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Forced under water, I held my breath. The pressure of millions of gallons of water moved around me, pulling me down and tugging me along, but I was caught on something. Through the dark water and the panic that seized my heart, it took a moment to grasp what was happening. My legs were still wrapped tightly around Brian Callahan’s waist, but the harness was slipping, drawing tighter around me as I clawed against the water to find the surface. Will’s father struggled with me, searching for air against the deluge rushing past us. Just as my lungs were about to burst, our bodies broke the surface.
Will’s voice sounded from far away, muffled by the water in my ears and the ringing from the concussion of the blast. We were being pulled upward and Will was saying something....
“We’ve got you.”
I peered up to see him hanging over the edge of the hole in the floor, his blond hair soaked. He was pulling with all his might on the hose, Sam and Zeph in the background doing the same, as if they were playing a tug-of-war with some faceless opponent, determined to win. The hose jolted upward, slowly raising me and Brian out of the water, inch by inch. I held tight to the hose with one hand and kept the other wrapped around Brian’s back to help keep him upright as we ascended. He coughed fluid out of his lungs, but he was conscious and holding on.
When we reached the edge of the floor above us, several sets of hands descended upon us. I crawled my way onto the platform, squirmed my way out of the harness and threw myself into Sam’s arms while Will helped his father.
“When you disappeared under the water, I thought I’d lost you forever, Monkey.” Tears mixed with the sweat running down his face, his brown eyes pools of emotion.
The wolves pranced around me in greeting but whined to let me know we were out of time. We were all about to dart for the stairwell when Graves appeared in the hallway. He limped toward the far edge of the abyss and peered down.
“I don’t suppose I could convince you to throw me that hose,” he said, meeting my gaze and offering a cynical smile through gritted teeth. Obviously injured and having missed his flight, Graves shot me a desperate look.
Will stepped in front of me. “You can go to—”
“Wait.” I moved up beside Will and brushed Sam’s hand off my shoulder as he tried to stop me.
Disbelief and a spark of hope flashed in the man’s eyes as he saw me reach for the hose. Will grabbed my arm. “You can’t, Lily. He’s a killer.”
“So am I...and so is Zeph.” My gaze shifted to Sam. “Everyone here right now has killed. Whether in self-defense, in order to survive, or because it was their duty.” I pulled away from Will’s grasp and met his expression of disbelief. “Maybe he deserves to die for what he’s done, or maybe he deserves to rot in a work camp.” My gaze met Will’s. “Or maybe he deserves a second chance at redemption. I’m not about to be judge and jury.” I swung the hose across the expanse.
Graves caught it, gave me an appreciative nod and launched himself over the edge, swinging across the rising waters. He disappeared for a moment and then climbed into view. But with his injured knee and the nerves in his arm still causing weakness, he slipped back down. I sent healing energy into him to strengthen him, and called out to Sam and Zeph, knowing I’d be asking too much of Will. “Help me pull him up!”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” said Zeph, rolling his eyes at me and shaking his head.
“C’mon. Help me,” I insisted. Sam and Zeph exchanged a glance, knowing I’d never walk away from someone in need, and added their strength to mine in tugging the hose upward. Releasing a frustrated growl, Will jumped in to help. I pulled on the hose with all my might.
Graves had just reached the top and was about to climb over the edge when an explosion sounded and another section of the floor gave way. We all let go of the hose and fell backward, and Graves disappeared into the rushing waters, his screams echoing from below. I peered down into the abyss, my heart caught in my throat.
“We have to go, Lily.” Will lifted me to my feet but I froze in place, shock and disbelief taking over.
“You did all you could. He’s gone.” Zeph grabbed my hand and tugged me into the stairwell as the wolves ran past and darted up the stairs toward the exit. My legs wobbled beneath me, but I forced them to keep going, spurred by adrenaline.
I couldn’t think about Graves. The painful reality that I couldn’t save everyone hit me squarely. I hadn’t been able to save my father, my mother, Josh, or Rudy. If Malevich’s mother dropped those nukes on us, the whole planet was doomed and there was nothing I could do about it. A sense of helplessness threatened to take over, but I refused to give in.
I had to have faith. Faith in something greater than myself. I clung to Aunt Beth’s locket, memories of bedtime prayers flashing in my mind. For the first time in a long time, I uttered a prayer and asked God for help.
Zeph and I stumbled up the stairs together and burst out into the lobby as another explosion rocked the building. Debris fell all around us but we charged through, Sam helping Will with his dad, and Zeph and I in the lead with the President. A moment later we popped out onto the street. People were running in all directions, panicked by the explosions and the water rushing up out of the sewers. Car horns blared, sirens sounded, and screams filled the air.
Chaos surrounded us and then a familiar sound reached my ear. A Condor set down in the midst of traffic not far away. Dalton hopped out and came to help us through the crowd. After assurances that Tyler and Luke had made it to safety with the others, we boarded the aircraft. As it lifted off, a thunderous vibration shook the air. The building crumbled, the walls imploded, and a cloud of dust rose up. We hovered over the scene for another moment and watched as the building sank into a crater and water began to rise around the debris.
“Hold on!” Agent Simms’s voice on the com captured my attention. The aircraft banked sideways and then shot forward out over the city. Fires lit the dawn sky like Dante’s inferno and the entire Las Vegas strip was either in flames or being engulfed in rushing water. Explosions ignited all over the city. The ground rumbled deep underneath the buildings, taking them down one at a time like a falling army. As we headed out over the desert, Sam pointed high in the sky.
“Look!” A shower of sparks like a fireworks display rained against the blue sky, the solar barrier no longer in place.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I believe that’s Mrs. Malevich’s ride,” Sam said with satisfaction. “Joe actually did it.”
“Did what?” An uneasy knot settled in my chest.
“He boarded the Cruiser and managed to sabotage it before it left Earth’s atmosphere. He gave his life to stop the destruction of the planet.”
Sam’s tone was solemn and I wondered if Tyler had known his father’s plan all along, or if he would find new reason to respect the man who had been so hard on his sons. Joe Johnson had finally found a way to redeem himself and avenge his eldest son’s death, leaving a legacy of pride for the next generation as he’d always intended. I swallowed hard and released a breath, knowing Malevich, his mother, and their evil Assembly could no longer pose a threat to humanity.
President Callahan sat beside her brother, smiling at Will with pride. “You kids were amazing today. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you two.”
“That goes for me too,” said Brian.
Will wrapped a warm hand around mine, his gaze filled with pride and affection.
“Yeah, we make a good team, don’t we?”
