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  “So it’s true.” Qaara sits up and drops her feet to the ground. “I’d heard rumors that they did this. The government abandoned the whole interior of the country, overnight, and sealed the border with this no-man’s land. Crazy. Is there a way through?”

  “Came through when we were kids.” Jedd throws a glance over at Ricky. “Ten of us escaped from the Family.”

  “Ten?” Qaara says.

  Jedd nods. “Only Ricky and I make it through the minefield. The other eight died trying.” He closes his eyes and see images of a group of children, dressed in rags, running for their lives over the dusty ground. He hears voices, screams, that jolt his eyes open.

  “How’d you do it?” Qaara says.

  “We spread out.” Ricky points ahead. “Put a hundred meters between each of us and just started going forward. Running as fast as we could. Jedd and I stayed together in the middle where nobody else wanted to be. It didn’t take long.”

  “For what?”

  “For the first one to step on a mine.” Jedd licks his dry lips. “A girl, couple years older than us. On the right flank. I heard the explosion, but there wasn't any scream.”

  “After that, we both kept running, never looking back.” Ricky wipes the dirt out of his eye. “I counted the detonations. All eight of them."

  “So how did you two manage to get across?”

  “I don’t know,” Jedd says. “Just luck. I kept my eye on this sign here, back when it was standing up and ran straight for it, right on top of the old road. Figured that was the most obvious place to plant a mine and so the least likely. So I guess that’s what we’ll do. Pick a spot on the other side and just ride straight for it."

  “What do you mean?” Qaara looks from Ricky to Jedd. “You’re not actually thinking of going through the same minefield again, are you?”

  “No choice,” Jedd says. “We can’t stay here near the Divide. Air patrols will find us. Mercer will send his underlings to kill us.”

  “Can’t we go around?” Qaara pulls her feet off the ground and rests them on the cycle, balancing on the two big slicks. She wipes sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

  Ricky shakes his head. “There is no around. The Divide is a thousand miles long. The people of the cities didn’t care about people like Jedd and me. Rather see us die than share their resources. That’s why they created the Zone.” He glares at Qaara.

  “Don’t worry about him.” Jedd says. “He has a hard time putting the past behind him. But that’s all ancient history now. Nobody’s fault. It just is.” Searching the horizon, he raises his hand and closes one eye, pointing with his index finger. “See where the old road comes out over there, just before it gets to the hills?”

  “I see it,” Qaara says. “Barely. And I also see a bunch of potholes on the same line. You sure about this?”

  “It worked before. It’s not much of a mark, but it’s all we got.” Jedd settles into the seat of his gyropod. “I’m going to head straight for it. Fast as I can. Let me get about a half a kilometer ahead, then you come, Ricky. Qaara last. Follow my tracks all the way. Don’t wander off.”

  “Why me last?” Qaara says.

  “Anything happens to me or Ricky—” Jedd stops and forces a smile. “You turn around and head back to the Fringe. Find old Ms. Murphy. There's only one. Tell her you know Jedd and Ricky. She’ll take care of you.”

  Ricky nods. “Been good knowing you.”

  “See you on the other side.” Jedd doesn’t wait for another word from Qaara.

  He wonders if she’ll follow him.

  Fingers find the throttle, and he jams it forward. The gyropod jumps ahead, silent except for the sound of dirt and rocks crunching under the tires.

  More than once, he finds himself jumping across deep pits, holding his breath, listening for the sound of his own death.

  Two minutes in, he slows to 80 and takes a quick peek behind. There she is, behind Ricky, a beautiful black dot raising a rooster tail of dust to the sky.

  Long minutes later, he eases his cycle onto the old pavement that grows out of the sand just as the slope turns steep on its way into the hills. Pulling in a deep breath, he turns in his seat, staring out over the plain, resolved not to breathe again until Qaara eases her cycle onto the road beside him.

  She’ll be OK as long as she stays on the line laid down by Jedd.

  And then, inexplicably, she veers off at a sharp angle, less than a kilometer away.

  “No!” Jedd yells, waving his hands, but it’s too late.

