“That actually sounds like a good plan.” Daniel squeezes my hand. “But how does she get back out?”
“The Cardinal has an emergency exit built into his office. I’m not completely sure where it leads, because the Cardinal is paranoid and insisted on keeping that part secret. But wherever it is, you can assume it’s a safe location. From there, you’ll be on your own to get back to the others. Not ideal, but you shouldn’t run into any resistance in the middle of the night.”
“I can build a tracker if we can cobble together the right parts.” Daniel shoots a questioning eye to Clarence, who nods in confirmation. “That way we’ll be able to come to you just as soon as you’re out of the capital building.”
“So you get this evidence and hopefully get back out in plenty of time before the Mexican army arrives.” Clarence looks around the table. “Then what?”
“We broadcast the info as far as we can to everyone out there.” I turn to Daniel. “Do you think you can hack in and activate the public viewing screens? We need this to create a disturbance so everyone has to sit up and take notice. We’ll need them out of bed and watching, because this can’t wait until morning.”
“Why not?”
“Best case scenario, our broadcast goes live, President Tiroso sees that the Machine is a lost cause, and turns his army around. Worst case scenario, he charges ahead, and we’ll need the people in Cardinal City to defend it.”
The four of us sit in silence. I try to picture the coddled people of Cardinal City pitted up against the trained army led by President Tiroso. I can’t imagine a single scenario in which the streets aren’t covered in blood and death.
“Well, I think we should wrap this meeting up.” Danforth grabs the walking stick leaning against his chair. “It appears tonight will be a late one, so I’m going to go home and take a nap like I said I did.”
“Some lunch is probably a good idea for all of us.” Daniel takes my hand in his, but I hold him back.
“What about you?” I lay a gentle hand on Danforth’s arm. “If this doesn’t work, the Cardinal is going to figure out who helped me eventually. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“My dear, I’ve lived an excellent life, but helping you will be my greatest achievement.” He lays a wrinkled hand over mine. “This isn’t just your fight anymore.”
I nod and let Daniel tug me toward the door, leading our small group out into the morning sunshine.
Clarence leads us back through the winding side streets to the small safe house used by the tiny resistance in Cardinal City. People are outside everywhere by now, carrying shopping bags, and hurrying to office meetings or the market. They rush to their destinations unaware that the Mexican army is currently marching toward them and that by tomorrow morning nothing of the life they know will be the same, no matter what happens tonight.
I stretch my face up to the sun and think about how much simpler my life would be if I was one of them, blissfully ignorant of truth hidden beneath the Cardinal’s lies.
Daniel squeezes my hand, and I turn my face to him, wishing for his wide smile shining back at me. It’s not there, but I’m determined to help him find it again. He’s worth it. We’re worth it. My life would be simpler if I was still part of the Territories, but also lacking all the joys that make it worth living. I squeeze his hand back, and we walk together toward the complex unknown.
Twenty-Nine
“Cheryl.” I jump up from the chair and rush across the crowded temporary headquarters. My arms wrap around her neck and squeeze tight in case this is the last time I get to hug her. I never got a real goodbye before I was taken away at our ceremony, and I make this hug count for double. Cheryl holds me back, her hands clasped behind my back. We stand motionless for several minutes and ignore the beehive of activity around us. “How did you get here?”
She pulls back and wipes at the corner of her eyes. “Barton turns eighteen next month. Time for his Assignment and the big engagement. I convinced my mom we needed to come down here to find the perfect dress.”
“Of course, once Mrs. Pierce told my mom their plans, she decided I needed a trip of my own to get a new suit.” Barton gives me an easy smile and drapes a casual arm over Cheryl’s shoulders. “The perfect way for both of us to be here, and our mothers think the whole thing was their idea. If we weren’t on the eve of a revolution, it would be funny.”
“Sneaking out of a hotel room was even easier than my bedroom.”
