by Harper North
“It’s there,” Elias says.
Up ahead are double doors. Just like the tech operations underground, the area is secured. Two ceiling cameras turn toward us, the whirling mechanism zooming in to get a closer look.
“What do we do?” I ask breathlessly.
“Wait,” Elias says. “Someone will come out.”
“The cameras,” Sky says. “They won’t come out with the cameras on us.”
“Let’s see,” Talen says. “All we need is one person.”
We press ourselves against the wall. My head is full of chaos. A part of me wants to run back underground. Another part wants to finish this. Nothing would bring me greater joy than taking out Bellaton right now.
There’s a metallic click and one of the double doors opens. An op steps out. Surprised, he reaches for his gun, but Elias grabs the end of his weapon and swings him around into the wall, knocking him unconscious while Sky holds the door open. These ops are Century class, so we have the advantage, and are one step ahead of them.
“Hurry,” Sky says.
Elias rifles through the op’s vest pockets. “He’s got flash grenades,” he says, pocketing two and handing off two others to Sky.
“No time like the present.” Sky quickly pulls the key on each grenade and tosses them inside the command center, easing the door closed. A second later, a loud rumble roars from behind the door. Light illuminates through the window. The hallway’s walls shake. A slow grin spreads across my face as I realize we’re one step closer to Bellaton.
Several voices yell out as the doors fly open. The smell of chemicals fills the air and the taste lingers on my tongue and lips. Dozens of non-security personnel rush through the double doors. Women and men in suits dart down the hall, holding their shirts up over their mouths and noses.
“You sure that was just a flash grenade?” Talen asks.
Sky shrugs. The corners of his lips turn up. I shake my head.
We wait for the last of the office workers to rush out. Then come the ops. One by one, Talen and Elias take them out, dropping the disoriented guards before they even know what hits them. By the time they’re done fighting, the hallway is littered with unconscious bodies.
“Come on,” I say to Sky. “Let’s get in there.”
Before the last of the smoke fades, Sky and I are through the doors. Elias and Talen follow as we rush down a hallway and around a corner. Up ahead stands an op, who raises his gun toward us.
“Get back!” he yells.
My eyes flash to the door beside him. My mind processes what’s behind it—Bellaton’s office. I raise my gun. We fire at the same time. His bullet pierces the wall behind me while mine hits him square in the chest. He jerks back and slides down the wall, leaving a bloody trail.
The four of us stand outside the secured entrance to her office, each of our breaths only slightly muffled by the still-blaring alarm that sounds every few seconds and flashes red light around us.
“Use his hand,” Elias orders.
Sky and Talen raise the guard’s body to the access panel. I grab his limp hand and press it to the panel. When the door doesn’t open, I try once more with his other hand. Again, nothing.
“It won’t work,” Sky says, dropping the guard.
“You need to go back,” Elias says. “Secure the way we came. More ops will be on their way.”
My eyes glance to Talen’s wound. It’s finally stopped bleeding and should be healed soon. Talen and Sky take off down the hall.
“What now?” I ask Elias.
He gazes at the door. “Maybe we can blast it open.”
I raise my gun when a crackle from the door interrupts my thoughts. “What’s that?”
Elias turns to the access panel. “Someone’s trying to say something.”
“I’m tiring of your little group,” comes Bellaton’s voice. “This is a level ten rated security room. There’s no way you can get to me.”
Anger pulses through my veins. I clench my fists and chew on my lip. No way I’m leaving without getting in there. Not after everything we’ve been through.
“You’re nothing but terrorists!” she screams through the comm. Her voice is shrill and panicked, far from the lifeless, ultra-poised lady we originally met. It brings a smile to my face. We’ve got Bellaton cornered. She’s afraid.
“You’re nothing but a virus that needs to be eradicated,” she snarls.
I find and press the comm button on the panel. “Why are you restricting access to the SNA?”
There’s a pause. “You know nothing,” she hisses. “You’re in way over your heads!”
