Free The Whisper by Clayton Emma Page A

material. Chest and back plates, shoulder pads, elbow protectors, lower arm guards, and knee-length boots.
    Then they were given their headsets and equipment belts, and concentrated hard as the adults recapped the elements of their training. They wanted to survive and they wanted to find the Everlife-9 as much as Gorman wanted to take it. Everlife-9 would make him younger so he wouldn’t need all those machines. Without realizing it, Mal Gorman was helping them get rid of him.
    When they were dressed and checked, they were led out of the enclosure and down in an elevator to the hangar. Awen followed Mika with his nose glued to his leg.
    In the hangar, they walked through the lines of shiny Pod Fighters toward a new craft called a Stealth Carrier. It had been designed specifically to carry them safely over The Wall. It had slim wings and a pale, metallic surface. It was about ten times the size of a Pod Fighter, but it had been built for the same kind of speed and agility. It was designed to get them over The Wall and back again as quickly as possible. The engine was silent. The surface was covered in tiny cameras and screens just like the invisibility shields that Rona Strap had demonstrated. While the craft rested on its launchpad, they could see it. The moment they boarded, it blinked and disappeared.
    A drop capsule and several men joined them in the hold.
    The Stealth Carrier rose silently. The children watched the fortress shrink until it was a black ring on the coastline. As they rose, the sun peeked up to the east, icing the tips of waves and the refugee towers. Then they shot toward The Wall and it all blurred into one gray streak.
    They approached The Wall at high altitude. From this height it looked like a gray line drawn around the Earth just below the south coast of England and through the middle of France. The contrast between the landscapes was startling. Mika and Ellie pressed against the window, feeling rushes of anxiety and excitement.
    “Put on your headsets,” someone said. “We’ll be at the drop site in ten minutes.”
    The Stealth Carrier turned west, following the line of TheWall across the Atlantic toward Canada. The children stood up and the men checked them over for the last time. When this was done, they activated their navigation systems. Suddenly, their visors were filled with green mesh light. When they looked down, they saw a string of red dots along the top of The Wall, showing the location of the Ghengis borgs.
    They reached the east coast of Canada in just a few minutes.
    “Climb into your capsule.”
    The capsule looked like a mirror ball until the door opened. Inside were two seats. Mika and Ellie climbed in, sat down and fastened their harnesses.
    “Remember, the parachute will open automatically,” someone said, “so you don’t have to do anything until you land. Then make sure you roll the capsule out of sight, because you can’t get back without the micro wings stored under your seats. Do you understand?”
    They nodded.
    The door closed, sealing them in.
    “Have you dropped them yet?” Gorman asked.
    “In thirty seconds, sir.”
    “Good,” Gorman replied. “How long before they reach Raphael Mose’s mansion?”
    “Forty-five minutes, sir.”
    “OK,” Gorman said. “I’m waiting. Tell me as soon as they reach the grounds and I’ll join you.”
    Through the transparent wall of the drop capsule, Mika and Ellie watched the adults’ lights pulse with relief as they weresealed inside. They felt a tug as the Stealth Carrier sprinted over The Wall, they saw hands press against the capsule, then they were hurtling toward Earth like an asteroid. The capsule was weighted to prevent it from spinning, but the g-force made them feel as if their innards were about to eject. The noise was intense, as if they were falling through a firestorm, and they could see the ground rushing up toward them. They heard a click and felt a sudden, violent jerk as the parachute opened. For a