  The concussion of an explosion behind Ricky lifts him and his cycle off the ground. The whole area behind him is a churning cloud of dust.

  The shockwave hits Jedd, lifting his dark hair off his shoulders. Turning his back to the killing field, he is speechless, unable to comprehend the reality of Qaara’s death.

  Why did she leave the path?

  A lump forms in his throat. Sobs rack his chest. He slips off the pod, knees dropping to the dust, and then his body collapses, face down.

  Not knowing if he will ever take another.

  A minute later, Ricky pulls up, silent, his pod tires rolling over rocks and weeds. “We were almost here. I don’t know what—”

  A torrent of rage explodes from Jedd’s mouth. Fists beating into the dirt, legs kicking, he yells until it feels like there’s nothing left of his soul.

  “I’m sorry,” Ricky says. “We all knew the risks."

  Elbows on the ground, Jedd shakes his head. “It’s over. All I ever had. All I ever wanted. Everything.” From deep inside, another wail fills his throat, reaching to the clouds.

  The crunch of tires approaches, from the south. Jedd and Ricky freeze.

  “Wow. Somehow, I thought you guys would be happy I made it.”

  Jedd jumps to his feet at the sound of Qaara’s voice. He rushes to her side, throwing his arms around her, pulling her from the gyropod. An untapped well of emotion pours out.

  “It’s OK.” Her hands come up to his neck.

  Jedd nods, unable to speak or respond in any other way.

  Ricky approaches the two of them. “Mind telling us what happened?”

  Pulling away from Jedd enough to speak, Qaara looks back at the valley. “We were almost to the end of the line. I was staring at the ground, only about a hundred feet behind you, trying to follow your tracks. And then it happened. A circle of dirt suddenly dropped just behind your tires. It looked mechanical.”

  “A mine?” Jedd says.

  Qaara nods. “That’s what I thought.”

  “So you veered off the path?” Jedd nods.

  “It was just a gut reaction. What else was I supposed to do?” Qaara takes a step back, hands coming down to her waist, a half grin hanging on her lips. “I'd be dead now, Jedd, if I had listened to you and stayed on the path.”

  “The mines are almost a century old.” Ricky strokes his chin. “That might explain the delay in detonation.”

  “I’ll never know how you got through the rest of the field unscathed.” Jedd wipes his eyes, gaze going to the ground.

  “You’re not the only lucky one around her.” Qaara straddles her gyropod. “Let’s get out of here. This place gives me the creeps.”

  *******

  “Just do it!”

  Jedd leans into his g-pod and adjusts the throttle.

  The big bike jumps forward as its pillow-soft tires roll over broken pavement and scattered rocks. At the top of the rise, the jagged edge of the road drops away, and he is airborne, floating ten meters above a foamy river choked with clouds of green and gray. He hugs the pod as its gyro-sensors buzz and hum, keeping it stable and upright in the air.

  It touches down on the other side of the river, just beyond where the pavement begins, and rolls to a stop.

  Stepping off the pod, Jedd leaves it standing upright and walks to the edge of the road to peer down the bank into the river. A caustic stench of chemical filth rises up to sting his nostrils, forcing him back.
>
  Ricky and Qaara look at him from the edge of the pavement on the other side, thirty meters away.

  “It’s easy!” Jedd yells. “These are deluxe edition gyropods. Made for jumping and tricks. Just get it up to 80 and hold on. The sensors will keep you steady in the air and take care of the landing.”

  Qaara nods, then disappears to make a run.

  Thirty seconds later, she launches off the bank and arcs high over Jedd’s head, landing twenty meters past him down the road. Her cycle screeches to a stop.

  “I put it on 100 to make sure I’d clear the gap. But you’re right. It is easy with these g-pods.” Qaara dismounts and walks toward Jedd. Her shoulder brushes his.

  A jolt runs through his body.

  She turns back to stare west, in the direction of the sun, now low in the sky. “Only a couple more hours of daylight. The road is all but gone.”

