He’s worried, Vi said. At least he was when he arrived.
Thanks, babe, I thought. Stay upstairs, okay?
She didn’t answer, and I knew she’d do whatever she wanted, even if that meant storming downstairs at any moment.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” I began. “The Resistance owns Freedom now. I’ve already sent my people to every city in the Union.” A lie, but Darke didn’t need to know I didn’t have the manpower to fly to every city in the Association. “By morning we’ll control two out of every three cities. You’re finished.” My words settled in the room, heavy with threats.
I’d had plenty of experience with Directors like him, and I didn’t expect him to respond. When he didn’t, I added, “The cities we won’t own will come around once they see our superior way of living.”
“Sounds like you have everything worked out,” he said. “But I’m sure you know I’m not simply going to mount my hoverboard and fly into the night.”
“What are you going to do?” I asked.
Jag! Vi shouted in my head, and I flinched at the panic in her tone.
“Sounds like your team has discovered what I’m going to do.” Darke stood up, his fingers pressing buttons along the wrist-port band on his left hand.
I jumped to my feet. Vi’s voice echoed in my head, but with no new information. I sprinted for the door, shouting, “Lock down!”
Irv’s tech leapt into action, securing all of the room’s exits, locking Darke inside. His rage followed me into hall, propelling me toward the stairs. My heart pounded as loud as my footsteps as I flew up them.
“Vi!” I barged into the bedroom where she had been camped out. She stood at the window. Terror flowed from her.
I joined her at the window, and she gripped my arm. My fear matched hers as I took in the scene outside.
The sky was filled with fire, with men on hoverboards, with taser blasts.
With death.
Time clicked by in breaths. One, two, three.
“Let’s go,” Vi begged. “Jag, come on!”
I tore my gaze from the scene outside. “You said Darke didn’t get what he wanted.” It sounded like an accusation, but it was a plea. I wanted Vi to tell me I was hallucinating. Something to make the men outside be Resistance members.
“He didn’t get the tech,” she said. “He got an army.” She bolted into the hall, screaming behind her, “Come on!”
I took one more look out the window. I looked toward the Rises. Bright lights flashed along the top of Twelve, signaling that they were under attack. I sprinted after Vi, my fear solidifying into fury.
“Straight up,” I said to Vi. “Please, Vi. Fly straight up.”
She glared at me. “I can help.”
“I know that,” I said. “But I do not know how to live without you. Please. Straight up.”
“You’re going straight up too, right?”
“Right,” I said.
“Fine.” She stepped onto her hoverboard and launched herself up. I followed her, climbing above the chaos raging through the Rises several miles away. She stopped a few hundred feet in the air, and I paused next to her.
Fire leapt from the roof of several Rises, the numbers of which I didn’t know.
“Two, Six, Nine, and Ten,” Vi said.
“Six and Nine,” I repeated. “That’s bad.” Zenn had gone back to his old flat in Rise Nine to set up a home base. Thane, Trek, and Irv were operating their communications hub and tech production out of Twelve. Isaacs had gone with them. Starr had gone back to her old flat in Six to establish an infirmary, taking Raine, Gunner, and River with her.
Laurel and Saffediene were part of my traveling team, and I’d dispatched them to Harvest to gather refugees who were willing to fight. They’d be gone until morning.
Darke had brought hordes of people with him. They all wore black, making them almost indistinguishable against the night sky. When their tasers discharged, white hot light marked their position.
My people had tasers too. Protective gear. Hoverboards. My spirits lifted as I realized we had the same equipment, the same drive to win.
I leaned into my board, pointing it toward Twelve. Vi followed, her voice in my head. What’s your plan?
Communicate with Zenn, Starr, and Raine, I thought. Let them know what’s going on, and let them know that we’re meeting at Twelve.
She didn’t answer immediately. A few minutes later, she thought, Done. Jag, what are we going to do?
“Fight back,” I said out loud. “We’re going to fight back.”
The scene on the roof of Twelve was organized noise. I didn’t see Trek or Irvine, but Thane was issuing directions to small teams of people.
“Status,” I barked as he sent a group of five men into the sky.
“Jag,” he practically sighed. “There you are.” He gripped my hand in a shake that lasted only two seconds. He hugged Vi in a fatherly gesture. “As soon as we saw Darke’s army, Zenn made new transmissions and Irv sent them out over the lines. He asked anyone who wanted to fight for a different future to come to Rise Twelve. The Rise is choked with people.”
“Nice,” I said. “Keep talking.”
He held up his hand for me to wait as he gave a destination to another group, this one all women. They wielded tasers, and determination flashed in their eyes.
“I’m sending out the groups. Trek and Irv have outfitted them all with protective gear and tasers, and Starr blitzed over from Six to help organize them into groups of five by like talents.”
“Like talents?”
“Starr can read minds incredibly well. She’s putting people with flying skills together. People with math skills. People with problem-solving skills. The leader of each group brings me a paper.” He took one from a man in the next group. “Based on their noted skill set, I give them a section of the city to defend.” He turned to the group and assigned them the prison camp in the south orchard. “Detain the prisoners by force if necessary,” he told them before they lifted into the air.
“We’ve recalled our traveling teams. Hope that was okay,” Thane said as he scanned the paper for the next group.
“Sure, fine,” I said, surprised he’d practically asked. I clutched Vi’s hand and watched as Thane sent out team after team after team. Pride welled inside me at the efficiency of my Resistance. From Irvine to Starr to Trek to Thane, everyone had risen to the task at hand.
“Where do you need us?” I asked after Thane had sent another team to Rise Six to put out a still-smoldering fire. “And what’s Zenn’s status?”
“Why don’t you go find out?” Thane said. “He’s in his flat in Rise Nine. And do something about the fire while you’re there. Trek just said we’ve assigned all the volunteers.”
“How many?” I asked.
“Thousands.”
“How many did Darke bring?”
“A lot more.” Thane’s voice pinched with worry. “Clones, most of them.”
“You stay here,” I said. “Work with Irv to keep the transmissions flowing. Maybe we can create a frequency only Darke’s clones can hear. Can we brainwash them that way?”
“I don’t know,” Thane said. “I’ll talk to Irvine.” He disappeared down the stairwell, leaving me and Vi on the roof.
The smell of ash and burnt metal filled the air. The city flickered with flashes of tech and flame. We launched from the shallow lip of the roof and aimed ourselves toward Rise Nine.
“You know the flat?” I asked Vi.
“Yeah,” she replied, the first words she’d spoken in twenty minutes. She led me to the balcony, and we both pounded on the glass door with our fists.