Elias presses the button. “We’re going to crack open the EHC territory.”
I twist back and forth, wondering how much longer we can stand outside her office door before reinforcements power through.
“We’ve got to do something,” I say, holding up the gun.
A moment later, Bellaton’s voice returns. “I’ll allow you to leave unharmed. We will stop hunting you.”
My eyes flash to Elias. Empty promises that we’ve heard too many times before.
“No thanks,” Elias replies into the device.
Stepping back and pressing my back into the opposing wall, I stare at the door ahead of me, ready to kick it down, but before I get the chance, Emma’s voice crackles to life through the comm device in Elias’ pocket.
“Elias?” Emma calls out.
His eyes go wide, and he pulls out the radio. He quickly presses the button. “We’re here. Outside Bellaton’s door.”
“You’ve made it!” she says.
“Yes, but we can’t get in. The room is secured.”
“Give me a second. The EHC likes to track everything. Their communications network is integrated for optimal response times.”
I swallow and grip my gun tighter. They underestimated us—like always. The sound of voices and muffled gunfire nearby raises the hairs on the back of my neck. “Hurry,” I whisper, bouncing from foot to foot.
Suddenly, the door clicks open.
“You’re a genius!” Elias shouts into the device.
“You’re welcome,” she says. “If you run into any more trouble—”
The rattling of gunfire takes over her words, and Emma’s voice fades to nothing but static.
A huge weight presses against my chest. I rub a sweaty palm against my pant leg. “We should’ve never left them.”
Elias looks back at me, his dark eyes full of concern. “She’ll know what to do.”
I nod, hoping he’s right.
Holding up our guns, Elias pushes the door wide open. Smiling, I say, “Caught like a rat,” and point my gun at a nervous Bellaton.
She stands behind her desk, her shaky hands raised, eyes shifting back and forth as she whispers, “Don’t shoot.”
CHAPTER 14
“Y-you can’t shoot me,” Bellaton insists. “They’ll never let you escape if you do.”
I step forward. “We’ll take our chances.”
Bellaton’s eyes widen. She stumbles back into the wall. “Wait! Your friends are in our custody. That boy and Ms. Nejem. They’re with Reinhart. If you kill me, forget about saving them. They won’t stand a chance.”
My finger traces the trigger. Nothing would bring me more joy than taking her out right now, but we still need her.
“Hold on,” Elias says, putting his hand on the end of my rifle and lowering it. “She could be telling the truth.”
Bellaton snatches the comm device from her desk. “I’ll prove it to you.”
Elias raises his gun in line with her head. “Be careful what you say.”
Her hand shakes as she flicks the device on and holds it up to us. “Commander, put the woman on,” she orders. “I’ve been compromised.”
“Ma’am. Are you alright?”
“Do it!” she growls.
I swallow as my chest tightens.
“Fin, if that’s you, don’t worry about us. Do what you need to do!” Emma shout
s.
“That’s enough…” Reinhart snarls in the background.
A shuffling sound crackles through the comm and Emma is quiet.
“Emma?” I call out.
Bellaton slowly lowers the radio next to a computer terminal that juts out of the metal desk next to her. “There’s not much time,” she says, lifting her hands again. “Without me, they stand no chance. They’ll be executed within minutes.”
She’s right. My mind flashes back to Bellaton and Reinhart’s conversation in the underground tunnels. There won’t be any trial. Their masks are off. No more phony attempts to look like a fair judicial system.
Voices from the comm on the desk come through. “Two more spotted in the command center,” says an op, then there’s the sound of gunfire. My breath catches. It’s close, too close, as if they’re battling Sky and Talen near the entrance.
“We have to hurry,” I say to Elias.
“Bring them here,” he orders Bellaton, pointing at the device. “Pick it up. Now!”
She lowers her arms and presses her palms into the edge of her desk, lowering her head while Elias steps closer. My gaze bounces back and forth between the two.
