Chapter Fifty-Two Noah

The dot on the screen continued to blink.

On. Off. On. Off.

Noah fought the urge to scream.

His team had been back at headquarters for more than an hour. The Resistance knew where Faith was. They knew she was in danger. Yet still, Madeleine was hesitating, debating the best course of action.

It was infuriating.

Noah"s team had been offered refreshments. While the others had eagerly accepted the offer, Noah had insisted on remaining in the office, eager to know when they would set out to save Faith. After grabbing some coffee and a couple of energy bars, Ruth had joined him. But when Kemp had arrived back from the safehouse, filled with tales of the various riots raging in the city, Noah had lost hope of them ever taking action.

As the conversation swirled around him, he focused on breathing, keeping his eyes on the tiny red light. He'd fooled himself that as long as the light kept flashing, Faith would be alright. Like the blinking red dot represented her heartbeat, still going strong.

"Message from Olivia," Diane interrupted the conversation, gesturing to her wristclip. "Acton Street Warehouse was decimated by the blast. She's on her way to join Evelyn now."

"Evelyn's moved to the temporary government HQ," Madeleine explained to Ruth. "Keeping an eye on things."

"I've just come from there," Kemp said. "Situation's really getting out of hand. There are more than a thousand citizens outside the building, all demanding to see their chancellor."

Madeleine whistled under her breath. "The guards must be struggling to cope."

"They are. And there's no sign of Danforth." Kemp frowned. "But they're refusing to leave. The women were preparing to storm the place as I left. Actually," the professor cocked an eyebrow, "it's not just women. There are quite a few drudges there too."

"The tides really are turning." Madeleine turned to face Diane. "Get Rowan down there. See if he's able to speak to the drudges… gauge their mood."

"Sure." Diane stood up.

"And check on Blake while you're at it, would you? We haven't heard anyth–"

But before she could finish her sentence, the door burst open. Blake stood on the other side, her eyes wild.

"Managed to hack into a camera… on a side street close…" She was out of breath. "Close to the warehouse. Not the greatest view, but–"

"Is something happening?" Noah tore his eyes from the blinking dot. "Have you seen Faith?"

"Not Faith." Blake shook her head. "But several of Danforth's guards appeared out of nowhere. They've surrounded the building."

"Surrounded it?" Madeleine barked. "When?"

"Couple of minutes ago." Blake shrugged. "They all arrived at once, like they'd been… ordered there… for a specific reason. They look like they're protecting the building. Or the drugs. Waiting for–"

A pinging sound interrupted her. Diane raised her wristclip, scanning the incoming message.

"It's another update from Olivia." Her eyes widened as she scanned the message on her wristclip. "She and Evelyn are inside government headquarters." She turned to face them. "Danforth's not there."

"I wonder if…" Madeleine turned to Blake. "You said these guards arrived together… like they'd been summoned." She swung to face the others. "What if they're not there to protect the drugs, but to–"

"…protect Danforth." Noah forced himself to breathe. "If she's not at headquarters, it would make sense that she's there… with Faith…"

"She's protecting her only remaining asset," Blake agreed.

"What's the point?" Ruth asked. "Does she really think she can change the minds of the citizens after everything they've learned tonight?"

"I think she's desperate." Madeleine shrugged. "And desperate people do desperate things. Think about it. She believes the only thing that can bring her people back to her is the success of her experiment. She'll do anything to defend it."

"But if Jacob's inside the warehouse," Ruth chewed on her lip, "things won't be quite so simple. She'll need the extra guards to–"

"We have to get down there." Noah sat forward in his chair. "Right away."

"We do." Madeleine waved him away. "But we'll have to be careful. It's a volatile situation. We'll need a large enough force to deal with the guards, and, potentially, Jacob too."

As Madeleine and Blake bent their heads together, discussing potential operatives for the mission, Noah heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, they were taking some action.

He turned back to the blinking red dot.

We're coming for you. He willed her to hear him. Hang on.

The dot kept blinking.