Chapter 13

Invasion

No pain...no emptiness...nothing. Huh?

Penny opened her eyes, just in time to see the thug crash to the floor, his eyes blank, a through-and-through bullet wound in his head. Penny turned away, fighting back revulsion and nausea, dropping her own gun to the floor as she covered her mouth with her hands. She then whirled around, looking for the person that had saved her.

And there in the doorway, looking absolutely horrified with himself, holding the still-smoking pistol the third thug had wielded...was Larry. Richard's best friend and workmate. He stood there for a few moments, before throwing the gun away from himself, backing away until he was leaning against one of the glass windows, his look of self-disgust only increasing. It was obvious that he was struggling to come to terms with the realisation that he had just killed another person.

The whole scene was stayed in that frozen moment for a full minute, no-one moving, everyone simply coming to terms with what had just happened, Penny continuing to stare at Larry as her mind processed this latest battle. Her fight against Calico was turning into a war! They had already found her twice within an hour, how the hell was she supposed to escape them now? She had been lucky in these first two close calls, and she doubted she would get another chance. But how? her mind screamed. How were they finding her so quickly?! The answer took only seconds for Penny to find. Silverlake...they knew where she lived, and they knew it would be impossible for her to escape the remote town alone. All they had to do was chase her around town until they wore her down...it was too easy. Even with Bolt protecting her...

"Bolt!" Coming back to her senses, Penny rushed back to Bolt's side, to find him slowly coming back to his senses, trying to pull himself back to his feet. She sighed with relief, before holding her friend close. "You scared me, boy."

At this point Larry came up to them. "You okay, Penny?" he asked shakily. He was still reeling from the killing.

Penny looked up at him, a thousand questions running through her mind. "Yeah, we're both fine," she replied. "But what are you doing here?"

"I saw you heading this way, and you looked terrible, so I thought I'd see what was going on, but then those three showed up and threatened Joe, and, well..." he stopped, but Penny didn't need him to finish. The rest explained itself well enough.

But Penny became distracted once more, as she turned to where Joe had slumped to the floor, calling him. He was busy getting back to his feet, and looked up at Penny's call. "I'm fine, Penny! I just...how'd they find you?"

"It's this place...it's Silverlake!" Penny replied loudly, her reserves of adrenaline still pumping through her. "They know it's impossible for me to escape this town on foot, so they can just keep searching this town until they find me!"

"And with a town as small as Silverlake," Larry realised. "But Penny, what's going on? I just got back from work, and Richard's been acting really strange today, is there - "

"I don't have time to explain it over, but Calico has kidnapped my dad, and now he's after me! Larry, please, you need to get out of here! Everyone in town is in danger while I'm still out of their reach! Both you and Joe need to get out of here before they come for you, too!" Penny did not want to see anyone else suffer because of her.

"But what are you going to do?" Joe called back. "You can't stay in Silverlake, you won't last the day!"

Penny looked outside, although she didn't know why, and saw that a small crowd of townspeople had gathered on the street outside the store, looking in and trying to figure out what had just happened. All those people, Penny thought, and all of them are in danger while I stay... "I have to get out of Silverlake," she realised. "Dad left me some things that will help me, but every second I remain in this town, more people are being put in danger." She paused, before deciding to emphasise her previous point. "But you two need to get out of here. Calico will know by now that both of you are close to me, and he will try and use you to find me. You have to get your families, and get out! Just hide until things die down, then come back when you think it's safe again."

"But what are you going to do?" Larry asked. "Even if you make it out of Silverlake, where will you go?"

Penny was touched and frustrated at the same time. She admired Larry and Joe for caring about her, even as they were in danger, but she did not want to put them in any danger herself, and every second they spent trying to help her, they too were Calico's targets. "I need to get to Highton," Penny finally admitted. "I need to find out what Calico has done with dad." She drove on before Larry could argue. "Don't say it, Larry. I know it's dangerous, but I can't just leave him. I have to get him back, and he's left me things that will allow me to do that."

Larry sighed, before turning to Joe. "Joe, get out of here! You've done enough, already. Go get your family, and get out of town!"

"What are you gonna do?" Joe cried back.

Larry turned to Penny. "Like you, Penny, I owe it to Richard to help him. But I have my own family to worry about, so all I can do is take you out of town. I can get you to Highton, but from there, you'll have to be on your own."

Penny was once again touched, but she did not want to put anyone else in any more danger. "Larry, you have other things to worry about besides me, and - "

"If I have to run from here, at least let me take you as well! Calico probably won't be expecting you to have help, so it's probably the safest way!" Larry was being very insistent, and Penny realised that he was not going to back down.

"I...Thank you, Larry. I mean that."

"Good," Larry said, managing a weak smile as he turned back to Joe. "Now you, go!"

