by Summer Lane
As the soldiers continue to come out of the plane, I recognize another man. Tall, dark and broad-shouldered. His hair is shaved down to the scalp, and a gold chain hangs around his neck.
“Alexander Ramos,” I state. “What in the world brings you on this mission?”
He walks down the ramp.
“I heard there was a situation,” he replies. “So I came.”
“Last I saw you, you were in Sacramento.”
“I hate the city. I was glad for an excuse to get the hell out.”
His dark, serious demeanor is so typically him. It’s refreshing to know that some people never change – it’s comforting, in a weird way.
He exchanges a gruff handshake with Uriah and Manny.
“I see you’re still alive,” he remarks. “Good.”
“Have you heard anything about my father?” I ask.
He says nothing. My heart sinks.
Alexander walks off. Uriah rolls his eyes.
“The sentimentality of that man is deeply touching,” Manny says.
“You get used to it after a while,” I joke.
I walk into the belly of the cargo bay. The seats are lined up parallel to the wall. About thirty men have emptied from the plane. I look around, my gaze landing at the end of the cargo door ramp. One man stands there.
Chris Young.
“Chris,” I say.
I have never been more relieved to see him. I run down the ramp and collide with him, overwhelmed. Chris laughs heartily and gathers me to his chest, his strong arms closing me in. I don’t even feel the cold anymore.
I don’t even care.
He kisses me roughly and holds me at arm’s length.
“I knew you’d be here,” he says at last, his green eyes sparkling.
“How?”
“Because Camp Freedom is where I would have gone.” He kisses me again. “I was worried about you, Cassidy. When Andrew got the message on the radio…” He closes his eyes and holds me tight. “It’s a long story. Maybe we should go home first.”
I trace my fingers down the sides of his cheek, his stubble coarse.
“I have a lot to tell you,” I say. “So much has changed.”
“I would imagine.” He holds my head against his chest. “I love you, Cassidy.”
I smile. Those words never get old. Ever.
“I love you,” I say. “And I missed you. More than you know.” I pause. “These past few days have been…difficult.”
He nods. He understands.
He always understands.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I see Uriah standing, dark and still, swathed in wind and snow. He is watching us, a sad expression on his face. I lean my head against Chris’s shoulder. I catch his eye and he looks away, taking several steps backward, and then disappearing into the storm.
*
We go back to the Young cabin. At this point, everyone is awake. Lanterns have been lit in the small living room, and Vera is clinging to Andrew’s arm like a life preserver. Alexander sits on the edge of the couch, an annoyed expression on his face.
I have not forgotten that this is the man who loved Sophia Rodriguez.
Without her by his side, he seems incredibly uncomfortable.
Chris and I step into the room, brushing the ice off our jackets. Uriah is sitting on end of the couch opposite of Alexander, his gaze occasionally flicking up to Chris and me. He says nothing.
Elle tiptoes down the stairs, Bravo slinking behind her. She smiles broadly at the sight of Chris. “Commander Young,” she exclaims. “You brought help!”
Chris places his hand on her shoulder.
“You bet I did,” he grins. He scratches Bravo behind the ears. “Hey, boy. Looking good.”
“Chris!”
Isabel sprints down the stairs and clobbers Chris, jumping on him like a toddler. Chris chuckles and spins her around in a circle. If he is shocked by the scarring on her face, he doesn’t show it.
“Good to see you, Izzy,” he says, kissing the top of her head.
“I can’t believe you’re back,” she says. “I’m so happy!”
“Me too.” Chris looks around the room. “Where’s my parents?”
“Coming!”
Mrs. Young – or Margaret, as Isabel told me – comes down the stairs. She stops mid-step, staring at Chris. “Oh, my son,” she says, covering her mouth. “Christopher!”
She descends the last few steps and Chris embraces her. As I watch, I realize just how fragile Margaret has become. Her skin is paler and she’s lost weight.
“It’s good to see you, mom,” Chris says softly. He kisses her cheek. “Are you okay? How has life here been since I left?”
Margaret shakes her head.
“That’s neither here nor there,” she replies. “Cassidy told me about Jeff.”
Chris’s face falls.
“Ah.” He takes a step back, his expression hardening. “That was some time ago. The Battle of the Grapevine.”
Margaret squeezes her eyes shut. When she opens them again, they are glassy and full of tears. “Christopher,” she says slowly. “Your father is no longer with us, either.”
Chris shakes his head.
“No,” he replies.
“I’m sorry, darling,” Margaret goes on. “He died bravely…just like Jeff.”
Chris takes another step backward, leaning against the wall. He presses his fingers against the temples of his forehead. An uneasy silence falls across the room. Margaret doesn’t move.
“Life has been hard since you left,” she says. “But we’re still alive. And now that you’re back, we have a chance to make Camp Freedom safe again.”
Chris looks up. His eyes are red, but he does not cry.
He doesn’t even shed a tear.
“I’m not here for Camp Freedom,” he says. “I’m here to destroy Sky City.”
*
Chris and I sit in the Chow Hall. I wanted to talk to him in private, and there was nowhere to escape to inside the Young cabin. The building is dark and quiet. It is now early morning again, and there is no one here. The big, open windows let plenty of natural light inside.
