Read Spark: A Sky Chasers Novel for Free Online Page B

over.
    “That was a good idea, those thruster bursts,” Seth said casually. “Created a nice diversion for us.”
    “Yeah,” Max said absently.
    “How did you do it?”
    “Do what?” Max gasped, massaging his middle.
    “How did you program the thrusters to misfire like that?”
    Max looked at him in surprise. “I thought you did that.”
    “Come on, Max. Level with me. Who am I going to tell?”
    “Seriously. I figured you must have done it. I wouldn’t know how to do a thing like that.”
    Seth searched Max’s face and saw that he was being truthful. “What about the surveillance software?” Seth asked, though he already knew the answer.
    “What about it?” Max said irritably.
    Who, then? Seth wondered. “Did you see who let us out?”
    Max held his stomach, eyes screwed shut, panting. “No. I woke up when I heard the door to my cell click open, but they were already gone.”
    “And Harvey?”
    “Didn’t see any guards,” Max said.
    “Any ideas about who might have let us out?”
    “Waverly was the only one who came to visit you,” the boy said through a grimace, hands massaging his middle. “No one came to see me.”
    “That’s true,” Seth said haltingly.
    Max doubled over, wincing, and Seth waited while he puffed and moaned. After what seemed a long time, Max leaned back again. “Oh, that was bad.”
    “So what are you going to do?”
    “You think I’m going to tell you anything?”
    “Fine.” Seth got up to leave, regretting that he’d wasted his time trying to talk to this moron. “Don’t follow me.”
    “Wait,” Max said weakly. His hand gripped his stomach again, and he leaned up on one elbow. “You know, I think I’m sick.”
    “You shouldn’t drink.”
    “I think it’s something I ate.…”
    “Rotten food?”
    “Bread and miso spread someone left for me. I grabbed it on my way out.” He doubled over and vomited up a foul-smelling greenish liquid. His head lolled backward; his lips were turning blue.
    “God, Max. You are sick.”
    “No kidding,” Max said, then his head swung back on his neck, farther than seemed physically possible, and suddenly he was snoring violently. Seth felt Max’s pulse at his wrist; his heart was racing.
    Seth had seen food poisoning. He’d had it several times. This was something else, something serious.
    “Max!” Seth held the boy’s head upright to straighten out his airway. Max opened his eyes. “We can’t stay here!” Seth stood and pulled on Max’s arms. Nodding, Max tried to get his feet under him, but he stumbled into Seth’s legs and back onto the ground, lolling, boneless. He obviously wasn’t going anywhere under his own power.
    “Damn it,” Seth spat. After a moment’s consideration, he jogged to the doorway and checked to make sure the corridor was still clear, then jogged back to Max and heaved him up over his sore shoulder. “I can’t believe I’m doing this again !”
    Max was even heavier than Harvey. Seth felt his vertebrae practically scraping together as he lurched onto the main path of the orchard and hurried to the central elevator bank. Already his legs were shaking from the strain. There was no way he could carry Max all the way up to the infirmary.
    He put Max down outside the elevator doors and shook him until he opened his eyes. “Max! I’m sending you to the infirmary so they can pump your stomach.”
    “No! They’ll put me back in the brig!”
    “Max, listen to me. You’ve been poisoned.”
    Max’s head hit the wall behind him with a thud, and he started snoring again. Seth shook him. “Max! You have to stay awake for one more minute, okay? When you get to the infirmary tell them you’ve been poisoned. Can you do that?”
    Max waved Seth away and cuddled against the wall.
    “Max!” Seth reared back and slapped him across the face.
    Max’s eyes flew open, and he looked at Seth in surprise.
    “Stay awake. For one minute. Okay?”
    “Yes! Jesus!” The boy rallied, straightening his