As they reached the doorway, Colin asked. “And why the State House?”
Freya pushed past them and crouched down to be eye level with him. “Colin, we don’t have much of a plan. We’re going to do a broadcast for the people in the mountain and wage war on the High Council. With any luck, Samuel and his men will forget about their cue—at least for now—and might channel their aggression in the right direction.”
“Perfect. If it works, they go running to the mountain, probably get killed, and then we have enough food for whoever survives. Or they come charging into the State House and kill us. Either way, their little cue ends today.”
Freya’s mouth fell open. His words occasionally slurred, which made her wonder how much the drugs impacted his sarcastic tone. “I know it’s not a great plan, but it’s all we could think of. Maybe we’ll think of something better by the time we get there.”
“Freya, the plan is perfect. The fact we’re probably going to die and lose any hope of ever defeating the State has nothing to do with the plan. I’m impressed you came up with anything at all that might extend our lives by a few hours.”
Aakil looked taken back. “Mate. I know this situation is tricky…”
“Aakil, I don’t know if there are too many drugs in my system or not enough, but let’s cut the bullshit, all right? As of today, it’s over. It’s either over for us, our army, or the High Council. Let’s make the High Council bleed before we die. It’s better than dying of starvation or whatever Samuel has planned for us. Let’s hurt them before our blood runs dry.”
“Colin, you haven’t got much blood left.”
“Then we need to hurry.”
Aakil gave a curt nod and pushed toward the military underground access. Freya felt numb inside. Frozen. It was true; they needed to hurry. She just wished they would scurry into action with a plan in mind that would keep them alive.
Chapter 37
Freya
In unison, Gwen and Laura burst into the clinic. “Hey,” Laura said, while Gwen caught her breath. “I don’t know if you guys know what’s going on, but there’s way too much raging testosterone out there.”
“We know,” Freya said, but her gut churned. Has it gotten worse? “Well, we know we need to get the hell out of here. We’re headed for the military underground to get to the State House. Come with us.”
They both nodded, a little too eagerly.
Their ensemble pushed ahead into the office containing the floor access.
“Laura, help me with Colin,” Aakil said, and then looked to Freya. “You two, help each other down the stairs.”
Colin wrapped his good arm around Aakil but moved cautiously to put his other around Laura. “Laura, match my level, but do not try to lift me. Just take any weight I put on you.”
“I got you, Colin. Been helping in the clinic since Gwen got shot.”
A mist of perspiration glistened on Colin’s neck. Even the anticipation of movement made him sweat.
“You ready?” Aakil asked.
“Well, good news, bad news. The pain meds are wearing off, which means I’m more likely to keep my balance, but also black out if I move.”
Aakil nodded. “Well, let’s find out which it is, then.”
Colin nodded, taking a few deep breaths.
“On three.”
Colin nodded again, nearly hyperventilating as Aakil counted down and hoisted him onto his feet. Colin’s head dipped back as though he might faint, but Laura shifted and supported his weight from behind.
His head jerked, and then he shook it out. “I had a few stars, but I’m okay. Let’s go.”
Slowly, the three of them worked together to get down the stairwell until Aakil returned to grab Colin’s wheelchair. Freya moved to stand on Gwen’s good side—if there was such a thing. Between Gwen’s splinted wrist, compression boot, and bandaged shoulder, it took a little work for Freya to find the right spot to latch on.
Her vision blurred. She felt a few waves of dizziness wash over her, but they made it safely down the steps without incident.
“What were they doing?” Aakil asked. “Samuel, and his men. Were they talking about arresting us?”
Both Gwen’s and Laura’s jaws fell open before Gwen replied. “Arrest you? For what? We heard them say other stuff, about how the rules for us women from Idaho were about to change.”
Freya’s brows stitched together. “Idaho? What’s he got against you guys?”
“Well,” Gwen’s brow hardened. “It sounds like they have an issue with Laura and me, our relationship. They said we’re an abomination, yet also said that all of us women need to have their babies.”
Aakil stopped pushing Colin, turning back on Gwen. “Voluntarily, or… not?”
“We didn’t stick around long enough to find out,” Laura replied.
Freya’s gut churned. Forming a cue was one thing. But if Samuel thought he or his men could force anyone to do anything, then she had to stop them. They couldn’t die today and leave everyone in Samuel’s care. Not with a savage leader.
With that thought, she started tapping around her waistband, hoping to find her handgun magically stuck to her somehow, but of course, she was unarmed. “We are almost at the armory, up ahead. We should take anything that got left behind.”
Aakil turned around and leaned his back against the wall. “Unfortunately, I already tried that. We’re going in empty-handed.”