The buffet table is empty. The tables and chairs are abandoned.
Chris sits on a chair across from me, one leg propped up against a table. I fold my hands on the table and ask, “Have you heard anything about my father?”
“No.” Chris sighs. “I’m sorry, Cassie. There’s been no news.”
I don’t feel disappointed. I just feel numb.
“Andrew recovered quickly after you left for Sky City,” Chris tells me. “He monitors the Underground radio waves. He got your message somehow, and he brought it to me. I knew what it meant.”
“So you came for us.”
“Yes.” He clears his throat. “But I was being honest earlier. I came to destroy Sky City.”
“Sky City is a metal box buried in the ground,” I tell him. “It’s almost impossible to penetrate.”
“Impossible is a not a part of my vocabulary,” he says, and grins.
“Chris.”
He leans over and takes my hand.
“I brought thirty highly trained military operatives,” he says. “We’ve got the manpower and the firepower. Believe me, this is not beyond our capabilities.”
“Then I’m in,” I say.
He nods, approving.
“There’s something I need to tell you, though,” he goes on. “After you left, we continued our interrogation of Harry Lydell. When we didn’t hear from you for the first couple of days, I was already suspicious. I was ready to come get you then.” He seems hesitant to continue. “As it turns out, Harry knows a lot about Sky City.”
“He talked?” I ask.
“I made him talk.” Chris leans back in his chair again.
“Ah, well, of course.”
“He told me enough. So between his information on Sky City – the Omega infiltration and all that – and your radio message, there was no question.
I was coming to get you, no matter what.”
“But what about Monterey?” I ask. “Who’s going to keep it safe from Omega? They could come back any day!”
“The Pacific Northwest Alliance is covering it until I get back,” Chris says. “Anita Vega and her militia are doing a good job of protecting the coastline right now. Monterey will be okay.”
I am not convinced.
“What are we going to do without more reinforcements?” I ask. “Sky City was a joke.”
I tell him everything that happened – from the beginning. From Arlene’s near-assassination to our imprisonment. I tell him how I was tortured by Connor and how Colonel Rivera sacrificed himself to allow us to escape Sky City. I tell him how we destroyed the insurgency camp with the help of the Rogue Rangers, and how I suspect that Sky City has been infiltrated for many years.
“Harry Lydell told us that Omega had infected every level of society,” Chris says after I am done. “I’m inclined to believe him at this point.”
“Me too.”
Chris grabs the bottom of my chair and pulls it next to him, draping his arm around my shoulders. I lean against his chest.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he says. “Every time I let you out of my sight, something happens to you.”
“I’m just a magnet for adventure,” I quip.
“You’re the source of every wrinkle on my forehead.” Chris kisses the top of my head. “There’s something else I need to tell you. You’re not going to like it.”
I give him a look.
“What?” I say.
“I brought Harry Lydell with us,” he replies.
I bolt upright, on my feet, furious.
“What? Why?” I demand. “You can’t be serious!”
“He knows things about Sky City that we don’t.” Chris shrugs. “He’s a valuable source of information, and he can help us penetrate their defenses.”
“Trusting a single word that comes out of that snake’s mouth is suicide,” I tell Chris. “You know that. Why would you take anything he says as truth?”
“Because Harry is a snake,” Chris answers, standing up, facing me. “He’ll do whatever it takes to stay alive. If you think he’s loyal to Omega, think again. He’s loyal to whoever will keep him alive, period. Trust me, interrogating him wasn’t that hard. Harry fears death – he’s terrified of it. He’ll do anything to avoid it.”
“I’ll kill him,” I say, cold. “Gladly.”
Chris raises an eyebrow.
“Since when do you kill people gladly?” he asks.
“Since they ruin my life and kill my friends and family,” I reply.
Chris grips my arms and holds me still.
“Listen to me,” he says. “Don’t you dare go cold. I know you’ve been through hell – we all have. But you especially. And I’m sorry. But don’t lose that sense of humanity, Cassie. That’s what makes you who you are.”
When he says these words, his eyes glisten with unshed tears.
I have clearly hurt him, and for that I feel sorry.
“Chris,” I say. “This is war. This is death. I won’t pretend that I don’t get satisfaction from making Omega pay.”
“It’s about preservation and defense.” Chris lets go of me. “You know what? I’m sorry. I know what you’re feeling. My father is dead, your father is dead. My brother is dead. Your friend is dead. Colonel Rivera, Angela Wright. Isabel…God, what happened to her? Poor kid. No child should have to live through something like that.”
There is a moment of tense silence between us.
And then I say, “Omega doesn’t deserve our mercy. You know that.”
Chris remains silent. It’s his way of saying, You’re right, but I’m still right, too.
I press my lips against his, a slow, lingering kiss. When I open my eyes, Chris looks sad. He touches the side of my cheek with his finger.
“Don’t ever change,” he whispers.
“I won’t,” I say.
But it’s a lie.
I already have.
