فصل 28

Chapter 28: Back to the Battlefield

Earlier that day

The sun was just dawning when the four of us—Taylor, Gervaso, Ian, and I—pulled off the ranch road onto the freeway. The night before, while Gervaso had been packing the car, Jack had tried to talk Gervaso into letting him come with us, but Gervaso wouldn’t budge. This was a covert operation, the fewer along the better. And, with Jack, there was the added risk of someone recognizing him. The same was true for Ostin, who had also asked to come. This was the first mission I’d been on without him.

Gervaso provided Taylor and me with hats and sunglasses to help conceal our identities once we reached Idaho. We couldn’t take the odd chance of running into a former classmate or neighbor or even a stranger who recognized us. For all we knew, our faces had ended up plastered on milk cartons.

The drive from southern Utah to Boise took a little less than ten hours. It felt strange being back in Boise, especially when Gervaso drove past PizzaMax. I had mixed feelings about that place. I had mixed feelings about the whole city. It should have felt like home, but nothing felt like home anymore. I didn’t think it was the city that had changed. It was the whole world that had changed. Or maybe it was just me.

It was a little after five o’clock when we reached Boise, rush hour, which is what Gervaso had planned on. The more cars there were, the more difficulty the Elgen would have finding us. I thought again of what Ostin had said. The best place to hide a penny is in a jar of pennies. The last time we were in Boise, the Elgen had been hunting us. We were pretty sure that they still were. Why else would they have framed Taylor’s mother if they didn’t think it would draw us back? We needed to be ready for them.

On the way to Taylor’s house we drove past Meridian High School. The marquee read: CHEERLEADER TRYOUTS

WED–THURS AFTER SCHOOL

Taylor didn’t say anything. Just past the school, Gervaso stopped the car on a side street, and Ian and I changed places—he got in back with Taylor, and I got in front with Gervaso.

“I’m first going to make a slow pass down the street to check things out,” Gervaso said. “The Elgen set this trap, so we should assume they’re watching. Ian, I want you to watch closely for anyone suspicious. Also for any cameras panning license plates. This car’s plates won’t set off any alarms, but it’s not an Idaho plate, and that still might cause them to take a second look.” “I’ll recognize an Elgen guard,” Ian said. “But if they’re not in uniform, I won’t know if someone belongs around here or not.” “Taylor can touch him and see what he sees,” I said.

“Brilliant idea,” Gervaso said. “Look for anything out of the ordinary. We also need to see if Taylor’s dad is home before we break into the house.” “What if he is?” Taylor asked.

“We’ll come back at night after he’s asleep,” Gervaso said.

“Put your sunglasses on,” he said to me. “Taylor, you and Ian need to duck down.” “Then I won’t be able to see,” Taylor said.

“Ian will see for you,” Gervaso said.

Ian took Taylor’s hand, and they both lay sideways in the backseat, with Taylor lying against Ian. I looked ahead, trying to act normal.

Gervaso slowly turned onto Taylor’s street. “Here we go,” he said.

“That tan car on the right,” Ian said. “It’s a police officer. He’s got binoculars.” “Why would the police be watching their house?” I asked. “They wouldn’t be expecting anyone.” “What is he doing?” Gervaso asked.

“He looked at us, but he’s not concerned.” “That’s my house up on the right side,” Taylor said. “The tan one with aspens on the side.” “There are two cars in the garage,” Ian said.

“That’s my mother’s van and my father’s truck,” Taylor said.

“I can’t slow down any more without looking suspicious,” Gervaso said. “So look quickly.” “I can’t see anyone in the house,” Ian said. “The lights are all off, so I don’t think he’s there.” “It looks empty,” Taylor said. “But that’s my father’s only car. He wouldn’t have left without it.” “Maybe he went for a walk,” I said.

“Or maybe someone picked him up.”

“All I know is that the house is empty,” Ian said after we’d passed. “The front dead bolt is locked.” “Anything else?”