Joe hesitated a moment. "Get him back, Penny," he finally said, and with a final nod to Larry, Joe left, walking as calmly as he possibly could from the store, pushing his way through the ever-increasing crowd, before finally leaving Penny's sight. She could only hope that he and his family were able to stay safe, knowing she would almost certainly never know if they lived or died from now on. She sighed, looking down at Bolt, who was now back on his feet, although he was still a little dizzy.

"Come on, Penny," Larry said, grabbing Penny's arm and pulling her back to her feet, before dragging her out of the store after Joe, Bolt right behind them. "Calico's men will almost certainly be here soon, and we can't be here when they are!"

As they ran, Penny pulled her hoodie up over her head to hide her face, and used the scooter's detachable leash, clipping it onto Bolt's collar, his dirt-covered fur making him look nothing like the White Shepherd Calico's men would be on the lookout for. Which was just as well, for the trio were passed by several of the black cars Calico's men used as they walked. but they were so focused on the pet store incident that they little attention to the man, teenage girl, and filthy dog that they passed.

As they walked, Penny decided that this time, it was best if Larry did not know all the facts. As long as he stayed away from Silverlake for a few days, he should be fine. As such, she pushed off his requested for her to explain exactly what had happened. "It's better if you don't know," she said simply. Larry persisted for a short time, but eventually stopped, seeming to realise the sense in Penny's argument.

After a short time, the two reached Larry's house, which wasn't that much different from Penny's. "Now, Penny, don't say anything to Kate, alright. Let me tell her," Larry said, stopping Penny just before the front door. Penny nodded, and with that, the two entered the house, Bolt in tow. There was no way the loyal dog was going to leave Penny's side, now that he was certain that she was in grave danger.

Larry left Penny in the living room, where she flopped into a couch, Bolt leaping up protectively onto her lap, and waited, as she heard Larry begin to talk with his wife, Kate, in another room. Penny looked down at Bolt, trying her best to ignore the argument that was flaring up between the couple, she knew it was not her business to pry in on whatever it was Larry was trying to explain to her. To distract herself, she wiped away the dust, dirt and grime from Bolt's face, which the dog seemed to find extremely comforting, before wiping it away from the mark on his left flank, revealing it in all its startling clarity once more. "What are we going to do, Bolty?" she asked softly, Bolt looking up at her voice. "How are we gonna get him back? I know you have your powers, but against everything Calico must have after us, how?" Bolt simply panted back, although his face seemed downcast. Penny was surprised at the way seemed to her understanding her more and more with each passing moment. Just another alteration, she thought dismissively.

But a plan had been forming in her mind, and she felt ready to try and put it into action. She knew that her father worked for Calico at Highton, and Larry had promised to take her that far. Once she found the building, she would have to find a way to sneak in, and find something relating to her father's whereabouts. It was a dangerous, risky plan; Highton was one of Calico Technology's biggest centres, and it was sure to be heavily guarded, all of the security personnel looking out for any sign of her and Bolt. But all she needed was to find out where her father was being kept, find him, and get him out. As long as she was careful, she should be fine, particularly with Bolt by her side.

Bolt's alterations were also starting to show themselves. In the two instances Bolt had used his powers so far, he had shown an incredible increase in his strength, speed, and jumping ability. And that strange trick with his eyes Penny could only describe as 'Laser-Vision' or 'Heat-Vision'...Bolt had already killed two of Calico's men with it. Penny looked at Bolt's face, which seemed untroubled by the three men he had killed so far. she did not like the fact that her efforts to survive and rescue her father were costing other people their lives, even if they were working for Calico. What if they were being forced to do his worked, what if they just wanted to escape him, like her father? What right did she or Bolt have to decide who lived and who died? Feeling slightly disgusted with herself for all the death that had occurred today, she vowed to try and teach Bolt to show more restraint, to stop Calico's men and take them out of action without permanently harming them.

As Penny thought over this, the argument between Larry and Kate continued to rage for a time. Finally it died down, and Larry returned to the living room, clearing his throat to get Penny's attention. "Alright, Penny, here's what's going to happen: Me and Kate are going to help you get out of Silverlake. We'll spend the night somewhere along the highway, then we'll get you to Highton the next morning. We'll drop you off on the city's outskirts, then we'll head our own way." He moved closer to Penny and continued in a whisper. "I wish I could help more, Penny, but that is all Kate is willing to do for you."

Penny nodded, but pushed Bolt off her lap and stood, looking at Kate, who had appeared in the room as well, when she spoke. "That's fine. What you're doing is more than enough." She smiled at Kate, showing she appreciated how much they were doing. The woman didn't smile back; she obviously did not like what Larry had pushed her into. Penny simply turned back to Larry, deciding it wasn't the time to try and convince Kate otherwise. "So how are getting out of town? Calico will still be looking for me."

Larry smiled. "Don't worry, I have a plan that should have those guys nicely fooled."