Chapter Fifteen
Black. That’s literally all I can see. All of us, dressed in black – black pants, jackets, vests and guns. My bright red hair is wrapped up in a black headband. We stand in the Headquarters building. A large piece of white paper is spread across the table in the center of the room. It’s coming on late evening now, and there are more than thirty people packed into this small room.
I feel a sense of repetition.
We have done this before. We have planned missions and reviewed objectives. But the repetition is hollow, because some of the people I love the most are no longer with us.
Dad, Jeff, Sophia…
Vera stands next to me, her face expressionless. We both stare at the table, and Arlene, who is drawing details onto the map. She knows the layout of Sky City better than anyone…well, almost anyone.
“Let’s bring in the devil, then,” Manny says, leaning on the table.
Chris has his boot up on a chair, the crowded atmosphere of the Headquarters bothering him. I can tell from the look on his face – I know, because it is the same look that I have, now.
“Bring in Harry,” Chris commands.
Andrew leans over the table and looks up at Arlene.
“So what we’re looking at is a steel bunker buried deep into the heart of the mountain,” he says, “with an airtight, sealed entrance, and dozens of patrols and snipers hidden in the woods. Sounds like a great party.”
“I’ll bring the drinks,” Vera deadpans.
“Deal,” Andrew grins. “And I’ll bring the appetizers.”
The door opens and several militiamen bring Harry Lydell into the room. He looks tired. His complexion is pale, his blue-gray eyes bloodshot. The left side of his face has been mottled with dark, purple bruises. His uniform is wrinkled.
“Ah, an audience,” he purrs. “How theatric of you.”
The guards have him stand at the end of the table, in full view of the room. I realize that, even as a prisoner, Harry feeds off the energy of others’ attention. And I’m not sure if I pity him for that – or if it just makes him pathetic.
“Cassidy,” he says slowly, his gaze lingering on me. “Don’t you look dangerous tonight?”
In the back of the room, I see Elle slip in with Bravo – and Isabel is with her. Isabel whispers into Elle’s ear and Elle smiles, and they stand near the edge of the crowd. Elle’s laser-like gaze stays on the map and Harry.
She misses nothing.
“Let’s get to the point,” Uriah says, annoyed. He rests his fingers on the edge of the table. “Arlene?”
Arlene clears her throat and looks around the room.
“If you want to destroy Sky City,” she says, “You’ll have to go to the core. The bunker is designed like a hive, with ring upon ring of security, diving deeper into the ground. Cassidy – you and some of your men have been inside now, so you understand what I’m saying.” She looks at Chris. “Once you get inside, there will be troops everywhere. The downside is that you will be invading a steel box of hostiles. The upside is that they can only come at you a little bit at a time. Most of the troops are located on the first level. The thirteenth level is where you want to go.”
“Why the thirteenth?” Chris asks.
“The Communications Center is located there. And so is the arsenal.” She smiles slightly, sharing a knowing glance with Manny. “Let me put it this way, Commander. If you can take out the Communications Center, you can take out their contact with every single Omega base from here to China. And you can hack their files.”
I perk up.
“I like the sound of that,” I say, and smile.
“I knew you would,” Arlene replies. “But this is where we come to a speed bump.” She stops to look at Harry. “The Communications Center can immediately call for backup anywhere in the world – this is where Omega has trumped us. Their access to and use of technology gives them an enormous advantage. But, they are n
ot invincible. During my time at Sky City, even I knew that the base communicated with the outside world because of a radio tower that was hidden in the mountains.” She clasps her hands behind her back. “Take out the tower, and they can’t call for help. You will have a good ten minutes to get inside the base before they boot up their satellite comms. If you can get to them before they can do that, you’ll be fine.”
“And they won’t be able to communicate with the patrols outside the fences,” Vera adds. “Or the snipers.”
“Exactly,” Arlene confirms.
“So before we do anything else, we’ve got to take out the radio tower,” I say.
“Yes.”
“Where is the tower?”
“It’s only a half a mile from the base,” Arlene says. She draws a circle around a spot in the map. “It’s here. On top of a rocky crevice. You’ll be able to see it clearly.”
“Okay, so we take out the radio tower,” Uriah replies. “Then what?”
“We take out the snipers,” Chris answers. “And the guards. It shouldn’t be a problem for us.”
“It won’t be,” I assure him, a half smile on my face. “We can take out all the patrols and snipers. But how are we going to open the airlock? Sky City’s got two steel doors. One in the front and another right before the entrance to the bunker.”
“Door breach,” Andrew explains. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of that. We’ll bring breachers for each entrance.”
“Good.” Chris taps his finger on the map, looking at Harry. “Okay, Harry. Tell the room how you’ve visited Sky City. Tell them what you told me in Monterey.”
I wonder what information he could possibly offer.
What could possibly be important enough to bring Harry here?
“When I joined Omega,” he says quietly, dramatically, “One of the first places they brought me to was Sky City.” He wipes his hands on his pants, as if cleaning them. “I was impressed by Omega’s masterful infiltration of an organization that had once been so…pure.”
A chill slides down my spine.
“As I understand it, Omega began seeping into Unite and Sky City at least ten years before the invasion.” He shrugs. “Their takeover wasn’t complete until after that point. And now they control it all.”
“Not for long,” Andrew mutters.