Elizabeth and Sacajawea leave the Bunker at seven in the morning. They have the first job of the raid, and the success of the day hinges on them.
Marie hands Elizabeth a flash drive that will test Crew's system to see if the virus Jo installed has corrupted the security protocols inside the Chrysalis. Marie is confident that anyone with Throwback DNA will be able to enter, but she might have to go inside to override the security measures in place that would kill anyone with Evolved DNA.
"Don't come in too early," Elizabeth commands for the third time. "I need to tag our allies inside the rebellion so that they aren't arrested along with the rest of Crew's team. I've arranged to meet them early, so we won't draw Crew's attention."
"Got it," I bark, already chafing at my new, demoted role on the team.
"Have your allies stick one of these on the underside of their wrists," Marie instructs, handing Elizabeth a page of tiny circular stickers equipped with embedded sensors. "We'll all be wearing them, so that the police can quickly differentiate us from Crew's team."
"Thank you," Elizabeth says, sticking one on her wrist.
"Be careful in there," I tell her as she and Sacajawea head toward the exit to the Bunker.
Elizabeth surprises me by gripping my hand in a tight squeeze. "You too. You've made your mistakes, but I, for one, can forgive them if we take this rebellion down today. A lot of innocent lives will be saved."
"Thank you," I say, and she gives my hand one last, firm shake before she leaves.
I turn back to the oversized tablet displaying our plans, blueprints, and footage from cameras near the Chrysalis.
"Are we sure that Crew and most of his team will be in there?" I ask.
Leo looks up from where he's monitoring the security feed from the camera we hid near the underground entrance to the Chrysalis. "Our software has identified over three hundred members of the rebellion entering the building early this morning, including Crew."
I let out a heavy breath of relief. After today, our battle with Crew will truly be over.
"Uh, Joan, come here," Tupac says, and I follow him into the large communal bathroom next to the sleeping quarters.
Inside, Nic is asleep with his head on the toilet bowl. I'm so angry that I could kick him, but I rein it in.
"Let's get you to bed," I say, hauling him to his feet.
"Sorry, Joanie. I did a bad thing," Nic says.
He rubs his eyes, and I catch a glimpse of gold. My anger hardens into rage.
"I found Mason's Amp stash. I meant to throw it out. I tried," he babbles.
"Sleep it off. We'll talk later," I say, yanking him out of the bathroom and toward a bed.
"Don't be mad, Joanie! I love you!"
I bite the inside of my cheek so hard that I draw blood. With practiced efficiency, I help him slide under the covers and tuck the blankets around him tightly. There's no time to give him an IV to flush the Amp out of his system now.
"Enjoy the high while it lasts," I say, and he whimpers at the bitterness in my tone.
"My heart is broken," he murmurs, and my hands freeze where they are, plumping his pillow. "I don't deserve you. I never should have tried."
Jo comes into the room and stands beside me. She heaves a sigh as she looks down at Nic. "Leave him. He is broken, and the pieces cannot be fit back together today."
She's right. The Deans from Strand and the police officers sent by the governor will be arriving at the old Throwback hotel across the street from the Chrysalis soon.
My phone pings with a message from Justus.
My dad and I are in place, ready to execute the plan when we get Elizabeth's message. Though I'm a little suspicious that this job puts me so far out of harm's way. I should be with you, not hidden away from all the danger.
Justus is wrong. His job is crucial to today's success, but it does give me peace of mind to know that it also prevents him from setting foot in the Chrysalis until the worst of the fighting is over.
Alison, Harriet, Sun, and Marie are putting on their gear in the main room of the Bunker. I join them, donning the armor the governor procured for us. It will deflect bullets and most electrical charges, including laser weapons. The five of us will be part of the first wave entering the Chrysalis, along with Strand's Deans.
The rest of my team will enter with the police officers after we've cleared the first two floors.
"Don't forget this," Alison says, handing me a camera that attaches to my vest armor.
It's a "gift" from Lexi, a camera that can detach and fly around the action with us, getting video footage to use after the raid. Blake will be operating the camera remotely from Strand's headquarters.
Harriet shakes her head as I clip it on, but doesn't say a word. I wonder if she'll ever speak to me again after today. I push that horrible thought out of my mind, along with the image of Mav's face when he told me he hated me.
"Let's go," I say, and we jog into the Lab and make our way up to the street level.
