Chapter Eleven Faith

As she walked beside Evelyn, Faith tried to breathe evenly. Though she'd asked to be included in more of the Resistance's missions, she hadn't anticipated one happening so soon. Nor that it would be a two-person job, in broad daylight.

She hadn't been told what the mission entailed. Ever since she'd been reluctant to accept the role of Resistance spokesperson, Madeleine had been brusque with her. All she had told Faith was that she would be working with Evelyn and that the job would take most of the day.

She didn't know her partner well. The older woman moved through the city with a quiet confidence Faith wished she could emulate. She was also one of Madeleine's closest confidantes, and Faith couldn't help but think she'd been sent out with her so Evelyn could judge her performance.

Faith hadn't found the right moment to tell Madeleine her discovery about Avery. Concerned that Madeleine might look on it as Faith having kept the information from her, she was praying the mission went well. At least then the Resistance leader would be in a better frame of mind to receive the information.

After emerging from the library tunnel on the opposite side of the square, Faith followed Evelyn in a southerly direction, heading towards an area of the city which was unfamiliar to her. Eventually, they began to pass offices and businesses, rather than the museums and shops and cafes in the centre.

They'd been walking for more than a mile when a uniformed guard appeared in the street ahead. The woman was heading straight for them. Instinctively, Faith stiffened.

"Act normal." Evelyn cautioned. "There's no reason for her to suspect anything of us. We're just a couple of Bellator citizens going about their daily business."

Trying to appear relaxed, Faith dropped her gaze to the pavement.

"That's odd." Evelyn's voice was hushed. "Her weapon doesn't look…" Faith looked up as the figure got closer. "It's not standard issue."

Marvelling at Evelyn's knowledge of Bellator weaponry, Faith squinted her eyes at the approaching figure. The guard walked rigidly, as though marching in a parade. Her eyes darted left and right, vigilant, searching for danger. But Faith had to agree with Evelyn: there was something odd about her.

"Stop staring!"

A sharp elbow from her companion had Faith sucking in a breath. She jerked her gaze away, hoping the guard hadn't noticed. She was much closer to them now.

"…and would you believe it, the machine had broken down!" Beside her, Evelyn chuckled loudly.

For a moment, Faith didn't understand. But as the other woman laughed again, she realised the sudden outburst was for the benefit of the guard. Evelyn was striking up what Faith assumed would sound like a natural conversation for two Bellator citizens to be having on the street.

"Really?" she managed to reply, hoping she wouldn't be required to contribute anything more detailed.

"Yes! We couldn't believe it, but–"

Tuning Evelyn out, Faith glanced up at the guard's face as she was about to pass them.

She stopped dead.

Evelyn had travelled several paces ahead before she realised Faith was no longer with her. Spinning around, she hurried back to Faith and the guard, who stood completely still, staring at one another.

"What are you doing?" Evelyn took hold of Faith's arm. "I'm so sorry." This was directed at the guard. "I'm sure she didn't mean to stop you."

But Faith resisted Evelyn's effort to pull her away. "Ruth?" She stared at the face of the guard. "What are you–?"

"You know this guard?" Evelyn hissed.

"She's not…" Faith closed her mouth. Glancing both ways, she made sure that there was no one close by. "She's from Eremus."

Evelyn's face paled. She took a slight step backwards, then recovered herself. "We were just out for a walk around the city, officer."

Ruth seemed to find her voice. "It's a beautiful day for it." Faith had to admire her courage. "My patrol takes me through the city centre today. A lovely route through the main square and past the library."

Faith jumped at the emphasis on the final word. Ruth was heading for the Resistance. Her heart was pounding. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Luckily, Evelyn did not have the same problem. "Such a beautiful building. Have you ever been inside?"

Ruth gave a small shake of the head. On the opposite side of the street, a small group of Bellator citizens emerged from an office building. Evelyn continued, waving an arm enthusiastically.

"It's gorgeous. And of real historic importance, wouldn't you agree." She shot a deliberate look at Faith.

"Oh yes." Faith echoed Evelyn's enthusiasm, wanting to show Ruth she was on the right track. "The library's a place everyone should visit at least once."

The group of women moved off, paying them little attention. Faith found herself heaving a sigh of relief as they disappeared down the street. Beside them, Ruth remained silent, but her eyes lit up and Faith knew she understood.

