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All of us deserve that chance.
“I’ll show Will how to arm the timers.” Deliberately, I turn my back on Tomas, signaling the discussion is closed. I can feel his anger and hurt. But if I am to be our leader, I cannot allow my feelings for Tomas to get in the way. So I demonstrate the timer to Will and explain how it is to be used with the canister.
Will explains the process back to me, asks several questions, and then checks the watch he wears on his wrist. “It’s getting late, and I have a lot of ground to travel. I need to get going. If these things are as loud as I think they’ll be, you’ll hear whether or not I’m successful.” As Will carefully packs the canisters in his bag, I walk to our stash of supplies and select a long, sharp knife and a loaded handgun.
“Here,” I say.
I can feel Tomas’s eyes on me as I hand Will the weapons. Will’s hand closes over the butt of the gun and he tucks it in his jacket pocket. The ammunition goes into the side pocket of his bag, along with the knife and its smooth, deadly blade. I take Stacia’s radio from her and pass it to Will. His hand closes over mine and stays there.
“Thank you.” His expression is grim. Determined. “I won’t fail you this time. I promise.”
“Be safe,” I say as he takes the pulse radio out of my hand. “We’re counting on you.”
“I know.” Will turns away from me and walks to Raffe to ask his opinion about strategic locations to place the canisters.
Then, armed with Raffe’s instructions and the weapons I have given him, he walks to the doorway, turns, and smiles. In that smile I see the boy who befriended me during the first test. That’s the boy I am counting on.
“I’ll let you know when I’m in position,” he says. With a wink, he turns and heads out the door.
“How’s that feel?” Tomas asks behind me.
When I look over, I see Stacia flexing her arm and nodding. “Better. I would never have thought of putting some crushed Valerian directly on the wound.”
“That’s why you doctor types need biological engineers to help you come up with the new drugs.” Tomas smiles.
She smiles back. “Well, I hope Enzo’s getting some of this right now.” She looks at me. “I really did think I was doing the right thing by testing him. I never thought he’d break into your room and get hurt. Otherwise, I would have warned you first.”
Her regret is for causing me trouble. Not for the injury to Enzo but for choosing a path without checking with me first. She believed I was taking too long to make a decision and did what she thought was necessary for us to succeed. I will have to remember that as we move forward. To keep Stacia from making decisions on her own, especially ones I do not agree with, I will have to make choices with more speed. If we come through this, I doubt I will ever be able to call Stacia my friend again. But just because I personally cannot feel comfortable with her doesn’t mean she is incapable of doing what I need her to accomplish. If I have to be a stronger leader to make her do it, then that’s what I will do.
Straightening my shoulders, I say, “We have two hours until Will sets off the first explosion. We need to be ready. We need to decide which team—”
“No, we don’t,” Raffe interrupts. “My house will be harder to find for someone who doesn’t know the area. Besides, I need to be the one to deal with my father. Tomas and Stacia will take the other two targets. There are several landmarks that will help you know you’re on the right track.”
For the next ten minutes, Raffe gives Tomas and Stacia directions to their two targets. Professor Chen’s house is near a small pond. Professor Holt lives only three blocks away in a large house surrounded by a tall wooden fence.
“Professor Holt never travels anywhere on foot. If her skimmer is parked in front of her house, you’ll know she’s home. If you can find the key to the skimmer, use it. Safety officials won’t stop a University vehicle.”
Tomas and Stacia ask many questions. I try to hand the Transit Communicator over to Tomas, but he shakes his head and says I need it to connect with my brother. Tomas says that if he and Stacia need help, they will send a message for Raffe. His knowledge of the city is more useful than the Communicator, which can’t tell them what landmarks to look for.
It is six-forty by the time our bags are packed, plans have been coordinated, and Stacia and Tomas feel confident they can navigate the city streets quickly. I hold the Transit Communicator, hoping to hear from my brother. Instead, the message light on the pulse radio blinks to life. Will. The first charge is in place and ready to fire. Time for us to go.
Raffe and Stacia walk to the kitchen to get their bikes as I stare at the letters for my family that sit on the floor. When I look up, Tomas hasn’t moved. He just looks at me. The silence stretches between us. In a few minutes we will separate. Once that happens, there’s a chance we might not be together again.
“I love you.” I cross over to him and look up into the face that is so dear to me, memorizing the curve of his jaw and the shape of his eyes. Standing beside him, I am struck all over again by how tall he is. How safe he makes me feel. I cling to that feeling as I reach out and take his hand. He stiffens but does not pull away. And when his fingers tighten around mine, I feel complete.
“I love you too,” he says. The anger is gone. Only concern remains. “Stay safe.”
“We’ll see each other soon,” I promise as we walk outside.
The sun is fading as we wheel our bikes out of the back door and around to the street. A child playing in a yard down the block sees us and runs up the stairs and inside. I look at the Communicator in my hand. Zeen still hasn’t contacted me. Is he alive? Has he killed Symon? Have the rebels started a search for him or are they even now spreading out among the Tosu City streets, waiting for a sign to begin their attack? Worry gnaws my heart, but there is nothing I can do but hope he is safe and focus on what must be done.
I climb onto my bike. My gun is in my jacket pocket. Tomas takes my hand as the four of us stand on the road, waiting. I glance at the house next to us and in the fading light see the symbol etched on the stoop. Two lightning bolts. Two teams. The end of ignorance. The beginning of hope.
I glance at the watch on Raffe’s wrist. Five minutes until seven.
I see a door to one of the houses open a crack. Part of me considers waving so they’ll know we aren’t threatening, but I understand that showing they have been spotted will only cause more anxiety. So I keep my eyes focused on the time.
Four minutes.
