Chapter 89
Adam’s eyelids were growing heavy as he continued to follow the narrow trail to the west. In the darkness, seeing the road was such a strain, he was afraid he might crash at any moment. At least he’d had the opportunity to talk to Rain. Now, if he was to fail in his mission, at least he knew she was okay, and he’d had a chance to say his goodbyes.
In the distance, the rumble of artillery and gunfire was growing closer. It seemed like the Mothers could be right on top of him at any moment. While it was difficult to look to the sky for drones and steer the bike, he had to keep an eye on what was happening above him because if the Mothers got a clear picture, they’d know for sure that Mist and Rain were not with him, and if that were the case, there was a good chance they would give up their pursuit of him and concentrate on the place where the tracker first started sending its signal, which would put them exactly where they needed to be in order to find Rain when she came out of the mountain, and that simply wouldn’t do.
So… he rode on, keeping his speed up to as high a rate as he dared, despite his sleepiness, the darkness, and the approaching Mothers. They were getting closer. Not only did they sound nearer with every explosion, he could feel them breathing down his neck.
As the sun began to light the horizon, he realized the river wasn’t so far ahead. Light from behind him radiated out in front of the bike, illuminating the road and revealing a patch of green in the distance that had to be the growth next to the river.
A whirring noise got his attention. Adam slowed so he didn’t wipe out as he looked up and saw a batch of drones coming his way. He quickly looked around but saw no place to hide. There were a few trees in the distance, but he’d never get there in time. The six drones flew closer, spreading out, clearly searching for him. The quick pop, pop, pop of rifle fire sent three of them spiraling to the ground. The other half flew on. Another one was knocked from the sky as more gunfire echoed from the high ground to the south. Still, there were two drones bearing down on him, and it only took one to give the Mothers the information they needed to realize this was all a ploy.
The source of the gunfire seemed to be moving even closer to his current location. Adam had no idea that there were people in the hills so nearby until the sound of the rifles peeling off around him was so loud, he ducked his shoulders. The last two drones fell from the sky, but there would be more.
Dropping his head, Adam concentrated on that patch of green in the distance, feeding as much fuel into the bike as he possibly could until he was traveling so fast, he was afraid that he would wipe out, but he had to take the chance. When the Mothers came back, it might not just be drones; it might be heliobirds or land riders. He had to trust the Oklasaw militia to keep him safe. He had no choice.
The ground beneath the bike started to transition again, as it had so many times, turning from mostly rocks and dust to patches of green and then mostly grass and not nearly as much dry gravel. The grass was slicker and harder to drive through. The temptation to lay off the grass was there, but he couldn’t take the chance. The sound of more drones approaching in the distance met his ears as the terrain began to slope downward toward the river.
When it came into view in front of him, he had to slow down. It was such a magnificent sight. A broad expanse of water, so wide he couldn’t see the far side, moving so quickly, branches and other debris slammed into rocks as the rapids carried them away. Adam slowed but didn’t stop, not until he was nearer the edge. Then, he brought the bike to a halt, turned it off, and put the small piece of metal down that would keep it from toppling over.
As tempting as it was to stand and gawk at the natural wonder before him, he had to hurry. Pulling the tracker from his pocket, he hurled both pieces into the water, knowing it would be carried away so quickly, if the Mothers continued to track it, they’d be far away from him in a matter of minutes.
But there was a chance they would also come to where he now stood, following the course of the tracker, in which case, he needed to go, and he needed to change the course he took back home. The drones were exploding out of the sky again, one after another, but more were coming, and as he quickly topped off the fuel tank before mounting the bike and turning it around, another sound hit his ear. The whir of engines--the Mothers were coming.
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