"Anyway officer, we'll be on our way." Evelyn took Faith by the arm and began to steer her away. "Nice to talk to you."

As they walked away, Faith couldn't help but glance back over her shoulder at Ruth. Noah's best friend, in the city, in broad daylight. And in a guard uniform. The other girl was still standing gazing after them. She caught Faith's eye and nodded, very slowly. And then, making an abrupt about turn, she marched off in the opposite direction.

They said nothing for several minutes. Eventually, Evelyn slowed her pace. "Well, that was unexpected."

"Yes." Faith felt strangely close to laughter.

"But not, I suppose, a total surprise." Sensing Faith's questioning glance, she explained. "Now that we've lost Madeleine's house it's more of a challenge for Eremus people to access the city." Evelyn motioned to Faith to keep up with her. "From now on, they'll have to find new ways to enter the city. Travel a lot further above ground."

Unbidden, Faith imagined Noah entering Bellator. Twin feelings of excitement and fear surged through her at the prospect. Shaking her head, she tried to rid it of the idea, forcing herself to focus on what Evelyn was saying.

"It'll increase the risk for them, though. A disguise is probably very sensible."

Faith considered Ruth's guard uniform. She had managed to fool them for a few minutes. But could she keep it up?

"They must be starting to run out of supplies." Evelyn mused. "They can manage a fair amount of food without Bellator's help. They forage, and fish, and hunt. There are other things they like to have though… when they can get them. But when it comes to things like batteries and medicines, they need us."

Faith thought about the supply shed at the cottage. It had been filled with boxes clearly taken from the city, but most of them had been empty. How long would it be before Eremus had to risk a raid?

She wondered how many of the citizens had been killed or injured in the skirmish with the Bellator guards. How would Anna manage to treat them without medical supplies? If she didn't have the resources to help them, how many more would die? Taking a deep breath, she pushed away the unwelcome thoughts. Worrying about the citizens she had left behind wouldn't do any good. She couldn't help them.

Beside her, Evelyn shrugged as they turned the corner into the next street. "Anyway, let's put that from our minds. We have work to do. See that building ahead?" She kept her voice low. "The one with all the glass?"

Faith's eyes followed Evelyn's. The building she indicated was one of the tallest on the street. She gave a small nod.

"That's BellaLab Corp. Danforth worked there, before she got into government. Madeleine, too." She glanced both ways, checking the street for other citizens. "She was fired from the place after asking too many questions about their research." Her lips pursed primly. "The Resistance is very interested about what goes on inside those walls."

"Why?"

Ignoring her question, Evelyn ducked her head. "We're just going to walk past, for now. Act natural."

Faith kept pace with her guide as they continued on down the street. On the other side of the laboratory, Evelyn directed Faith into a side street. She stopped in a doorway which bore the words BellaLab Corp: Private.

"Our mission involves trying to find out more about what's going on in there." She gestured back towards the building. "But security is extremely tight. Madeleine and Blake have been working on a project to allow us to gain access, but they haven't perfected it yet. We're going to need to use old-fashioned tactics."

Faith waited for her to continue.

"Last night, Blake managed to open one of the files from Anderson's datadev. She looked at Anderson's search history and found a report about this drug Danforth appears to be testing."

"Femgazipane?"

"That's the one. According to the scientist in charge of the trial, it's been in trial mode for more than three years now, but up until a couple of months ago, they were only using it with animals."

"Really?"

"Really. Mice, at first, and then a smaller species of monkey."

Faith's mind was reeling. If Evelyn was suggesting what she thought she was suggesting… A wave of anger rolled over her.

Evelyn grimaced. "I can see from your expression you've already worked it out. The report states quite clearly that femgazipane is not to be administered to human subjects until certain alterations have been made. The chemist in charge requested an additional six months to test the drug before the project went ahead."

"The project involving the academy students?" Faith felt sick. "And when was the report dated?"

"You're a smart girl, aren't you?" Evelyn gave a wry smile. "The report was only two months old."

Faith felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. Serene had been dosed with femgazipane a month ago. Faith herself had been given it not long after that. Now, it was being administered to the Danforth Academy students en masse. All before it was considered safe to use.

"Those bastards…" she whispered. "How could they give it to us when they knew it wasn't safe?"

Evelyn glanced up and down the street, ever-alert. "Danforth doesn't care."

