Chapter Thirty-Three
SERENITY
As I leave Sophos’ house, I tap my cuff and dictate a message to Vogue, Frey, and Dixon. “Sorry, I’m running late. I’ll be at our apartment soon. See you there.”
Better to not leave a digital footprint that gives us away. Please let that be obvious enough to get everyone there. I don’t want to go hunt them all down. My cuff buzzes on my wrist.
Vogue: Great, I’m here waiting.
Frey: I’m on my way.
Two down. One to go.
I get into the apartment, and Vogue nearly pounces on me. “What’s going on?” I guess we’re all on edge now that there is some action.
“Tonight is off. The Establishment suspects something, and I’m locked out of the train system. Sophos needs you to—”
The bell rings, and the screen in the foyer mirror appears to show Frey on the elevator. “Open.”
When the elevator opens, Frey rushes in. “What happened?”
I had been panicking, but seeing them in a tizzy flips a switch in me, and I find myself calming down so that we can all remain rational. “As I was telling Vogue, tonight is off. I’m locked out of the train system, and it seems as though the Establishment may be suspicious of our activities.”
“They know it’s us?” Vogue’s voice quivers with the question.
“Apparently not, since none of us have been arrested. We need to get back into the system, though, to get to Lawson when this all blows up. Sophos wants you to work on it immediately.”
Frey turns to Vogue. “We can do a brute force attack.”
“We can’t lock them out of the admin account yet,” she replies.
“No, but we gain access to it, don’t make any changes, so they don’t know we’re there, and then take over when the time comes.”
“Okay, let’s do it.”
Having a job to do calms them down too. I nearly nod off on the sofa while they speak some language utterly foreign to me, surrounded by holoScreens. I’m jolted into alertness by the elevator chime. Vogue pulls up the camera feed.
“Bram?” I jump up to meet him at the door.
As the door opens, I open my mouth to speak, but he beats me to it. “I need your help. We’ve got to go.”
“What happened now?” Vogue is at my side, anxious for updates.
“Jase isn’t answering Sophos, and Krisalyn can’t find him. We need to head him off before he tries to get into the train station.”
“Fantastic,” I groan. “What’s the plan?” For the moment, I’m unfazed by further complications. Add it to the list! Whatever.
“Since I don’t know which way he’ll be coming from,” Bram says, “we need to watch out from both directions of the train station. I’ll be patrolling at Main and Pershing. You sit on a bench near the corner of Kessler and Pershing. I don’t want to turn him around because that will look suspicious. If he comes from my end on the east, I’ll send a message to your cuff. You head toward him and call him to you to keep him from going toward the building and walk with him, continuing west the way he was going. If he comes from the west, you’ll see him first. Catch him and walk with him east past me.”
“All right.”
“What if a marshal questions what she’s doing out there?” Vogue asks.
“She is waiting for someone, which is true and will prove true when she hops up to walk away with Jase. But no one would question her anyway.”
“They are suspicious now, they’ll be increasing security, and I don’t like you pulling her out into the middle of it.” Vogue’s protective mode even intimidates me, and I’m the one she’s protecting. When I told her about Adwin and Parisa, it was all I could do to keep her from going to confront them.
“I’ll be fine,” I say. “I’m already in the middle of it. We all are. We need to keep each other safe right now. I’ll be back soon.”
“Oh, and I don’t know when I’ll have another chance to see all of you, so here.” Bram dumps an arsenal of weapons on our console table.
Vogue’s hand clutches mine. “What are we supposed to do with all of this?”
“Hide them for now. Find ways to conceal them on your bodies. I can’t train you on how to use them right now. There’s no time.”
Vogue looks at the collection in terror.
Bram turns to me. “Wait a few minutes after I leave, so we aren’t walking out of here together.”
I nod, and he leaves. Vogue looks at me, worry filling her eyes. “Don’t,” I say, holding up a hand. “I’ll be fine. I complained all year that I wasn’t doing anything. Now I am. It’s good. Relax.”