If Samuel predicted her maneuver, she was sunk. But she also knew deep down that if he or his men were waiting for her in the State House, a firearm was no use to her. In fact, it would only give them an excuse to kill her; to kill all of them.
This fight between them came down to brains, not brawn. All that mattered was that she gave her broadcast. It had to work. It was the only hope she had left.
A chill ran up her spine. She knew that their lives were riding on this one moment, yet her mind swirled with nothing but fog.
Just as she reached the stairs, she let go of Gwen, then looked back to the group. “What should I say in my broadcast?”
They all shared a tense look before Colin responded. “I don’t know if that matters. The work crew all knew you, which means so will everyone else inside the mountain. I think you just need to show up and tell them to fight.”
She took a few deep breaths to prepare herself to head up the stairs. His words gave her strength, but it wasn’t enough to comfort her. What she really wanted was for him to be at her side, but also knew that each movement he made could be his last. He lifted a feeble hand toward her, and she grasped it, feeling warmth spread through her body. She interlocked their fingers, taking a moment to feel the familiarity of his touch.
As soon as she stepped into her former office, she didn’t know if she would ever see Colin again. But she had no choice. She had to know that before her death, she did everything she could to destroy the State.
With a deep breath, she let go of Colin’s hand. “Laura, can you stay down here and keep an eye on Colin and Gwen?”
“Absolutely.”
“Thanks,” she sighed. “Be ready. The second you see feet coming back down the steps, run.”
Laura’s caramel skin blanched. She looked around nervously, unsure of what direction to go. After a few brief glances, Laura stepped behind Colin’s wheelchair and gripped the handles.
Slowly, Freya crept up the stairs, listening for any muffled voices, movements, or anything from up above. As her head reached the trapdoor, she paused and strained for one last confirmation, but still heard only the hum of the flickering lights.
Freya took three deep breaths, then rammed her shoulder into the trapdoor with all her might. The door flung open, making a loud thwack as it smacked open on the floor. She didn’t stop until she stood in the office’s doorframe.
First, she scanned the room from left to right. Clear. Next, she checked the hallway. The State House was disturbingly silent. She quietly locked the door, then swiftly moved to the window overlooking
the gardens. Empty.
The tension melted away from her shoulders. There could be guards posted outside the State House, but she didn’t want to tempt fate by checking. At this moment, she was free to make her broadcast.
Aakil already had a tablet in his hand. His fingers tapped away furiously. She sat in the awkward small seat meant for the dining table, which made the all too familiar desk feel disproportionate against her frame.
She adjusted her posture for the broadcast and realized that she was wearing a linen jumpsuit. This wasn’t the appropriate attire to address the people but knew they couldn’t afford the delay for a more presentable appearance.
“Freya, minor snag,” Aakil announced. “The High Council has locked us out. But don’t worry, it’s a patch job and I can bypass it.”
Stars danced behind her eyes. She could faint at any moment, or her heart could explode. Delaying longer felt unbearable, yet she still didn’t know what she should say.
“Got it!”
With another few commands, the monitor flicked on. The light above the monitor lit, calling to her, telling her it was time to do what she had come here to do. The moisture in her mouth and throat evaporated, leaving a sour taste behind.
“Freya, you’re live.”
With hearing those words, she numbed herself completely. There was no longer a threat to her life, or those she loved. No injured Colin down the steps. There was only her and her people.
“Greetings, my good people. I’m certain most of you watching know who I am. Some of you remember me because you remember when I was your Head of State. Some of you are too young for that, but I understand that you’ve been regularly watching videos of my death. But as you can see, just like most things the State has told you, my death was a lie. I wasn’t killed at the hands of the rebellion, and I wasn’t taken to a different planet. There was no colony world. Colonization was nothing more than a cheap trick to make you hate and fear the rebellion so the High Council could extend their control over you.”
Her gaze darted over to Aakil, who gave her an encouraging nod.
She continued. “I’m certain some of you are asking how I can make such claims about your government when I was your Head of State. I was also tricked. The Head of State is nothing more than a figurehead. I never truly held any power, which is how the actual power has always remained hidden. Safe. The High Council is hidden amongst you. And they are the ones responsible for your suffering.”
Aakil typed in the tablet again, and one by one, the pictures from Lewis’ file displayed on screen.
“The pictures you now see are the identities of the High Council. The surface is inhabitable. I would know, I’ve been living on the surface of this planet since I was taken to the colony. The Colonization ship only ever flew across the mountains, which is how I have returned. I have reclaimed the dome, and those workers who were left behind. And I’ve come here today to tell you that next, I’m coming for the mountain.”
