Chapter Twenty-Four Noah

As Faith raced up the steps, he felt like his heart was going to explode. Straining forward, he saw her shove the guard at the top out of her way, sending the woman flying into the crowd.

What was she doing?

She appeared to be trying to save Flynn single-handed. Noah cursed under his breath. It was bad enough to have his father directly in the line of fire. Having Faith in danger too was more than he could handle. As she made a beeline for Danforth, he clutched the window frame, searching for some way to help her.

The skylight gave Noah a good view of the stage. If he'd had a weapon, he might have considered firing at those threatening Flynn and Faith, but he didn't. And, if he was honest, he wasn't that good a shot. Again, he considered making his way out through the restaurant, but discounted it. This was going to go down quickly. Even if he was prepared to risk getting caught, he would never make it to the stage in time.

He was stuck. Forced to witness the events, but helpless to change them.

He found himself thinking of his brother. Paulo could hit a moving target from several metres away, a skill which would have been very useful right now. But his brother was in Eremus. Possibly in grave danger, if Flynn's appearance was anything to go by.

And, he reminded himself, he didn't have a weapon.

Quashing his worries for the cave community, Noah forced himself to focus on the events happening below. When Faith had first reached the stage, shock and disbelief had immobilised Danforth. But a delighted smile spread over the chancellor's face as she recognised the young woman making her way to the podium. The first girl to show a promising response to her experiments was again within her grasp. A replacement for Sophia.

The chancellor gestured to the guards stationed on both sides of the stage, urging them forward. Noah watched Faith closely. Where he was expecting to see panic and fear, there was only an admirable calm. Moving closer to Danforth, Faith held out her right hand, uncurling the fingers slowly until the palm was flat.

Noah strained forward, unable to see what she was showing Danforth. He turned cold, though, when the chancellor backed away, stepping down from the podium with a fearful expression on her face. Whatever Faith held in her hand had terrified her.

As Faith stepped up to the microphone, Noah held his breath.

"My name is Faith H-Hanlon." A slight quiver in her voice betrayed her nerves. "I spoke to you once before," she gestured behind her, "from this very screen."

The crowd was silent, their eyes fixed on Faith. Danforth had moved to one side of the stage and was conversing intently with a small group of her guards. Keeping one eye on them, Noah tuned back into Faith's words.

"Last time, my words were discredited. But this time, I'm right here in front of you. And I won't be silenced." Shifting slightly, Faith glanced to her left, keeping her eyes on Danforth. "I'll have to talk fast, though."

She pointed at the screen again, her hand shaking.

"This is S-Sophia." Her voice shook, but she pressed on. "My best friend. She made this video—two days ago—in the hopes that it would help to persuade you that everything I told you before is true." Her face twisted in sorrow as she went on. "Yesterday, Sophia… d-died."

Noah clutched the window frame, his knuckles turning white.

"She d-died," Faith continued, holding a hand out to quell the horrified murmurs which ran through the crowd, "because of your chancellor's actions." Turning, she jabbed a finger at Danforth. "Sophia was given the experimental drugs I told you about. In huge doses."

She paused before continuing, shooting a sideways glance at Danforth, whose face was growing darker with every word.

"The drugs caused her to become pregnant." There was an audible gasp from the citizens. "Unbelievable, isn't it? A pregnancy without male seed." Faith leaned closer to the microphone, her voice bitter. "Danforth and her government considered Sophia to be a great success."

Noah closed his eyes. Sophia was dead. The metraxilone withdrawal had killed her, just as Liam had warned it might. She had paid the price for Danforth's experiment with her life. He opened his eyes, a hatred surging through him.

Danforth had paled at the mention of Sophia's death. Clearly, he wasn't the only one shocked by the news.

He turned his attention back to Faith, close enough to see the tears streaming down her cheeks as she continued to speak.

"Sophia's pregnancy was caused by the drugs." She was fighting to keep control, her voice hitching every now and again. "M-miraculous, perhaps. But the pregnancy did… did not progress in the normal way. Sophia's body c-couldn't cope with it. She got sick. And in the end, there was n-nothing we could do to save her."

Picturing Faith's gentle friend, Noah felt a weight of sadness settle over him. Sophia had never done anything to deserve the treatment she'd suffered. Danforth had used her. And, in rescuing her, the Resistance had unwittingly brought an end to her life.

His eyes fixed on Faith. She didn't even understand what it was that had caused her friend's death.

He vowed to get the information to her, whatever the cost.

Beneath the stage, the crowd had grown restless. Whispers ran through the group of Bellator citizens like a strong wind rippling through a field of corn. Despite his grief, Noah's chest swelled with pride. Faith's words were having a real impact. Many of the women were nodding and their feet had begun to shift restlessly as the tension grew.