“You’re getting engaged?” Ethan appears suddenly at my side and stares at Cheryl like she just announced her engagement to the Cardinal. “I didn’t realize. You never said.” He sucks in a quick breath. “Congratulations.”
“Can it. You look like you just swallowed a lemon, so just save your congratulations.” Cheryl nudges Barton with her elbow and winks at me. “The engagement is a cover story. There’s hope for you yet, forest boy.”
Ethan stands a little taller at my side.
“Rebecca.” Daniel waves at me from the table in the corner. “I need you over here.”
“Go on. I’ll keep things under control over here.” Cheryl gives me another quick hug. “But don’t you think about taking a step out of here without coming to see me first.”
“Never.” I squeeze her hand and walk over to Daniel.
Daniel sets his instrument down on the table and wraps me up in a warm hug. “How are you holding up?”
“Okay, I guess.” I shrug, unsure how to word the jumble of emotions I’m experiencing. “It all feels a little like deja vu. It’s like last spring, but more organized and with better gear.”
Daniel squeezes my shoulders. “And this time, it’s going to work.”
I nod and work a reassuring smile to my face.
“Okay, this,” Daniel holds up a small pearl broach, “is your camera and tracking device. I couldn’t rig up anything to handle taking still photos. You’ll turn it on with this little sensor on the back and it will record a video and audio stream. Try to narrate what you find in case the image isn’t the best.”
He pins the broach to the collar of my shirt and adjusts it until it lays perfectly flat. “This,” he holds up a tiny chip, “is the backup plan. Everything is going to go perfect, and we’ll never need it, but just in case. A secondary tracker.” He turns my knotted pendant over and sticks the tiny chip to the back, then leans his forehead in to touch mine. “No matter what, I’m coming to get you.”
“It’s getting late,” Clarence calls from another table in the cramped room. “Are we ready to go?”
Daniel pulls back, and we both walk over to him.
“Let’s do a check on the broach.” Clarence taps at his Noteboard and nods at me. “Turn it on and say a few words.”
I tuck my finger against the back where Daniel showed me, and a tiny screech echoes out of the Noteboard. Jumping back, I reach out to turn it off.
“Just a little proximity interference.” Daniel takes the Noteboard and walks to the other side of the room. “Turn it on now,” he calls across to me.
I touch the sensor again and wait for the screech that doesn’t come.
“Okay, video is good.” Daniel shoots me a thumbs up. “Now say something in your normal voice.”
“Let’s take down the Cardinal.”
Daniel smiles and touches his screen again. “Again, but this time in a whisper as if you are in the Cardinal’s office.”
I dip my head and lean toward the broach. “I love you.” The words puff out so quiet I can barely hear them myself.
“Alright,” Clarence’s voice rings out over the room. “Time to move out.”
The room springs into action, and the busy vibe of a moment before is swept away into a frenzy of activity.
“Hey, princess.” Elizabeth taps me on the shoulder and gives me a half smile. “We’re heading to just outside the city to wait with the other Freemen. But it’s pretty cold out there, so do me a favor, okay?”
I nod.
“Get in th
ere, get what you need, and get out. No messing around.” She wraps me in a one arm hug. “Because I’m not a fan of freezing to death.”
I lean in and whisper in her ear. “I love you, too. Stay safe.”
Ethan is next with a bone crushing hug that leaves me a little off balance. “You’ve got this, boss. You’re going to get exactly what we need, and everyone is going to believe us, and then you’re going to tell me everything I could ever want to know about the beautiful Cheryl.”
“It’s a deal.”
Ethan hugs me again and then saunters over to where Cheryl waits in the corner.
“Rushing into danger yet again.” Eric comes over, still limping a bit from the injury he got while jumping out of Phillip’s transporter.
“Actually, I was going to consider this more of a stroll into danger.”
“Good plan. Change things up and keep the Cardinal on his toes.”
“What about you? You aren’t going out with the other Freemen, are you?”
