Chapter Nineteen Faith

"Faith?"

Somewhere in the distance, her name was being called.

"Faith!"

It was Ella's voice. Her friend was no doubt wanting to check on her. But Faith didn't want to be checked on. To be asked if she was okay.

Sophia was dead.

She would never be okay.

Not waiting to be found, she opened the first door she came to. Blake's office. The techie had just headed off for lunch with Robyn. The room would be empty. And it wasn't a place Faith had spent much time recently. Ella wouldn't think to look there. Not to begin with, anyway.

The darkness of the room welcomed her. Collapsing into Blake's chair, she closed her eyes, letting the hum of the equipment drown out the world. It was comforting. At least nothing in here would shoot her pitying glances.

But when she opened her eyes, they came to rest on the familiar screen to her left. A screen which, for so long, had been her only means of contact with Sophia. It was turned off. They'd had no further use for it since Sophia had arrived at the library.

Faith remembered the joy she'd felt, less than a week ago, when she'd discovered the rescue had been a success. Sophia had been here, within her reach. Faith had helped to save her, and all her efforts to escape Eremus and return to the city had been worth it.

Her heart contracted painfully. Now Sophia was gone for good. There had been nothing anyone could do to save her life or that of the baby she'd been carrying. Faith leaned forward, tracing a finger through the dust on the screen. Tears gathered in her eyes. For once, she let them fall. Silently at first, then faster and faster, until a sob broke free from her body and echoed through the stuffy room.

Raw pain coursed through her as she flung her head into her hands on the desk, allowing the emotions to overwhelm her. One sob followed another, until they racked her entire body, making her chest ache. Faith welcomed the pain. Anything was better than the numbness which had enveloped her since the previous day.

She didn't even hear the door open. She was only vaguely aware of the hand on her back, patting awkwardly. She glanced up, expecting Ella or Diane. Instead, she found herself gazing into Blake's eyes.

Startled, Faith tried to jump to her feet, but Blake held her in place.

"Stay." She moved to the other side of the room, switching on a datadev. "I'll work around you."

Faith wiped her face with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. Strangely, she wasn't embarrassed. Blake continued as normal, moving around Faith as though she wasn't even there. Her actions somehow made Faith's tears seem normal, an acceptable reaction.

That she hadn't rushed to comfort Faith said a lot. Allowing her to cry it out, to recover from the bout of sobs without judgement, comment, or even observation, made it alright.

By the time she had pulled herself together enough to move, Blake had settled on a stool at the opposite side of the room. As Faith stood up, she turned.

"Feel any better?" She slid one of the headphones off her ear.

"Not really." Not wanting to dwell on her outburst, Faith stood up and walked across to the techie. "What are you doing?"

"Final edits of Sophia's spee–" Blake glanced down at the datadev in her hand. "Sorry. Probably not what you need to hear right now."

Sophia's words came back to Faith. Tomorrow might be too late. I have to do something, while I still can.

Taking a deep breath, she shook her head. "It's fine. She would want it to make a difference."

Blake nodded her approval. "Then I will make sure that the finished product is as powerful as I can."

"Thanks." Faith frowned. "It'll be ready in time for the ceremony?"

"I'll make sure of it." She glanced at Faith briefly, her eyes shadowed with doubt. "I only hope–"

Faith narrowed her eyes. "You only hope what?"

Blake sighed. "It's not the speech that's the problem. It's hacking into the feed for the ceremony. Madeleine's convinced the interruption will provide the perfect distraction so our operatives can get to Flynn. But…" The doubt in Blake's tone sent chills through Faith. "I'm not sure I… that is, Danforth's security experts have put far more challenging defences in place since the last time I did this, and…"

"You're not certain you'll be able to break through?" Faith surmised.

Blake shook her head. "And if I can't do it…"

"The distraction won't work." Faith's heart lurched. "Flynn will die."

Blake shook herself. "This is me we're talking about. Of course, I can do it." She hesitated. "I'd just feel better… knowing that there was a backup plan. That we had something else, something just as shocking, to distract Danforth at the right time."

Faith nodded. "You've done it before. I'm sure you can–"

"You're right." Blake slipped the headphone back over her ear. "Don't listen to me. It'll be fine. Don't worry," she met Faith's gaze steadily, "I'll do Sophia justice."

