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AMOS REACHED INTO THE rucksack, his movements nonchalant, stealthy. The scanner’s red glow was at its peak, and he read the confirming data on the attached reader. Activated Implants—the unruly behavior in the back seat took on a more sinister cast.
Amos pushed the scanner to one side, intent on the other items Sheila had thought to include. Two prods. Charged and ready, she’d said.
Amos seized one, switching it on with his thumb, careful to shield what he was doing from view.
The level of animosity in the rear seat was intensified, washing over him like a wave. Sheila took her foot off the accelerator, allowing the truck’s momentum to subside. Her grip on the steering wheel was iron-tight, and she kept her eyes glued to the road ahead.
“Stop this truck!” Lucas plunged between the seats, his out-stretched hand clawing wildly at Sheila’s arm. Amos, still leaning forward over the rucksack, found himself pinned under Lucas’s weight.
The truck lurched to one side under the force of his feverish attack. Sheila wrestled to keep control of the wheel, trying to fend him off. Behind him, Amos heard, as much as he sensed, Don’s physical intervention. Whatever Emma was up to, he had no way of knowing, but it was clear she was somehow blocking Don.
Amos pulled the prod—charged and ready—out of the rucksack, twisting around to intercept Lucas. The lurching truck made it difficult to keep his balance, and he pushed back in a desperate effort to free himself.
Lucas grappled with Sheila, his weight holding Amos down as he lunged further between the front seats. Behind him, Amos heard Don’s shocked cry of pain, but he couldn’t see what Emma had done to him.
Their situation was deteriorating. Amos knew he had to act now. His mind raced, weighing the variables in his risky plan. He braced his left arm against the dashboard, pushing back with all his strength. Sight unseen, he jammed the prod under his arm, desperate to connect with Lucas’s ribs.
He was rewarded by a piercing cry—the prod’s effect was anything but gentle—and his assailant’s full weight landed on him, limp and heavy.
Lucas’s sudden collapse dragged Sheila’s right arm down, sending the truck careening in a new direction. His limp body landed full force on Sheila’s leg, jamming her foot on the accelerator at the same time.
All thought of Emma’s struggle with Don was forgotten. Amos braced himself for the inevitable.