Chapter Thirty-Eight Noah

The academy building was dark, Noah noted with relief. And this area of the city was silent, just as they had planned. He drew in a deep breath, attempting to calm his frayed nerves.

Blake was bending over the fuse box. A soft squeal of metal reverberated through the night as she levered it open. They all tensed, but when the silence continued, Blake eased the door of the cabinet fully open. Within seconds, she had disconnected the wires.

"Alarms are off," she whispered. "We shouldn't need to worry about them later."

When the Resistance had previously accessed the school, they had worked hard to get in and out without detection. Now they were intending to remove as many students from the school as possible, it would be impossible to hide the fact that they had been here. But it didn't matter. As long as they got the girls safely away, the alarms could wake the entire city. There would be no going back.

"I refuse to hide in the shadows any longer," Madeleine had declared. "Our actions tomorrow will change the face of Bellator forever. We may not win, but we will declare our intent to fight to the end."

With her words echoing in his head, Noah followed the group over the wall and across the lawns. It only took a couple of minutes to reach the side door of the academy. When they reached it, Blake knocked softly. It swung open. On the other side, a drudge stood in the shadows. Noah recognised him immediately.

"Arden," he whispered.

The Resistance spy had lowered his mask, revealing the whole of his face. He was grinning.

"Eight of the ten drudges here are with us." He jerked a hand behind him. "I've been working on them. The others won't help, but they won't give us away. The senior girls are being kept in the dining room. They've been there since there were too many of them to fit in the infirmary."

"At least they're all in one place." Blake nodded. "Where's Anderson?"

"She's not here." As Arden's grin disappeared, Noah's heart sank. "Professor Kemp thinks she's at some kind of meeting, but is due back soon. Kemp's going to coordinate the rescue for now, and…"

"…hope Anderson's back by the time we're ready to leave." Blake cast a glance at Noah. "You'd better stay with us for now, until Kemp gives you further instructions." Without waiting for him to nod, she turned back to Arden. "Where are the guards?"

"One at the front entrance, one at the door to the dining hall. Two more patrolling the building. We'll have to watch out for them. I'm pretty sure most of the professors are in bed already."

Blake jabbed a finger at Olivia. "Go to the front entrance and disable the guard. Then join us in the dining hall." She turned back to Arden. "You have someone to guide her?"

He nodded and beckoned to another drudge who stood beside him. Seconds later, the pair had disappeared around the side of the building.

"Where are we most vulnerable from the other guards? The ones on patrol."

"The dining room leads off a hallway from the main vestibule. If you post a couple of people on watch in that area, one at the foot of the stairs, the other at the mouth of the staff corridor, they should be able to warn us in time."

"Alright. Let's move."

With a swift nod, Blake set off. In a single file line, they made their way down the darkened hallway.

Noah gaped at the décor, trying not to get distracted. The walls were filled with enormous paintings, some of which stretched almost to the ceiling. The floor was made from highly-polished stone, and their footsteps echoed through the space, no matter how hard they tried to keep their footfalls soft. On either side of the hallway stood highly decorated pillars with abstract patterns swirling around them.

When they reached the end of the hallway, it opened into a circular space. The ceiling almost disappeared, soaring far above their heads. A magnificent chandelier hung in the centre, its crystals winking in the moonlight which poured in through the arched windows. The staircase which invited guests to ascend to the upper floors was wide and ornate.

An elbow in the ribs from Ella brought him back down to earth. At the edge of the space, Blake was muttering in the ears of two of the better Resistance fighters. Once she had stationed one at the foot of the stairs and the other on the opposite side, she beckoned for the rest to follow Arden again.

Darting down a hallway on the opposite side, he led them towards a door marked Dining Room.

Kemp was waiting for them. "Did Arden tell you about Anderson?"

Blake nodded. "Do you think–"

"Should be back within the next half hour." Kemp glanced at the hallway they had emerged from. "No trouble, so far?"

"None. Let's hope the evening continues that way." Blake turned her attention to the makeshift sick room. "What's the situation?"

"There are sixty seniors inside. I managed to switch the girls' evening sedation for the placebos Madeleine sent." Kemp's smile was tense. "They'll be sleeping, but not out cold."

"Good." Blake swept her gaze back down the hallway. "How many technicians are there?"

"Just one at night. And she isn't expecting any trouble." Kemp kept her voice low. "They do all their testing during the day. She's not a trained guard. She shouldn't be difficult to take down."

Blake moved towards the door, but Kemp put out a hand to stop her. "While most of them can walk, I'm afraid some of the girls are sicker than we anticipated. We might have to carry them." She shot a glance at the group. "I hope we can manage."

Noah thought back to the last time he had been involved in an attempt to take academy students out of the city. The kidnapping had been spur of the moment, and badly planned. The girls had been unconscious, so they'd all had to be carried. And they'd been heavy.

He found himself hoping there weren't many who needed that level of support tonight.

"I'll go in first. Take care of the technician." Blake was already easing the door open. "I'll signal when it's done."

Kemp nodded, and Blake disappeared. The group waited silently for their leader to return. Spotting Noah, Kemp nodded, clearly too tense to smile.