“What kind of reassurance do I have from you if I do?” she demands.
“None,” Elias hisses, cocking his gun. “You’re not really in a position to negotiate right now.”
Shouts come from outside the door.
“They’ll be in here in seconds,” Bellaton insists. “The ops will take you out.”
Elias steadies his hand. “But I’ll take you out first.”
The pounding in my chest intensifies. “It’s your best chance of getting out of this alive,” I say to Bellaton.
She shakes her head. “No, no, no.”
The tip of Elias’ gun is so close to her that one shot would leave very little of her head intact. My hands go clammy and a dull ache radiates up my arms. “What are you waiting for?”
Bellaton turns a harsh glare to me. “You will not destroy the hard work the Enhanced Human Coalition has done. The only reason anyone has survived this long is because of us.”
“On the backs of others. Your system doesn’t work.”
“It’s worked fine for Ethos.”
“There’s a bigger world out there with the SNA,” I say.
She shakes her head. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
I grab the comm device and thrust it into her hand. “The EHC’s reign is over in this region. Tell Reinhart to bring our friends here now.”
“You think you get to decide when the EHC should stop?” Bellaton growls. “How dare you? We’ve improved the world.”
“Slavery and absolute control is not improvement,” Elias says. “We don’t have time to argue with you. Your choice is simple: call Reinhart and tell him to bring Drape and Emma here now or die.”
A sneer replaces the anger on her face. “You’ve been running for a long time. Aren’t you tired of all this fighting?”
Elias pushes the barrel of his gun against her temple.
Her eyes widen as she tries to step back, unable to get anywhere. “You can have a better life,” she says breathlessly. “Walk away from this alive. Start again somewhere else. You must be tired. Always on your guard. Sleep deprived. Hungry.”
I swallow and think about her words. She’s right. I feel all of those things deep inside my bones.
I take a long breath in and exhale, then adjust my grip on my gun. There’s no way I could ever give up now. Not when we’re this close.
“We’re done hurting people,” I say. “You’re going to open the lines of communication. We’re going to reconnect to the world and rebuild.”
Bellaton blows out a sharp breath. “The SNA isn’t as great as you believe.”
The sound of gunfire blasts from behind the wall. Voices echo through the vents and from back down the hallway. A trickle of sweat beads its way down Elias’ cheek and the gun rattles in his hands.
“You need to get on the comm,” he orders. “Now.” His tone is intense—deadly.
Bellaton swallows, thoughts racing behind her eyes. She lowers her hand down to her desk and presses the display. “Reinhart,” she calls out, “we have no choice. I am not in a position to compromise.”
“We’ll be there in two minutes,” he shouts back.
Elias raises a brow. “Tell him to bring Emma and Drape to us.”
She stiffens and folds her arms across her chest. I can’t believe she won’t do it. My pulse beats hard in my neck and arms. Aiming my rifle two inches to the right of Bellaton’s head, I fire off a round.
She shrieks and covers her ears as the bullet blasts a hole in the wall behind her. Fumbling for the device, Bellaton presses the receiver. “Bring the terrorists to my office,” she says, then lowers her head.
Elias steps back, but I keep my gun pointed at her. Bellaton slowly raises her head and rubs her temples.
The sound of shouts come from outside. I turn toward the door just as Sky and Talen step through.
“There’s no way we can keep them out,” Sky pants. His eyes flash to Bellaton sitting in the chair and the hole in the wall. “At least we have her.”
“Exactly,” Elias says. “And they’re going to bring us Drape and Emma.”
Talen reloads his gun. “What happened?”
“They were captured,” I say.
“We need to end this here,” Elias adds.
“You’ll never leave alive,” Bellaton says again. Her strained face tells me her whole world is falling apart. Everything she worked for is about to be destroyed.
Sky moves toward her desk, standing at her side while Talen shifts to the corner, both ready for another fight, if it comes to that. I know it would be disastrous if any one of us opened fire. The space is too tight. Nowhere to hide. A bloodbath comes to mind with all of us ending up dead in one last stand. I push back the thoughts and refocus on Bellaton, wishing they’d hurry.
