Lost Contact (The Bridge Sequence Book One), Nathan Hystad [primary phonics books .TXT] 📗

Hunter moving for the plane. Veronica stopped and grabbed my arm while Marcus and Tripp ran for the garage.

“I’m sorry, Rex. I really am. If we make it through, I promise to tell you everything.”

The air bit my nose, and I scrunched up my face while returning the scarf over it. “How can I trust you’re on our side?”

“Have faith.” She shifted closer and touched her forehead to mine, passing me a handheld radio before running for the airplane.

I heard the vehicle’s engine turn on as I entered the garage, and grinned at the sight of the six-wheeled transport van. The tires were huge, with thick treads, and Tripp stood on the step up near the driver’s seat. He passed each of us handguns, the same ones we’d taken out in Madagascar, and I shoved mine into my parka’s pocket. I had the Tokens on me, and feeling the weight of the four otherworldly hexagons centered me despite our situation.

The Believers were coming for us.

The clock was ticking.

11

The Token’s GPS coordinates were set thirty-seven miles from the research facility, which wouldn’t have been much of an issue if there were roads. I wondered if this was what it felt like to traverse the surface of Mars in a dune buggy. It would be similar, with the exception that every direction was buried in ice and snow. I couldn’t see any hint of vegetation as we drove inland away from the cove, and finally, the ground leveled out, with fewer jutting ranges blocking the wind from buffeting the vehicle.

I was in the passenger seat, with Tripp navigating the beast of a vehicle. The windshield stretched wide, giving us a good view as we drove across the snow-draped expanse. He went slowly, careful not to hit any rocks or jagged chunks of frozen earth. Ice formed along the corners of the glass, stretching like ghostly fingers trying to interlock.

“This thing could use some better suspension,” Marcus complained from the back. He sat in the middle of the bench seat, not wearing a seatbelt.

“We’re lucky no one took the keys, or we’d be screwed,” I reminded him. The heater was on max, and still the windows were continually attempting to freeze up. We’d had some cold winters at home, but nothing had come remotely close to this.

Marcus leaned forward, his head sticking between Tripp and me. “You really think Veronica’s going to be able to land?”

“If anyone can do it, it’s her. I’ve seen some daring flying before, but I think that woman may take the cake,” Tripp said. His praise for Veronica somehow made me proud, as if I had anything to do with her skills.

“She’s downright crazy,” Marcus muttered. “I thought we were goners, coming to Antarctica.”

The van jostled, and Tripp threw on the brakes, sliding sideways in a fishtail before he gave it a little gas and recovered. The entire area sloped heavily, and he went with the grain until it leveled again. I checked the GPS and asked him to adjust the trajectory slightly.

“Tripp, you have a unique perspective. Why did they choose to attack now?” I glanced at the man driving, and he peered over, his brow set into a frown.

“Couple reasons. They do have one of the Tokens, as Hunter suggests, and they want to complete the task. What better way than to wait and have us do their dirty work?”

“So they know what we’ve been up to, and are anticipating our actions. Makes sense. If I wanted the Tokens and had no information to go by, I’d do the same,” I said, and something clicked. “It’s just like what you did to me.”

“I already apologized for that.”

“Are you sure we can trust you, Tripp?” Marcus asked, addressing the elephant in the driver’s seat. “Or is it Hunter feeding them the info?”

“Don’t worry. If you think this is me playing you guys, it isn’t. I started this mission as a hired gun, but I’ve done work for Hunter in the past. I know full well he may be a little fanatical, but he’s not stupid. He’s as lucid as they come, and I’ve never seen him so worked up as I have these past two weeks. If you’re asking if Hunter is legit, I’d put my money on it. If I still gambled.”

“Why’d you stop?” I asked.

“I prefer a sure bet.”

“Meaning you wait until someone else determines the winner, and…”

“Not like that. Hunter’s a lot of things, but I don’t think he’s with the Believers. If he was, why all the pretenses?”

“Good point,” Marcus said. “It would have been much simpler to kill us, take the coordinates, and send his minions to gather them up.”

I grabbed a bottle of water from the bag at my feet and drank, suddenly feeling a thirst I couldn’t quench. I passed it on and sank into my seat. “Even if we gather these five Tokens, what good does it do? We have the Case, but not the final piece.”

“Hunter will track it. He always gets what he wants,” Tripp grunted.

“He didn’t thirty-five years ago, when Dirk took the Bridge without him,” I reminded the ex-SEAL.

“Sure, and that’s driven him harder. Any idea why Dirk left his sugar daddy behind?” Tripp stared at me, his gloves gripping the steering wheel tightly.

“Not the slightest.”

“I bet someone convinced him Hunter was dangerous,” Marcus said.

“Who?”

Marcus shrugged and settled into his seat. “Beats me.”

“How much farther?” Tripp tapped the navigation screen, which was blank. I used my handheld and checked.

“Two miles.” Wind shook the van again, and I gaped out the window to see a rocky blockade ahead. “We’ll have to go around.”

“Which direction?” Tripp started moving right, and I didn’t stop him.

“I think this’ll work.” The engine struggled at the incline, and we slid before the tires caught.

Tripp drove cautiously, and we finally rounded the rocky hills. He smiled and pushed the gas pedal as the landscape opened up. The sky was cyanic blue; pure white wisps of clouds floated in gentle layers