orange slime. His breath was shallow, as if he was struggling to breathe. The spider cocoon was locked fast around the child. Abe felt over a leg and tried to pull it back and cut his fingers on the barbs.
“Get more light,” he demanded. “Get some lamps so I can see what I’m doing. Where did he come from?”
“Sandwood Seven,” a woman replied. “It’s a town on the north coast of Scotland. We think he was trying to escape from the fortress in Cape Wrath.”
“So he’s one of our children? One they took from the arcades?”
“He must be. But he was found in a Tank Meat factory. He fell though a skylight in the roof. The security guards heard the glass break, but by the time they got there, this thing was around him and they couldn’t get it off. Apparently, the streets of the town were crawling with soldiers, probably searching for him. He must have escaped from the fortress. When the soldiers left, the security guards sent the boy to us. One of them had a daughter who was taken. He was very upset.”
“Oh my odd,” Abe said through gritted teeth. “And you feel guilty, Kobi? Because you’re free? Because you didn’t let them do
this
to you?”
Kobi dropped his head and hid in his hair, feeling as if he was about to vomit. Crouched next to the cocooned boy, he felt more guilty, not less.
The lamps arrived and his father started to work. Kobi shook out his father’s bag of tools and laid them on the floor so he could take what he needed. Abe lay down, first on one side,then the other, so he could look at the Creeper Net from all angles, and when he found the processor unit connected to the legs, he began to burn a hole through it with a blowtorch. But the blood from his cut fingers made it slip in his hand.
“I can’t do it,” he said. “You’re going to have to do it, Kobi.”
Abe held out the blowtorch. Kobi tied back his hair, took the torch, wiped the blood off on his sweater, and began to work. The crowd loomed over him, watching. Spooked children pushing through the adults’ legs. It felt as if the whole building was crammed in that room. This would have freaked out Kobi on a normal day, but he didn’t even notice now: The only person who mattered was the boy. As he burned a hole through the hard, black case on the processor unit, he whispered, “I’m your friend. You’re going to be OK.”
When there was a large hole in the case, he took smaller tools and began to disassemble the processor inside. Suddenly, the legs relaxed and the Creeper Net opened like a black flower. The boy in the filthy white gown looked like its crushed stamen inside. Immediately, everyone rushed forward and many gentle hands picked him up. He was carried away and the crowd followed, leaving Kobi and his father alone, still crouched by the broken Creeper Net.
Kobi began to put the tools away.
He felt his father’s hand press gently on his shoulder. “Well done. I’m really proud of you,” he said.
“That could have been me,” Kobi replied.
“Exactly. So don’t you dare feel guilty that it wasn’t.”
10 A Strange Task
E llie and Mika didn’t talk to Mal Gorman until the mansion was far behind them. He’d told them to kill a young girl, and this made them so angry, The Roar crackled at the back of their heads, threatening to start more fires. It was not a good idea to talk to Mal Gorman while they felt this way.
Gorman became frantic with worry. After a quarter of an hour, he was convinced he’d lost his two best mutants
and
the Everlife-9. He sat at his desk, grinding his teeth. When he heard their voices again, his relief was intense. They blamed the loss of contact on signal failure, but he wasn’t interested. He hurried them over the fence as quickly as possible. Mal Gorman was addicted to Everlife-9 before he’d even touched it.
On the other side of the fence, the children climbed the slope in the forest and searched for their capsule. But when they found it, they discovered
“Get more light,” he demanded. “Get some lamps so I can see what I’m doing. Where did he come from?”
“Sandwood Seven,” a woman replied. “It’s a town on the north coast of Scotland. We think he was trying to escape from the fortress in Cape Wrath.”
“So he’s one of our children? One they took from the arcades?”
“He must be. But he was found in a Tank Meat factory. He fell though a skylight in the roof. The security guards heard the glass break, but by the time they got there, this thing was around him and they couldn’t get it off. Apparently, the streets of the town were crawling with soldiers, probably searching for him. He must have escaped from the fortress. When the soldiers left, the security guards sent the boy to us. One of them had a daughter who was taken. He was very upset.”
“Oh my odd,” Abe said through gritted teeth. “And you feel guilty, Kobi? Because you’re free? Because you didn’t let them do
this
to you?”
Kobi dropped his head and hid in his hair, feeling as if he was about to vomit. Crouched next to the cocooned boy, he felt more guilty, not less.
The lamps arrived and his father started to work. Kobi shook out his father’s bag of tools and laid them on the floor so he could take what he needed. Abe lay down, first on one side,then the other, so he could look at the Creeper Net from all angles, and when he found the processor unit connected to the legs, he began to burn a hole through it with a blowtorch. But the blood from his cut fingers made it slip in his hand.
“I can’t do it,” he said. “You’re going to have to do it, Kobi.”
Abe held out the blowtorch. Kobi tied back his hair, took the torch, wiped the blood off on his sweater, and began to work. The crowd loomed over him, watching. Spooked children pushing through the adults’ legs. It felt as if the whole building was crammed in that room. This would have freaked out Kobi on a normal day, but he didn’t even notice now: The only person who mattered was the boy. As he burned a hole through the hard, black case on the processor unit, he whispered, “I’m your friend. You’re going to be OK.”
When there was a large hole in the case, he took smaller tools and began to disassemble the processor inside. Suddenly, the legs relaxed and the Creeper Net opened like a black flower. The boy in the filthy white gown looked like its crushed stamen inside. Immediately, everyone rushed forward and many gentle hands picked him up. He was carried away and the crowd followed, leaving Kobi and his father alone, still crouched by the broken Creeper Net.
Kobi began to put the tools away.
He felt his father’s hand press gently on his shoulder. “Well done. I’m really proud of you,” he said.
“That could have been me,” Kobi replied.
“Exactly. So don’t you dare feel guilty that it wasn’t.”
10 A Strange Task
E llie and Mika didn’t talk to Mal Gorman until the mansion was far behind them. He’d told them to kill a young girl, and this made them so angry, The Roar crackled at the back of their heads, threatening to start more fires. It was not a good idea to talk to Mal Gorman while they felt this way.
Gorman became frantic with worry. After a quarter of an hour, he was convinced he’d lost his two best mutants
and
the Everlife-9. He sat at his desk, grinding his teeth. When he heard their voices again, his relief was intense. They blamed the loss of contact on signal failure, but he wasn’t interested. He hurried them over the fence as quickly as possible. Mal Gorman was addicted to Everlife-9 before he’d even touched it.
On the other side of the fence, the children climbed the slope in the forest and searched for their capsule. But when they found it, they discovered
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