She heard her own voice, pleased that she sounded much more confident than she felt.
“I am coming for you, to free you from your oppressors. Once the High Council is eliminated, we will all be free. Under the new government I will form, you will all be free to choose your own life. You can choose your partner, how many children you have, and you will be free to go outside. Explore. Travel to the places I’ve seen on this beautiful planet. All of this will be available to you, but first, the High Council needs to be removed. I believe this is possible, but only if we all work together; unify as one.”
The images moved, so each photograph lined up at the bottom of the screen.
“You see, the High Council has sent a large portion of their military to kill me and the others I have with me inside the dome. They have sent so many of their soldiers here, I wonder if they have any left inside the mountain to protect the High Council if all of you were to rise against them. All you would have to do is to locate the people shown on screen and overpower any small military presents inside the mountain. There are too many of you for them to control if you stop letting them.”
She paused, staring intently at the monitor, willing the people to be brave. To listen. To act.
“Now is the time to fight. We are on our way, but in order for us to get inside the mountain, we need your help. We need you to overpower the small military presents that would keep us from entering the mountain. And the sooner you isolate the High Council, the less damage they can do. Please join us, so that together, we can build a new, free world.”
Just as Freya was trying to think of something else to say, she heard muffled shouts. Her head snapped in Aakil’s direction, and he quickly typed commands, causing the monitor to shut off.
“Let’s get out of here.” He wretched open the trapdoor and started his descent.
Freya launched around the desk to the stairs, but Aakil halted abruptly halfway down the steps.
“Aakil,” she started, then saw that he stood frozen in place, his hands lifted into the air.
Just as her mind processed his pause, the front door to the State House flung open. Within seconds of the office door crashing open, heavily armed, wild-eyed men surrounded her.
Aakil was right. They were coming for blood, and unfortunately, it was hers they were after.
Chapter 38
Freya
If only she could see Colin, then she could get through this. She paced back and forth, even though her steps did little to mute her aggressions. If she stepped out from behind the desk, Samuel’s men responded with lifting their weapons.
Where was Samuel? His cronies came to isolate her from her friends, yet these men had no further information about her fate. Did Samuel go to the mountain to fight? Was he moving the remaining rations to a controlled location? Why did he need to separate her from the others?
The questions kept spinning in her mind: did they return Colin to the clinic? Where were the others? They sent Aakil down the steps to the awaiting guards but separated her from their group. There were only two things she knew for certain: she had crossed a line with Samuel, and whatever happened now wouldn’t end well.
Voices echoed down the hall, followed shortly by a slam of the front door. She froze. Only moments later, Samuel strolled into the office with two more men flanked on either side of him.
“Freya, what a surprise to find you here instead of doing something useful.”
Her eyes narrowed. No matter how dire her circumstances, she couldn’t allow herself to play into his bullying games. “Go to hell.”
A tense silence filled the room until Samuel started to laugh. Moments later, his men joined in as though they suddenly understood some unspoken joke. Freya could tell by their vacant expressions that the humor of this situation was also lost on them.
“You see there, boys.” He shook his finger in her direction. “That’s what I’m talking about. Someone needs to teach this girl some manners. I came here to have a civilized conversation, and she can’t handle it. How can she ever lead anyone when she can’t keep control of her emotions?”
The men started off with quiet agreements until it built up into a cheer.
Samuel’s deep blue eyes glimmered with pride. “You see, Freya, this is just one small item on a very long list of grievances I’ve got with you. You’ve made one poor decision after another since arriving here, yet you have the gall to mouth off the one man who’s trying to put things right. That’s bad manners.”
There were so many things she wanted to say, to scream, but she simply turned to the side with her gaze locked on the ground. She knew he wanted her to say or do something incriminating. No matter what, she wouldn’t play into his stupid games.
The fact he was here taunting her instead of waging war against the mountain told her everything she needed to know. Samuel was intoxicated by his taste of power. It wasn’t logic or even hunger that drove him, but his own ego. By being here, turning their food shortages into a personal feud with her, he would pass on humanity’s
best chance to defeat the High Council, just to show dominance over her.
“Oh. It looks like she does know some manners. She was intentionally being rude.” He turned his focus to her, leaning against the oak desk. “If you keep up this good behavior, we might someday let you out of here. I heard you’re good at doing laundry. That sounds like a job much better suited to a woman than trying to make important decisions.”
He looked back at his men who all laughed and egged him on, some of them jabbing their rifles into the air.
“I came down here to decide what to do with you. If you can show me that you can learn, that you can change, then I might let you live. I might even let you see your husband and his friend.”
Delivered: A Young Adult Dystopian Romance (The State Series Book 7) Page 27