  “That’s how we know we’re in the Zone. I don’t remember seeing any paved roads when I was a kid. All we ever had were lines and scratches in the dirt. We didn’t even use them to get around most of the time. Just went cross-country. The first real pavement I remember seeing was when Ricky and I got through the Divide close to the Fringe. That’s how we knew we were moving in the right direction.”

  Jedd’s scans the area in a full circle. Trees have thinned out. The only ones left are scrubby old oaks with roots deep enough to reach what water is left. The ground is covered in six inches of dust. Rain probably hasn’t fallen for weeks.

  Closing his eyes, he finds an old image of the landscape when he was a kid. He’s been through this area before, back when he was with Moses and the Family. Nothing has changed. The ground is still barren of grass, devoid of almost any landmarks except for the dips and rises of hills. It’s the kind of place that could put you to sleep. Cause you to let down your guard.

  The perfect place to attack unwary travelers.

  That’s what Moses used to say, and that’s how the Family made its living.

  Old memories of the Zone flood his mind. Jedd shudders and tries to ignore them. His gaze sweeps past Qaara. She’s stunning, even after ten hours of nonstop riding. Flecks of dust cling to her black hair and leather bodysuit. Her lush eyelashes and genetically enhanced brown eyes blend in with the desolate landscape.

  How did he ever agree to bring her here?

  Warmth blossoms in his chest. It takes his breath away and throbs in waves into his face, finding a focal point in his eyes. They glisten, and he blinks wildly to keep the moisture from rolling down his cheeks. Out of nowhere, a massive lump forms in his throat as he thinks about Qaara’s narrow escape from the minefield.

  And the truth hits him.

  Now that they are in the Zone, she is an exotic jewel, fragile and precious beyond compare, cast into a violent sea of dirt, danger and blood. A world without laws. A Darwinian paradise where the strong prey on the weak and power is its own justification.

  He will protect her from harm at any cost.

  “Are you OK?” she asks.

  Suddenly aware that Qaara is staring at him, Jedd turns away and points at the setting sun. “The deeper into the Zone we go, the more dangerous it gets. My guess is that the main roads, if you can call them that, are constantly being watched by bandits and scavengers.”

  “Good thing we have this.” Qaara walks to Jedd’s gyropod and touches a rectangular compartment on the side. It pops open, revealing a light pulse rifle with a telescoping barrel. A smaller pair of pistols hangs by its side. “And this helps as well.” Her fingers brush along a long cylindrical container running across the belly of the cycle from the front tires to the rear axle. “Emergency supplies.”

  Jedd purses his lips, grateful for the change in conversation that helps him hide his tears.

  “The survival gear is great,” he says. “Almost like someone helped us pack for our trip. But the weapons present a unique problem. Best to keep them hidden. Weapons are objects of worship in these lands. If word gets out that we have them, hordes will materialize from out of nowhere. We may kill a few dozen, or even a hundred, but eventually we’ll run out of ammo, and they’ll overrun us.”

  Qaara casts a glance back across the river at Ricky standing on the other side. “What about him? Is he coming or not?”

  Ricky paces back and forth across the road where the edge of the pavement drops off, now and then peering over the side.

  “He’s not much for stunts. But don’t worry.” Jedd rubs his chin with an index finger and thumb. “I can handle my old friend Ricky.”

  Walking to the edge of the road, Jedd cups his hands to his mouth. “Hey Ricky!”

  On the opposite side, Ricky stops pacing, hands on hips, yelling back. “I don’t think I can make it. There has to be another road where the bridge isn’t out."

  “There aren’t any more roads or bridges. This is the Zone, remember?”

  “Can’t you be a little more encouraging?” Qaara whispers.

  “I’m going back to the Fringe,” Ricky says. “I suggest you both come with me. We can hide out. I have friends that can help us.”

  Jedd shakes his head. “Ricky, listen to me. We’ve already been over this. I know your friends. I’m one of them. That’s the first place Mercer will look to find us. Qaara was right.” He carefully slips his arm around her and pulls her closer. “The Zone is the only place we can hide. All we have to do is make it through to the other side.”

  “Where are you going?” Ricky says.

  “The Free City of Denver,” Jedd says.

