled on it.

UTA MARINES—ALL AREAS ACCESS.

The pass won’t work on the hangar bay doors, but those are already unsealed. And there are countless other doors aboard the Alexander that card will unlock. No need to hack through them with that console at her back anymore. Now she’s got the key.

She unzips McNulty’s hazmat suit, fumbling with the tac vest beneath. With bloodstained fingers, she snaps the chain at his throat, drawing out a pair of flat metal disks marked with name, rank, UTA ID number. Slipping the dogtags into her pack, she bows her head.

The rage is back now. Her voice is shaking with it.

“I’ll tell them, Jimmy,” she says. “I’ll tell them all.”

And then the console in her backpack starts to ping.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: kady

Mason, E, LT 2nd: f*ck me

Mason, E, LT 2nd: kady u there?

ByteMe: hang on

ByteMe: kk. what’s up? u moving?

Mason, E, LT 2nd: no. well sort of. deeper into the server cluster

Mason, E, LT 2nd: jesus

Mason, E, LT 2nd: kady i just killed someone

ByteMe: good

ByteMe: anyone else tries anything, u kill them too, got it?

ByteMe: they’re not them anymore

Mason, E, LT 2nd: yeah i know

Mason, E, LT 2nd: just

Mason, E, LT 2nd: god

Mason, E, LT 2nd: he came in through the airvents. dunno how he found me. UTA marine. guy named Sykes.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: i think Jimmy knew him, used to talk about a guy in his squad called Syko

ByteMe: i’m sorry

ByteMe: i found jimmy, Ez. i’m so sorry.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: god is he ok?

ByteMe: he died, Ez.

ByteMe: he did it himself, before the sickness got him, once he knew it was on the way

ByteMe: he left a message. i’m so sorry, i know he was your friend.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: …

Mason, E, LT 2nd: jimmy

ByteMe: i’m sorry. i have to keep moving.

ByteMe: i have his access pass, i’ll be faster now

Mason, E, LT 2nd: ok

Mason, E, LT 2nd: yeah ok

ByteMe: r u ok holed up where u r?

Mason, E, LT 2nd: core server rooms. i’m out of bullets

Mason, E, LT 2nd: no spare mag. no munitions locker in here

Mason, E, LT 2nd: i’d kill for another gun. pun intended, i guess …

ByteMe: that’s ironic

Mason, E, LT 2nd: ?

ByteMe: i have one right here and no idea how to use it

ByteMe: i think these are bullets tho

Mason, E, LT 2nd: a gun? wat kind? pistol? rifle?

ByteMe: r pistols the ones u hold in ur hand? like smaller?

ByteMe: there’s one of those and a big one too, but couldn’t lift that for long

Mason, E, LT 2nd: ya, pistol is the one that fits in one hand. take that

Mason, E, LT 2nd: but u need the rifle too. it should have a strap to help carry it. pistols dont’ have the stopping power. these crazies just keep coming until they can’t move anymore.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: but a couple of VK rounds in the chest will stop a glaciosaur

ByteMe: Ez i’m already lugging this biosuit plus my pack plus my tablet, can’t haul 2 guns i don’t even know how to fire with me.

ByteMe: take ur point they’d be useful if i knew how but i don’t

Mason, E, LT 2nd: i can teach

Mason, E, LT 2nd: it’s easy

ByteMe: must be, u learned

Mason, E, LT 2nd: D:

ByteMe: seriously tho i have to keep moving, don’t have forever.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: ok, safety is red switch under your thumb when ur hand is on the grip. just keep that off, and keep the business end away from your face

Mason, E, LT 2nd: when you touch trigger, laser sight will light up on barrel. you just point the red dot where u want the bullets to go

Mason, E, LT 2nd: then squeeze

Mason, E, LT 2nd: don’t pull. squeeze.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: rounds will fire in atmo or vacuum, but even with liquid casings, the recoil is rough on a VK. brace against ur shoulder. the gun will pull up toward the roof when u fire, so use short bursts. don’t hold trigger down. just pop pop pop, one at a time

ByteMe: do either of us think i have any chance of remembering this if something tries to kill me?

ByteMe: i don’t even know if i could shoot

Mason, E, LT 2nd: it’s easy

Mason, E, LT 2nd: point red dot at what u want to die

Mason, E, LT 2nd: squeeze trigger

Mason, E, LT 2nd: it dies

Mason, E, LT 2nd: repeat

ByteMe: i mean i don’t know if i could pull the trigger

ByteMe: squeeze the trigger

ByteMe: f*ck it whatever.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: kady

Mason, E, LT 2nd: u can do this

Mason, E, LT 2nd: u have to. there’s no one else but you

Mason, E, LT 2nd: i believe in you

ByteMe: i know

ByteMe: i know

ByteMe: ok i have to keep moving

Amie Kaufman, Jay Kr's Books