Chapter Forty-Six Noah

The night air was chilly. Once they had started walking, they'd kept up a good pace, eager to get the job done. Noah had been glad to let Charlie guide them towards the warehouse location, but had found that much of the city was familiar to him now. Steering them along the back routes, the ex-guard had managed to avoid most of the citizens who were out on the streets.

"Y'okay?" Ruth nudged him with her shoulder as they walked.

It was a familiar gesture. For a moment, it felt like they were heading for their den in the caves, escaping from Harden and his buddies. How long ago that seemed.

"Yeah." He forced a smile. "I'm okay."

It was wonderful to be reunited with his friend, but his head was still reeling from the events at the academy. It had been a stressful night and the fight was far from over. Getting rid of Danforth's drug supply was a vital part of the mission.

But now that the academy girls were out of danger, all he wanted to do was get Faith to safety.

Ahead of them, Charlie paused as they approached the end of an alleyway, checking that the road was clear.

Noah leaned closer to his friend. "How come Paulo trusts her now?"

Ruth cocked her head to one side as they waited for some citizens to pass by. "Not long after you left, Flynn and Paulo set about making some changes to the way the prisoners were treated. Allowed them more freedom, included them more. Actually talked to them."

She stopped speaking as they crossed the road. When they had reached the safety of the alley on the other side, she continued.

"Turns out Charlie wasn't the most devoted guard. In fact, she regretted her decision to join the training programme almost as soon as she signed up."

"That's pretty much what she told me." Noah hesitated. "And we're sure she's on the level?"

"Pretty sure." Shooting Noah a sideways glance, Ruth grinned. "Charlie's one of the good guys. Really. Once we told her the truth about Eremus, about Danforth's lies, she was happy to help us. She's been working shifts in the caves, making herself useful."

They paused to walk single file as the alleyway narrowed. At the far end was a six-foot fence, which Charlie was already climbing. "Not to mention the fact that she's besotted with your brother." Ruth chuckled at the shock on Noah's face. "Believe me, she won't do anything to hurt him."

As Paulo followed the ex-guard over the fence, Ruth's words sank in. Noah closed his gaping mouth. "She and Paulo are…?"

"Oh yes. The feeling is decidedly mutual." Ruth smirked at him. "How could you miss the way they gawk at each other all the time?"

Noah recalled the looks the pair had exchanged. "I guess so. It's just–"

"What?" She gave his arm a friendly slap. "You can't imagine your brother in love?"

Noah blushed. "Not really."

"Not even," Ruth hesitated, as though she were afraid to finish the sentence, "when you feel that way about someone yourself?" Noah froze, unsure of how to answer. Ruth saved him the trouble by motioning to the fence. "Give me a boost, would you?"

As Noah bent to make a cradle of his hands, he pushed away his discomfort. Now was not the time to get distracted. Waiting until Ruth had reached the top of the fence, he followed. On the other side, Charlie was poised and ready to move off again.

"Not far now." She motioned to the street ahead, where there were fewer offices and more industrial-looking buildings. "Should be there in a couple of minutes."

She set off at a brisk pace, Paulo falling into step beside her as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Noah had to admit they seemed very much in tune. As he trudged along behind them, he became aware of Ruth's questioning glance.

"How have things been here?" She sent Noah a sideways glance. "I mean… how have you found being in the city? Pretending to be a drudge?"

"Tough." He sighed. "Not that I figured it was going to be easy, but…"

They walked in silence for several minutes. Eventually, Ruth spoke again.

"I couldn't believe it when I heard about Flynn." Her voice was quiet, the words hesitant. He got the impression she'd been working up to saying it, searching for the right time. "I'm so sorry."

Noah clenched his hands into fists. "I saw it happen."

"You were there?" Ruth jerked around to face him. "I can't…"

"Yeah, well," he glanced away, ashamed of his tears. "He didn't deserve it."

"He didn't."

There was a brief silence. They continued to walk next to one another, their shared grief enveloping them. Eventually, Ruth inhaled deeply.

"How's Faith?"

The abrupt change of topic told Noah she was trying to distract them both. Keep them focused. But the new subject was no better. Noah swallowed hard, trying to find the words.

"She's…" He drew in a breath. "Danforth has her… in the hospital." He felt Ruth stiffen. "And I was right there… with her… trying to work out how to rescue her, but…" He hung his head, the weight of the guilt returning. "I blew my cover."

He kicked at a stone on the pavement in front of him. It spun away, clanging against a metal gate on the other side of the street. Regretting the move instantly, he mouthed an apology at Paulo. When his brother's attention returned to their mission, he continued.

"We did have someone on the inside. A technician from the hospital. Madeleine was trying to get her to help… to support with a rescue."

He thought of Carol, the concerned tech who had showed up at the library door. Was she, even now, attempting to use the cloned keycards to get inside the fertility wards? Would she succeed?

"I've no idea if she'll get in. Security in the hospital is so tight now." He shrugged. "When we left the library, Madeleine hadn't heard from her."

"I'm sorry," Ruth frowned. "That's awful."

"Yeah. I just hope that, whatever the p-plan…" he cursed himself as he stumbled over the words, "I hope it works."

There was another silence.

"You know you love her, right?" Ruth didn't look at him. "I mean… it's obvious. You can't keep your mind on what we're doing, because–"

"Maybe." Noah quashed his embarrassment. "I mean, it's hard to concentrate, knowing she's in danger. And …"

Ruth glanced away, giving him a moment to regain control.

He took a deep breath. "She's brave, you know? She went out of her way to get information to the Resistance, despite being Danforth's prisoner. The warehouse we're heading for?" He gestured at the road ahead. "One of three locations she discovered were linked to Danforth's experiments when she was in the hospital. She risked her life to share them with us."

"That sounds like Faith."

"Right?" Noah had a lump in his throat. "Because of her, we can cut off Danforth's drug supply. Even though…" he dropped his gaze, fighting for control, "even though Faith's probably being dosed with them herself right now."

Ahead of them, the rest of their team had stopped. Paulo peered around the corner of the building, while Charlie gestured up at the sign on the wall: Eliot Street.

Noah forced himself to focus. Whatever happened now, he had to be ready for it. Everything they'd worked for came down to what happened in the next few hours. Live or die, he couldn't let it all be for nothing. People were counting on them.

"Ready?" He glanced at Ruth.

"As I'll ever be." Grinning, she waved a hand at the street ahead. "Lead the way."