  Ricky shakes his head. “You’ll never make it. Even if the gyropods hold out, you won’t get that far.”

  “Let me talk to him.” Qaara takes a step to the edge of the road. “Ricky, we need you for when we get to Denver. OK, if we get to Denver. Your technical skills will help us get the word out on Mercer. Stop him from what he’s about to do.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Ricky stands still, staring down into the river, hands in pockets. “Besides, I’m sure you can handle it without me.”

  Jedd cups his hands around his mouth. “We need your help, Ricky. Get over here so we can move on. We’ll give you the details later.”

  “Why am I always the last one to know?” Ricky shakes his head and walks away without a word.

  Leaning back against his g-pod, Jedd folds his arms across his chest and takes a deep breath. “We’re in too deep to turn around now, no doubt about it.”

  “He’s still watching us, you know.” Qaara says.

  “Ricky? Don’t worry about him. He’ll eventually get up the nerve to—”

  “No, I’m talking about Mercer.”

  Jedd scratches his chin. “Any idea why he let us go?” He pats the gyropod on the side. “Why he set us up with all this equipment to get through the Zone?"

  “An idea, but that’s all.” Qaara walks closer to Jedd and leans against his pod, as their shoulders touch again. “The first thing you have to understand is that Mercer is strange. He doesn’t have a single friend, as far as I know. He trusts no one. Only child. Raised in a bubble of perfection. He inherited the entire Genesis organization from his father, who died under suspicious circumstances, by the way.”

  “Mercer killed his own father?”

  “He might have. He could have easily gotten away with it. There wasn’t much love between them, from what I hear.”

  Letting his eyes wander over the rolling hills of dirt and dead trees, Jedd takes a deep inhale and tastes the fragrance of Qaara’s hair. He still can’t believe she’s standing beside him. His arm slips around her, and she doesn’t pull away.

  “So why do you think he let us go?” Jedd relaxes in bliss.

  “Because he’s in love with me.”

  A jolt runs through Jedd’s body. Taking a step away, he avoids Qaara’s eyes. “In love with you? How do you know?”

  “He tried to hide it from me.” Qaara’s hand pulls Jedd’s chin up so he’s looking squarely at her. “But I
know that look.”

  “I’m sure you get it a lot.” Jedd folds his arms across his chest, trying to quell the anger slowly rising in his belly.

  Qaara smiles. “As a matter of fact, I do.”

  “The curse of beauty?”

  “Call it whatever you want.” Qaara pushes off the cycle and walks to the edge of the road, staring down into the filthy waters of the river. “I've been nothing more than an object to men my entire life. Something to be pursued and conquered. Used. I’ve grown tired of it.”

  “So Mercer let us go because he wants to keep you alive.” Jedd mulls this over in his mind.

  “You saw how the soldiers kept shooting over our heads. And the g-pods. It all makes sense.”

  “Why didn’t they kill Ricky and me? Mercer certainly tried to have us killed out in the Fringe the other night.”

  Qaara folds her arms. “I think he changed his mind after I took off. Once I turned against him, he decided he wanted me out of the City, out of sight. But I think he still wants me to be part of his plans, to go with him voluntarily.”

  “To his secret bunkers in Japan?”

  “Right.” Qaara bends down, picks up a rock and tosses it into the river. “He’s hoping that once I’m in the Zone, I’ll feel vulnerable. Shaken up. Scared. He’s hoping it will change my mind about joining him."

  “Will it?” The words slip out.

  Qaara’s eyes narrow. “Do you really think I’d ever go with him and let the rest of the world die? We’ve got to get to Denver and let everyone know.”

  “He’s probably listening to our conversation right now.” Jedd walks back to the gyropod, bends down and starts to pour over its surface, looking for tracking dots and data sniffers.

  “Probably. But I really don’t care.” Qaara turns back to face Jedd. “Be careful with the g-pod. It is our only way out of the Zone.”

  Jedd stands up. “It’s all starting to make sense. Mercer changed his mind and used Ricky and me to get you out of the City, away from prying eyes, away from the datasphere. To a place where he could do what he wanted.”