Chapter Thirty Noah

Slipping out of the bay, Noah bent to attend to the cabinet again. As the technician approached, he stood up.

"You done yet?"

Nodding, Noah returned to his trolley. He wheeled it back past the empty beds, passing the other technician and exiting the ward without issue. Back in the hallway, he paused for a second to catch his breath.

He decided to return the trolley and complete some of his ordinary chores while he considered how he might get Faith out. He had to act quickly. Once she was on the fertility ward, he wouldn't be able to get near her.

More importantly, once Faith was in Sanders' clutches, she wouldn't waste any time. First, she'd administer femgazipane. And once that started to do its thing, metraxilone.

The drug which had caused Sophia's pregnancy. The drug which had led to her death.

He was heading for the supply building when he was joined by another drudge, who came out of a side corridor. Without looking at him, Noah knew something about his companion was wrong. For starters, he was far bulkier than the average drudge. The light was behind them, and the shadow the other man cast was far wider than Noah's.

The man's gait was different, too. Instead of the slow, steady steps of the drudge, the man appeared to hurry, taking large strides which made him stand out for all the wrong reasons. Puzzled, Noah chanced a brief sideways glance at the man.

His own step faltered as he tried to make sense of what he saw. The drudge wasn't a drudge at all, but a man. An Eremus man. And not one who had spent hours training, taking the time to properly learn how a drudge should act. One who had stolen an ill-fitting uniform, thrown it on, and entered the hospital with no preparation.

Harden.

Noah's mind whirled. His old enemy. A young man who had made his life miserable. Who had followed Jacob out of Eremus with his ma. And who was attempting, very badly, to disguise himself as a drudge. How he'd managed to get inside the hospital in the first place was beyond Noah.

His recent encounter with Sil came back to him. Her presence in the hospital had been odd. He remembered the store room he'd taken her to. Dammit, he'd even told her where the spare drudge uniforms were located. And now Harden was here. In the hospital. About to blow his cover.

Harden couldn't have been in the hospital for long. His disguise was so poor that he'd be caught within minutes.

Since the hallway was empty, Noah chanced some words.

"What are you doing?" he whispered, hoping the mask would hide his attempt at communication. "You look ridiculous."

He felt the man beside him flinch. Clearly, Harden had not identified the drudge he had been walking with. But his voice was familiar.

Harden turned his head. "Noah?"

"Eyes forward!" Noah hissed. "Someone will notice."

"You seem to manage the disguise well enough." Harden's tone was arrogant as ever. "I figured I could get away with it too."

"But you won't." Noah hissed. "You're too big. You're not even acting like a drudge."

There was a pause. "I'm not?"

"You're not." Beside Noah, Harden stiffened. "And you'll get caught. You'll get us both caught."

As they approached the end of the hallway, Harden hesitated.

"You don't even know where you're going, do you?" Noah felt him shrug. "This is madness. Let me get you out of here, safely."

"But Jacob–"

"Jacob nothing," Noah spat out. "Would he want you dead?"

Harden shook his head, all traces of arrogance gone.

"You'd better follow me then."

Abandoning the trolley, Noah changed direction, heading towards the camera-less exit he'd come through only an hour earlier.

"Why'd Jacob send you?" He couldn't resist asking.

"Sarah was in the square today. We know that Faith's here. He thought we might grab her… or find out more about her condition. I don't know." Harden sounded tired. "He wants to increase our hostage count."

"And he honestly believed you'd get away with snatching her from right under Danforth's nose?"

Harden didn't reply. As they reached the hallway leading to the exit, an alarm rang out. A shrill, repeating siren which blasted five times before a disembodied voice boomed through the hospital.

"Intruder alert. Hospital breach. All staff be aware."

As Noah picked up the pace, Harden hurried to keep up. "That me they're talking about?"

"'Fraid so."

Noah heaved a sigh of relief as they passed the last doorway in the hall and reached the exit which led to the outside. Noah yanked it open, thankful that the hospital hadn't yet locked the building down. Stepping through it, he turned back. Harden was hesitating on the threshold, his eyes wary.

"Get around that corner and there are no cameras. Climb over the fence and you'll be out of here." Noah jabbed a finger at the far end of the alleyway. "Either find a place to hide, or run like hell, until you get to safety. Got it?"

"How do I know you're not–"

Noah shook his head in disgust. "What would I have to gain? I'm putting myself at risk here too, or are you too dumb to see that?"

"I guess. Um…" Harden blinked, "thanks."

Noah shrugged. "Just get out of here."

He stepped back. As he opened the door wider for Harden to pass, a noise to Harden's right startled them both. Their eyes followed the sound. To Noah's horror, the office door next to Harden opened and a guard stepped out. Her eyes widened in surprise as she spotted the enormous drudge standing in front of her.

It took her no time at all to reach for the taser in her belt and hold it to Harden's chest. His body juddered violently with the charge. When she released him, he crumpled to the floor. Noah had frozen. But as the guard stepped away from Harden's lifeless body, her eyes turned to the open door.

She took a step forward, the taser stretched out in front of her. Slamming the door closed with as much force as he could muster, Noah knocked the woman down. Before she could recover, he turned around, checking the alleyway.

When he was certain it was empty, he ran.