Unity and Destiny Pt. 07

But of course he wasn't the only one left. Jesús was about Javier's age, a scared-looking kid, really. Did Javier look like that to them? The other guy came to crouch beside Javier, and he saw others getting ready to move.

It was Selena who burst through the door, her mask still on. Javier sighed in relief, but her voice was grim.

"Everyone's dealt with, but a guard killed the female Changed," she said. "Esther says we have no time left. Get these people out, Javier." She disappeared back into the corridor.

"Quickly," Javier urged. They were standing up, looking uncertain, and he opened the door wider. "¿Jesús, puedes correr?"

Jesús nodded, and followed Javier out. But they ran into Nicola in the hall, and she leaned to whisper in Javier's ear.

"Javier, we have to all go together. Esther's near exhaustion, and she has to guard all of us, and obscure the escape from the Mexican as much as she can."

He nodded, and explained the plan loudly to everyone in English and Spanish.

"All together," he urged as they squeezed into the hall and followed Nicola. "Todos juntos. One group. As fast as we can, but close together. Al río, a América."

* * *

Esther tried to hold herself together, but her head throbbed with the effort of concealment. Amelia was gone, but the Changed man outside was awake, struggling with his restraints and trying to sense who his assailants were. And she'd already felt the first few probes from a huge distance. The Mexican was looking for them, and she was the only thing confusing his vision.

Nicola was arguing with Kat, who wouldn't leave the computer where she was working. But they'd have to come back anyway, to escape in the van as they'd planned. It was a complicated dance she'd have to play, hiding all the hostages until they boarded the boat, and then allowing the Mexican to sense a glimpse of a group of Changed heading a different direction. Dangerous, but it was all she could come up with. She'd tried to explain this to Selena, and now she heard Selena describing it better to Nicola. Kat would be alone for some minutes, but all the guards were well secured. Only the one outside had even woken.

Their group burst outside, Javier in front with a child on his shoulders. Selena, Mark, and Nicola had found Esther, and they stuck close, in the center of the ragged formation. It wasn't much of a run, but these people had been stuck in terrible conditions for months, or longer. She felt how hard they were trying, the terrible hope as they struggled down towards the Rio Grande. America, and freedom. Or at least a better captivity than they'd had here. She couldn't worry about that.

There were two boats waiting for them, with a few armed men on each. And Myra Jackson. Across the river she could sense now how many others waited, well concealed in various spots. Fortunately Grace had gone unnoticed, nervously slumped in her car a few miles away in town.

Esther stumbled, and Mark's hand was there to steady her. Even this slow pace was beginning to exhaust her, but she could make it. Everything was still quiet up at the farm. Kat was safe.

Something immense slammed against her, and she stumbled again. But Mark and Nicola had been hit as well.

"The Mexican," she choked, redoubling her concealment. He hadn't found them. He was striking out blindly, with a blunt power that was terrifying.

They were almost there. Esther's lungs burned. The boats had little boarding ramps down, and the escapees immediately began rushing aboard, some collapsing, the armed men aboard trying to impose order. Javier went right up with the child, handing her directly to a surprised Myra Jackson.

"Get them away," he said. "All of them, all your men, even on the other side. Far away, as fast as you can. We made a mistake, and we're all in danger of being sensed. You need to be gone. We'll be the distraction."

Jackson nodded slowly. She hadn't put the child down, and one hand reached automatically to stroke the girl's hair.

"I can send men with you," she said.

"No," said Javier. "It's hard enough to hide as it is." He slipped back to shore as the last man got aboard. No one tried to detain him.

By the time the boats pushed off, Jackson had put the child down. But she and the girl's mother each held a hand. And whatever else Jackson was, Esther knew she'd take care of that child.

* * *

Javier turned and sprinted. The others had to follow with Esther, but he knew the Mexican couldn't easily distinguish him or Kat from any of the guards. Or at least they were counting on that, and they were already screwed if it wasn't true.

It wasn't far to the van. He'd drive it closer, and then they'd all get the fuck out of here. He was just passing the main building when Esther's voice brought him up short.

