The Descendants Series Vol. 2

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

On the way back, Kade and Roth filled everyone in on what else was going on.  They said that this attack had been in the works ever since they brought me in and that their all of the leaders, except Slayter, were helping organize the takeover.  Kade also told us what he failed to mention to Luke and the others:  his father’s number of Guards had increased by almost a thousand, putting him at almost the same amount of Guards who were on our side.

When I heard the number, I knew this wasn’t going to be a small attack.  It was probably going to turn into a full-on war.  Fear constricted my stomach as I’d thought about all the lives that were likely to be lost.  I was spaced out, looking out the window of the helicopter as we’d landed back at Division Five.  But then something had taken hold of my hand.  I looked over at Kade, who was watching me.  I smiled a small smile and leaned my head against his shoulder until we got out onto the runway.

Even though I had only been back at Division Sixteen for a few hours, it felt weird going back to Division Five.  I looked around at the Guards that were preparing the jet we’d be escorting back to the City and the three helicopters we’d be taking back with it. 

But on the other side of the runway there was the jet we had taken here, the one that everyone who wasn’t going to be in the attack was going to take to the island off the coast of Italy.  There were a few Guards in the cargo area of the jet, putting what looked like supplies in big crates inside.

“What are they doing?” I asked Kade.

“Probably what you’re thinking,” he said.  He wrapped an arm around my waist as we walked toward it.  “There loading supplies and fuel for the trip over to Italy.”

We walked toward a group of three Guards.  Two of the Guards walked away when they saw us coming, but the other smiled at us as we got closer.  The Directrix symbol was on the left side of the front of his jacket, the word ‘Air’ underneath it.  I looked at his face then, the green box going around it.  His name was Cpt. Maddox Neals.  He’d been flying even before the Directrix had taken over.  He had a wife and two children who lived with him here with him at Division Five. 

“Rayney, I would tell you who this is, but I’m guess you already know,” Kade said. 

“Yes, I do,” I said, reaching out to shake the man’s hand.  “Captain Neals.”

“Rayney Slayter,” he said, smiling at me.  “It’s a pleasure.”

“Maddox will be the pilot flying the jet over to Italy,” Kade said. 

Maddox nodded, and guided us inside the jet.  When I stepped up into it, it seemed like it more than quadrupled in size.  Where the cabin had ended was now a lot farther back than it had been before.  There were more rows of seat so up to almost a forty people could fit. 

“My men have been working hard to transform this so we could fit a lot more people on it than before.  Everything should be ready in the next day or two,” Maddox said. 

“Maddox will be taking his family also,” Kade said.  “They’ve got relatives over in Italy, so they’ll be staying there after.”

“There are a few more Guards whose families will be going also,” Maddox said.  “That because we’ve gotten some information that there might be some attacks on the Divisions.”  He looked over at Kade.  “Your father made is seem like it was going to be by outsiders, but we know it’s going to be by his forces.  We’re leaving a little earlier than planned – the day before – and we’ve already sent a coded message to Division Sixteen, so they know about it.  They probably got it just after you guys left.”