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THE SUNLIGHT FILTERED through the trees, bathing the hillside with a surreal sense of tranquility that did little to reassure Amos. There was nothing tranquil about their situation.
Half an hour after crossing the checkpoint, they left the truck on the same ridge where Stephen had found him. Amos tried not to think about it as they jogged over the rocky terrain, recklessly risking sprains or worse.
Now, a hundred meters above the cave, they crouched behind a fallen tree, catching their breath. The moss-covered tree trunk hid them from the view of anything in the valley below. Don surveyed the steep hillside with his binoculars, sweeping back and forth in a studious arc.
“How did you know this place existed, Amos?” Jane asked between gasps, wedged awkwardly between her two companions.
“Found it when I was a kid,” Amos replied. He’d decided long before they left the Hub to leave the Story out of it. I’ve told Don, but that’s as far as I’m prepared to go.
“Back in the day, I used to come out here a lot,” he said, and then fell silent. To visit an unmarked grave. You’re not the only one who’s been through hell, Jane. And I don’t want to talk about it. Any more than you do.
Jane propped herself up on her elbows. “Any sign of the Tracker, Don?”
Don completed his painstaking reconnaissance, lowering the binoculars. “Not yet. But that may not mean anything.”
A warm breeze stirred the trees, tousling their hair. Amos was struck by the disparity between their peaceful surroundings and the Tracker’s ominous threat.
Don stowed the binoculars and handed a set of pliers to Amos. “Let’s make this quick, but let’s be careful. Don’t touch it with your bare hand, whatever you do. Use the pliers, and you . . .”
He pointed at Jane. “Use your prod on the Implant. Don’t let up until it’s deactivated. We don’t want any Trackers following us home. Drain the prod’s charge if you have to. We’ve got two to spare.”
He rose to his knees, ready to move. “But don’t fry it completely. Doc wants to study it when we get back.”
Jane nodded, her eyes wider than normal. “Until it’s burned out. Without melting it down. Got it.”
Amos opened and closed the pliers as if the tool was a weapon. “I’ll go into the cave first. I know where the Implant’s hidden. Jane, follow me but don’t crowd me. Don, are you keeping watch?”
Don responded with a curt nod, stepping over the fallen tree. “Let’s get going.”
Adrenaline fueled their frantic rush down the steep slope. They dodged between trees and moss-covered mini-cliffs, doing their best to keep low and under cover.
Evergreens never looked so good. Pine needles don’t rustle like dead leaves. A part of Amos’s mind was surprised he’d never noticed that before.
At the mouth of the cave, he hesitated for a moment, peering further down the steep hillside. The Story seemed far away at that moment.
What are you looking for? His inner voice flared into life. Your brother’s grave? Get on with your mission.
Amos crouched down and entered the cave, mindful of the low ceiling. He crawled to the back and thrust his arm into the crevice. Common sense shouted a warning, and he jerked his hand back, surprised at his unthinking recklessness.
Use the pliers, you idiot.
Amos gave his head a quick shake, silencing his inner voice, and pulled out the pliers. It was awkward—it would have been easier to do it by hand—but he worked to shove the sliding rock aside.
He heard Jane’s muffled gasp behind him. The winking lights shone bright in the semi-dusk of the cave. He felt her crowding against him as she craned her neck for a better view.
Amos reached into the crevice with the pliers, and with meticulous care, extracted the Implant from its hiding place. Two months it’s been here, alone in the dark, trying to poison solid rock with its needles. Relentless, I’ll say that much for it.
He rolled onto his side, the Implant held tightly in the pliers away from his body. He bumped into Jane in the close confines of the cave, almost dropping the pliers and his malevolent prize. She held the prod ready in her hand, close to him.
“Back off.” His sharp command came out as a hiss. “I didn’t cut my Implant out only to get infected anyway.”
“Sorry.” Jane glared at him, her old fire resurfacing. She didn’t sound sorry. “I thought you wanted me to short it out. Hold it where I can reach it.”
Amos twisted around, holding the Implant as far away as possible. Jane stared at it, mesmerized and revolted. Then, the corners of her mouth turning sharply down, she applied the tip of her prod to it.
The dancing lights accelerated across the Implant’s surface, and a high-pitched whine filled the cave. It almost sounded as if the tiny piece of technology was alive and in pain.
Jane faltered for a moment as the plaintive wail echoed in the close confines, but shoved the prod into the Implant with greater force, almost knocking it out of Amos’s grip.
The blinking lights raced across its surface, and Amos was suddenly afraid it might explode. Aubrey’s didn’t, his inner voice reminded him, helpful for once.
The lights and sound abruptly ceased. Jane pulled the prod back, eyeing the Implant warily. They stared at it for a moment, dark and silent in the pliers’ grip.
Jane holstered her prod and pulled out a small metal box. Amos dropped the Implant inside, and Jane sealed the container with a sharp snap.
“That’s it?” She whispered, looking uncertain.
Amos stared at the box in her hand, and nodded. “You saw the lights go out. It’s deactivated. Let’s get out of here.”
Don hovered over them as they crawled out of the cave. “You’ve got it? It’s been neutralized?”
Jane held the metal container aloft, not shaking it. Amos gave Don a thumbs-up, scarcely able to believe they’d made it this far.
Don grunted an intelligible response and retraced their route up the steep slope, moving with surprising agility for a big man. Jane kept pace beside him, scrambling furiously to keep up with his longer strides.
Amos moved to follow, but he couldn’t resist one last look over the stone edge above the cave’s entrance. He wasn’t surprised, but still felt a stab of fear when he spotted the Tracker at the bottom of the valley.
He whirled and chased the others up the hillside.