But Danforth had recovered herself. She began moving towards Faith, flanked by guards on both sides. Her arms were outstretched, giving the impression that she meant no harm. Of course she wouldn't want her citizens thinking badly of her.

Noting the chancellor's approach, Faith's eyes widened. She spoke again, her words tumbling over one another.

"I implore you. Listen to me. I'm telling the truth. These experiments are real, and they're happening to large numbers of the girls at the Danforth Academy. We have to stop them." She turned to Danforth, her eyes wide. "We have to stop her."

As she turned back to the audience, Faith's eyes roamed the crowd wildly. He followed her gaze, knowing she was looking for the Resistance members, willing them to take action. He spotted Robyn, close to the front of the crowd on Flynn's side of the stage. Behind her were two other faces he vaguely recognised from the library.

They were all edging closer to the prisoner as the attention was focused on Faith and Danforth. Did they even have weapons? How were they planning on retrieving Flynn, or Faith, when they were surrounded by heavily-armed guards?

While he willed Faith to keep talking, he prayed she would be careful what she said. In her last speech, she had mentioned the Eremus people, shooting down another of the lies which Danforth fed her citizens. Today, that would be a bad idea. The moment Faith mentioned the men in the forest, people would turn towards Flynn.

And they didn't want anyone looking at Flynn right now.

Noah glanced at his father, still surrounded by an alarming number of guards. Flynn's body was tense, his head cocked at an angle. Listening. Noah had seen his father in the same pose many times, when they were hunting. For the second time in as many minutes, Noah wished he was back in the forest with his father and brother, stalking deer. His heart ached.

Silenced by the gag and blinded by the scarf which covered his eyes, Flynn was trusting his other senses. Relying on the skills he had honed throughout his life. When you worked in darkness, as the Eremus people were often forced to, it was essential to use your ears. Flynn wasn't stupid. He knew the interruption to the proceedings was a deliberate move on the part of the Resistance. He would be ready to act, when the time came.

Noah felt a tiny candle of hope light within him. But as he turned back to Faith, it was abruptly extinguished.

Danforth and her guards had reached the podium. Aware that time was running out, Faith turned. Unclasping her fingers again, she took something from her palm. Holding it up between her left finger and thumb, she raised it to her mouth.

Noah narrowed his eyes. The object was a vivid orange colour, shaped like a miniature orb. He glanced at her other hand, where she seemed to hold more of the mysterious items. They looked like sweets of some kind, or–

Noah's heart stopped. Faith was proffering a drug. And not, he was willing to bet, the kind which would cure sickness. For a horrible moment, he wondered if Faith was holding metraxilone. But she couldn't be. Danforth's reaction to the pills had been visceral. She'd been terrified that Faith would take them.

It didn't take much of a leap to figure out that the pills were a threat. If Faith swallowed them, Noah was willing to bet that they would have a devastating effect.

Faith knew how important she was to Danforth, especially now that Sophia was dead. The pregnancy experiment was close to success. The chancellor couldn't afford to lose the only other candidate who had shown promise.

When Faith had appeared on the stage, Danforth had been over the moon. To have her subject threaten to die, rather than return to the testing programme, was powerful. A bluff, Noah was certain. A distraction. But one, when delivered convincingly, that had sent terror into the leader's heart.

It was the reason Danforth hadn't had Faith hauled offstage in the first place. The move which had enabled Faith to speak to the crowd. But Danforth was changing her approach. Having witnessed the effect of Faith's words, the chancellor was determined to silence her.

Danforth was clinging to her reputation though. She couldn't be seen to treat Faith badly, not in public. She had to act with caution, or risk further damaging her reputation.

Noah's eye was attracted by a movement on Flynn's side of the stage. One of the women guarding him had moved away and was advancing on the podium from behind. Faith's focus was on Danforth. She had no idea there was a second threat. Noah's heart started pounding. Once the guard reached her, it would all be over. Without the pills, Faith was powerless.

His heart pounding, Noah racked his brain for a way to warn her. Below, the crowd was muttering, the noise growing in volume as they pressed forward, creeping ever closer to the stage. It would be useless to shout; there was no way Faith would hear him.

An idea struck him. He didn't have a weapon. But all he needed to do was attract Faith's attention. Make her aware of the threat.

Granted, his aim wasn't amazing, but if he could hit the stage with something, anything, it might give Faith a chance. And if she knew of the approaching guard, she might manage to regain control of the situation.

Glancing around, he looked for something he could throw.