Kingdom Gone

DISTRESS

"Well this sucks."

Circe tried to turn towards the voice, but the tar was already up to her neck. She's pretty sure it was Nijah though. "You've only mentioned it 800 times."

"You know what Sparky? How about you use those fancy lightning powers on this tar and see if it'll do anything?"

Sam piped up from somewhere to Circe's left. "Tar contains carbon black, which is a conductor. So if Circe produces even a spark, we'll be the ones feeling it."

"Argh! Why couldn't the old bastard at least drop us in a deep tar pit. We touched the bottom hours ago, at least if it wasn't shallow we could die already. Ow!"

Circe heard a hollow thunk to her right, and in the corner of her eye she saw what looked like a small boat.

"Whoops, sorry. It's so hard to steer this thing."

Circe's heart nearly jumped out of her chest at the sound of Jason's voice. "Jason?"

"In the flesh. Hang on a second, we can talk after I yank you girls out."

Circe, Sam, and Nijah spoke in unison. "Yank?"

* * *

"Damn." Nijah says, rubbing her head as I finished filling them in on the past day.

Actually all of them are rubbing their heads, unfortunately because the only exposed part of their bodies I could pull them out by was their hair. "I know."

"So what's the plan now?" Sam asked, cleaning the dried tar off her bionic arm.

I look up at the old skyscraper, the same one we slept beside the night before. "If Sam can fix up a car around here, we can start driving north tonight. Jakkar told me that the General, the gang, and the cartel are all guarding the Lift. We're talking hundreds of guys out for our heads."

"Yeah, but now you've got your friends to back you up, Jason." Nijah says, smirking.

I stare at her.

"Um, what?"

I smile. "That's the first time you didn't call me Leather Jacket."

Nijah blushes looking away with her arms crossed, playing it off. "Whatever."

While Nijah yells at Sam for laughing, Circe slips her hand into mine. We look at each other for a moment, then share a brief kiss. "It's going to be dangerous."

"I'd be disappointed if it wasn't." Circe says, smiling shyly.

I suddenly feel like I could do anything.