"The report mentioned her by name?" Faith asked.

"Oh yes." Evelyn's eyes flashed. "Our dear chancellor set this project up… she's very interested in what femgazipane can do. Especially when used in conjunction with another drug… I think Blake called it… melatidine."

"Never heard of it."

"I don't think it's in use. Not yet, anyway." A hot sweat invaded Faith's body as Evelyn continued. "Unfortunately, Blake wasn't able to discover the new drug's purpose. We know it's linked to fertility, but that's all." Her eyes flicked to the building behind them. "Femgazipane ensured a more successful rate of conception in the animal tests... perhaps gave them more control over the breeding process, but we don't know any more than that."

Faith felt a sudden wave of dizziness sweep over her. Putting out her hand, she steadied herself against the wall.

Evelyn peered at her. "You alright?"

Faith swallowed. "Yeah. Just…"

"Angry? Join the club." Evelyn gestured at the BellaLab Corp headquarters. "It's exactly why we're here today."

Without warning, she turned and headed further down the street. Faith followed, curious to discover the specifics of their mission. Evelyn stopped beside a large metal gate. Once Faith had joined her, she continued.

"Madeleine wants us to find out more about the testing. We know the animal experiments were done here." Evelyn jabbed a finger at the gate. "This is the loading bay. We're here to observe the comings and goings. Track deliveries going in and out. Later, we can use the information for other missions. Have our people trail the delivery trucks, work out where they're taking things. But we have to stay under the radar."

As she finished speaking, a door banged on the other side of the gate. Footsteps sounded from the space beyond, followed by a voice.

"No. That's not big enough." The tone of the speaker was sharp, as though they were used to giving orders. "It needs to be a similar size to the first." There was a pause while the speaker listened, and Faith realised the woman was on the phone. "And, as usual, the utmost discretion will be needed once the deliveries start to arrive."

Evelyn and Faith exchanged glances. The information was fascinating. But their position was a delicate one. If they stayed to listen further, they might easily be spotted.

"Yes." On the other side of the gate, the conversation continued, sounding closer this time. "The first warehouse is almost at capacity." Another pause. "We have a final order going out in a few minutes. We'll look to be diverting resources to the new location over the next few days."

There was a creaking sound, like that of a lever being pulled. Faith and Evelyn leapt backwards as the gates whirred to life. Evelyn gestured to the opposite side of the street, where there was a door on the side of the next building. As they hurried across, Evelyn fumbled in her pack. By the time they had reached their goal, she was holding a couple of cigarettes and a lighter.

She lit one, then the other, offering it to Faith. "If anyone asks, we're…" she squinted at the signage on the door they stood outside, "employees of MedTech on a smoke break."

She inhaled deeply, motioning for Faith to do the same. At the academy, the girls had been warned against the dangers of smoking so often that Faith was frightened to start now. Gingerly, she brought the cigarette closer to her face. The smoke burned her eyes. She held it between her fingers, hoping the act would be convincing enough without her having to breathe it in.

The gate was completely open now, revealing the yard behind. A delivery truck was waiting on the other side. As Faith watched, the engine roared to life.

"Look at me, Faith!" Evelyn's voice hissed in her ear. "You have to act the part."

Faith jerked her gaze to her companion, attempting to smile as though they were two colleagues having a casual conversation.

"That's it." Evelyn angled herself so she could look over Faith's shoulder. She broke out into laughter and took another drag from the cigarette. "I'll watch. You just stay still."

Faith heard indistinct voices calling out over the sound of the engine.

"They just loaded the truck with a few extra boxes." Evelyn narrated. "Now they're closing it up ready to leave." She nodded, as though she was agreeing with something Faith had said. "The boxes had wording on them, but it was difficult to make out from here. There was a symbol on each one, though. I'm pretty sure they're medical supplies of some kind. If only we had some way of finding out where they're going."

Faith longed to turn, but willed herself to stay where she was. "Can you see the woman who was on the phone?"

"Yep. She's giving instructions to the driver."

The truck's engine revved again. The engine noise increased as the driver moved the vehicle out onto the street behind them. Eventually, it faded as the truck drove off into the distance. Evelyn watched it go before looking back towards the loading bay.

"Okay. The woman who was on the phone is about to close the gates, I think. Then we can–" Evelyn dropped her gaze suddenly.

"What?"

