Chapter Thirty-One Faith

"Not sure we should administer any more sedatives."

"But Sanders recommended we…"

As the trolley moved along the hallway, Faith kept her eyes closed. She'd had a restless night in the Emergency Department. One of the technicians, a kindly woman named Carol, had hovered over her like she was dying. She wore a distinctive citrusy perfume, and as Faith had drifted in and out of consciousness, the intermittent scent of lemons had told her when the technician was nearby.

Every time she had attempted sleep, she'd been tortured by horrific images. Pictured Flynn's stoic face, waiting for the shot. Heard Robyn's scream of pain as the bullet tore through her body. The sense of helplessness had been overwhelming. She had done what she could to provide a distraction so the Resistance could mount a rescue.

But it had all come to nothing. Now, two more people were dead.

And the mention of Sanders told Faith she was being transported to the fertility ward. There was no denying it: she was about to replace Sophia as Sanders' guinea pig.

Faith still shuddered when she recalled the cold-eyed woman who had administered her first dose of femgazipane. Alone in her prison cell at the academy, she'd been terrified by the look on Sanders' face as she pushed the plunger on the syringe. The doctor was only interested in the success or failure of her drug concoctions. The potential damage it caused her subjects meant nothing to her.

The technicians in charge of moving Faith were worried. She had been given a pill to help her sleep the previous night, but it hadn't increased her blood pressure as they'd expected. What the technicians didn't know was that Faith hadn't taken it. She had kept the tiny pill under her tongue until the technicians had left. Spitting it out, she had hidden it in the hem of her hospital gown.

For now, at least, she was in control.

Faking sleep hadn't been difficult. She wasn't faking the low blood pressure though. And when she arrived in the fertility ward, there would be no resisting the sedatives.

"We shouldn't risk it." Carol sighed. "Not until her levels are more normal. She's been through so much."

"Were you in the square yesterday?"

Faith cracked her eyes open a little, squinting to make out the second technician's name badge. Freya. The woman had come on duty first thing this morning. Carol had been updating her on Faith's condition. She'd assumed the first technician's shift would finish soon after, but the woman hadn't shown any signs of leaving yet.

"I was sleeping." Carol shook her head. "Have to catch up when I've been on nights. You know how it is." She hesitated. "Was it as awful as it sounded on the news?"

"It really was. I've seen death before, in the hospital, I mean. I've never seen anyone executed like that though. Up close." Freya shuddered. "I mean… I get that men are a threat, but there was something about that guy. He looked so… resigned. Like he expected that kind of treatment from the Bellator women."

"You mean, the way we expect brutality from them?" Carol glanced around as she spoke. Quickly, Faith closed her eyes again. "I've been thinking the same thing myself."

"It kind of made me feel…" Freya hesitated.

"Go on." Carol's voice was low and urgent. "Say it."

"…like we're no better than they are."

"Exactly." Faith felt Carol's hand on her arm, steadying her as the trolley rounded a corner. "I've been thinking this Resistance… maybe they have a point."

The women fell silent, and Faith heard voices, as though they were passing other staff. When there was quiet again, Carol continued.

"I mean… what about the woman?"

"You mean the one who tried to save him?"

"That's the one."

"I didn't know what to make of her." Faith could feel the woman leaning closer to Carol. "I mean, why would a Bellator citizen try to save a male?"

"Well, if I'm right and she was part of the Resistance…" Carol let the thought hang in the air for a moment as she stilled the trolley, "perhaps what they're telling us is true. And that woman was fighting to keep a good man… a good person… alive."

A familiar whirring sound startled Faith. They were waiting for the lift. She thought of Flynn. He had been a good person. One of the best people she'd ever known. As had Robyn. Picturing the Resistance leader's easy grin was painful. She hadn't deserved to die. Neither had Flynn.

But if her actions and his stoicism had caused these women to have doubts? If these women were asking questions, others would be too.

A shrill ping, followed by a swishing sound announced the lift's arrival. The trolley gave a jolt as it was loaded in.

"I can't believe that other girl's dead." Carol sighed as the doors slid closed. "Sophia, was that her name? I saw her being taken for a scan just last week." Scepticism filled the woman's tone. "She looked pretty sick, even then."

"You really think she died because of what they did to her?" Freya's voice hitched. "Here in the hospital, I mean?"

"Maybe." Carol had dropped her voice. "I think we've no idea what they're doing in those restricted access wards."

"Then…" The women's attention shifted to her, and Faith fought to keep her body relaxed. "You think this girl here… You think she's telling the truth?"

"You mean about the drug treatment?" Carol paused. "She might well be. I mean, why risk this kind of trouble without good reason?"

