Amazing
Hands grasped Tally's shoulders in the darkness.
"You made it!" It was David's voice.
In her surprise, Tally couldn't speak, but pulled him close, burying her face in his chest.
"Who else is with you?"
She shook her head.
"Oh," David whispered. Then his grip tightened as the cave shuddered around them. The roar of a hovercar passed slowly overhead, and Tally imagined the Specials' machines searching every crevice in the rock for signs of their prey.
Had she led them to David? That would be perfect, her final betrayal.
The low rumble of pursuit passed over them again, and David pulled her deeper into the blackness, down a long, twisting path that grew colder and darker. A stillness settled around her, damp and chill, and Tally imagined again the trainload of dead Rusties buried among the stones.
They waited in silence for what seemed like hours, holding each other, not daring to speak until long after the sounds of the cars had faded.
Finally David whispered, "What's happening back at the Smoke?
"The Specials came this morning."
"I know. I saw." He held her tighter. "I couldn't sleep, so I took my board up the mountain to watch the sunrise. They went right over me, twenty hovercars at once coming across the ridge. But what's happening now?"
"They put everyone in the rabbit pen, separating us into groups. Croy said they're going to take us all back to our cities."
"Croy? Who else did you see?"
"Shay, a couple of her friends. The Boss might have made it out. He and I made a break together."
"What about my parents?"
"I don't know." She was glad for the darkness. The fear in David's voice was painful enough. His parents had founded the Smoke, and they knew the secret of the operation. Whatever punishment awaited the other Smokies, it would be a hundred times worse for them.
"I can't believe it finally happened," he said softly.
Tally tried to think of something comforting to say. All she could see in the darkness was Dr. Cable's mocking smile.
"How did you get away?" he asked.
She pulled his hands to feel her wrists, where the plastic bracelets of the handcuffs remained. "I cut through these, got up onto the roof of the trading post, and stole Croy's hoverboard."
"With Specials guarding you?"
She bit her lip, saying nothing.
"That's amazing. My mother says they're superhuman. Their second operation augments all their muscles and rewires their nervous system. And they're so scary-looking, a lot of people just panic the first time they see one." He held her tighter. "But I should have known you would escape."
Tally closed her eyes, which made no difference in the utter darkness. She wished they could stay in there forever, never having to face what was outside. "It was just good luck."
Tally was amazed that she was lying again, already. If she had only told the truth about herself in the first place, the Smokies would have known what to do with the pendant. They could have attached it to some migratory bird, and Dr. Cable would be on her way to South America instead of in the library overseeing the destruction of the Smoke.
But Tally knew she couldn't tell the truth, not now. David would never trust her again, not after she'd destroyed his home, his family. She'd already lost Peris, Shay, and her new home. She couldn't bear to lose David as well.
And what good would a confession do now? David would be left alone, and so would she, when they most needed each other.