I’m hit by a wave of ice-cold department store air. Howard takes a deep breath.
“Feels nice,” he says.
“Don’t get comfortable,” I say. “We’re in and out of here as fast as possible.”
I scan the floor. It’s a big Kmart, so it should have a decent selection of outdoor equipment, especially in this part of the state, which is filled with parks and hiking trails.
“I’ll hit the camping section,” I say to Tanya.
“Great. I’ll see what I can find in the self-defense arena. Howard, you want to come with me or stay with Zach?”
She turns, but Howard is already disappearing down an aisle.
“I’ll get him,” I say.
She nods and moves quickly into the depths of the store.
I look around, concerned for a moment, until I notice the sign for ELECTRONICS. If I know Howard…
Sure enough, I find him standing in the television section, his attention focused on a wall of screens.
“Hey, buddy, we have to get going,” I say.
“Why are you on TV?” he says.
I look at the TV monitors. My face is splashed across every screen, the words TEEN TERRORIST beneath it.
The volume is muted, so I read the closed captioning running across the set:
DANIEL MARTIN, 16, SUSPECTED IN THE BOMBING OF THE FEDERAL BUILDING IN BOSTON…
Daniel Martin. That was my cover name on the last mission against Eugene Moore and his military-training camp.
It’s The Program. They’ve leaked my picture to the press, accusing me of being one of the Boston bombers. For some reason they’ve gone public, burning my identity and making me the most sought-after fugitive in the country in the process.
I pull the baseball cap lower over my eyes.
“Let’s get away from these screens,” I say to Howard.
This time he listens, following me as I move back toward the housewares section.
“Why are they saying those things about you?” Howard asks.
“I’m wondering the same thing. Tanya said The Program had put a capture order on me, so why go public and bring the authorities into it?”
“Maybe they’re trying to smoke you out?” Howard says.
“It doesn’t make sense,” I say. “If my identity is public, they lose the ability to take me in secret, and they risk my getting shot or killed during capture.”
Unless they’ve written me off completely, and they don’t care.
I imagine Mike calling Mother, telling her that Tanya has turned because I corrupted her. Mother decides that I am a danger to The Program, a danger so great that they need me dead by any means.
But why would Mike do that when he could have killed me himself and taken the credit? He would choose the path that benefits him the most. How would it help him for The Program to go public with my information?
Tanya rushes through the store to find us.
“You need to look outside right now,” she says.
We follow her until we can see out the front windows.
Police cars are pouring into the shopping center entrance. I note a large SWAT tactical truck already in place at the side of the Kmart. The back doors of the truck are flung open, and a dozen SWAT officers start fanning out around the perimeter of the store.
“Are they here for us?” Tanya asks.
“For me,” I say.
“We were in the TV section,” Howard says. “Zach is on the news.”
Tanya looks at me.
“The Program burned you?”
“They’re saying I was involved in the bombing at the JFK building.”
“Were you?” Tanya asks.
“I was there,” I say.
I don’t need to tell her I was on a mission to stop the bombing. She can guess as much.
“So there’s a SWAT team about to storm Kmart,” Tanya says.
“I always thought shopping was boring,” Howard says.
“Not today,” I say.
Uniformed cops are rushing scared Kmart shoppers to the edges of the parking lot, where they crouch behind a line of squad cars parked hood to bumper. That means the SWAT team is going to storm the building, rather than playing it safe and waiting for the feds.
“They’re only after me,” I say. “So I want you two to get out of here. Walk out like you’re scared shoppers, and let the police lead you away to safety. I don’t think The Program is here yet, which means you should have a head start.”
“I’m not leaving without you,” Tanya says.
“Get Howard to safety,” I say.
“Like hell,” Howard says. “I’m not leaving, either.”
“Listen, guys, I appreciate the sentiment, but it’s not the time to play hero. I can’t keep you safe if you stay here.”
“You don’t have to keep me safe,” Tanya says. “I keep myself safe.”
“Me, too,” Howard says, though it’s a lot less convincing coming from him.
“So what’s the plan? You’re going to form a human shield?” I say.
“Whatever you need,” Tanya says.
He and Tanya stand together, arms crossed.
“If you’re serious, then we’d better get to work,” I say.
“I’ll see what I can find to help us,” Tanya says, and she disappears down an aisle.
“What about me?” Howard says. “Where do you want me?”
“I want you as far away from the action as possible. You can’t be fighting trained SWAT officers. They’ll be carrying weapons and wearing full body armor.”
I’m looking for a place to put Howard during the assault. A back room or storage area. That’s when I notice a ladder in the hardware section.
“Up,” I say to Howard.
“What’s up?”
“That’s where I’m going to put you.”
I hear a whistle behind me. I turn to see Tanya standing down the end of the aisle, her arms cradling a box of road flares.
A plan begins to come together.