“I miss Allyson, too,” Kayla said, handing the letter back to August.
She, Mfumbe, and August continued to wait for David Young to come out with Loudon Waters. She felt nervous despite the fact that she’d had a vision of the event. In it, she’d seen David Young smiling as he walked out behind an angry-looking, defeated President about to announce his resignation.
In the next second, they appeared, like a rerun of a movie she’d already seen. People around her grew hoarse with cheering. Others beamed joyfully as emotional tears streamed down their faces. All around her, protesters hugged friends as well as strangers. Mfumbe and August slapped their palms together in the air. Mfumbe turned and hugged Kayla. This was the moment they’d dreamed of!
Kayla was cheering along with the others when she became aware of a low whine. She swatted the air, thinking it was a mosquito. Mfumbe’s face became puzzled and he checked around, then up. His expression changed from confusion to alarm as he pointed skyward.
In V formation, a squad of sleek white jets, identical to the robot jet that had fired on them earlier, flew over the White House and toward the crowd.
They were coming lower.
Too low.
An anxious murmur swept through the crowd.
A man broke loose from the protesters and dashed across the street. As others witnessed his panic, they began to run.
Kayla was aware of a rushing telepathic buzz of frantic communication filling her mind. What’s that?They’regoingtoattack.No.It’sjustsurveillance. No,it’snot.They’retoolow!They’reattackingus!
The jets broke formation, flying off in different directions. “Let’s get out of here!” August yelled, running. Mfumbe grabbed Kayla’s hand, holding tight, and they began to run in the same direction as August.
Somewhere, something exploded, the boom reverberating. Kayla felt the vibration in her bones. She and Mfumbe moved closer together, stunned, as all around them people began shouting and yelling.
Global-1 cruisers appeared, blocking the entrances to side streets. Kayla coughed hard. Mfumbe’s hand was over his mouth and he seemed to be choking. Several yards away, August staggered forward, gasping for breath. Some kind of crowd control gas, she heard Mfumbe say. We’ve got to get out of here!
Hot tears stung her eyes as they stumbled through the escaping crowd. Someone pushed Mfumbe but Kayla clutched his shirt, keeping him from toppling over.
She was still steadying him when a wave of nausea hit her. It was something in the gas.
She released his shirt and stumbled several steps away from him. Clutching her stomach, she began to vomit uncontrollably.
Heavy footsteps came up behind her. As she lifted her head to see who it was, something smashed down hard across her shoulders with incredible force. She was knocked down — and almost knocked out.
Through slitted eyes she was aware of red spinning lights. A man’s voice boomed through an address system, bellowing commands. “DEPOSIT ALL CELL PHONES IN THE BINS PROVIDED. ANY PHONES NOT VOLUNTARILY SURRENDERED WILL BE FORCIBLY TAKEN. PROCEED IN AN ORDERLY FASHION AS INSTRUCTED BY THE GLOBAL-1 OFFICER NEAREST YOU.”
The pain in her back was terrible. When she tried to push herself up, she was forced back to the ground by its searing ferocity.
“Quick! Quick!” someone whispered nearby. A woman’s voice. “Take her to the truck.”
Strong hands grasped her firmly by the upper arms.
A high whine of animal pain flew from her parched lips when they moved her. Her legs were lifted off the ground and she was spirited away across the dark street, too weak to resist.