“Nah, I’m useless as a fighter right now. I’m sticking back with most of the city resistance. They aren’t any good with weapons anyway. Once you start broadcasting, we’re going to run through the city knocking on doors to get everyone up.”
“That’s a great idea. Is Cheryl going with you?”
Eric glances over at where Cheryl flirts openly with Ethan and nods. The bottom of his eyes brim up with unspilled tears, and my heart hurts for him. So much has happened in the last month, it makes it feel like we lost Patrice ages ago, but the hurt is still raw.
“She would be so proud of how much we’ve done.” I squeeze his arm. “And the Cardinal is going to pay for her death, and all the others.”
Eric only nods again and gives me a tight-lipped smile before walking over to Cheryl and Ethan. At his arrival, Cheryl sprints over to me.
“So this is it, huh?” Cheryl adjusts my shirt and smooths my collar. “Time to do the big, bad thing that the Machine predicted you’d do all along and got you sent to the PIT.”
I nod silently. With all her constant chatter, Cheryl does an awful lot of paying attention when no one notices.
“Make it worth it.”
“What?”
Cheryl jabs her fists at her hips and lifts her eyebrows at me like I’m an idiot. “Make it worth it. Get in there and blow this up so that all those months locked away in the PIT living through who knows what are worth it. He did this. Now make him pay.”
Even knowing Cheryl joined the resistance, this is a side of her I’ve never seen. A tougher, more driven Cheryl. I guess I’m not the only one who changed.
“I’m going to make him wish he killed me when he had the chance.”
Cheryl launches her arms at my neck and grabs me in hug stronger than she should be capable of. “That’s my girl. Just make sure you get out of there before he has a chance to fix that mistake.”
“I will.” And I mean it. To get back here and see just how far Cheryl can go, and make sure Ethan doesn’t say something stupid, and help Eric and Elizabeth learn to love again. For those reasons and so many others, I am going to do everything I can to make it back.
Ethan and Barton walk over, and Cheryl drapes an arm around each of their waists. Elizabeth and Eric join them, and I’m suddenly overwhelmed with the love staring back at me. The Cardinal is so concerned with control and perfection, but he doesn’t understand just how powerful love can be. Well, he’s about to get a crash course.
Daniel wraps strong, steadying arms around me, his chest pressed against my back. The others smile and nod, then head out the door.
“I’m so sorry. I know I’m not the man you agreed to marry, but I want to be. I want to find him again.”
I turn around and snuggle deeper into his arms. “No, I’m sorry. Sorry for thinking either one of us could go through everything we have and not come out as different people on the other side. You aren’t the same Daniel, but that’s okay. I’m not the same either. We’re going to find out who we are now together.”
“Together.” Daniel nods, his chin scratching the top of my head. “It’s time to go, but I’m not sure how I’m supposed to let go and watch you walk out of here.”
“You’re going to be with me the whole way, tracking my movements, and then watching and listening in. This will go by so fast you’ll barely have time to miss me.”
Daniel pulls back and stares into my eyes, his face scrunched up in concentration. “You promise me something, right now, Rebecca Whedon. You get in there and get back out as fast as humanly possible. And then when this is all over, we’re going to ditch everyone and run away somewhere just the two of us and not come back until we’re sick of looking at each other. Deal?”
“I’m pretty sure that’s the best idea you’ve ever had.”
The words barely leave my mouth, and Daniel is there pressing his lips to mine. There is no soft tenderness in his kiss. All his fear and anxiety come crashing into mine as his hands pull me closer, running up my back, and tangling into the wisps of hair that tickle my neck.
I grip tighter to him, pouring as much love as I can into these few minutes we have here in a tiny cellar beneath the streets of the capital. I focus on the touch of his lips on mine, the sharp contours of his face, his strong muscles under my hands. Forgetting for just a moment how dangerous all of this is and the real possibility that this will be our last kiss, our final embrace.
