ARC10

Chapter 25.2

Jumping down, I find three kids to my right crouching behind empty crates. They're maybe thirteen or fourteen years-old. Their lips form stoic lines, but their eyes gleam with mischief. I remember that look.

Two boys flank the girl. The smallest of the three, the boy on the far left, fidgets like a bird about to take off. He hides his hand in a bag.

I pause to monitor their odd behavior until I hear my name shouted from behind.

With his hands shoved in his jacket pockets, his wrinkled pants splotched with oil stains, and his cerulean eyes downcast, Kai's muddy ghost approaches. The skin under his eyes is swollen with sleeplessness.

His phantom hands squeeze my hips.

Panic washes over me. My hands tremble at my sides.

When the initial shock sweeps over, and I'm left shuddering in its wake, the madness of the URE recedes, becoming a shallow thought in the distance. I can't let that happen right now.

Something is wrong with the people of the URE. It's time to focus.

Turning from Kai, I close my eyes to ground myself. I need to be prepared for whatever happens next.

Breathe.

There's nothing in the URE I can't handle.

Focus.

I open my eyes.

In my peripherals, two active militiamen guard their post. They're probably not aware of the little pieces clicking together in the eye of the storm. This is too much for me to handle alone. They must be aware of the potential disaster gathering.

I whistle loudly enough to secure their attention.

They glance my way.

The twitchy kid below me startles at the noise. He raises his arms, revealing a gun he'd been hiding in the bag.

"No!" I shout, throwing myself to grab it from him, but I'm too late.

He shoots off a red flare into the air above the marketplace tents. He falls over from the kickback, the gun smoking in his little hand.

Civilians duck after the shot as the light blasts upward. It catches the draping canvas of the garment booth. It blazes to life, burning the marketplace canopy.

Screams fill the air.

Kai appears at my side.

The kids struggle to haul their friend to his feet when Kai grabs the two boys by their collars. He hoists them up. The smaller uses his strength to pry Kai's hand from his shirt.

The girl sprints behind us, kicking Kai's shins with furious precision. She turns her attack on me when I grab her arm.

People cower as smoke clogs the marketplace. The destruction fans out. They grab at produce, products, scraps, and textiles on their hasty exit. The two militiamen join me in the epicenter of the insanity, screaming into their PAHLMs.

I pull rank. "Get Fire Team up here." I point to the tallest flame. "Gate two is compromised."

When I activate my comms, my PAHLM flickers as it syncs my frequencies. Frazzled voices buzz incoherent orders in my earpiece. At least SCOPE is aware of what's happening in here.

The girl pulls free from my grip. I lunge after her, but a mob of panicking civilians separates us. She pushes through, sprinting past her comrades who flail frantically in Kai's grasp. I don't want to help him. But it's imperative he be hands-free so we can deal with whatever happens next. Because something is coming.