Still in díamont form, Galley gently lifted Raven and Scott in her arms before racing up the final flight of stairs. They weighed next to nothing and she was delighted to be able to carry them so easily to safety. Medane was still hovering in the plane, but other planes were approaching rapidly. Galley easily lifted the men into the plane but when it came time for her to get in, she was unable to maneuver her bulkier diamond body into the door as the plane started turning. Medane shouted and one of the nearby planes opened fire. Bullets glanced off her diamond skin. She heard Raven cry out and looked up to see a bullet slice through his leg. Galley gathered all of her strength and jumped upwards into the plane, changing back into her human form just as she landed. The plane wobbled but held. She could barely believe that the move had worked. Scott yanked the door closed as more bullets sprayed across the plane, and all three of them fell backwards as Medane pulled the throttle.
Raven pushed aside Scott and Nalia and hobbled to Medane.
“Baltimore safe house,” Raven gasped.
“What about it?” Medane asked.
“We have to stop there,” Raven said, clutching his leg. “Kaela’s there.”
Kaela didn’t have much trouble leaving the city, not that she expected much. Atheus was focusing on Raven and didn’t seem to think her capable of independent action. She was glad; it made escaping that much easier. She just hoped Raven would be able to get out. He had called for help, she knew, but she wasn’t sure how Raven’s friends would be able to get him out of the middle of Old Washington DC.
Kaela switched cars twice on the way out of the city, taking time to select unmarked, unnoticeable cars each time. As she pulled over a third time to scout for a new ride, she noticed another car stopping. The car had been following her for a few minutes but she hadn’t thought it suspicious considering the traffic. Now, though, she was on edge. She climbed the stairs to the 10th floor walkway. Two people had gotten out of the car and were following her up the stairs. She gripped the railing on the stairs and considered her options.
They were undoubtedly Atheus’ men hired to keep an eye on her. Technically she wasn’t doing anything wrong right now and she had the right to go about her business. They didn’t know she was running away. She could continue as she planned, get in another car, keep going, and worry about them later. They would follow but they would have no reason to report anything unusual to Atheus.
If she tried to lose them here, however, they would certainly alert Atheus. She would gain the advantage and make it to safety, but Atheus might tighten his watch on Raven. She wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if Raven were trapped with Atheus while she was free. On the other hand, Raven had abandoned her once, trusting her ability to survive. Perhaps she could do the same to him. He was capable, after all, and strong. She smiled as she thought of his arms around her and his lips on hers. He said he loved her. Not completely, not yet, and she understood. There was so much happening in their lives right now, how could anyone expect to form a relationship? But they were friends, and in time, she knew they would become much more. Until Raven was ready to whole-heartedly return her love, she would cherish every moment of their friendship.
She would trust Raven, Kaela thought. He could escape on his own. She didn’t need to worry about him anymore.
With that decided, she continued along the walkway, trying to blend in to the crowd. She could still see Atheus’ men following her so she climbed to a higher walkway near the heart of Baltimore. She ducked inside a homey looking restaurant serving spaghetti and waited by the door until the men had passed. Hopefully they would think she was just visiting Baltimore for personal reasons and not bother reporting her movements. Even though she thought she had lost them, she kept an eye out as she left the restaurant and found another empty car waiting to be stolen.
Atheus would be able to track her ID as she used them to start the cars illegally, but not for a few days, she hoped. With any luck he would never even think to look for stolen cars when tracking her down. Most people walked or took the train, but the train was too carefully monitored and there was only so far Kaela could get on foot. The car started without problem and she drove off before the owner could notice. Stolen cars were common, and most neighborhoods shared community cars rather than purchasing individual ones, so Kaela didn't feel too guilty about the theft. She wouldn’t be damaging the car and it would probably find its way home eventually, after all, so it wasn’t really stealing, just borrowing. She knew it wasn’t a very sound argument but, as usual, Kaela decided to worry about morality later and focus on survival for now.
Raven had given her the location of a small airfield in the middle of Loch Raven Park. She wondered if he had chosen the location because of the name. Even if she arrived before him, she would still end up with one Raven, Kaela thought with amusement. She left the city and had been driving for only a few minutes when she noticed another car tailing her. This time the police car was marked and she had no doubt she was being followed. The buildings had ended and she was on the edge of the park. Kaela pressed her foot against the accelerator. She was committed to running away. She couldn’t give up now.
Kaela unbuckled her seatbelt, keeping one hand on the wheel as she examined the road. There was no way to stop and get out. The trailing police car would catch her. Her best option was to jump from the car while it was moving. If the police saw her leave the car, they would follow but she would have a head start. If they only saw the car crash and didn’t realize she wasn’t inside, they might waste time searching for her there instead of following her into the woods.
Kaela leapt from the car in a single fluid motion, swinging the door open and rolling out, keeping her head protected as she crashed into the ground. For one horrible moment, she couldn’t move. She wondered if she had overestimated her strength, if she had been crippled by the fall. She thought she heard the squeal of metal and the sound of a crash as the car exploded into the forest unguided, but it could have been her own heartbeat thumping in her ears.
She tried to let her body go limp and suddenly she could move again. Kaela staggered up and looked around. Her car was engulfed in flame several hundred yards away and the police car was with it. They hadn’t seen her leave, then. She had a few moments before they realized she wasn’t inside. Kaela forced her legs to move, first one, then the other, in a painful pattern of walking. She suspected she had broken at least one bone when she hit the ground but she didn’t have time to worry about injuries. She needed to get deep into the woods and find Raven.
Kaela stopped every few yards, out of breath and in pain, but kept pushing onward. She knew she was leaving a trail of blood and she knew she was losing blood quickly. Her left arm, she decided, was broken. Bone was exposed and she was bleeding heavily, but she tried not to think of it. She would heal. She had always healed faster than other people, and this would be no exception. Darkness fell as she stumbled through the woods, hoping she was heading in the right direction. She felt light-headed and calm, almost as if she were a spirit traveling toward the afterlife, dragging her body along on a final journey.
She breathed in the resin spiciness of the trees and for a moment imagined she lived in a world where trees grew everywhere, not just in special sanctuaries. They were magnificent creatures and one of the things Kaela had missed most while living on the moon. As she leaned against one of the trees and gathered her strength, she touched the bark and rubbed her palm against the harsh texture. She hadn’t seen a tree in over eight years and she longed to wrap her arms around it the way she had when she was a child growing up in old Portland. She paused and stared at the tree dreamily.