Devolution

Joshua checked the rear view mirror once more and this time noticed a white ATV which was not there a minute before flying up behind him. Its lights were on. Joshua gulped, tensing with fear.

Veena noticed him stiffen and begin to glance frequently into the rearview mirror. After a few minutes he was spending more time with his eyes on the road behind than the road ahead.

‘Watch the road, Josh. What’s wrong?’

‘We’re being followed.’

Jeremiah and Veena turned around. 3 reached out for Veena’s hand.

‘It’s them,’ said Jeremiah.

‘How?’ asked 3.

‘They must have bugged me.’

‘Damn it.’

The pursuing car was faster and easily made up the distance to draw along side. With blackened windows, no one could see inside, and silently they all asked the obvious question, if merciless guns were lurking in the mysterious darkness.

Joshua engaged the autodriver and ordered evasive maneuvers and a self check of the

A.C.S.

‘Call the police, Joshua!’

‘No!’ protested Jeremiah.

3 was losing his temper, so he tapped his badgephone and voice dialed the number; a direct line to a friend of his fathers’ on the force.

‘Kevin McNalty please.’

‘Who are you calling?’

‘We need help.’

‘Disconnect,’ said Jeremiah, ‘The police can’t help us. Hang up.’

‘This guy’s a friend of my father’s, we can trust him. He’ll help.’

Veena joined in to support 3, and Joshua was yelling to keep the peace. Soon all four of them had forgotten the imminent danger of the pursuit, and McNalty could not make himself heard through the racket. Somewhere in there he must have recognized 3’s voice because instead of hanging up, he persisted. Eventually 3 heard him and answered.

‘Shut up. All of you. We are in trouble and I’m getting us some help. Just shut up!’

‘What do we do now?’ asked Veena.

‘Nothing can happen as long as we keep driving,’ replied Joshua. ‘The A.C.S is active while the engine is running, and thank God for that. Otherwise they could easily run us off the road. They’ll stay right there beside us or behind us until we stop.’

‘So it comes down to who has more fuel on board?’

Joshua looked at the fuel gauge and bit his bottom lip before answering. ‘Yes.’

The two vehicles continued their charge along the freeway, side by side.

3 finished his conversation with McNalty and reported to the others. ‘He’s sending a patrol car immediately to our position. They regularly patrol this freeway anyway so there’s help not too far away.’

‘We’ll see about that,’ said Jeremiah flatly.

‘Shut up Jeremiah,’ said Veena. ‘It’s your fault we’re here. You should be grateful.’

Listening to her authoritative rebuke, 3 realized she had her father’s strength and would make a formidable opponent in any arena. As she turned away from Jeremiah to continue looking out the window, 3 tried to detect any signs of anxiety but she appeared completely unruffled. Her chest barely moved and her face retained its natural and beautiful color. If only we could be more than friends thought 3 as he continued watching her, studying her. Such a thing would never happen and he was going to have to learn to kill the fantasy before it drove him to insanity.

Suddenly she looked his way and smiled. ‘Everything okay Ted?’

Embarrassed and hoping like mad she had no idea of his true feelings for her, 3 nodded, returned the smile and quickly turned away. Was he losing his mind? This was definitely neither the time nor the place to be thinking this way. They weren’t new thoughts; they had visited him often, in fact with increasing frequency since puberty caused her to fill out her clothes properly. He desired her physically, most boys did but it was deeper than that for 3 because he knew her and they were friends. She had her faults and still pissed him off sometimes but 3 reckoned Veena was as close to perfect as a mere mortal could get.

‘What is it, Ted?’

With face reddening embarrassment, 3 realized he was staring at Veena again. That had been okay when he started because she was staring out the window but he forgot to look away when she faced him. Inside, 3 was really beating up on himself for his stupidity, but outwardly he managed a calm voice despite his obvious discomfort. ‘Sorry, Veena, it’s nothing.’

A raised eyebrow from her caused 3 to confirm more strongly the truth of his answer.

‘Really. There’s nothing wrong,’ he asserted.

The white ATV remained at their side as they approached their exit from the freeway but 3 suspected Joshua would not risk having to stop and he was right. A.C.S operated at its peak at high speed. The faster the vehicle was traveling the greater need for protection so slowing down or stopping would make them more vulnerable.

’I’m just going to keep on driving ‘til our help arrives or until we run out of fuel.’

‘How much is left in the tank?’ asked 3.

‘About an eighth, but she’s good for plenty even after we hit empty.’

‘What does plenty mean?’ asked Jeremiah.

‘Plenty means enough. We’ll be okay. The police can’t be too far away now, right Ted?’

Not sure himself, 3 said yes and then they all fell into a tense silence.

Veena suggested they put some music on and Joshua did but no one sang along. Joshua kept looking at the fuel gauge, Veena out her window, Jeremiah straight ahead and 3 out his window wishing he could see through the blackened glass of the ATV which stayed by their side, like a sucker fish at a shark’s belly.

After fifteen minutes, their knights in shining armor had not arrived, the fuel gauge was now on empty and they were running out of freeway. The southern motorway was intended to connect Maharashtra to Karnataka province and but terminated on the outskirts of Bhandhup East.

‘Josh,’ began 3, ‘We are running out of time. How’s the fuel?’

‘Not good.’

3 dialed up McNalty’s number again and had just pressed send when the Monaro began to shudder. Coughing and spluttering for another twenty meters as the freeway ended and they staggered up to a set of traffic lights.

‘What’s happening?’

‘The tank is empty.’

The RV was shaken as if hit by another vehicle but the pursuing vehicle was still beside them. When the engine finally breathed its last, Joshua also killed the music and they all prepared for the worst. At any moment they expected to be dragged out onto the road and…and killed? Unlikely, but taken away somewhere for sure. Then they heard the sirens. They were shaken again, the Monaro rocking as two men from the white ATV attempted to unlock the doors with CMPs. The police arrived to interrupt proceedings and came under attack themselves.

The four teenagers watched the scene from the relative safety of the inside of their vehicle as the men outside scuffled. Moving away slowly at first then picking up speed, the ATV appeared ready to abandon some of its passengers but one of the men managed to break free of a police officer’s grasp and he ran after it. Opening the back door, he fell in just as the driver accelerated through a red light forcing other vehicles out of its way. The second man continued to fight with one of the officers who eventually subdued him with the help of his partner. They forced him to the ground and locked his hands behind his back.

3 could see the man’s face now, half pressed into the bitumen road, distorted by pain. Finally he ceased struggling and was picked up and pushed towards the police ATV.

Too frightened, their mouths dry and their hearts beating madly, no one dared move or speak. When 3’s door opened he jumped in shock, fully prepared to use defensive mind weapons. No need. The face of the opener was familiar. It was McNalty.

‘Sorry we took so long,’ he said. ‘You people all okay?’

Nodding in unison, they all began to breathe normally once more though they knew somehow they were still not safe.