“Be careful, and hurry home.” She gives me a tight hug.
“Yes, dear.”
As I descend, the adrenaline builds in me. I try to calm myself down by thinking the words I just told Vogue multiple times. I’ll be fine. Outside I round the corner and go to the monorail station. The display shows that the next one going my way is ninety seconds out. I start to pace, but then I take a seat, trying to relax. This is the longest ninety seconds of my life. My fingers tap out a song on my lap. I might consider moving back in with my parents for more frequent access to a piano. My favorite stress-reliever is becoming necessary more often.
The monorail arrives, and I hop on. A look at my cuff tells me I’ve got fifteen minutes until Jase is supposed to be going into the train station. I focus on slowing my breathing and not thinking about what would happen to him if we fail.
If I fail.
Two stops later, I get off and stroll—with feigned tranquility—to my assigned location. I look at my cuff, seven minutes left. Scattered people pass by, so at least we won’t be the only people on this street. The setting sun isn’t going to make it easy for me to spot him—it’s right in my eyes. I assume a relaxed pose while my eyes scan the sidewalks.
Someone comes my way: tall, brown hair, it’s got to be him.
“Jase!” I say, smiling as I hurry toward him. When a building blocks the sun from my eyes, he turns to face me, and I freeze in my tracks.
“Serenity?”
“Oh!” The smell of bergamot and vanilla hits me. “Adwin. I’m sorry, I thought you were someone else.” Mortified as I am, I remember what I’m here for. I need to look for Jase. My eyes search while I try to will my blood not to rush to my cheeks in embarrassment.
“No need to apologize,” Adwin says. “It’s good to see you again. How have you been?”
“I’ve been great, thank you.”
My stomach lurches as I picture Parisa hanging on him after the film awards—how shameless they were. He can’t be hurt by losing me, but he looks disappointed—like I’m a prize he lost. What a snake. I don’t feel sorry that he doesn’t remember why we broke up. I won’t feel sorry for him when his world is shattering. I’ve risen above him even though when we broke up, he made me feel so small. I don’t believe what he said anymore.
Thank goodness. There he is.
“Jase!” I wave to him, then turning to Adwin: “I’ve got to go.”
I rush over to Jase and throw my arms around his neck in an embrace. Against his ear, I whisper, “Change of plans, act natural.” Then I pull myself back and kiss his lips. I can’t help but giggle at the surprise coloring his face.
That was a childish move on my part, but I don’t care. I saw Adwin with a girl he was sleeping with while we were still together. He can watch me kiss someone now. I slide my arm around Jase’s waist, looping a finger through his belt loop, and he wraps his arm around my shoulders apprehensively as we continue down the street.
“I have so many questions.”
I look up at him and say through a smile, “Most of them have good answers.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see Bram. Good, he knows we’re in the clear.
Chapter Thirty-Four
BRAM
I find myself agreeing with Vogue as I scan the sidewalks. I don’t enjoy exposing Serenity and myself out here under these circumstances. It’s not a great
idea, but it’s all I had. How could this jackass make himself unreachable today?
He should be coming any minute now, but I don’t see—oh good, Serenity got him. I don’t understand why she has to act like he’s her boyfriend, though. He’s the reason she had to come out here and put herself at risk. I would think it would be easier to stop him by slapping him in the face and acting like they’re in a fight, not snuggling up and smiling at each other.
They round the corner onto Grand Boulevard, and I patrol for a while longer before heading back to Sophos’ house. I’m almost there when I get a message on my cuff from Tori: HQ. I take a breath, and it comes out in a huff. Will this day never end?
I reroute to Marshal Headquarters and go to her office.
“Oh, I’m so glad you could come,” she says when I walk in. “Shut the door.”
“What is it?”
“Leavenworth.”
“What about it?”
“Look.” She makes a gesture on her holoScreen, and images are projected all over the room.