I kiss him until the tears sliding down my cheek tangle with our lips and ruin the sweet taste of him in my mouth. And then I kiss him once more and pull away. “I have to leave so I can hurry up and get back. I can do this. I know I can.”
“I always knew you could.” Daniel nods, his forehead pressed against mine so my head moves up and down with his. “I’ll be with you the whole time. I love you.”
“More and more every day.”
I pull away and step back, our fingers locked until I take one step too many and the contact breaks. With one final look, I turn and walk out into the dead quiet streets of Cardinal City.
Thirty
Cold air swarms around me, digging inside my coat and tugging at my loose hair. I pull my arms tight around me, duck my head down, and keep walking. In the stillness of the night, my footsteps against the pristine sidewalk are the only sound.
I turn down a main road, past tightly packed shops and restaurants. Some of them probably the same ones I shopped at a lifetime ago before my Acceptance ceremony. The streets were so different then. Every corner held a new surprise and youthful hope practically poured out of every building.
None of that is present tonight, and I can’t imagine ever feeling that way about this place again. Not now, not since I learned just how many lies permeate every piece of this city. And every other city in the Territories.
Instead of hope, the buildings all stare back at me like empty cages, waiting to be filled in the morning with prisoners who have no idea they’ve been trapped here their whole lives. How much will it shake their cores to learn that they’ve never really been free?
As I approach the main square, the sky opens, and a light rain falls down, cold against my face. It feels right. This is a night made for cleansing. Maybe the rain will run down the streets and clean away all the fear that’s been holding people inside their homes, unable to speak the truth they must feel deep inside.
I pass the place where the stage sat on that sunny morning so many months ago. When I stood with Cheryl, and Eric kissed my hand, and the Cardinal spoke of freedoms and futures, as if anyone there had a chance at either of them. To my right is the alley where the Airtrains waited to haul all the Rejects off to the PIT. That was the most afraid I had ever been in my life, sitting on the train and believing with all my heart that an evil lived inside of me I knew nothing about. I worried about my parents and Cheryl, and never once questioned the truth behind my Rejection.
Walking past these places now, I can’t help but marvel at how much has changed. How much I’ve changed. I’m so muc
h stronger now. Or maybe not. Maybe being Rejected just presented me with my first opportunity to be strong. I pull on that strength now as I walk with my head held high up to the gates of the Cardinal’s offices.
With the rain pouring down, beating against my head, I pound against the metal bars and scream out with my presence. Here I am. A dangerous criminal and threat to the very core of our society. I hold my arms out, the soaked fabric clinging to my skin, and wait.
It doesn’t take long. In seconds, light blares to life around me, guards sprint out of the building, and the gates jerk open. A swarm of hands grab at me, pushing and pulling me closer to the Cardinal. Head up to meet the rain, I pretend the guards aren’t there and march up the stairs to face the man who could never have imagined how dangerous I can be.
* * *
The guards lead me down a series of hallways, shouting and talking over each other, vying for credit for my capture. Each time we turn a corner, I brace myself to come face to face with the Cardinal, and each time he’s not there. They stop in front of a door, swipe a OneCard against the reader and toss me in. I manage to stand up and turn around just as the door slams shut in my face, their laughing voices fading down the hall.
This is exactly what we expected to happen, but that doesn’t stop me from racing to the door and trying the handle. I lean my head against the soft wood of the door and focus on slowing my breathing. I fight back the panic that climbs up my spine and threatens to wrap my head so tight I can’t think. We worked so hard to get away from the Cardinal before, and it’s impossible to shake the fear that comes with being stuck in his clutches once again.
With my breathing under control, I turn around and take in my prison for the first time. I expected a barren cell like the ones in Quarantine, but I guess that doesn’t make sense. It’s not as if the Cardinal is accustomed to keeping prisoners. Anyone who would dare to defy him is either in the PIT or dead. I have to hope I can avoid either of those fates, at least until I’ve got the proof I need.
Rite of Redemption (Acceptance Book 3) Page 19