“Right now he's at the recruits’ center.” Chancellor Collins remarked, “I'm not crazy about keeping him there permanently. After we clean up your old living quarters, we may let him stay in your old home.”
I nodded, unsure how to feel about our home belonging to a stranger. I knew it wasn't our home anymore. The house we sat in was where we belonged. I glanced at Cate. “Do you know Taron?”
Cate sighed. Her eyes were red and I wondered if she'd been crying earlier. “Yeah, everyone knows him.”
The Chancellor folded his hands together over his lap. “I've been considering all our options this afternoon, but I think it's in everyone's best interest if we devise a search and rescue mission for Thena. I want to send Cate and Aidan to retrieve any survivors from the site.”
I glanced at Cate, realizing now why she was so upset. It wasn't just her old home that was destroyed but the people she loved and cared about. Her family lived in Thena, and they were likely dead. “Aidan?” I scoffed. “Why can't you send me?” I wanted to help. I was tired of training and practicing for what? To sit around when help was actually needed.
“Out of the question.” Collins shot me a pointed look. “You know you can't go.”
“I'm fine!” I rolled my eyes. “This,” I gestured to the fact I was cooped up on the couch, “isn't permanent. I can get around okay. Besides, Cate needs me.”
“I need you?” She repeated, catching my stare. Her eyes were red and slightly swollen and she held her breath, refusing to cry in front of us.
“Yes,” I was adamant, “I can help.”
Chancellor Collins glanced at Aidan. He hadn't said a word, giving no indication of whether he wanted to travel to Thena or not. “What do you feel up to, Aidan?”
Aidan shuffled his feet as he leaned against the wall. “I'd rather not go into the Gravelands, if I have a choice.” He lifted his head, his gaze locking on me. Was he actually trying to help me out? Or was he doing this because of his own fears? I didn't care the reason; it was a chance for me to be a part of something bigger.
Cate sniffled and wiped a few stray tears with the back of her hand. “Someone has to come with me.”
“Someone will, I will,” I repeated forcefully, staring at Collins as I pushed myself into a sitting position on the sofa. “I'd like to come, to help those in Thena and be better prepared for whatever awaits us in the Gravelands.”
Maya heaved a sigh and finally spoke up. “There are others with more training, but I think it would be good for Olivia to gain a little freedom. Besides, if we're expecting her to fight, she should know what she's fighting for.”
Was she seriously batting for me? “You can count on me.” My eyes lit up from excitement. “What about sending Sydney too?” I wasn't trying to suggest Sydney could replace me, not after Maya offered me exactly what I wanted. However, neither of us was a doctor.
Collins sighed, “We can't risk Sydney being gone. She's too valuable to the community right now. Cate's been trained as a nurse,” he informed me. “She had training back in Thena, and she spent time interning with Sydney. She's plenty qualified.” His gaze turned towards the other council members. “Does anyone have any objections?”
Joshua cleared his throat, “I do.” I elbowed him hard in the ribs to shut up. He didn't so much as look at me as he stared at Collins. “If Olivia is going, I want to go with her.” I breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't fighting the decision.
Collins ran a hand across his forehead, clearly frustrated. “You can't, Joshua. I need you here. There are things you're responsible for and the entire community needs your help. Besides, her safety is dependent on you being in Shadow.”
“How is that possible?” I scoffed. I hated that they wanted to separate us. It was like Haven all over again. Except I knew this was my choice, wanting to go to Thena. No one had imposed the decision on me.
“Olivia's right,” Joshua acknowledged. “I go where she goes, we're a team.”
“Team or not,” Collins gritted his teeth, trying his best to keep under control, “Shadow may be under attack if Joshua leaves.”
Josh squeezed my hand and gently let go. I glanced at him, wondering what he was thinking. “Collins is right,” he sighed.
“What do you mean, right?” I didn't understand what they were talking about.
“The drone that flew overhead—we managed to bring it down,” Joshua explained. “I managed to bring it down. Actually, I brought down all five drones.” He clarified. “Collins thinks I may be able to interface with the system.”
“Really?” I couldn't believe Joshua hadn't told me the minute he'd found out.
“It's all theoretical,” Collins cleared his throat, “but we need Joshua to help us understand the inner-workings of the drones and possibly even fly them again.”
My mouth hit the floor. “What?” I couldn't believe what Collins was suggesting. “What makes you think Joshua is capable of that?”
The Chancellor answered matter-of-factly. “He's the one that brought them down. He's also turned off the drones so that the government can't locate the downed planes. All in a matter of minutes.”
I let the information sink in. “So you have to stay here, while I go to Thena?” I wasn't crazy about leaving Joshua behind. We were a team, always looking out for one another.
“I'd rather not,” he glared at Collins, “but he's right. I might be able to protect you better from Shadow. If I can rewire the system and get the radar to be functional, I'll know if another drone is coming.”
“Don't you worry they'll come after us? They're going to want their missing fleet.” I asked.
Collins answered me, “We have it covered.”
“How?” I couldn't understand how they were calm when just a few hours ago we were under attack. “What if they send soldiers on foot?”
“Relax.” Joshua rested a hand on my thigh. “I promise, you're safe here.”
“And if I go to Thena? Will Cate and I be safe on the way?” I glanced at Cate. Her eyes were red but the few tears had dried. I knew she wanted to go and someone needed to search for survivors, but if it was a trap and the government was planning on sending more drones, we needed to be prepared.
“That's why I want to rewire the radar,” Joshua reminded me. “I'll do everything in my power to keep you both safe,” Joshua assured me. I didn't know how he intended on keeping us safe but I trusted him.
CHAPTER 6
As soon as dawn broke, Cate was at my front door. I gave Joshua a goodbye kiss and headed for the vehicle parked on the street. Seeing the familiar van sent a chill down my spine. It was the same vehicle we'd driven in when we were recruits and had been required to undergo Mindonsiphan. It made my stomach somersault. I was glad I’d skipped breakfast, because I thought I might vomit.
“I brought some food and water,” Cate told me as I climbed into the van. Cate started the vehicle and together we headed out of Shadow. The last time I was out of the city, I'd been on the run. I sat in the front seat, glancing out the window, hoping no drones would circle the skies again today. “Don't look so worried,” Cate remarked. “I won't leave you out on the side of the road.”
“I wasn't worried,” I answered, shifting to look at her. At least, I hadn't been worried about that. I didn't know what to say. She was the last person I wanted to travel with. The trip by car would only take a few hours. Any more and I couldn't bear it.