The Purity Project

Chapter 19

"I hate it here," Tyler said as he stepped out of the van.

The towering skyscrapers and the shiny roads were enough to make him gag. Billboards advertised all of Marolo's strict rules, and at the entrance to the city was a large sign with the president waving the country's flag.

"It's not so bad. There's a lot of cool tech here, and look at all the pretty reflections on the glass buildings!" Jada exclaimed, a look of awe painted across her face.

"I'm glad we have you here, Jada. Otherwise, I don't think I'd ever smile," Halona said as she hopped out of the van, closely followed by Lorenzo.

"Way to make me feel bad," Lorenzo said, smiling as he looked at Halona.

Tyler rolled his eyes and turned away from the love-struck teens. It was bad enough that they would always argue, but he couldn't take their constant flirting. He made a silent promise to himself to never date anyone flirtatious.

"Enough sight-seeing, you've got more important things to do," Claire said, waving them over. "I just got off the phone with some other rebel gangs."

"Really? What did they say?"Lorenzo asked eagerly.

"I don't know what it is about you kids, but you managed to convince a lot of people. We've got five gangs on our side."

Tyler gasped, but he seemed to be the only one who did.

"Only five?" Jada whispered.

Marcus laughed, along with the rest of the gang members. "You kids really know nothing about rebel gangs."

Jada, Halona, and Lorenzo all looked to Tyler for an explanation. "A typical gang has around sixty people. So getting five on your side is a big deal."

"Sixty people? I've never seen a gang that big!" Lorenzo exclaimed.

"Well, most gangs don't send out all their members whenever they make a public statement." Tyler explained.

"Anyways, there's something else I have to tell you." Claire paused to make sure she had all of their attention. "The gang doesn't know this is your plan."

"What do you mean?" Tyler asked.

"I didn't tell them who you are. For now, they just think you're a part of Dante's group. If I had told them your age, they wouldn't have wanted to hear you out."

"I guess that makes sense," Jada mumbled.

"Right now, you guys need to get to that laboratory. Try not to be seen. I will take the liberty of telling the other gangs what the plan is," Claire said as she handed Tyler a bag.

He opened it and found four guns, some daggers,a bucket-load of smoke bombs, flashlights, and an explosive. "You're really okay with giving us all of this?"

"There's no way I'm sending a bunch of teens into a federal building without any protection. I don't need that on my conscience." A look of regret painted Claire's face, but it disappeared a second later. "In one hour, we'll send a signal to you guys. That's when you need to make your move. Once you get into the building, you're on your own. We'll try to buy you as much time as we can."

Tyler glanced at his friends, who all looked determined. Any fear they had before was gone. He turned back to Claire, who was staring at them intently. "Thank you, for everything."

Claire smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Just don't make me regret trusting you. Now get out of here."

Tyler nodded, then sprinted out of the alley that they were hiding in, closely followed by his friends. They made their way through the streets, avoiding eye contact with anyone they passed. They dodged any security camera, and eventually, reached the electric fence that surrounded the laboratory. They made sure they were a good distance away from the fence before sitting down behind some large trees. Now they had to wait.

"What are we supposed to do once we get inside?" Halona asked, breaking the silence. "We don't exactly have a map of the place."

"Well, if the plan goes well, people will be evacuating the building. All we have to do is go in the opposite direction of where people are heading," Jada said, twiddling her finger.

"What if they aren't in there? Braden and Malcolm?" Halona whispered.

Tyler had been thinking the exact same thing. He hadn't wanted to give voice to his fears. Maybe they were able to shut down the micro-chips, but what about the test subjects? Malcolm was the reason he had done all of this, but what if he couldn't save him? What if after all the fighting, he wasn't even in the building? Was this all for nothing?

"Tyler?" Jada's soft voice broke through his thoughts.

He glanced at her, studying her pained expression. She sat up tall, acting confident, but in her eyes, Tyler could see that she was looking to him for the answers. She needed him, now more then ever.

"If they aren't in there, then we'll keep searching. We'll break into every prison, even confront the president if we have to. We won't rest until we get them back," Tyler said, and the rest of them nodded.

"So how will Claire be able to signal us? We're pretty far away." Lorenzo stood up and began to stretch, as if he were preparing for a marathon.

"I don't-" Tyler was cut off by a loud boom. The ground shook, knocking Lorenzo off balance. A dust cloud traveled toward them. "Get down!" Tyler shouted, barely able to hear himself.

The four of them ducked to the ground, and a gust of wind blew past them. After a few moments, and earsplitting alarm rang through the city, and Tyler slowly got to his feet. In the distance, he saw a large smoke cloud forming, and he noticed the building that had been there previously had disappeared.

"Well, I guess that's the signal," Jada said, her legs shaking as Halona helped her up.

"Come on. We've got a job to do." Tyler marched toward the fence and placed his hand on it.

"No don't!" Jada shouted, but he had already touched it.

"Don't worry. Whatever Claire blew up was the source of electricity for this building. This is now a normal fence." Tyler pulled his bag over his shoulders, and began to climb, landing on the other side of the fence.

Halona went next, followed by Jada, then Lorenzo. Together, they made their way across the grass and to the entrance of the lab. Tyler pulled the door open cautiously, and sure enough, it opened. They stepped into the building, only to find people in lab coats sprinting around. The halls were dim, and the alarms on the walls flashed red.

"This way," Tyler said as he pushed his way through the crowd. He kept walking until they reached a staircase.

"We need to split up," Jada said quickly.

"Okay, Halona and Lorenzo, you head up, while Jada and I go down," Tyler ordered.

"No! You three need to stay together. Find Malcolm and the other captives. I'll go shut down the micro-chips," Jada said.

"What makes you think I'd let you go off on your own?" Tyler snapped.

"I know what I'm doing. Just trust me, Ty!" Jada shouted.

Tyler froze. He couldn't stop picturing Malcolm. He hadn't realized how similar the two siblings looked. He looked to Lorenzo and Halona for help, but they just shrugged. Deep down, Tyler knew that Jada was strong. If they wanted to win, he had to let her go.

"Please, Tyler," Jada whispered.

Tyler dug through his bag and handed her a gun. He then took the explosive placed it in her hand. "It's small, but it does a lot of damage. Once you turn it on, you'll have one minute to get away from the area." 

She nodded. "This will work."

Tyler didn't know what came over him, but he pulled her into a hug. "Just come back, okay? Come back safe," Tyler whispered. 

"I will." Jada pulled away and gave a weak smile before disappearing down the stairs.

Tyler took a deep breath, before running up the stairs, Lorenzo and Halona at his heels.