All around me are enormous concrete buildings, rows of bulky vehicles that appear to have massive guns pointing out of them, a sea of marshals in precise lines and formations, and immense machines I can’t guess the purposes of.
“It’s a military base,” Tori says.
A military base? “Why wouldn’t you know about it? You train the military!”
“Only the ones stationed here! It’s been very ‘need-to-know,’ but that’s where the real weapons are.”
“What real weapons?”
“Missiles, bombs, jets, hovercrafts.”
Flying vessels are supposed to be a thing of the past and science-fiction. They’re not supposed to be needed because there’s not supposed to be anything beyond the coastline. But what about Kaycie has ever been true?
“Why are you finding out about this now?” I ask.
“Leavenworth Base is being prepped to move our forces there. They’re spooked by something. There is movement around here like I’ve never seen before.”
“Because of us?”
“What other threats could they be facing?”
“How could they know we’re an imminent threat and not know who we are?”
“I don’t know,” she sighs. “It doesn’t add up, but I don’t think we’ll be able to remain under the radar much longer.”
I rub my forehead. Damnit! We are so close! “If they get all of the forces to Leavenworth…”
“They could easily overtake any given island one at a time.”
“So it’s hopeless?” I press my lips together. So close.
“If they can’t access the trains or tunnels, then there’s a shot to hold them, but not for long.”
I bite the inside of my cheek. “Okay, I guess we’ll see what we can do.” Defeat seeps through my veins. “Thanks, Tori.”
***
I’m drained as I walk back to Sophos’ house. The Establishment Center gleams as a couple sits by the fountain, laughing and popping pills into their mouths. Glass palaces, and weak people. This society should be easy to take down, so why are we having this much trouble?
As I enter the townhouse, Sophos jumps up from the couch, eager to meet me. “Did you get Jase in time?”
“Yes. Barely.”
“Good,” he sighs. “Thank you.”
How do I tell him everything we’ve done has been for nothing? “Tori got pulled into work tonight. They are getting Leavenworth ready for the regiment. Apparently, it’s the Establishment’s military base.”
His eyebrows furrow. “That can’t be. Why keep the regiment here if they have a base on another island?”
“I guess they don’t want to keep the big guns at home,” I say as I take my holster off. “I think it’s over.”
“This is not over.”
“It was a long shot when it was just people against people, but if they have weapons that could level an island, there’s no shot.”
“We don’t know enough yet, and it isn’t our decision to make.”
“Okay, well, I’m done for today.”
“Yes, of course.” He rubs his temple. “We will regroup this week. Thank you, Bram.”
I nod and retreat to my bedroom. Staring at the ceiling, I feel my hopes slipping through my grasp. Has everything we’ve worked for been pointless? The Establishment is more formidable than we thought, so how can it be done?
Then there are tonight’s events. As angry as I am at Jase for putting us through hell tonight, I’m almost equally furious at Serenity for not appearing to be angry at him. That’s ridiculous and doesn’t make any sense. She had to put on whatever act she could to get them both out of there. It still makes me uneasy, even if I know it shouldn’t.
At least it’s over, and we all got out in one piece. We’ll have to deal with the aftermath of this weekend soon enough, but at least we’re safe tonight. Tomorrow may be another story.
Chapter Thirty-Five
SERENITY
“When are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Jase asks with his arm still around my shoulders.
“When we’re behind closed doors,” I say with my sweetest smile. “But by all means, keep asking so we can continue to look like we’re talking.”
He rubs the back of his neck, and I tilt my head onto his chest. Last night’s physical labor was nothing compared to today’s emotional strain. Curling up to him maintains the rescue’s affectionate theme (God forbid we’re being watched), but fatigue is the real cause. I might be able to fall asleep right here on my feet. His soothing smell isn’t helping matters. Is it cardamom?
He rubs my arm. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. It’s been a long day.”
“You’re going to restart all the rumors about us.”
