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Harmony wasn’t certain how far they’d need to travel before reaching Forbidden but suspected they’d not make it before the Overseers caught up with them. No one said anything about the train whistle that could be heard in the distance, although Harmony could now feel a slight vibration in the tracks. There was nowhere to run and hide in this desert, and everyone was so thirsty and exhausted, she doubted they still had it in them to run very far. Walker would probably wave a white flag as soon as he saw the Overseers, just for a swig of water. Griffin had given her his last swallow of water several miles back. She hated to admit just how miserably she’d failed. They were all going to get caught, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
“So this is our big escape, huh?” Even a dry, hacking cough wasn’t enough to keep the whine out of Walker’s voice.
Harmony eyed the wavering view of Forbidden. The damn city still looked a million miles away. “Shut the hell up. How was I supposed to know the second car held the spare water? There weren’t any instructions lying around for me to follow.” She kicked at the sand and sent some flying up and onto Walker’s back, just for spite. “Besides, you’re damn lucky we didn’t have to walk the entire way, or better still, you’re damn lucky I didn’t just leave your sorry ass back in Freedom.”
“At least there I had some water to drink.”
Harmony rolled her eyes at how spoiled her baby brother was, but didn’t have the energy or enough spit in her mouth to keep arguing. She was now carrying Molly, to give Walker a rest. After the train had run out of water, they’d abandoned it, but soon discovered that neither robot could walk in the sand without tripping and falling every third step. Griffin and Journey were taking turns carrying Bolt while she and Walker took turns with Molly.
A hand reached out and steadied Harmony, just as she stumbled on one of the track’s sleepers.
“Here. Let me help.” Griffin’s dusty face poured with sweat, but in spite of the heat and exhaustion, he smiled as he took Molly from her.
She found it impossible to understand how, when she kept putting him in harm’s way, he could still smile, as though they were only out for a casual stroll in the one-hundred-twenty degree heat. Something inside her slipped at the sight of his infectious grin. Here they were, basically complete strangers, but he was being kinder to her than her own unappreciative family.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “What are we going to do? They’re coming for us.”
Griffin pointed toward the sky above distant Forbidden. “Looks like your little friend’s back.”
Harmony thought the heat and lack of water must be making him see things, but then saw two balloons lifting off from the middle of Forbidden. She squealed and patted Walker on the back. “Look up, Dunderhead! We’re saved. Boy has made it back with Dad and Turner. ”
That happy announcement was blasted all to hell by a loud whistle and the pounding of wheels on the tracks. Harmony glanced over her shoulder and saw a train approaching in the distance. How long before it reached them? Damn it. She wasn’t about to give up, not this close to being rescued. She’d promised Boy she wouldn’t wind up dead. Harmony was more afraid of his disapproval than of a few creepy Overseers.
That fear sent a new surge of energy through her. She slapped Griffin on the shoulder and yelled, “Run!” but when he didn’t move, she looked over to see him grinning at her, as if he was having the time of his life. Man, but she loved his spirit. He wasn’t a grumbler but a doer. She couldn’t wait to introduce him to her father. Dad was going to love him.
“Get off the tracks,” she shouted. “If those sons of bitches want us, they’re going to have to come right out into desert to get us.”
They all took off at a run, away from the tracks, Harmony hoped the Overseers would have as much trouble walking in the sand as Bolts and Molly did. If the Overseers wanted them, they were damn well going to have to work a little harder for it. By her calculations, eight legs and a massive body equaled a hell of lot of getting stuck in the sand.
The airships had almost reached them when the squeal of train brakes filled the air. Everyone stopped running and turned. The doors on all the cars opened, as if choreographed, and at least ten Overseers emptied out of each. That sight had everyone running again.
Harmony slowed to check how the Overseers were handling walking in the sand. She froze and was almost plowed aside by Walker.
“What the hell are you stopping for?”
Harmony pointed toward the Overseers. Instead of stumbling through the sand, their legs skimmed over the top of it, with little to no problem at all. Really? Couldn’t they catch any kind of break? She and Walker might have stood there staring if Griffin hadn’t retraced his steps and seized Harmony’s arm.
“Grab the ladder.” He pointed above her head.
Harmony looked up to see Boy, peering over the side of Arius. He was waving frantically for her to climb on up. She jumped several times before she caught the first rung. Griffin pushed her up from below. She glanced across and saw Walker already on Skyer’s ladder, reaching down to take Bolts away from Journey so he could climb up too. Harmony pulled herself up a couple of rungs, to get out of Griffin’s way, and looked down to see if he needed any help. As soon as he’d taken a good hold himself, she continued climbing.
Halfway up the ladder, a loud buzzing sound drew her attention back to the ground.
She screamed at Boy, “Get us up higher!” She took the rungs three at a time, trying to get aboard so they could pull the ladder up before one of the Overseers grabbed ahold. They would never be able to fight them off if the Overseers were able to get onto the airships.
Harmony clambered aboard and looked down to see how Griffin was doing when he too climbed over the side, inadvertently pushing her out of the way. She rolled a couple of times before landing on her face. Any other time, she would have been pissed off and raised holy hell, but now she just raced over to join Boy at the helm. With Griffin and Molly finally aboard, she raised the ladder, then jogged over to the starboard side, to get a clearer view of Skyer. She returned her father’s wave and released a pent up sigh.
Molly and Griffin joined her, Griffin’s rich, soothing voice in her ear proclaiming, “Well, I’ll be damned. We made it.”