It's a short, tense ride in our van to the hotel across from the Chrysalis. Even from the outside, it's clear that the hotel is seeing more action than it has in years. Police cars are parked only a few blocks away, and Strand's Deans enter the hotel through the front door, in spite of my instructions to use a private back entrance.
I grit my teeth. If Crew or anyone on his team has eyes on this hotel, it will be clear that something strange is going on. Next to me, Harriet's intelligent brown eyes survey the scene, and her frown deepens.
Inside, the lobby is filled with Deans and police officers, who mingle easily with each other. Officer Ben is the first to see me.
"We've reviewed the plan for the raid, and it looks straightforward. I'm very glad to have a chance to do something for you for a change, Ms. Fasces," he says with a warm smile.
It's a relief to see a friendly expression aimed my way.
"You and the other officers have been a pleasure to work with," I tell him, and then lower my voice. "Please keep a close eye on the Deans from Strand when we're inside making arrests. They answer to Strand above the law, and we're hoping to minimize violence."
"I will let the other officers know your instructions."
Harriet is handing out Marie's sensor stickers to the Deans so that they are easily identifiable as Throwbacks on our side by the arresting officers, since Crew has a number of Deans inside his rebellion as well.
"Double check that your weapons are on their lowest settings," Harriet commands.
The Deans bristle at her tone, but do as they are told.
"And remember that anyone with one of these sensor stickers on their wrist is on our side, so leave them unharmed," I add, and the Deans scowl at me. "Uh, please."
"Smooth," Alison murmurs in my ear.
"We've got contact!" Marie shouts, and the room silences.
She's holding a tablet that is connected to a private chat room created specifically for today's raid. Everyone, including Strand's Deans, Aft's team, and the police officers, is connected to the chat room by tablet or phone. Marie has assured me that there is no more secure, unhackable way for us to communicate.
Marie's tablet displays a message from Elizabeth.
Security is down. Release the sedative.
Justus's response is instant.
Done.
Justus, Kat, and twelve members of Aft's team have staked out the pipes leading into the ventilation system of the Chrysalis. They are releasing the same gas we used at the Seattle Psychiatric Clinic to render everyone unconscious. Thanks to the blueprints Marie has of the Chrysalis, we have ensured that the gas reaches every floor of the building. It should leave only a few people who are not exposed to the gas to deal with when we storm in.
Another message from Elizabeth appears on the screen.
People are falling. Come now, and bring Marie. Evolved cannot enter yet. She'll have to access the tablets inside the firewall to change those security protocols.
"Ready, everyone?" I ask, and adrenaline courses through my bloodstream, heightening my nerves.
The blood rushing in my ears mutes the sound of the shouts in response. Everyone takes out a breathing tube so that we aren't affected by the sedative gas. The camera on my vest detaches and flies above me, catching a panoramic shot as my first wave of offense bursts out of the lobby of the hotel and charges across the street toward the Chrysalis. The time for subtlety is past.
The front door of the Chrysalis has always been sealed shut. Even the members of Crew's rebellion can't go in that way. But Marie's computer virus should unlock those doors.
Harriet reaches the doors first, and they open easily at her touch. Inside is a dim room, and a familiar green light washes over us, conducting a full-body scan. Marie finds my hand and squeezes. If the scan reads us as enemies, we're dead.
A second door opens, leading inside the Chrysalis, and Marie punches the air in victory.
I push through first this time, searching for anyone still upright. The hallways are brightly lit, and silent. The only sound is the soft tapping of our shoes against the concrete floors.
Strand's Deans use hand signals to communicate, and they spread out down various halls. My stomach knots. If Lexi gave them orders to disobey me, it's too late to stop them now.
"Come on," Harriet says, her voice hushed.
She, Marie, Alison, Sun, and I go to the staircase, and Strand's camera follows. Harriet swats at it when it flies too close to her face. We jog up to the fifth floor, where the main tablet terminals sit. Marie needs to access them in order for the police officers to gain entry.
Harriet pushes open the door on the fifth level with no problem. Marie worried that the retinal scans for entry to certain levels might still be in place, but the scanner is blank, rendered useless by the virus.
Marie gives us a tentative smile. "It's working exactly as I hoped."
Strand's camera zooms down the hall and then returns, flying back out into the stairwell.
"Good. That must mean there is nothing interesting waiting for us down there," I say.
Harriet snorts. "Nothing that Lexi finds of interest, at least."
But I can tell that she's relieved that the little camera has left us alone, at least for now.
