size of his palm. Cass looked around her for something to use as a weapon, but there was nothing nearby, so she flattened herself against her tree and balled her fists. Nick held up a hand, signaling Wait, wait . Kevin turned the brim of his baseball hat back to his neck and took a deep breath. Nick whispered, “Kevin, no,” but Kevin stepped out from behind his tree, screaming something incoherent, and flung his rock at the sphere floating ten yards away. The rock bounced off it and the robot bounced backward, like a balloon being punched. It paused a moment as if surprised, then streaked forward toward Kevin.
Kevin held his hands up over his face as the sphere hurtled toward him, and Nick jumped out and smashed the sphere with his tree limb, driving it into the ground at Kevin’s feet. White sparks flared across the metal surface of the robot. As the boys looked down at it, a small red circle opened like an eye. Before they could move, a beam of red light flickered quickly across Nick’s face, from his chin to his forehead and back down. Nick flinched, threw his hand up over his good eye, and then began hammering the robot again with his branch. The red light went out and the sphere lay in the dirt, dented and silent and still.
“Did you kill it?” Cass asked quietly.
Nick nudged the robot with his foot. “It was never alive. But yeah, I guess I killed it.”
“A scout,” said Kevin, kneeling down and poking the robot with a twig. “Small, fast. I don’t know how in the world it floated like that. Magnetic field, maybe?”
“Kevin, what the hell were you thinking?” said Nick. “I told you to stay put!”
“Stay put for what?” said Kevin, throwing down the twig and standing up. “This thing was gonna find us. I got its attention so you could take it out.”
“Yeah, you’re pretty good at getting their attention, aren’t you?” asked Nick.
Kevin’s eyes widened in shock, and Nick looked ashamed. “I’m sorry, Kevin,” he said. “That wasn’t fair …” But Kevin turned from his brother and began walking away.
Cass grabbed Kevin’s shoulder, stopping him. He tried to shrug out of her grip, but she held on tight. She was still dizzy and lightheaded, like her legs were a hundred feet beneath her, but she forced herself to focus. “I don’t know what’s going on with you two, but we have to get out of here, before—”
A painfully loud whirring drowned out the rest of Cass’s sentence. The siblings pressed themselves against trees as a black object passed overhead. It was similar in shape to the warship Cass had seen at the kidbon, but smaller, about the size of a bosh field. It moved slowly, just above the tree line. The air felt hot as its metal belly slid over their heads.
Kevin whispered, “I didn’t know what it was, Cass.” He had tears in his eyes, and Cass could see that he was fighting back more. “I shouldn’t have picked it up.”
“Come on,” said Cass, taking Kevin’s hand as the three crept away northward, away from the flying robot, away from Gapper and Jessica. “You can tell me about it at the shelter. Mom and Dad are waiting for us.”
CHAPTER 5
NICK PICKED UP THE PACE AND MOVED FORWARD AT A JOG, NERVES jangling, expecting the second scout to come humming up behind them, or the warbird to swoop down from above. But the path behind them remained quiet. After fifteen minutes he could see that Cass was having trouble keeping up, and he slowed down.
They spent the afternoon walking without talking, abandoning the trail to continue north when it cut to the west. Nick kept straining to hear any pursuit, but the only sounds were the snapping of twigs under their feet, the call of birds, an occasional crackle in the undergrowth from a mouse or squirrel or some other small creature, the leaves rustling in the breeze. It was a clear day; the sunlight filtered down through the canopy. The forest here was very green, with soft grass, low-growing seedlings, and fern
Kevin held his hands up over his face as the sphere hurtled toward him, and Nick jumped out and smashed the sphere with his tree limb, driving it into the ground at Kevin’s feet. White sparks flared across the metal surface of the robot. As the boys looked down at it, a small red circle opened like an eye. Before they could move, a beam of red light flickered quickly across Nick’s face, from his chin to his forehead and back down. Nick flinched, threw his hand up over his good eye, and then began hammering the robot again with his branch. The red light went out and the sphere lay in the dirt, dented and silent and still.
“Did you kill it?” Cass asked quietly.
Nick nudged the robot with his foot. “It was never alive. But yeah, I guess I killed it.”
“A scout,” said Kevin, kneeling down and poking the robot with a twig. “Small, fast. I don’t know how in the world it floated like that. Magnetic field, maybe?”
“Kevin, what the hell were you thinking?” said Nick. “I told you to stay put!”
“Stay put for what?” said Kevin, throwing down the twig and standing up. “This thing was gonna find us. I got its attention so you could take it out.”
“Yeah, you’re pretty good at getting their attention, aren’t you?” asked Nick.
Kevin’s eyes widened in shock, and Nick looked ashamed. “I’m sorry, Kevin,” he said. “That wasn’t fair …” But Kevin turned from his brother and began walking away.
Cass grabbed Kevin’s shoulder, stopping him. He tried to shrug out of her grip, but she held on tight. She was still dizzy and lightheaded, like her legs were a hundred feet beneath her, but she forced herself to focus. “I don’t know what’s going on with you two, but we have to get out of here, before—”
A painfully loud whirring drowned out the rest of Cass’s sentence. The siblings pressed themselves against trees as a black object passed overhead. It was similar in shape to the warship Cass had seen at the kidbon, but smaller, about the size of a bosh field. It moved slowly, just above the tree line. The air felt hot as its metal belly slid over their heads.
Kevin whispered, “I didn’t know what it was, Cass.” He had tears in his eyes, and Cass could see that he was fighting back more. “I shouldn’t have picked it up.”
“Come on,” said Cass, taking Kevin’s hand as the three crept away northward, away from the flying robot, away from Gapper and Jessica. “You can tell me about it at the shelter. Mom and Dad are waiting for us.”
CHAPTER 5
NICK PICKED UP THE PACE AND MOVED FORWARD AT A JOG, NERVES jangling, expecting the second scout to come humming up behind them, or the warbird to swoop down from above. But the path behind them remained quiet. After fifteen minutes he could see that Cass was having trouble keeping up, and he slowed down.
They spent the afternoon walking without talking, abandoning the trail to continue north when it cut to the west. Nick kept straining to hear any pursuit, but the only sounds were the snapping of twigs under their feet, the call of birds, an occasional crackle in the undergrowth from a mouse or squirrel or some other small creature, the leaves rustling in the breeze. It was a clear day; the sunlight filtered down through the canopy. The forest here was very green, with soft grass, low-growing seedlings, and fern
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