Beside him, Ella leaned close. "Pity we can't take the younger girls with us too."

"Would take too long, Madeleine said," Noah whispered back. "And as long as we destroy the drug supply, they shouldn't be in danger."

"Let's hope all goes to plan, then." Ella closed her mouth and stepped back as one of the other women glared at her.

The door opened a crack and Blake beckoned to them. "Let's get this done as fast as possible."

Noah followed the others. On the floor just inside the door lay a woman in the Bellator Hospital uniform. The technician. Her eyes were closed, as though she were sleeping, but her hands and feet were fastened together with twine. Madeleine had said the sedative would knock her out for several hours. Another obstacle eliminated.

The plan was simple. Wake the girls with minimum fuss. Have Kemp, who they trusted, explain the situation to them. Then, guide them out of the academy the way they had come, into the darkness of the city.

The plan would work. As long as none of them objected. Or panicked and raised the alarm.

Noah gazed around the room. It was packed with beds, ranged in rows along the entire length. In its current state, he couldn't imagine the room being used for eating. In every bed lay a young woman. Most of them were sleeping, but a few had begun to stir. Noah found himself glad that the femgazipane doses had been given to the girls via syringes so far. Unlike in Sophia's hospital room, there were no machines, no tubes for them to deal with.

He remembered how difficult it had been to disconnect Sophia's cannulas. The delay getting to the hospital meant that Robyn and Lily wouldn't have had time, so he'd had to do it. But Sophia had only been one patient. Here, there were large numbers.

Thoughts of Sophia and Robyn made him sad. Under other circumstances, Sophia might have helped with the mission planning, and Robyn would have been leading the charge into the academy. With a silent promise to live up to her example, he took another step into the room.

Blake materialised by his side. "You might as well keep watch for us for now, while you're waiting on Anderson. Stay by the door, though. The sight of a man might frighten some of them. Warn us if you hear anyone approaching."

As the others began to wake the girls, he found himself grateful that his own role was less physical. The room reeked of sickness. Even from his position near the door, Noah could see how pale and thin the girls were. How could Danforth and Sanders think the drugs were having a positive effect?

When all the girls were awake, Kemp stood in the centre of the room. Pointing a finger at her wristclip, which she had connected to the datadev, she accessed a series of messages she had created earlier. Each one appeared on the screens stationed around the room, meaning she didn't have to speak and possibly alert the guards in the building to their presence.

"We are here to rescue you," the first one said.

The girls gazed around at the strangers, a mixture of hope and distrust on their faces.

"What is being done to you is a criminal act."

A few of the girls nodded.

"Trust that we are taking you to a better place."

Kemp nodded encouragement, making eye contact with as many of the girls as possible. Noah could see that most of them accepted what she had said.

The last message gave specific instructions. "Please stand and prepare to follow us out of the academy. Stay quiet. Follow our lead, and you will be kept safe."

By the end of the sequence, many of the girls were already on their feet, gathering their belongings. Noah let out a breath. It was working.

He turned away, opening the door a crack so he could slip outside once again. Thankfully, the hallway was still deserted. He was about to go back inside when a shadowy figure followed him out. He squinted hard, recognising Ella.

Leaning close, he kept his voice low. "What is it?"

"Helen's not h-here." Her voice caught. "They must still have her with the juniors, because she's only just come back." She gripped his arm, fire burning in her eyes. "Noah, I can't just leave her here."

Noah glanced towards the vestibule, their exit.

"You want to look for her?" He didn't relish the thought. The academy was large, and neither of them were familiar with it. "I mean…"

They both jumped as the door behind them opened. Professor Kemp stuck her head out.

"Problem?"

Ella blanched. "Sorry… it's just that…"

"Helen's not here." Noah gestured back along the hallway. "Is she being kept somewhere else?"

Kemp took a few steps out into the hall, pulling the door closed behind her. "She's being kept near the staff offices. Anderson wanted to separate her from the rest." She glanced at her wristclip. "You've probably got time to go and fetch her before we're ready to leave."

"Is she…" Ella gestured back into the sick room she'd just left.

"She's fine." Kemp pointed over Noah's shoulder. "Go back to the main atrium – the one with the grand staircase. Take the hallway leading off it directly opposite this one. Follow it to the end. Got that?" She stared at them until they nodded. "You'll find a door on the left which has no name plate. That's where Helen is."

"Thank you!" Ella's face lit up. "We'll–"

Eager to return to the seniors, Kemp turned back to the dining room. "When you find her, ask her to take you to the control room. I'll meet you there."

"The control room?" Ella chewed her lip. "But–"

Kemp paused, her hand on the door. "Helen's not sick. And she'll be a useful asset when Anderson returns. I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier." The professor nodded, as though she had made a decision. "Blake will have to stay with the seniors, guide the team to the outskirts of the city. But we still have Anderson to deal with." She nodded at Noah. "Helen will know more about the tech stuff than you."

But Ella wasn't satisfied. "Sooo… we can get her out–"

"Once we've got what we want from our esteemed principal." Waving away any further protests, Kemp pushed open the door. "Keep an eye out for guards."

Without another word, the professor disappeared inside.