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I whip around and fly at Katia. My elbow connects with her ear, and my other hand grabs her wrist. I twist the knife out of her hand, and it falls to the ground.

“I’m sorry!” I yell as she groans.

Katia jumps up and raises her fist to punch me, but Abe grabs it, then grabs her other one and holds her hands over her head.

I fiddle with my watch. “Where do we go?”

“The present,” Abe says. “We end this right now.”

I nod my head. I don’t like projecting without a plan, but this is the best chance we’ve got. We’re two now. We’re two again. We can do this.

Abe spins Katia around and pushes her away, then grabs my arm. I close the watch face, and Abe and I tear through time.

We land back in the present day. I gasp and open my eyes. And then I gasp again. Alpha is standing right there in front of me, dressed in a tailored suit that must have cost thousands. Wonder where he got the money. Red is behind him, wearing a button-down with the sleeves rolled up. I take a second to note the large tattoo on his forearm. The good old stars and stripes intertwined with another flag, this one made up of three blue stripes, two white stripes, and a white star centered in a red triangle at the hoist.

I look beyond Red, but no one else is here.

And then Abe grabs both of my wrists. I let him.

“I got her!” he yells. “I did what you asked. Now let my grandmother go.”

Alpha laughs. “Not quite yet.” He nods his head at Abe. “Let go of her and step away.”

I feel Abe squeeze my wrists. And then he lets them free.

“The traitor returns,” Alpha says. His hard face is relaxed and even. Real. It’s as if he’s convinced himself that I really am a traitor. Maybe he’s a psychopath.

“I figured out your little notebook,” I tell him.

“Did you now?” His voice is calm, but I see a flash of panic in his eyes.

“Yep. I know the truth. I know who CE is.” I jerk my head to the administration building, then I turn my attention to Red. “My father was Delta, you know. I’m one of you. I was born into this. There is no experiment. Or did you know that already, too?”

“Lies!” Alpha seethes. But his hands tremble. I catch sight of them before he shoves them behind his back.

“Did you also know that Alpha is taking kickbacks on every mission he can sell?” I ask Red.

And then for a second—one short but important split second—Red’s training fails him, and his eyebrows creep up a few hairs. That tells me everything. Red doesn’t know.

And then I look at Alpha. I trusted him. I thought he was on my side. But he never was. Ever. He lied to me; he lied to Abe; he lies every time he opens his mouth.

“You’re going to prison,” I tell him. “And I can’t wait until I get to testify against you.”

Alpha laughs, and I can hear his nervousness, can see him struggle to compose himself. “Oh, Iris. My dear, sweet, powerless little Iris. You know why I gave you that name, don’t you? Iris, the mythical goddess of the rainbow. I saw in you the potential to be a leader, to take charge of all of Annum Guard.” Red stiffens. “But now I see that you take after another Iris. A dainty, delicate flower that can be crushed in the palm of my hand.”

“You don’t give me enough credit.”

“No, I give you too much credit. I thought you were strong. I thought you were like your father.” Red stiffens again. “I was mistaken. You’re not your father’s daughter. You’re your mother’s daughter. Weak. Unstable. Completely detached from reality.”

His words are worse than a slap to the face. My head reels back, and I want to pounce. I don’t. But Abe does. He lunges at Alpha. But Alpha grabs something from his waist and points it at Abe. I scream as Alpha’s wrist flicks, and Abe crumples to the ground. NO!

I drop beside him and grab his hand. My head spins, and I look for his wound. I need to stop it. I pat my hands all up and down his chest. Abe groans. I need to find it. I need to apply pressure. I need . . . wires. There are wires. There wasn’t a shot. Alpha didn’t shoot him. He stunned him.

“Red,” Alpha says, “take her.”

Red doesn’t move.

“I said take her!”

“Was her father a part of the Guard?” Red demands. “I need to know if there’s any truth in what she’s saying.”

“No, what you need to do is to follow orders when I give them. Now take her.”

“He was!” I shriek as Abe writhes on the ground next to me. “My father was Delta. He met Alpha here at Peel, and together the two of them hatched a plan to start making money off all the missions. It’s been going on since before I was born. Probably since before you were born, Red.”

“Where’s your proof?” Red shouts, his chin jerking up in the air.

“She doesn’t have any,” Alpha says. He takes a step over to me, then yanks me up and pushes me toward Red. His hands tremble. “Because there isn’t any.”

“I’ve seen it. Yellow has, too.” Oh God, Yellow. Please let Yellow be okay.

Red draws in a breath through his nose. He’s trying to take it all in; I can see it. He looks from me to Alpha, then back to me. And then he reaches a hand to his earpiece and mutters, “Whiskey Oscar Lima Foxtrot.”

I don’t know what that means, but judging from Alpha’s reaction, Red believes me.

“No!” Alpha shouts. He lunges forward, and Red pushes me behind his shoulder. Alpha raises the taser again, and Red brings up his hand to block it. But the sputtering sound rings out again, and Red screams as he drops to the ground.

I jump back. My heart thumps in my chest. And then Alpha turns to me.

He’s straining to keep it together. His eyes dart from Red to Abe to me. He drops the taser to the ground, and for one brief second my heart leaps as I think Alpha’s going to surrender to me.

The second is short-lived.

Alpha unhooks a gun from his holster and raises it. I don’t flinch.

But Alpha does. Because just then there’s a distant sound in the air. Whup whup whup whup. I know that sound. I don’t have to look up. It’s a helicopter.

Alpha’s head snaps up toward the sky, then down and over at Abe. “Red!” he yells.

The Black Hawk is getting closer. I can see men dressed in black hanging out of the doors. And they can see me. And Alpha. And the gun he’s pointing at me.

Alpha lowers the gun and takes off running across campus. I scream and stare up at the helicopter. It’s still too far away. They won’t be on the ground for at least a minute. That’s giving Alpha too much of a head start, so I take off running. It’s stupid. He’s armed; I’m not. But I can’t let him get away.

Alpha darts through the quad just as class is letting out. Kids spill out onto the sidewalks. I don’t look at them as I run past.

“What the—?” someone shouts. “Is that Amanda Obermann?”

I ignore it. Alpha zips into the science building. I’m only a few steps behind. I rip open the metal door with such force that it bangs against the brick exterior. I don’t see Alpha. I stop. Listen. Footsteps above me. Hard, heavy footsteps clomping up the stairs.

“Stop running!” I race up the stairs. In the landing, I see him. He’s thundering down the hall, heading toward one of the chem labs. He ducks in and slams the door, and I go barreling in after him.

“When are you going to give up?” I shout as I fling open the door. “You’re—” I stop. He’s standing right in front of me, and there’s a gun pressed into my forehead. I blow out the rest of my breath.

“Hands up, please,” he says. “And don’t try to grab the gun. I’m anticipating it.”

I raise both hands slowly. The gun in Alpha’s hand doesn’t waver as he stares at me, and my mouth goes bone-dry. People have pressed guns into my head before, but always in training. Never for real. I swallow.