Chapter Five Faith

"Come in!"

Nerves fluttered in Faith's stomach as she pushed open the dorm door.

After three hours contacting the various safehouses, she and Blake had confirmed that all the Resistance operatives were safe. Apart from Ella. Numerous attempts to contact the young Eremus woman had gone unanswered. And while Blake had given many plausible reasons as to why Ella might not be responding to their calls, it was difficult not to think the worst.

As news filtered in about the explosion, a picture was forming. The only building affected by the explosion was Matriarch House. Set amongst fairly extensive grounds, the government headquarters was a fair distance from other locations, so the damage was limited to Danforth's command centre. But it was extensive.

The front of the property had been decimated, rubble scattered across the lawn and amongst the trees which fringed the grounds. Parts of the rear were still standing, but fires were raging among the debris, making it difficult for emergency services to rescue people. The thought that Ella might be lying among the debris haunted Faith.

When Blake suggested she take a break, she suspected it was only to get rid of her. But Faith had been desperate to see her friend ever since Sophia had arrived at the library, so eventually she took the techie up on her offer.

Now that she was at the door to Sophia's room though, she was nervous. After years of spending a large part of every day together, it had been weeks since they had last seen each other. So much had happened to them both in that time.

Faith had no idea what to expect.

Taking a tentative step inside, she scanned the room. All the beds were empty except the one at the far end under the window.

Robyn and Lily stood at the foot of it, conversing in whispers. A figure bent over the bed, ministering in some way to the patient. It took Faith a moment to recognise Rowan, the drudge who Noah had replaced at the hospital. She supposed it made sense that he was being put to use in this way. He was comfortable in a medical environment.

As the door closed behind her with a click, Robyn and Lily looked her way.

"Any news on Ella?" Robyn looked hopeful.

Faith shook her head. For a moment, their expressions were sombre, then Lily stepped forward with a smile.

"She'll turn up soon. Guess you've been permitted to see the patient, at last." She beckoned to Faith. "Don't be shy."

"If you're all set, I'd better get going." Robyn turned back to Lily as Faith headed towards them. "I'm sure Madeleine has things for me to do." She glanced down at the bed, her eyes darkening. "Keep me posted, please Lil? I don't want to let the situation get away from us."

"Of course."

Faith turned to the senior Resistance operative. "What situation?"

"Nothing for you to worry about." Robyn passed Faith on her way to the door, but refused to meet her gaze. "Good job on the speech, by the way. I heard it went well."

"Thanks." Faith tried to smile. "Pity its effect was ruined by the bomb."

It was true. As Faith had been speaking with the operatives in the safehouses, Blake had been gathering information on the events which had gone on in the city. The media was already up and running, and the news was bleak as far as the Resistance was concerned.

True to form, Danforth had been quick to blame the explosion on Eremus, making it seem like Flynn's appearance had been nothing but an elaborate diversion. It wasn't true, but so far, it looked like most of the Bellator citizens were swallowing the story. Jacob's little stunt had blown apart their efforts to change the minds of the city's women as surely as it had destroyed a large part of Matriarch House.

Danforth had appeared on the news already, repeatedly reassuring her citizens she was doing everything she could to keep them safe. Word on the street was that most of the women were grateful for her intervention. Evelyn had returned to headquarters via a circuitous route, listening to conversations on the way. Her report suggested that the incident had made the women more afraid of the Eremus men than ever.

Worst of all, both Flynn and Helen had been captured by Danforth. The chancellor had Flynn in custody. His badly bruised face had been flashed up all over the news, along with reassurances that he wouldn't be allowed to get away with what he and his people had done. Faith hoped that Noah hadn't seen the footage. She knew what it would do to him, witnessing the only father he'd ever known at the mercy of the devil herself.

As for Helen, they were all concerned about Danforth's plans for her. Faith thought she might become a replacement for Sophia. Once Danforth discovered her prize guinea pig's absence, she would need a substitute. Madeleine assumed she would be shipped back to the academy. Her reappearance in the city had been so public, Danforth wouldn't dare treat her as casually as she had Sophia. But sinister things were happening at the school, so there were no guarantees she would be safe in either location.

"We'll have none of that." Robyn stopped as she reached the door. She turned to face Faith, this time looking her dead in the eye. "Your words may have been overshadowed. They won't be forgotten, though. We can't expect to change people's minds overnight. It may take years. But every single person we cause to question Danforth's rule is a step in the right direction. Don't you forget that."

"But I–"

"No buts. People were listening. Perhaps the next time they walk past the academy, they'll think twice about what's going on behind those gates. And maybe," Robyn added, "the next time they have dealings with a drudge, they'll be kinder."

With a kindly smile, Robyn left the room. Faith stared after her. Was she right? Or was she simply trying to make Faith feel better?

"Come closer." Lily's voice broke through her thoughts. "She's been asking for you."

At Lily's comment, Rowan backed away from the bed. It was an instinctive move for a drudge, to subjugate themselves when women were present.

"Thank you, Rowan." Lily smiled widely. Faith was glad that the Resistance women did not treat Bellator's serving class the way the rest of the population did. "You can try again in a little while."

As the drudge turned away, Faith caught a glimpse of the bowl in his hand. It looked like it was filled with soup. Had he been trying to feed Sophia?

As Rowan left the room, Lily grasped Faith's arm, ushering her closer to the bed.

"Look who's here!" she trilled. "Seeing your best friend will be just the medicine you need. I know you're…"

But Faith's eyes had found Sophia's. For a moment, they were back in their dorm, at the academy, about to go down for breakfast or out for a walk in the grounds together.

"Hey, Soph." Faith lowered herself onto the bed, careful not to jostle her friend. "How's it going?"

Sophia's eyes brightened at Faith's voice. "I knew you wouldn't abandon me."

