Blue Moon

Chapter 38

The next few days were filled with multiple meetings. Each meeting Alona sat through intensified her anxiety. Her stomach was twisted into knots. 

She knew war was inevitable, that was clear. The only thing that was in question was if she could pull the trigger when the time came. She liked to believe that she would be able to kill someone, but how could she be certain. She couldn't.

The room they were packed into was in the same building as Drew's office. The room had two dingy yellow lights that dangled from the ceiling. She was thankful this was their final meeting. 

Alona had been introduced to their flight crew, they had asked her where she was from and how she met Arlo. She had simply answered that they had met at the castle, under insane circumstance.   

Arlo was standing at the end of a long table, surrounded by soldiers. His arms were crossed over his chest. Drew stood slightly in front of him closer to the table, studying the holographic map on the table in front of him. It replayed over and over, a simulation of how the battle should play out. The blue transparent soldiers glitched at the end of each simulation. 

Greg sat in the corner of the room, he had been taking notes, or so Alona assumed. She had been surprised at how serious he took his position, not that it was a bad thing, she just had not expected it. At home, Greg was a playful teen, but when Drew needed him he was a man. 

As the meeting dragged on, the room grew hot and the air grew thick. She longed to be outside where the air was crisp and cold. 

The collar of her shirt was stretched from how much she had tugged on it. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun, a slight change from her usual ponytail. 

She regretted wearing boots, she wished she had worn her running shoes, they would've been more comfortable and less hot.

"You don't understand. If we attack the bottom floor first their attention will be on defending that floor." A soldier in camouflage pants challenged Arlo and Drew's plan.

Arlo shook his head, "I've been in the castle guard. Their first priority when there is an attack is to secure the King. Once the attack alarm is triggered, the King is escorted to his bunker and kept there until the attack is over." Arlo stepped up next to Drew, "There's no chance of getting into that bunker. Only the King knows how to unlock it."

The soldier nodded, understanding that his plan had a greater chance of failure. They had to get to the King first, that was the most important part of the plan.

Alona yawned, she had been sitting in a chair against the wall. She hadn't said anything to contribute to the conversation, not that she had anything to say. 

She had been bombarded with information. She was still trying to remember which ship number was the correct one. She thought it was ship number 8, probably.

Feliks slide down into the chair next to her, "I got a message from a little birdy." He wore a gray tank top with black pants tucked into black boots. His look was usually straight out of a Rambo movie, all that was missing was the bandanna around his head. 

Alona raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to make some sense.

He smiled, "They already know we're coming." He tipped his chair back, scraping it against the wall. His head rested back, rolling slightly back and forth across the wall. 

"How?" She asked, waiting for him to laugh and make fun of her for believing his joke.

He rolled his head to the side and stared at her, "Spiesssssssssss." He drew out the s at the end of the word, "It would be stupid to think they don't know we're coming." He lowered his chair to the floor and stood, "We'll be lucky to make it out alive."