"Yeah." The other woman agreed. "Whatever's going on in those wards, they don't want us to know about it. I'll bet we don't even get through the doors today."

"For sure. Hey," Carol's voice took on a hushed tone, "did you see the news last night?"

Faith strained to decipher the women's words as they dropped their voices.

"I did. Can you believe it?"

"Heard the guards arrested more than forty women," Carol sounded impressed. "In one location."

"I know." Freya's voice was hushed. "Protests against Danforth? It's unthinkable."

For a moment, Faith's heart soared. Could her words have really had that kind of an impact? Uprisings were unheard of in Bellator. But if even a small percentage of the city's women were doubting the chancellor, it was a huge step forward.

If they were prepared to act, that was even better.

"After what I heard yesterday," Carol gave a disapproving sniff, "I was quite tempted to join them."

"Me too. There are rumours there'll be more protests today. All over the city." Freya lifted Faith's wrist, feeling for her pulse. "What happens if Danforth doesn't have enough guards to deal with them all?"

"That's what I've been wondering." Carol paused. "And if what this Faith girl said is true… if that Sophia girl died because of what Sanders did to her…"

"Pulse is still a little erratic." The technician replaced Faith's hand on the trolley. "I think you're right about the sedative."

"You'll back me, then? With Sanders, I mean." Carol's voice was filled with relief. "If we spin it that her body isn't reacting well to the sedative, and the other drugs may not work to the best effect, maybe she'll hold off."

"Yeah, best to make it about the success of the drug, not the patient." The technician's tone was sour. "We all know what matters most to Sanders."

"Yeah." Carol tutted. "Might buy the poor girl a couple of hours, at least. I really feel for her. I mean… if she is telling the truth, then–"

"You think sending her into those restricted wards is sentencing her to death."

Carol sighed deeply. "I do. But what can we do about it?"

Faith's heart sank as the lift doors slid open and she was wheeled out into a different hallway. Sanders was intent on pressing forward with the experiment, no matter what. A few hours did not allow her much time to escape, nor for the Resistance to rescue her. Could she risk asking the technicians for help?

Faith allowed her eyes to flutter open. "I…" she feigned sleepiness, "Where am I?"

"Bellator Hospital." Carol's kindly eyes gazed down at her. "We're just moving you out of the Emergency Department."

"How are you feeling?" Freya placed a hand on her arm.

Faith glanced between the two women. Their conversation had indicated a certain sympathy for her. An interest in the Resistance. Could she trust them?

"I'm tired," she began, aware of how quickly the trolley was speeding down the hallway. There wasn't much time. "Where are you taking me?"

The two women exchanged worried glances. Neither of them seemed to want to respond to her question.

"I'm in danger, right?" Faith stared at Carol. "You don't have to answer. But… if," she struggled up on to her elbows, "if you want to stop what happened to Sophia from happening again," the technician's eyes widened, "please, do something about it."

"What can we do?" As Carol leaned closer, the lemony scent grew more intense.

"Get a message to the Resistance," Faith racked her brains. She couldn't tell them to go to the library. "Find…" she ran through the people who would be easy to locate, deciding that Evelyn would be the simplest. "Find–"

"Morning!" Freya said loudly.

Carol's gaze jerked away from Faith's. A medic had just exited a door at the end of the hallway. As she made her way towards them, Faith settled back down again.

"Is that our new patient?" The medic stared down at her. "Faith Hanlon, right?"

"That's right." Freya said.

"She's a little on the pale side." The woman frowned. "I was hoping she'd have picked up overnight."

Faith disliked being spoken to as though she wasn't there. Narrowing her eyes, she glanced at the medic's badge. Susie. The medic was petite, and something about her was familiar. Then it hit her.

Susie was one of the medics who'd been in charge of Sophia. The woman who took blood from her every day. Who had controlled the doses of sedation she was being given. Faith went cold. There had been little doubt as to where the technicians were taking her, but the presence of this particular medic sealed her fate.

Susie walked with them to the end of the hallway. When they reached the ward door, she moved to take charge of the trolley. As predicted, she wasn't going to permit the technicians inside.

"Anything I need to know?" Pulling out a keycard which was attached to her belt on a kind of coiled spring, she tapped it against the keypad at the side of the door.

"Her notes are all there." Carol gestured to the file resting on the trolley. "But… you should know that her BP is still a little low." Concern filled her voice as she pushed on bravely. "I think she needs time to recover… before you begin any… treatment."

"Right." Susie nodded. "I'll pass it on to Doctor Sanders."

The medic began pushing the trolley into the ward. As her companions backed away, Faith could sense their reluctance. The doors swung closed behind her, and the last thing she saw was Carol's face. The technician looked anguished, as though she was abandoning a friend.

And then she was gone.