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“No.” The apple feels like lead in my stomach. “For them we have no choice. Symon’s hold on the rebels is too strong. Even if the Debate Chamber voted to remove Dr. Barnes and end The Testing, the attack Dr. Barnes and Symon have orchestrated would still happen. Who knows how many would die if that were allowed to take place? Zeen could be among them. If we want to end The Testing before Symon and Dr. Barnes have a chance to cause more death, we have no other choice. They have to be killed.”
Our eyes meet. In Tomas’s I see the resolve that matches my own. “Then let’s figure out how to do it. I brought some things I think will help.”
We empty our bags and lay our supplies on the floor. The apples, rolls, crackers, and cheese we put in the kitchen. Then we assess the rest. If Tomas is surprised by the weapons and explosives I’ve brought with me, he doesn’t show it. However, while he is willing to handle the guns, he avoids looking at the knives and flinches when I touch their handles. I move them to the side so he will not have to be reminded of Zandri every time he sees them.
Some of the items Tomas brought with him I expected—clothes, food, water, and the radio I adjusted for him. But I’m surprised to see specimen containers filled with plants, a mortar and pestle, two small burners, and matches. When he sees me blink, Tomas smiles. “I wasn’t sure what we would need, so I grabbed a bunch of plants from the lab before I walked out the door.”
I pick up the containers and look inside. “They leave this stuff lying around your residence?” While I understand the need for Biological Engineering majors to have easy access to the genetic materials they are asked to work with, some of the plants, like the Purple Poppy or the Pokeweed Roots, have properties that should be kept under lock and key.
“Some of it.” He shrugs. “My guide is in the advanced classes that study the best ways to negate the deadliest of the mutated plants. He prefers to work in a makeshift lab he created in one of his rooms instead of at the stadium. Our head of residence gave him special permission to take plants out of the greenhouse and work with them there. I went to his rooms to ask a question and had Kit drop by to distract him. While he walked her back to her rooms, I grabbed a few things out of his bag.”
Tomas and I separate the samples based on properties. There are three plants that will kill when ingested, two that are used most often as sedatives, and several that will be useful if any of us are injured.
I place the deadliest of the samples in the corner of the room. Then I take a seat next to the rest of the pile to figure out how to get the answers we need and eliminate Dr. Barnes, Professor Holt, and Symon—all in the next twenty-four hours. Raffe said that he and Stacia would join as soon as they found a way off campus. If we need them to bring supplies, we have to let them know in time to retrieve the message.
“Zeen will have to eliminate Symon.” My chest tightens as I realize that I still haven’t heard from Zeen.
“Even if he does,” Tomas says, “that leaves the four of us to question two on the president’s list and eliminate two others, all in one night.” Tomas looks at the array of materials next to us and frowns as he contemplates the difficulty of the task. “I guess we need to think of this like a mathematical proof. We understand the question. Now we have to list everything we know about the subjects, our skills, and the obstacles we face. Maybe then we’ll find a way to solve it.”
Easier said than done. There are too many variables: the extra Safety official patrols; our unfamiliarity with areas we will have to visit; no estimate on how long it will take to achieve our goal when we reach each location. It’s an impossible equation with our current numbers.
While Tomas goes to the kitchen to grab rolls and water for lunch, I hear a series of clicks. Zeen. I pick up the Transit Communicator, take a deep breath, and press the button.
“Zeen.”
“Cia.” Just hearing his voice brings emotions I’ve held at bay to the surface. But I cannot let him hear me sound weak or scared or he will come find me. As much as I want to see my older brother, I need him to stay where he is.
“How are the rebels reacting to the postponing of the president’s proposal?”
“According to Symon, everything is going forward as scheduled. If the president really did postpone making her stand on the Debate Chamber floor, word hasn’t reached us. The attack is still being planned for the end of this week.”
Which means we have to complete our mission before then.
“Anticipation of the attack has em
otions running high around here. That’s why I haven’t been able to contact you. This is the first chance I’ve had to warn you. You need to get off campus. Part of the attack is going to happen there. I don’t want you caught in the crossfire,” Zeen says as Tomas walks into the room.
“Already done,” I say. “Something happened last night.” I shake my head. This isn’t the time to talk about Enzo. “Tomas and I were able to get off campus and are currently hiding while we wait for some of our friends.”
“Good. That’s good. If you stay where you are until after—”
“I’m not staying here. The president has asked me to help end The Testing and save the rebels and I’m going to try. But I can’t do it without you.”
“You shouldn’t be involved in this, Cia.”
“Are you kidding? I went through The Testing. I became involved in this the minute they chose me to come to Tosu City. There are things I’ve been asked to do that I hate, but I’ll do them because the alternative is even worse. You can’t stop me. But you can help me. Where is Symon now?”
“He’s meeting with his team leaders. Ranetta wants to start deploying the attack groups of her rebel faction around the city tonight so they’ll blend in. They don’t want anyone to question their presence before Friday, when the attack begins.”
Tomas takes the Communicator and asks, “Can you get close enough to Ranetta to talk to her?”
“Tomas? I would think if anyone could talk Cia out of this you could.” When Tomas says nothing, I give his arm a squeeze. “Ranetta’s pretty busy right now,” Zeen continues. “I doubt she has time for someone like me.”
“If you find a man named Dreu Owens, I bet you can convince him to get her to make time for someone from Five Lakes. He’s Magistrate Owens’s son, and we have reason to believe he’s working with the rebellion. Find him and he might be able to help you stop the attack or get you close enough to permanently remove Symon.”
“We need you to eliminate Symon, Zeen,” I say before my brother can reply. “None of us will be able to get close enough to kill him. We can take out Dr. Barnes and the others on the list, but Symon controls the direction of too many of the rebels. You have to take charge of his removal. Otherwise who knows what will happen next.”
Tomas and I look at each other as the silence on the other end stretches on. “Zeen?” I ask quietly. When he doesn’t answer I say his name again. “Are you there?”
