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“I understand,” I tell Frederick.
“Yes, I think you do,” he says, his expression softening.
He scratches his neck and leans closer. “They’re going to bomb it — the tunnel. Use it as a distraction. Scare everyone above ground, and that includes the Eminent.”
“They’ll collapse it,” Sam says. “And it’s barely going to shake anything unless…”
“I’m no engineer. A long time ago I was… a teacher. I thought teenagers were bad,” he laughs to himself. “But some of the men fighting back… they seem pretty sure with your plans if they place explosives in certain spots—”
“They’re going to collapse the whole underground!” Sam grabs him by the shoulders and shakes him. The two men at his side take hold of Sam to pull him away. “My kids are down there.”
Frederick grabs him back, his eyes wild. “It’s now or never. This is the only chance for them to escape.”
“Or die!”
“We’ll get them out,” one man says to Sam.
“We will,” Frederick says. “We’re sneaking people out before the first blast. We have loads of people on our side there. When it starts to cave in from the bottom—”
“Red jumpsuits,” I interrupt. “Coming this way.”
The men release each other, but Sam is no calmer, and Frederick’s men excuse themselves to distract the AOE members from coming our way.
“Stay up here,” Frederick says. “It buys us time if Dean is delayed. I might even get the Eminent above ground before the collapse starts if he thinks his war isn’t starting soon enough.”
I wrap my arms around Sam’s waist. “Sam, I’m scared, too, but we don’t have a choice. I have to believe this all happens for a reason. The boys told us to be up here, remember?”
Drones flash by our line of sight, and I jerk my head toward the flying objects that dart through the rain.
“Do you—”
“I see it,” Sam says.
One of them lowers, keeping a steady buzz above our heads.
“And he sees me.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
The Cliff
Frederickliestothemen wearing red jumpsuits, telling them his Eminency has requested they move the bodies further down the jutted cliff’s edge and begin throwing them off the side. I think they will object, but their reaction is relief. I’m grateful to have them out of our way, but horrified by their version of a burial.
To them, the Thalassa will still see the threat. Its scopes will hone in on the action and heed the warning just as they would a fire.
His two men pretend to hold us until the last of them disappears into the mist. The drones continue to circle around and follow, one firmly planted at my side.
“I don’t know how long this will all take,” Frederick says.
I stretch out my wrists and nod. “Does Lori know?”
He turns to me, his face softening with a smile. “Yes. She’s with the right people, making sure she gets your mischief.”
It takes a moment for me to understand the joke, but I chuckle and give him a thank you.
“I like rats,” Frederick says. “They take care of each other.”
“I’m starting to agree with all the similarities,” I tell him. He turns and leaves, stepping down into the underground with his men, and I let out an exhale. We’re somewhat alone above ground and waiting for Dean.