As she turned back to her datadev, her wristclip emitted a loud beep. Tutting, she glanced down at it. "Madeleine." She removed the headphones altogether and pushed herself to her feet. "Better go see what she wants." Moving to the door, she glanced back at Faith. "Stay as long as you like."

Grateful for the unusual show of understanding, Faith managed a weak smile. As the door closed, she felt a stab of guilt. She'd been so wrapped up in Sophia, she'd forgotten that Flynn's life was also hanging in the balance. Her eyes came to rest on the shape she had traced on the blank screen with her finger and her heart stopped.

It looked a little like a letter S.

She pressed the power button, hoping to distract herself. As the screen flickered to life, it showed one of the hospital's many hallways. A couple of medics walked past, deep in conversation, passing by a drudge who was moving in the opposite direction.

She reached forward, about to navigate to a different camera when something made her stop. She waited, hardly breathing, as the man came closer to the camera. Though his head was bowed low, something about his movement was familiar. And then she knew.

It was Noah.

Noah, who she wished more than anything she could be with right now. Noah, whose posture suggested a misery beyond that of an ordinary drudge. Noah, who right now must be terrified for the life of the man who had been there for him ever since his birth.

He passed beneath the camera and the hallway was empty once again. Faith's heart ached for him. She was so sick of watching the people she cared about suffer and being powerless to do anything about it. But what could she do? The entire Resistance was struggling with how to rescue Flynn. She was just one person. And a wanted person, at that. Someone who risked attracting a lot of attention if she was spotted in the city.

Blake's words came back to her. "I'd just feel better knowing that there was a backup plan… something else… just as shocking, to distract Danforth at the right time."

The seed of an idea started to form. Rooting through the mess of belongings on Blake's desk, she located a pen and notebook, hastily scribbled a note, and tucked it behind the charging unit which she knew Blake only used at the end of the day.

That done, she opened the door and peered out. At this time of day, most of the Resistance members would be in the hub having lunch. Hurrying into the empty hallway, she headed for the dorms, praying she wouldn't meet anyone. Once she had gathered a few choice belongings, she pulled on a dark hoodie and went back downstairs, backpack in hand.

One last stop before she left. Bracing herself, she slipped into Sophia's sickroom. Her friend's body was gone, but otherwise the room was untouched. Faith made her way to the empty bed. The nightstand was still filled with the detritus of the previous day. It took seconds to locate the items she wanted and slip them into her pocket.

Moments later, she was peering out into the empty hallway. Now came the tricky part. She couldn't get away with leaving through the tunnel. She'd have to cross the hub, and someone would question her. The side door was her only option, but there was always someone on duty there. Could she get past them without raising suspicion?

Leaving her backpack in the sickroom, she approached the little-used exit with caution. She pulled back the curtain which screened off the door, revealing a startled-looking Olivia on the other side.

"Faith! You made me jump." She narrowed her eyes. "Everything okay?

"It's Madeleine." Faith didn't have to fake her worried expression. "Something's happened. She needs you in her office. Now."

"She does?"

Olivia stiffened, and Faith wondered if she'd done something she didn't want Madeleine to find out. Playing on the woman's fear, Faith stepped closer.

"Yeah. Not sure what it was, but it sounded pretty urgent." She dropped her voice. "I wouldn't keep her waiting if I were you."

Olivia gestured to the door. "Would you…?"

As casually as she could manage, Faith nodded. "Of course. I can stay here ‘til you get back."

"Thanks." Twisting her hands together, Olivia set off towards the hub.

Knowing she didn't have long, Faith darted back to the sickroom. Collecting her pack, she hurriedly donned a pair of sunglasses and pulled up her hood. Happy with her makeshift disguise, she retraced her steps to the exit. Sweeping the curtain out of the way, she slipped behind it and let herself into the street.

Outside, the square was busy. Too busy for anyone to notice a lone figure slipping out of the library's side entrance. When Faith reached the top of the steps without being stopped, she heaved a sigh of relief. She'd made it.

Lowering her head and hunching her shoulders, she slipped into the crowd.