The Deathless Trilogy

2.31. Mockingbird

Ian and I wait until nightfall to steal one of the pods, which hang from the sides of the Immortal like lifeboats. Declan told us to stay, and I know he'll be angry with me, but I have to see my home, see if my dad made it, and talk to Daniel. Celia said she would handle it if Declan found out. The last thing I want is for him to veer off course. He needs to get everyone to the new refugee camp, down the river from the Hoover dam, where it's safe.

But before Ian and I leave, we get Nina. The Atlantic isn't far from where I used to live, and I made a promise to her. The Immortal has a strict rule, like General Sato seemed to have at the camp: For space purposes, all bodies are cremated, which actually makes me feel at ease. I'd rather her ashes mix with the waves than her body be torn apart by sharks. I hold her remains close to me in a metal urn on my lap.

For hours, we spin across the country, through dark plains and rivers, over mountains and finally past a river I recognize, the Susquehanna. We're almost home. It's nearly morning when Ian and I approach the farm.

The other pod is parked beside the guardrail on Route 30, so Ian and I weave through the still remaining cars, just as my mom and I did before we were captured by the Prowlers. Ian parks the pod behind the other, but for whatever reason, parking reminds me of Gunther. I think of him in a plane, crossing over water, and panting in fear. The image seems so real, it makes me shiver.

"Are you okay?" Ian asks.

"I just thought about Gunther," I say, opening the pod door and placing Nina gently on the seat to wait.

"In a plane?" he asks, crossing in front of the pod.

I lose my breath. "Yes."

"I saw that too," he tells me, and, after exchanging panicked looks, we say, "The implants."

"Could they still be connecting us?" Ian asks.

"If they are, that would mean Gunther has an implant," I say, and then I remember something he said a million years ago: Remote controls are for the old world. Why use them when implanted Mitchell can create a connection that allows me to control everyone with my mind?

"Of course he does," I scoff, "which means he might be able to tap into our brains too. We have to be careful... develop a disruptor."

"Below freezing temperatures will work until then," Ian tells me, and then I see my family in the rising sunlight, emerging from the woods with flashlights. They call my dad's name over and over, and I'm shocked back to my purpose. For now, the cold autumn morning will have to do to keep Gunther out of my head.

"Dad!" I call, joining my mom, Eleanor, and Daniel in their search. "Dad! Todd!" His name echoes through our land, catching on the wind. With my injuries, I can't move very fast, but I run as quickly as I can, limping toward my mom with Ian close behind.

"You were supposed to stay on the Immortal," Eleanor scolds me when I near them. My mom is still yelling for my dad, her face streaked in tears. She survived thinking he was dead once... I'm not sure she can do it a second time.

"Good luck giving her orders, Mom," Daniel says, but it isn't playful, and Eleanor and I both catch it.

"Excuse you," Eleanor says.

Daniel bites his lip. "Ask her whose baby you're carrying, Mom. Go on, ask her."

She looks at me in anticipation.

"It's mine," I say. "It's mine and Ava's cousin's. No, we never did anything. No, I never even had feelings for him like that. He liked me, he died protecting me, and he was my friend. That's it. Gunther mixed our DNA for us."