Javier! Police. We can't make it in time. Javier, what do we do?

His mind froze. Could he get the van, lead the police away on a crazy chase? No, of course not. They'd send some of them into the farm no matter what. The Mexican must have alerted them. Could they find a place to hide? But then Esther spoke in his mind again.

Selena says we have to swim. I'm pulling on Kat but she won't come. I'm too weak. Get her, Javier.

He rushed back into the building, only to catch Kat, who was hurrying out with her bag.

"Couldn't get into that fucking machine," she said as Javier pulled her to the door. "I felt Esther pull."

"Kat, we have to run. We're swimming the river."

"What?" she gasped, struggling to follow him. But then they both heard the vehicles approaching. A lot of them, but no sirens. Javier grabbed her bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

"You can swim, right?" he said. She coughed something that sounded affirmative.

Esther couldn't, though. He squinted ahead, wishing Kat could run faster. It wasn't completely dark here, with the light pollution from the big pair of cities to the northwest, and the other scattered towns. He could see the river, but he couldn't see the others. They must have helped Esther across. The boats were gone, probably taken up or downriver for the fastest escape.

He heard the cars approaching behind him, and a bright light flickered across the landscape. Kat put on a burst of speed that he easily matched, and ahead he saw a single crouched figure waiting for them. Selena, probably. She was a strong swimmer and the safest to be apart from the others.

There was a distant gunshot, and Javier flinched. Then another, and a sharp cracking sound nearby. They were being shot at. He had to get Kat to the river. Nothing to do but run.

The light caught them only fifty yards from the river. There were three more shots.

"Fuck!" Kat wheezed, stumbling and holding her arm. Javier's stomach dropped.

"You're OK," he said, putting his arm around her and stumbling with her, trying to keep low. "You can make it, Kat."

There were a few more shots, and then they hit the water, wading clumsily in.

"Keep it dry," Kat mumbled. "Hard drives."

Selena understood immediately, taking the bag from Javier and getting it high on her back. Then they forged ahead, holding Kat between them. She was shivering, sluggish, trying to help, but it was almost worse than no help. The water was freezing, and moving faster than he'd realized. Soon they had to swim or be knocked over.

"Arms still," he said, putting her wounded arm over his shoulder. "Kick your legs to help."

She moaned, but she did what she could, with Selena and Javier helping from the sides. There must be a better way to do this. But they were making progress, and he didn't even mind the current. It was pulling them quickly away from the police and the guns. The others would know to find them that direction.

The river wasn't very wide, and soon enough his feet kicked ground again. Then they were stumbling towards the shore, towards the waiting arms of the others.

More gunshots rang out. They were firing into America? What the fuck? Wasn't that an act of war or something?

"Keep pressure on that," Javier said. "I know it hurts like a motherfucker. That means you're all right."

Kat mumbled something that sounded like a swear, but she was still moving. And ahead of them he heard a car, bumping along off the road with its lights off. They were heading straight for it. Nicola and Selena ran ahead to open doors while Mark half-carried Esther through the last stretch. Javier landed with a squelch in the front seat.

"In my lap, Kat. No time."

They were off in seconds, stuffed in the stupid little rental car like a bunch of drenched clowns.

Grace had seen the blood on Kat when they piled in. "Kat! What happened? Are you hurt badly?"

"I'm OK, love. Just drive."

Grace found pavement and sped up, eventually turning on the lights. Javier shifted under Kat's weight, getting his arms fully around her. They would be miserable like this pretty soon. He found the heat and turned the air on full.

"Let me look," he told Kat. But he could barely see anything.

"She will be all right," Mark said from the back. "The bullet grazed her arm. She's bleeding heavily, but it's not serious."

"Shut up, Mark," said Grace. "She's not you. She just got shot. Jesus. We have to find a hospital."

"No, Grace," Kat said, teeth clenched. "We have to get away. Mark's right. I'm not just being a tough guy. I'll get it looked at properly, I promise."

There was a heavy ripping noise behind them, and someone tapped on his shoulder. He accepted a long piece of wet cloth from Nicola, and tied it carefully around Kat's wound. Her other hand gripped his arm silently, but she didn't complain.

