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“Hold that thought,” Quus said. “You said you know she’s out there waiting for you. Are you saying you think she’s still alive?”
“Yes. That’s what I’m saying. You see—”
“But we all saw her get burnt to a crisp by those flames. How could she possibly have survived that?”
I read the presenter’s expression. He must have known Maddy was still alive—Iron Hoof had seen her and would have reported it back to Control.
That sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach returned with a vengeance.
“I didn’t mean literally alive,” I said. “I meant in spirit and soul.”
“Well, we’ve got a big surprise for you and the audience at home,” Quus said. “Maddy isn’t out there somewhere. She’s right here. In this studio.”
What. The. Hell.
He had to be joking.
The audience gasped with surprise that matched my own. I shifted on my chair.
“What do you mean?” I said.
“I mean, she turned up about ten minutes ago. She didn’t die in that fiery blaze. She survived. She was captured by the evil Yayora barbarians. They were planning on sacrificing her before we discovered the location of their secret base—a live feed is coming up soon, by the way, folks. The Changeling siblings managed to rescue her. They’re bringing her up now. Let’s play the footage.”
The lights dimmed and the huge screen lowered into view. On it, in rough images, I could make out the surrounding desert landscape. Dark dots on the horizon walked slowly toward the camera.
Then, sometime later, the dots grew bigger, larger every minute.
Already, I knew it was her. I could tell by her sassy hip-swaying walk.
Then she was right there, up in the camera’s grill, along with the Changeling siblings in her wake. Her arms were restrained behind her back and the Changelings wore harsh expressions.
There was no denying it was them.
They must have escaped earlier when the Yayora took them from their cell and tracked her down.
My insides turned to water.
Iron Hoof shifted in his seat. He growled at the back of his throat. No love lost between him and the Changeling siblings.
The image skipped ahead as a team of Changeling soldiers stepped from behind an invisible wall. The cloaking device was still in operation. They scanned Maddy with handheld devices before moving on to the Changeling siblings. Their machines bleeped when they passed over their thighs. They took it for confirmation it was really them and waved them through.
Maddy had a determined expression on her face.
Determined about what? I wondered. We were both doomed. There was no getting away. There was no escape.
The final image depicted Maddy and her entourage stepping behind the cloaked wall and into the Control Room.
The lights faded up and the screen retracted into the ceiling.
The audience were on tenterhooks.
So was I.
Quus got to his feet.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said. “I give you, Maddy!”
She garnered a much louder response from the audience than I did. I still couldn’t believe it was really her.