“Ha. Ha. Ha.”
In my elevator, I release him and lean back against the wall, rubbing my eyes. “Watch out for Vogue when we get in there.”
“What?”
The door opens, and Vogue rushes in to embrace me. I laugh despite myself. “I told you I’d be fine.”
“I know,” she says into my hair.
In an instant, she transforms from a loving, worried, gentle spirit to a furious and fierce protector. She nearly knocks the unsuspecting Jase off his feet when she shoves his shoulder. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
He didn’t heed my warning. I don’t know if I’m glad Krisalyn isn’t here to see this or if she would have kept things calm.
Jase is stupefied. “What are you talking about?”
“How could you disconnect from everything right in the middle of all of this?” Vogue demands. “Don’t you think it might be helpful for people to be able to reach you?”
“I didn’t disconnect from anything.”
Vogue’s hands clutch her crossed arms as if she’s restraining herself from hitting him.
“Vogue,”—I lay a hand on her tense shoulder to back her away from her victim—“let’s calm down and explain everything.”
Frey is still in the living room but not working anymore, judging by the drinks on the table and the lack of holoScreens.
“Oh, hello,” I say as I sit on the sofa. “I’m so glad we could get together this evening.”
Vogue is right behind me. Jase follows, looking timid and confused. “It’s okay,” I say, “you probably won’t be attacked again tonight. Would you like a drink?”
“No, thanks,” he says, sitting as far from Vogue as possible. “Just an answer about what happened tonight would be great.” Snowflake isn’t angry at him. She hops right up onto his lap, displaying who’s side she’s on.
Before anyone can explain, the elevator chimes. Vogue checks the camera and lets Krisalyn and Dixon in. Krisalyn storms in and hits Jase on the shoulder. “What is wrong with you?”
“Why is everyone attacking me?”
“You scared me!” I’ve never seen Krisalyn so riled up. I guess she won’t be keeping this calm. “When your cuff f
inally became active again, we followed you. We’ve been running around the whole city trying to find you!”
“I was at home,” Jase says. “What is going on?”
“Home? You didn’t—” Krisalyn cuts herself off with a tight-lipped shriek. She drops onto the sofa with a huff.
“They locked us out of the system that controls the trains,” I say. “We’re guessing they know it was tampered with. We don’t know how much the Establishment knows, but we couldn’t finish the supply run tonight. We had to assume they’d be watching the building, so your arrival would have been a problem.”
“And why was I the only one who didn’t know this?”
If Vogue could shoot lightning bolts from her eyes, Jase would be dead now.
Dixon explains, sparing us all from Vogue relating it in a rant. “Sophos tried to tell you, but you didn’t respond. Krisalyn went to your apartment, but there was no answer.”
“That’s not possible,” Jase says. “I’ve had my cuff on all day, and I never left my apartment.”
“Let me see it,” Vogue orders.
“Here.” He pops up a holoScreen from his cuff and flings it at her.
She taps around and looks up at him suspiciously. Then she looks at me. “There are no calls or messages from Sophos. But that doesn’t mean they couldn’t have been erased.”
“Oh, now hold on.” Krisalyn squares her slight shoulders toward Vogue.
“Why would I do that?” Jase’s eyes widen. “Why would I ignore messages and walk into a trap?”
“Maybe it wouldn’t have been a trap for you,” Vogue sneers. “Maybe you were the bait, and the trap was supposed to catch Serenity or Bram or whoever went to get you.”
“Vogue!” Krisalyn’s ferocity blooms as her friend is attacked.
“But they were there, and they weren’t caught,” Jase points out. “Serenity conspicuously walked me away from the building. If someone was waiting to see who was going to join me or stop me, she wouldn’t be here right now.”
Vogue looks thoughtful, though still angry. Really though, this is Jase. He’s one of our few friends. He’s the one I’ve known the longest in this. Accusing him of being a traitor is extreme.
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