Chapter Fifty-Eight Noah

He had never been so afraid. And so angry.

They had prepared well. Waiting, armed, in strategic positions around the room. Madeleine and Diane either side of the door. He and Ruth in opposite corners, concealed behind a desk and a cupboard.

Their sneak attack had worked. Madeleine had forced Danforth into a chair at gunpoint while Diane had made short work of dealing with the medic. He and Ruth had moved forward to wait for Hammond and Faith.

But the pair had never entered.

They had heard a muffled whisper in the hallway, and the sound of running footsteps. Noah had wanted to investigate, but Madeleine had ordered him to wait. Hammond would not harm Faith, she had reasoned. Not when she was so important to Danforth.

But now Hammond had a gun to her head.

"How about a trade?" Madeleine's voice was calm, despite the tension. "You give us Faith. We give you one of our prisoners."

"A switch? I don't think so." Even with a gun to her head, Danforth was condescending. "Faith is of the utmost importance to me. I'm not going to give her up."

"I don't think you're in a position to argue," Madeleine said mildly. "Unless you want to lose your own life, that is?"

Danforth ignored her. "What do you plan on doing with me, if we surrender?"

"Take you to face your people, of course." For the first time, there was a hint of anger in Madeleine's tone. "I want you to answer to them. You know, the citizens you claim you've been looking out for all these years."

"You never understood the importance of protecting them against themselves, did you Madeleine?" Danforth twisted to face her old adversary. "Always wanting to give people second chances. Always so honest with everyone, no matter the cost."

"It's better than lying." A faint flush was rising in Madeleine's cheeks. "Abusing their trust."

"I don't call it an abuse of trust. Not when they didn't know what was good for them." Danforth sighed deeply. "Let's face it, Madeleine, you're weak. I mean," she glanced at Noah from under her eyelashes, "look at you, fighting alongside a male."

"Tell me," Madeleine snapped, "how uniting with a like-minded person to achieve my goal makes me weak."

"Asking a man to protect you?" Danforth jeered. "It's pathetic."

"It's not about asking for protection." Madeleine was fighting to keep her tone civil. "It's about us supporting each other. As equals."

"Equals!" Danforth snorted. "Do you honestly believe he's on your side? That he'd defend you, if the need arose?"

"Yes." Madeleine pressed the gun into Danforth's head, forcing her to look forward again. "I do."

"You're a fool." Danforth laughed softly. "In more ways than one."

Noah tensed. What did the chancellor mean? He and Faith exchanged nervous glances.

"What will it be then, Abigail? Do you surrender?" Madeleine gestured to Faith. "Are you prepared to let another innocent citizen die for you? Surely, you don't want to face your people with more blood on your hands?"

"Oh, but I won't have to." Danforth brought her wrist up slowly. "See this?" She indicated something on her clip. "That's an alarm. It notifies the guards I have waiting outside that I need help." Madeleine's face fell. "Oh, yes. I activated it when Hammond entered, so they're well on their way. Why do you think I kept you talking for so long?" She tapped a finger against the clip. "I'd say you have… ooh, about a minute before my reinforcements arrive."

There was a stunned silence. Noah felt his heart contract. Had they come this far to be cornered by the chancellor's remaining guards?

His eyes met Faith's. Her expression was resolute. Whatever happened, she was grateful they had tried to save her. That was what mattered. Behind Faith, Hammond gasped. Noah turned his attention to the lieutenant. She didn't seem her usual invincible self. Though the room wasn't warm, she was sweating profusely, beads of moisture were forming on her forehead. And the hand which held the gun was shaking.

"W-what–?" She pressed her free hand to her stomach. "I can't–"

But before she could finish the sentence, Faith shook herself free. Stepping away from Hammond, she placed a well-aimed kick at the hand holding the weapon. The gun tumbled to the ground.