Evelyn raised her eyes to meet Faith's. "She sees us."

Faith felt her heart start to beat faster. "Is that an issue?"

"I hope not." Evelyn paused to shoot a rapid glance across at BellaLab Corp. "Just act as though we're having a normal conversation. I'm sure it will be fine."

"Okay." Faith's mind had gone blank. "How has your day been so far?"

"Okay, thanks. I'm glad of the break though." Evelyn put the cigarette to her lips. "She's staring at us." Tension had begun to leak into the older woman's body. "Now she's on her phone."

Desperate to appear as normal as possible, Faith took a deep drag of the cigarette. The second she did, she knew she had made a mistake. As the smoke hit the back of her throat, she knew she was going to cough. Though she struggled to contain it, moments later a huge coughing fit enveloped her entire body.

Evelyn stared, panic flaring in her eyes. Instead of reassuring the BellaLab employee that they were an ordinary pair of workers, Faith had just attracted more attention to them. But she couldn't stop coughing. She bent over, fighting to control her breathing. Evelyn thumped her on the back. When Faith had regained control, the two of them glanced back at the space between the gates.

They were empty. But they weren't closed.

"Did you see where she went?" Faith managed to croak.

Evelyn shook her head. "I'm not happy with this. We should go. And now." She pointed at Faith. "Put your hood up." Faith obeyed the command without question. "Now let's go."

They had barely taken a step into the street when an armed security guard came out of the BellaLab building. Spotting them, she headed for the gate immediately.

Evelyn picked up the pace, glancing across at Faith. "Run!"

The older woman set off at a sprint down the street. Faith attempted to follow, but the guards were faster. Stronger. Evelyn was at the end of the street as the hand closed on Faith's arm. She was brought to a sudden halt, her arm jerking out of its socket, as her partner disappeared around the corner.

She turned to face her assailant with dismay. This was it. She had wanted the chance to be a part of active missions, and now one was staring her in the face. But the guard looked fierce.

"Who are you?" The woman had several inches on Faith. She loomed over her, her voice gravelly. "What are you doing here?"

Faith glanced back at the end of the street. There was no sign of Evelyn. She was on her own. The mission was an undercover one, and she hadn't been given any weapons as such. She would have to improvise. All she needed to do was incapacitate the guard so she could run away.

The cigarette!In her haste, she had yet to dispose of it. And it was in her free hand.

Without hesitating, she pressed the glowing end into the arm which held her. Yelping, the guard let go. The millisecond that followed was all Faith needed. She took off down the street, running as fast as she could.

It wasn't long before she heard pounding footsteps behind her. Damn, the guard was fast. Keeping her eyes on the end of the street, Faith kept going. Looking back would only make her lose time. The main road was just a few steps ahead.

But it was too far. And she wasn't fast enough. This time, the guard didn't go easy. Leaping forward, she tackled Faith, sending her crashing to the street.

She didn't have time to put her hands out to break her fall. Cringing as the road came up to meet her, she turned her face at the last second. Her cheek slammed into the ground. As the guard landed on her, a pain so intense she had no comparison for it shot through her body.

When the guard's weight lifted off her, she curled into a ball. But it wasn't over.

"You're coming with me." The woman loomed over her. "Get up."

Faith contemplated running again. But as she rolled on to her back, she saw the gun. Forcing herself into a sitting position, she raised a hand to her cheek. It came away stained red. Fighting the dizziness, she tried to focus on what Madeleine had told her before the mission.

Don't get caught. And if you do, don't give them anything.

But the agony of her swollen cheek was enough already. She wasn't sure she could stand much more. The guard's eyes were narrowed. She reached a hand down, closing once more on Faith's and jerking her upright.

But just as Faith was attempting to regain her balance, the guard lost her grip. Faith tumbled to the ground again, her knee twisting awkwardly as she landed. The guard pitched forward and Faith had to roll sideways to avoid the woman falling on her again.

She glanced around, puzzled. What was going on? And then she knew. Evelyn stood on the other side of the fallen guard, wielding a sturdy chunk of wood. Her eyes were blazing.

"Come on!" she hissed. "They'll notice this one's missing any minute. We have to go!"

Faith took a deep breath and hauled herself to her feet. Leaving the guard lying on the ground, she limped after Evelyn, pain from the wound on her cheek radiating through her entire body.