The fifth floor is as empty as the first. Bumps race up my arms as we pass room after room devoid of people, conscious or unconscious.
"This isn't right," Sun says. "No matter how important that meeting is, Crew wouldn't leave his security center completely unmanned."
"Especially since he must be aware of the virus corrupting his system by now," I add. "But Leo saw everyone enter the Chrysalis. They are here somewhere."
"Top floor," Harriet says, her brown eyes grim.
The round space at the top of the Chrysalis is where Crew holds his most important meetings. Whatever they are discussing today must be critical if every member of the rebellion is present.
"This terminal will work," Marie says, stopping at a desk with an embedded tablet.
She pulls out several drives from various pockets in her jacket. Sun and Alison flank her in case anyone approaches.
"I'm going up," Harriet announces.
"No," I say. "We wait for the police and the Deans before taking on Crew and his entire rebellion."
"Crew's people will be unconscious from the gas," she argues. "Something isn't right. I want to make sure Elizabeth and Sacajawea are safe."
"We stick to our plan."
"It's your plan, not mine," she corrects me, as I fire off a message from my phone telling the Deans to meet us on the top floor.
Harriet turns from me and jogs down the hall, and I race after her. The Deans are ahead of us. Harriet speeds up, pushing past them and through the door leading to the top floor of the Chrysalis.
I'm still half a flight from the top when Harriet screams. It's a high, horrible sound that I never imagined she could make.
My fear spikes, and I swallow my rising nausea. When I make it to the top, my brain can barely register what I'm seeing.
The white room is spattered in color, like an abstract painting. The source of the palette of bright reds and rusty browns is in the center of the room. Two people are strung up by their wrists. They've been eviscerated, and their guts spill out onto the ground beneath them.
The faces have been mutilated, but I recognize the tight bun on one head, and the long, black braid on the other. How long did Crew know that Elizabeth and Sacajawea were my eyes inside his rebellion? Ringing fills my ears, and my vision narrows to a point, until all I can see is the dried blood streaked across Elizabeth's white cheek. She doesn't look regal any more. And she never will again.
Harriet staggers across the room, which is strewn with dozens of bodies, dead or unconscious, it's impossible to tell.
Harriet is screaming something, but I can't hear anything. My body won't move. My feet are fused to the ground. Even my eyelids won't close to block out the sight before me.
Harriet tries to shove a heavy bench closer to the spectacle at the center of the room so that she can reach up to cut down Elizabeth and Sacajawea.
I can read the "please" on Harriet's lips. Her cheeks are shiny with tears, and her shoes are smeared with red.
The Dean next to me raises his weapon and makes a swiping motion. His laser cuts through the bonds holding my friends up. Their bodies fall, heavy, into the pools of blood beneath them. Harriet is splashed, and she gags.
I turn in horror to see the impassive face of the Dean who cut the bonds of our two friends, now looking upon them as if they were animal carcasses hung out to dry.
"Execute the rest of the rebels," he says, gesturing to the unconscious bodies on the ground.
They are the first words that make it past the ringing in my ears, and I lunge for the Dean who spoke. My feet come unglued from the floor as I tackle him. His weapon is knocked from his hand and goes skittering across the floor.
But my little success doesn't matter. Because every other Dean in the room has carried out the command, pressing their laser pointers to the temples of the fallen Throwbacks on the floor.
More people pour into the room on the top of the Chrysalis. I see Officer Ben, and Tupac, and Alison, and Aft. They all stop in their tracks at the sight of the gore waiting inside this corner of hell.
I'm on my knees now, and I crawl to the body closest to me, a Throwback cloned from Einstein, like Dennis. There is a single, bloody spot on his temple where one of Strand's Deans executed him.
Gently, I turn over his wrist. On it is one of Marie's sensor stickers. He is—was—one of Elizabeth's allies. Why Crew left them behind, alive, I don't know. But it doesn't matter. Because they're dead now, anyway.
It's all too much. Too much. I want to curl into a fetal position and shut my eyes. Or scream until my lungs burst. But my body is stone again. I can't rail at this horror, or run from it.
Two boots stop in front of me, and Aft kneels down. He shakes me, hard, by both shoulders. I meet his eyes and realize that he's been shouting something at me for a while now, but his words didn't penetrate. His eyes are frantic, and snot and tears stream down his face.
Aft's words punch through my disorientation, and then rip apart my guts.
"Crew took him! He took Justus! He is the next to die."