Free In a Flash by Eric Walters Page A

mentioned that one.
    â€œHow can twenty people be hardly anybody? Twenty is at least eighteen people more than hardly anybody.”
    â€œBut that one doesn’t even count,” I said. “They stuck around and argued with the police. We’re not arguing with anybody, and we’re not sticking around.”
    â€œThat’s
why
we have escape routes,” Oswald said. “It’s not like this is our first time.”
    â€œWhere should we meet when this is over?” I asked.
    â€œHead for Dundas Square and we can approximeet.”
    â€œApproximeet?” Julia asked.
    â€œIt means we’ll meet in that approximate area and hook up by cell phone,” I explained.
    â€œYou two even have your own special little language now?”
    â€œNot just us,” I protested. “Lots of people use that word. There’s almost a whole new language.”
    â€œAnd what do you call it, Geek Speak?”
    I ignored her taunt.
    â€œLook, more people are starting to drift into the area,” Oswald said.
    There were at least a dozen kids off to the side and another nine or ten wandering through the bedding section of the store.
    â€œThey might not even be involved in this,” Julia said.
    â€œYeah right, teenagers always look at bedding in stores.”
    â€œEither way, you two better get going or you’ll miss it,” Oswald said.
    I looked at my watch. We had six minutes to get down the escalator and into position.
    I pulled two whistles out of my pocket and handed one to Oswald.
    â€œI’ll start things off,” I said. “And you finish.”
    â€œHow many minutes do you want?”
    â€œThree...no, make it four.”
    â€œWhy not five?” Julia asked.
    â€œThe longer it goes on the more chance something might go wrong. You know, police might show up.”
    She didn’t look any happier with the idea than she had before. “How about three minutes?”
    â€œFour,” I said. “Four minutes. No more, no less.”
    Oswald held his wrist close to mine. “Let’s synchronize our watches.”
    Julia shook her head. “You two really have been watching too many spy movies.”
    We ignored her. “When I blow the whistle, just mark the spot on your watch and then go four minutes.”
    â€œWhich is exactly how much time youtwo have to get down there,” Oswald said. “You better get going.”
    â€œCome on.”
    We hurried toward the escalator and started down. As we traveled I pulled on my baseball cap. I aimed the bill forward. I was born in April—an even month.
    â€œDo you really think we should do this?” Julia asked.
    â€œIf you’re too frightened, you don’t have to do it.”
    â€œI’m not frightened,” she protested. “I just don’t get the point of it.”
    â€œYou will. Just stop complaining.”
    â€œHow do you even know that anybody is going to show up?” she asked.
    â€œLook around. It’s clear that some people have shown up. It’s just a question of how many we’ll get.”
    â€œIt still only looks like a few to me.”
    â€œYou don’t know that. You’ll see.” Actually I was hoping that both of us would see. You could never tell with a flash mob. Some were amazing, fantastic, gigantic. Others were just amazing, fantastic, gigantic flops.
    â€œI don’t see them yet,” she said as we started across the floor of the store and headed toward the bedding section.
    â€œYou won’t see them until it starts... that’s the way it happens,” I explained— again hoping that would be the way it went down today.
    â€œBut wouldn’t they have arrived already?”
    â€œ
We
haven’t even arrived yet,” I said. “That’s the way it works. You have to get in and out at the exact time. If too many people hang around before it starts, it would give security a chance to be