“We’ll get across,” Will interjected.
Dr. Tinker did not sound like a man who was grateful his life had been saved. He seemed weary and slightly peeved, as if he had been interrupted in the middle of a game or favorite wi-cast.
“Did you work at the dam?” I asked.
“I worked at the laboratory powered by the dam.” He explained that the research lab was in a different location than the turbines. It reduced the chances of sabotage.
“A lot of good that did,” said Will.
The doctor nodded. “We knew it was vulnerable. But we thought security was adequate.”
“Is that where you met Kai?” I asked.
“I’ve known Driesen for years, as I’ve explained.”
“Were they visiting you?”
Dr. Tinker allowed himself a smile. He looked a little bit like a gnome, his hooked nose splitting his grin in half. “You’ll not get any more information from me. These days even children are spies.”
“Uh-oh,” said Will. “Trouble.”
“What?”
“We’re out of fuel.”
Indeed the carrier was slowing, and the ride was getting bumpier. One of the engines had quit, and the carrier listed to the right.
“Was this part of your plan too?” asked Dr. Tinker.
Will fought for control as we veered off the road. “Hold on,” he said.
The carrier hit the ground with a bone-rattling thump. It threw me hard against the seat, then snapped my head back against the headrest. But it was nothing next to the earsplitting shriek as the carrier’s bottom raked against the rocks.
“Wheels down, Will!” I shouted.
“They are down!”
We spun in a grinding arc, the shredding, screeching sound of metal against rock like a cacophonous symphony. Finally we came to a halt. There was a ragged gash where a side panel had been ripped open. Dust motes danced in the shards of sunlight that streamed through the gap.
“Well, I don’t think we’ll be doing much more driving,” Dr. Tinker muttered.
Will looked at him sourly, then unbuckled his seat belt.
“Where do you think we can find some fuel?” I asked.
“I don’t know!” Will snapped angrily. “What do I look like, a hydrogen diviner?”
“Now children,” said Dr. Tinker.
Will slammed shut the carrier door, leaving me behind with Dr. Tinker.
“He’s not really angry,” I explained. “We’ve been through a lot.”
“Remarkable. Did your parents recruit you?”
I wasn’t going to waste breath trying to convince Dr. Tinker we weren’t spies. He didn’t intend to give us more information anyway, and I liked thinking of myself as a spy.
The door banged open, and Will jumped backed into the driver’s seat. “They’re coming!”
“Who?”
“PELA!”
Sure enough, through the cracked viewscreen I could see the dust kicked up from three hover-carriers about five kilometers down the road.
Will pressed the starting buttons on the instrument panel. The carrier’s engine whined, but it failed to lift even a centimeter from the ground.
“We’re doomed,” said Dr. Tinker.
“What do we do?” I asked.
“You should have left me back there.”
“Shut up!” said Will. He turned to me. “There’s still a charge left in the desalinator.”
I nodded and unbuckled my belt. I went to the back of the carrier while Will continued to try to start the engine. The desalinator’s battery showed it had stored energy for perhaps two more bursts. It would not be enough to stop PELA, but if we could draw them outside, we might have a chance to steal another carrier.
After several more failed tries at the engine, Will joined me in the cargo hold. He took the hose from my hand, and we hunched near the doors.
“I wish we had bullets for the guns,” I said.
“I don’t want to kill anyone else.”
“You had to kill those guards,” I whispered.
Will carefully inspected the end of the hose, turning it over and over in his hands. “I’m sorry I yelled at you before.”
“That’s okay.”
“I’m scared, Vera.”
“So am I.”
Will looked back up, and his eyes were red-rimmed and gray. I offered my brother my hand, and he grasped it like a last chance. “We’re going to get home,” I said. “Remember? You promised.”
“I did,” he said.
A concussive boom shook the carrier, knocking us both to the floor. It was followed by several smaller booms and then the sulfurous tang of torn metal.
“They’re shooting at us!” I screamed. I was on the floor, my hands covering my head. Hot pieces of metal singed my hair and stung the backs of my arms.
“Stay down!” Will yelled.