"We rescued the hostages," Selena said. "We're all alive. We made it. We just need to get some distance. Esther, did the Mexican catch our trail?"

But Esther didn't say anything for a long time. "Keep driving," she finally mumbled. "I think we're all right. Just keep driving."

"Welcome to America," Javier said. But no one laughed, not even Nicola.

* * *

They hit the freeway and aimed straight north. It wasn't the fastest way back, but everyone wanted to get as far from Mexico as they could. Javier imagined he could feel the Mexican's gaze sweeping across the land. Like the bad guy, Sauron, in those fantasy books Kat had made him slog through. They were racing dawn, attempting to reach Albuquerque so they could rent another car before they became too conspicuous.

Finally they knew they wouldn't make it before light. Grace pulled off the highway, and they all piled out with relief to pull spare clothes from the luggage. Grace helped him undress Kat, but she hissed in pain when they pulled at her shirt. It was stuck to her with dried blood. Nicola had a knife in her luggage, and she carefully cut away the fabric.

"Leave it," Javier said, before Nicola could cut away the last ragged strips. "We'll have to take her to a hospital. Better that we keep her from losing much more blood."

As Mark had said, it was a shallow cut, but it looked awful, and it was still bleeding. Kat buried her head in Grace's shoulder while he rinsed it with their remaining bottled water, and then wrapped it again with a clean cotton shirt.

The rest of the drive was somewhat less uncomfortable, but Javier kept drifting off, and then he'd wake, sure the police would pull them over for a safety violation. Esther tiredly directed them to a rental car place on the edge of Albuquerque, and they piled out.

"I can't rent a car again," said Selena. "This identity might already be a fugitive. The Mexican police will call the rental agency, and they have a copy of my fake ID."

Nicola rented the new car, and from there on things were easier. Kat insisted on making it to Reno before going to the hospital, and so Javier and Grace split up the driving, always keeping close to the other car.

Their phones were waterlogged and nonfunctional, except for Grace's, which they'd gotten rid of in an anonymous trash can, since Jackson knew about it. In Las Vegas they found a pay phone and called Raj, giving only vague details. Esther was too far gone to make up a coded message for him.

One last haul to Reno, but at least they'd done this same drive recently. It was near midnight when they saw the familiar gaudy casino lights. Javier drove Kat right to the emergency room, and Grace took her inside while Javier parked. Kat would be fine. Surely they'd all be fine, if only they could keep their heads down for a while.

* * *

Esther woke with a pounding headache. They were still safe. She was still hiding them. The others in her Watch were safe, many of them right here, crammed in Jacob's house once more.

"Esther," said a familiar voice. Tomiko. Esther sat up on the couch and Tomiko quickly came over with a tray of food.

The others were mostly asleep on the floor. It was early morning, still. Mark came to sit next to her, and Raj got up from the kitchen.

"Kat is fine," Raj said. "They gave her fluids, cleaned and dressed the wound, and sent her home with antibiotics."

Esther nodded as she ate. She could feel Kat sleeping next to Grace in Jacob's bed. Or rather, Jacob and Tomiko's bed. That wasn't her business, though, and she put it out of mind again.

"Esther," Raj said more quietly. "You all did something unbelievably reckless. I hope the consequences aren't too terrible. I'm so glad you're all still here with us."

"We saved them," Esther mumbled, not able to look at Raj. His disapproval hurt badly. She needed to make him understand. "Those poor people were the key. Along with the evidence Kat stole. We can implicate the Mexican. Everything's going to work out. Jackson's group can do the political tricky stuff, helping to peel away the Mexican's power. We can spread word among the Changed. Get Lukas's support, and Diana's. Prevent anything like Black Christmas happening again, and stop the governments going after the Changed. It was worth it, Raj, even if it didn't go the way we wanted."

Raj looked at her a long time, and finally he wiped his eyes, putting a hand on her shoulder. As intimate a gesture as he'd ever given her.

"It won't be that simple, Esther," he said, looking wretched. "I think it's going to be a lot worse than that."