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I barely register the click from the Transit Communicator as Tomas pulls me closer. It is only when the sound comes again that I understand.
“Zeen is calling.” I feel embarrassment heat my cheeks as I step out of Tomas’s embrace and reach for the Communicator. “Did you find Dreu?” I ask Zeen. “Is he there?”
“I asked a couple of people in my group. If Dreu’s here, he’s probably with Ranetta. A few of my friends are going to ask around for me since I told them Dreu and I are from the same colony. From what I can tell, he’s been working on medical research and syphoning off resources for the rebels whenever possible. It sounds like he’s not here very often.”
Which means Zeen will be on his own. “Can you find a way to talk to Ranetta without him? Maybe if you say you know Dreu?”
“I’ll try, but I’m not sure anyone is going to let me through to see her. Not now that things are so crazy. Groups of rebels are already starting to head into Tosu. If I’m going to get close to Symon, I need to do it soon. Otherwise he might leave the base. Once that happens, there’s no telling where he’ll go. But if I can get through to Ranetta before then, I’ll let you know. Rumors are running rampant that some of the attack groups have been given different schedules based on whether they are in Symon’s or Renatta’s faction, so the tension is pretty high. When are you planning on starting your attack?”
Until the others arrive, we cannot know for sure. But with the rebels being deployed and the chance that the order to attack may be delivered before the scheduled time, there is no other option but to say, “We’ll do it tonight. We plan on setting off a diversion to pull away the Safety patrols. Once you’re done with Symon, you should come here,” I say, and I read off the coordinates on the Transit Communicator. Zeen doesn’t know Tosu City at all. Unless he manages to convince Ranetta that killing Symon is necessary, he will be viewed as a traitor in the camp. He will need somewhere to hide.
“If I finish and get off this base, I’m not going to hide. I’ll be coming to help you.”
Not if I can prevent it. Since he won’t know where to find me, I consider this a promise he can’t fulfill.
“I have to get going, but Cia . . .”
“Yes, Zeen?”
His words are barely a whisper when he says, “I’m not sure when we’ll talk again, but I wanted to say—I love you. Be careful. Okay?”
Pressure builds in my chest and behind my eyes. “I love you, too, Zeen. And Zeen . . . don’t do anything crazy.”
“Who, me?” His bright laugh makes me smile. “I’ll see you soon.”
“I’m counting on it,” I say. Despite the click from the Communicator, I continue to cradle it in my hands. As if holding it will somehow keep Zeen safe or bring him closer to me. Tomas tries to put his arms around my shoulders. I know he wants to offer me his support and comfort, but I pull away and walk to the other side of the room. While I love Tomas, I need to be alone with my thoughts of my brother.
I’m not sure how long I stand holding the Communicator, but the shadows on the floor have shifted when I hear the sound of low voices outside the boarded-up front door.
Someone is here.
“Tomas,” I whisper. When he doesn’t answer, I cross the floor and whisper his name again.
“What’s wrong?” he asks as he appears in the doorway to the living room.
Putting my finger to my lips, I wait for the voices to come again. When they do, Tomas stiffens. Unfortunately, they are muted, making it impossible to know if they belong to Safety officials, our friends, or someone from the neighborhood who has grown curious about our presence. Slowly, I cross back to my bag, slide the Communicator inside, and reach for my gun. The voices are gone, but I notice the indicator light on my pulse radio is lit. I show the light to Tomas, who nods for me to press Play.
“We’re outside. And we need to come in.”
Raffe.
I put down the radio but keep the gun firmly in my hand as we go into the kitchen and open the back door. The sunlight is intense. I have to blink to focus my vision. When I do, I see Raffe and Stacia standing in front of me. Raffe is balancing their two bicycles, and after one look at Stacia it becomes clear why.
She has been shot.
Stacia cradles one arm to her chest. The hand she uses to protect her injured arm is streaked with blood. Her face is pale and she sways on her feet. I hand my gun to Tomas and lead her to the blanket on the floor. I ease off her jacket and use my pocketknife to cut away her shirt from just above the elbow so I can get a better look.
I see Raffe and Tomas standing in the doorway and ask, “What happened? Did a Safety official try to detain you?”
Raffe and Stacia look at each other as Raffe says, “Not exactly. Ian scouted the area and let us know the Safety patrols were concentrated near the main entrance so we could go to the north side and get around them. He gave me an idea of the best path to take and went back to our residence to keep the rebel students there distracted so they wouldn’t notice that I’d left. Stacia and I were so busy avoiding the officials that we didn’t realize two rebel students had followed us.”
“It’s my fault.” Stacia winces. “They were fourth-year medical students. Both of them were known for hazing the first years. So I didn’t think anything of it when they followed me out of the residence. I went into the History building so they’d think I went to class. When they walked away, I thought they’d lost interest in me. But they were waiting for us on the road outside the main campus exit.”
While I am fairly certain Raffe has at least one weapon in his possession, I am amazed he was able to find a way to use it and get away after being taken by surp
rise. When I say so, Raffe shifts uncomfortably and says, “Actually, we didn’t get away from them on our own. We had some help.”
“Ian?” Tomas asks.
