“You all right?” she asked. But even as the words came out of her mouth, she noticed what held his attention. “What in the world?” she whispered.

“Who are they?” Bryson asked. The car still sat there, windows down, the three people staring at Michael, frozen in place.

“I have no idea,” he answered. But he did know.

Sarah wrapped her arm around his, as if protecting him. “They’re probably just Tangents who think you’re famous. The First.” She said that last word like a curse. “It’s nothing to worry about.”

Michael shook his head, then found a spark of courage. He stepped forward and walked toward the car. The movement seemed to snap the strangers out of their hypnotic state, and as the windows began to go up, Michael caught a spark of terror in the driver’s eyes before the glass sealed between them.

“Hey!” he shouted. “Who are you? What do you want?”

The engine of the car revved and it lurched into motion, the tires squealing as it sped off. Horns blared out on the street as the car swerved into traffic and disappeared.

CHAPTER 8

SEARCH AND RESCUE

1

Gabby finally responded.

Michael heard from her when they were just a few minutes from the airport. He’d been silent, thinking about those unsettling people staring at him from the car. He had no doubt that they were Tangents, but a part of him hoped it had been a random sighting and wasn’t an omen of something worse to come.

When Helga announced that they were almost there, Michael decided to check his NetScreen one last time and see if Gabby had responded to one of his many danglers. As soon as the screen winked on, he saw that she had. And her response was short and simple:

Jackson. Michael. Whoever you are. They chased me but i got away. I’m at my grandparents’ old farmhouse, south of Atlanta. Safe for now. But i’m alone and scared. Coordinates attached if you’d like to visit and talk. If not, i understand.

Michael bolted up straight in his seat. The others could tell something was wrong right away.

Sarah was already reading over his shoulder. “Oh, man,” she whispered. Her tone made it plain that Gabby wasn’t high on her priority list. “Well, at least she said she’s safe.”

“We have to go get her,” Michael said. “Somebody chased her! I knew something was strange about how that cop walked right over to her. Whoever framed us hadn’t planned on Jackson Porter’s girlfriend getting involved and wanted her out of the picture. It’s my fault.” He leaned back into the seat and let out an anguished sigh. “She deserves to be with us—to have the protection of the Alliance.”

“Michael—” Helga began, and he knew exactly what she was going to say.