Sitting bolt upright, she flung herself forward. As Sophia's arms tightened around Faith, she realised for the first time how skinny her friend was. And, as she pulled her closer, she felt the gentle swelling of Sophia's stomach.

Guilt crept over her. Sophia had been in Danforth's clutches for too long. Yes, they had got her back, but at what cost? She had been subjected to numerous experimental treatments. Spent hours alone hooked up to machines which monitored her every move.

And she was pregnant.

Feeling Sophia wince, Faith relinquished her hold. "What is it?"

"It's nothing." Sophia proffered her arms. There were numerous sores on the white skin on both. "I'm just a little sore, that's all."

"What on–?"

"They're from the tubes that were attached to me in the hospital." Sophia pressed a finger to one of them. "Noah had to take them out."

"Noah did this?" Faith tried to keep the horror from her voice.

"He did." Sophia beamed. "I almost fell out of bed when he walked into my room at the hospital. Noah, in Bellator?"

"It was a good job he was there." Lily stepped forward, pressing a bandage to the wound. She turned to Faith. "You know we were majorly delayed in getting to the hospital. If Sophia hadn't been ready to go when we arrived, we may not have gotten her out at all."

"So Noah was…"

"Quick-thinking, resourceful, heroic?" Sophia raised an eyebrow. "Most definitely."

"She's right. We'd have been lost without him." Lily bent closer, examining the broken skin. "I know we've already cleaned these up, but I might just go grab some more sanitiser and give them one more dousing. Just to be certain." Moving away, she headed for the door. "It's great to see you with a little more energy than you had earlier. I told you seeing Faith would do you good. Won't be long."

Left alone, Faith turned back to Sophia. "I'm so glad Noah was there for you." She took hold of Sophia's hand. "I'm just sorry that I couldn't be."

"Don't be silly." Sophia dismissed her apology. "I knew you'd be playing your part in the rescue mission." She leaned closer. "I hear it was a pretty big part, actually."

"Not really."

"Lily was telling me all about your speech. How powerful it was." Sophia insisted. "That's so much more than rescuing a single person."

"I'm not sure it did us much good, though."

"You don't know that yet." Sophia squeezed Faith's hand. "Hey, I heard you and Diane staged a breakout from Eremus to come and get me." Faith smiled at her change of subject. Sophia had always been intuitive. "You'll have to tell me about it."

"I will… sometime." Faith managed to smile. "But, for now, I'm more interested in what's been happening to you."

She sat back, allowing her gaze to roam over her friend properly. Sophia was pale, her skin almost translucent in the light from the overhead bulb. The pregnancy had rendered her stick-thin, aside from the belly which protruded more than Faith had expected for someone who could only be a few weeks pregnant. Her eyes were hollow, enveloped by haunting dark circles which contradicted Sophia's cheerful words.

Faith choked back tears. "How does it feel?" Her eyes lingered on Sophia's stomach. "I mean… did you know that you were…?"

"Pregnant?" Sophia dropped her gaze. "Not at first. I overheard a couple of conversations. They were whispering about cycles and fertility. I kind of got an inkling of what they wanted. But one day they came in all excited. And when they took me for the scan, I knew what they were looking for. When my stomach started to…" she gestured to her belly, "it just confirmed what I'd suspected."

"How is it?" Faith shifted a little closer. "Do you feel different?"

"It's draining." Sophia sagged back against the pillows. "I'm very tired all the time. And I'm…" she faltered for a moment, "I guess I'm a little nervous. This pregnancy isn't an ordinary one. The drugs they were giving me… I don't know what effect they've had." A tear rolled down her cheek. "Faith, I thought I was never getting out of there."

"You're here now, though." Faith reached for her hand. "We'll look after you."

"I know." Sophia brightened. "Robyn said they've assigned Lily and Rowan to me permanently, until I get better. I feel very special."

It was true. Lily had limited knowledge and experience, but was the closest the Resistance had to a medic. And with no other Resistance operatives in the building to help Lily, Rowan was an obvious choice to assist her.

"You are very special." Leaning forward, Faith enveloped her friend in another hug. "I'm so pleased I have you back. I just hope…" she pulled away, "I hope that you–"

"I'll be fine." Sophia was smiling, and looked more like her old self. "With a couple of weeks' rest, I'll be grand. Now that I'm off the drugs, how could I fail to get better?"

Faith didn't want to mention the baby. No one knew how Sophia's pregnancy would progress when it was the first of its kind. But her friend looked so much more positive now; Faith didn't want to ruin her mood.

A knock made them both turn.

"Up for another visitor?" Diane popped her head around the door.

Faith leapt to her feet. "When did you get back?"

"Just now." Her friend hovered in the doorway, grinning. "Bit of a delay on my way back. Streets are pretty busy, what with the clear up from the explosion and all."

"What's so amusing?" Faith frowned. "It's not like the mission went exactly to plan, is it?"

"Well, no." Diane sobered. "But let's just say I'm grateful for small mercies."

"Small–?" Faith shook her head. "Would you come inside? Why are you hovering in the doorway like that?"

"Because…" Diane glanced at Sophia. "I wanted to check if the patient could cope with multiple visitors."

Sophia and Faith exchanged glances.

"I can manage two people." Sophia rolled her eyes. "It's hardly a crowd."

"Well, actually, it would be three." Diane shrugged. "But I figure the third visitor's someone you'd be happy to see."

Diane stepped aside. In the gloom from the hallway, Faith couldn't make out the figure behind her. But when she stepped into view, Faith's heart soared.

"Ella!"

"Hey." The young woman's clothes were filthy, her face stained with sweat and dirt, but she looked unhurt. Her face reflected an exhaustion beyond measure, but she managed a small smile. "I hear you've been looking for me."