Noah swooped forward. He picked up the weapon and put the safety on. By the time he was standing again, Ruth had lowered a sickly-looking Hammond to the floor. Noah heaved a sigh of relief. If Hammond wasn't capable of standing, she was no longer a threat.

"What did you do to her?" Danforth's eyes were blazing.

Faith took a step closer. "I gave her a taste of your medicine out there." She jerked her head at the door to the hallway. "Took a few minutes to kick in, but it seems to be doing the trick now." She stooped down to look at Hammond. "Doesn't look like her body is reacting well to it, mind you."

Before Danforth had a chance to respond, the shrill ping of the lift echoed from further down the hall.

"Lock the door!" Madeleine cried, as the sound of multiple footsteps thundered towards them.

Noah leapt forward, slamming the door closed and activating the lock. Seconds later, the guards tried the door.

"Chancellor?" They began hammering on the solid metal. "What's happening?"

"Well," Danforth had recovered herself now that help had arrived, "it seems I have more support than you bargained for."

"Be quiet." Madeleine removed Danforth's wrist clip. "They're on the other side of the door. You have no way to let them in. And now," she pocketed the device, "you have no way to contact them."

Danforth fell silent, glaring at the Resistance leader.

"What now?" Ruth muttered.

"Come here." Madeleine beckoned her across. When Ruth stood by her side, she jabbed a finger at Danforth. "Keep this one under control, would you?"

"With pleasure." Ruth levelled her gun at the chancellor's head.

"It's about time I called for some backup of our own." Madeleine stepped away, tapping commands into her wristclip.

Noah prayed that Blake had managed to sort out the comms. If she hadn't, there was no way to call for backup. And they could only bluff for so long.

He glanced down at Hammond. The lieutenant was still sweating profusely, and her eyes were closed. Bending down beside her, Noah searched for additional weapons, removing another gun from her belt and several concealed knives. When he was done, he backed away, training his gun on her just in case.

Now that Hammond was out of action, Faith had moved to a counter a few feet away. She leaned heavily against it, looking pale and exhausted.

Noah wanted to fold his arms around her. But the danger wasn't over.

At the door, the guards were still attempting to break in. Having exhausted their fists hammering on it, they were now attempting to smash the lock.

"I'll bet you're regretting all that hardcore tech right now," Diane taunted the chancellor. "If it wasn't for the unbreakable glass and your sophisticated locking system, those guards would be through that door already and we'd be dead."

As Danforth shot her a dark look, Noah hoped she wasn't tempting fate.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook. The hammering at the door stopped momentarily, and the occupants of the room stared around, startled, as a booming sound echoed through the city.

"I think," Madeleine's gaze bored into Danforth's, "that's the warehouse on Eliot Street going up in smoke." Danforth paled as Madeleine continued. "How do you think you're going to continue your little experiment now that you have no drugs left?"

A high-pitched beeping at her wrist made her glance down. Noah heaved in a breath. Had Blake finally managed to fix the comms?

"What is it?" Diane asked, her eyes flashing to the Resistance leader.

A broad smile spread across the leader's face. "Charlotte Kemp just finished speaking to the crowd at the government headquarters." She paused, her voice softer than Noah had ever known it to be. "As did… Charlie."

"And?" Diane came a step closer.

"And," Madeleine managed, "a miracle happened." Sensing their confusion, she explained. "Looks like she managed to convince large numbers of guards to stand down."

"Stand down?" Ruth exclaimed, her gaze shifting to Madeleine. "You mean they're not a threat anymore?"

"Well, some of them are," Madeleine gestured to the door, where the women were still attempting to break through. "But Danforth's forces were already depleted, and if a good number of them have laid down their weapons, we may well have control of the city."

"That's amazing!" Diane was choked up. "It's… it's over, then?"

Madeleine glanced at her clip once again. "Evelyn's leading a group over here now. Paulo and Olivia are headed this way too. They should be here in… fifteen minutes?" She glanced at the door. "All we have to do is sit tight, and hope that door holds."