“Looks like we’ve got another one of Boise’s finest up ahead,” Ian said.

“Why would there be police here?” Taylor asked.

“Maybe they think the drug cartel will come looking for the drugs that went missing,” I offered.

“That’s a possible explanation,” Gervaso said.

“Wait,” Ian said.

“What?”

“I’m not positive, but it looked like that cop was holding an Elgen handbook.” “Are you sure?”

“No.”

As we drove past the officer’s car, he glanced up at us but showed no concern. I pretended not to see him.

“If they’re working for the Elgen, they’re most likely looking for Taylor, not us.” “I was right,” Ian said. “It’s an Elgen book. The Elgen guard insignia is on the cover.” “The Boise police are working with the Elgen?” I said.

“My dad isn’t with the Elgen,” Taylor said angrily.

“I never said he was,” Gervaso said, trying to calm her down. “If he was, the Elgen wouldn’t be staking him out.” We reached the end of the street, then kept going.

“Now what?” I said.

“We wait until it’s a little darker; then we sneak into the house.” He asked Taylor, “Is that the school behind your house?” “Yes.”

“What’s the best way to get to your house without being seen?” “There’s a gate for the school along Hampton Road. We can park there, then follow the fence up to my house. There’s an opening in my next-door neighbor’s fence that we used to climb through. It comes out behind a row of bushes, so we can sneak into my backyard and go in through the back. My parents keep a key under a rock near the door.” “That gives us about an hour before dark,” Gervaso said. “Anything you want to do while we’re here?” No one spoke for a moment; then I said, “Can we go to PizzaMax?” “Is that a pizza place?” Gervaso asked.

“Yes. We passed it on the way here.”

“We can’t go inside,” he said. “But we can order to go and eat in the car.” “I’m good with that,” I said.

“How can you think of food at a time like this?” Taylor asked.

“How can you not?” I replied.

She frowned. “Now you sound like Ostin.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Even though it was almost twilight, Taylor and I still wore our sunglasses as we drove into the restaurant’s parking lot. Being back at PizzaMax filled me with unexpected emotion. I realized that I hadn’t really asked to go there for the pizza. I was hungry, but there was something psychological driving me there. In many ways, PizzaMax was where everything changed. It’s where I first met Dr. Hatch and Zeus and Nichelle. It was where my mother was kidnapped. Nothing in my life was the same after that night . . . especially me. It was the place where my fantasy of security was finally shattered.

I once watched a show on the History channel about old men going back to battlefields where they had fought as young soldiers. There’s something in us that wants to see the place where we once battled.

Gervaso parked our car backward in the parking spot to facilitate a quick getaway should we require one. Then, leaving us there to wait, he went inside, and returned twenty minutes later with an extra-large pizza with garlic bread and sodas.

“That’s a busy place,” Gervaso said. “It holds more people than you’d think.” “It’s always crowded,” I said. “My mother and I used to come here for special occasions. This is where I was when I first met Dr. Hatch.” “It was on your birthday,” Taylor said. “I was supposed to come too. But I’d already been kidnapped.” “You really met Dr. Hatch here?” Ian asked.

“Right over there by the light pole,” I said, pointing. “Hatch wanted to see my powers in action, so he sent a GP to steal our car. As I handed the GP the keys, I shocked him. Then Hatch appeared out of nowhere, clapping.” “Creepy,” Ian said.

“Yeah. Then Nichelle did her thing and I passed out. That’s when they kidnapped my mother.” “Why didn’t they take you?”

“I think they wanted both of us. But before they could take me, Ostin and a bunch of people came out of the restaurant.” We sat in the car and ate, though Taylor didn’t eat much. She was too upset.

Gervaso seemed especially anxious, carefully eyeing everyone coming in and out of the restaurant. By the time we finished eating, the sun had fallen behind the mountains.

Gervaso looked back at us. “Everyone ready?” “I’m ready,” Taylor said.

“Me too,” I said.

Ian nodded. “Yeah, let’s do this.”