Suddenly, the sound of boots pounding down the hallway echoes closer. My grip tightens around my rifle and Elias, Talen, and Sky aim toward the door.
Reinhart shoves it open. His face is red and lined as he turns a stern eye to Bellaton, burrowing his disappointment and rage into her. Behind him stands Lacy and three ops.
“Where are they?” Elias yells. “Drape and Emma. If this is a set-up, she’s dead.”
Reinhart’s nostrils flare. “Relax. We did what you asked.”
“Just bring them here,” Sky says.
Nodding toward one of his ops, there’s a scuffle in the hallway, then Drape and Emma are dragged around the corner and shoved into the room. My breath catches as I see them. Their hands are cuffed. A red welt covers Drape’s cheek. Black bruises line Emma’s arms and neck, but, feisty as ever, Emma turns and spits at Reinhart’s feet. Drape inches into the corner beside Talen, his head hanging low.
“What did you do to them?” I demand.
“They’re our prisoners,” Reinhart says, glaring at me. “We’ll do with them what we like.”
Rage pulses through my veins. “If you want to play it that way,” I say to Reinhart. I take a step closer to Bellaton and hit her under the chin with my rifle. She cries out. Her hands fly to her face as she rocks back in her chair.
Reinhart clenches his fists. “You’ll regret that.”
“Not as much as you will if you touch any one of us ever again!” I yell. My eyes jump from him to Lacy as she enters the room. Her face is stiff, robotic. Whatever is left of her humanity is buried deep beneath a cold, hard stare. If only she could be my friend again. I ache for her to be like she once was.
Lacy narrows her gaze. She raises a hand toward me. Elias turns to face Bellaton again, raising his gun to her. “Don’t even think about it,” he warns her. “Use your ability on us, and I will pull the trigger.”
“This was foolish,” Reinhart huffs. “You’re in way over your heads. This won’t end well for any of you.”
“Maybe not,�
� I say. “But if we die, so do you, and at least it’ll be to free the Dwellers and the EHC civilians from your control.”
Reinhart’s jaw tightens. My words must hit him like the bullets I want to shoot into his chest. I return my attention to Bellaton. “Open a secure channel to the SNA leadership.”
“You can’t be serious?” Reinhart scoffs. “That would be a mistake.”
Ignoring him, I demand again. “Open. The. Channel. Now.”
“Your plan will never work,” Bellaton says, a bit more timid now. “You don’t know what it takes to survive out there.”
My chest rises and falls. If I could laugh out loud right now, I would. “All I know how to do is survive.”
Bellaton’s eyes flash to Reinhart. He runs a hand through his hair. “Don’t do it,” he says.
Slowly, Bellaton picks up the comm device and hands it to Emma. “You’ll have to do it.”
Emma takes the device, holds it up to her ear, and listens to the chatter. She quickly changes the channel and listens again. “What channel?” she demands.
Bellaton presses her lips together, not about to give up the information. There’s not much patience left in me. I march to her side, ready to shoot her. Maybe not in her head like I really want, but her arm or leg.
Before I can pull the trigger, Elias shoves his gun into her cheek. “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way.”
Her eyes fill with fear. “Give it back to me,” she says.
Emma hands her the device. “Find it.”
Bellaton presses her thumb to the digital display. She flicks through the channels, then stops. “Command access F39RT009-delta,” she whispers. She hands it back and Emma holds it up for us to hear.
The connection is clear and quiet. No voices, nothing.
“Where’s this coming from?” Talen asks.
Lowering her head, Bellaton says, “It’s an SNA digital signal. It’s not EHC.”
“Say something,” Drape says to Emma.
She sighs and hands the device to me. “You should do it?”
“Me?”
“You made this all happen,” Emma says.
Reinhart makes a slight movement toward the device, but not before I take it from her hand.
