BooksBarbecue
Back Angel
Chapters (88)
  1. Welcome
  2. Dedication
  3. To the reader
  4. BOOK ONE
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. BOOK TWO
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. BOOK THREE
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. 70
  77. 71
  78. 72
  79. 73
  80. 74
  81. 75
  82. 76
  83. 77
  84. 78
  85. 79
  86. EPILOGUE
  87. Books by James Patterson
  88. Cover Page

“Yeah,” said Nudge. “I mean, grim much?”

We climbed about a thousand feet so we could talk normally. “Ig, have I told you lately how happy I am to have you back from loony land?” I said. He smiled, but it was clear he was really shaken up about Ella. “Okay, flock. Suggestions?”

“A raid!” Gazzy said. “A blitz! I’ll make a diversion, a little ways away, you guys swoop down, grab her—”

“They’re pretty far away from the facility, but we don’t want to do anything that might show up on surveillance,” I interrupted him.

“Basic hand-to-hand combat?” Dylan suggested.

“That would work, but then we’d have a bunch of beaten-up kids with stories to tell,” I pointed out.

“I have an idea,” said Iggy.

44

AND SO IT WAS that the Great White Spirit descended from the heavens and appeared to the lost pilgrims in the desert.

Iggy floated gently down through the smoke. With the firelight shining on him and smoke plumes wreathing around his head and wings, he did sort of look like a scruffy angel. You know, if God had a sense of humor about it.

Now, Iggy is nearly six feet tall and superskinny. He has really pale skin, reddish-blond hair, and practically colorless blue eyes (when he takes off his shades). Basically, he looks kind of freaky even without the fourteen-foot wings. So to see him coming down from the sky, out in the middle of nowhere, probably turned at least a couple of kids into budding evangelists.

The crowd scrambled to its feet and looked at Iggy as a beacon of hope. Which, considering the screwed-up mental place these kids were in, he was.

“Welcome back, Iggy. I was worried when your family kidnapped you,” the kid who seemed to be leading this little séance said. I recognized him as Josh, the guy who’d given Dylan and me the flyers at Ella’s school.

“They’re buttheads,” Iggy said, obviously having a little fun.

The rest of us were lurking in the shadows not far away. I made a face at Nudge, who clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

“Iggy, you’re the future of humankind,” Josh went on. “You’ve adapted to the requirements of a harsher New World. We’re the future too. Join us!”

The podkids gathered closer, Ella included, smiling and trying to touch Iggy.

“If Iggy’s the future, I guess we’re all going to need spray-on tans and sunglasses,” I muttered to Total.

“I am the answer!” Iggy’s voice boomed.

Total giggled. “That ham!” I poked him with my foot.

“He’s the answer! He’s the answer!” they chanted.

“Prove you cherish the One Light!” Iggy yelled, which I thought was a tad dramatic. “Do you want to be like the Igster?”