Chapter Twenty-Nine Faith

Faith was reeling. It had been hard enough to watch Noah playing the part of a drudge. But to see him mess up so badly? She glared at Diane. At least her friend had the grace to look ashamed. The question had been her idea of a joke, a deliberate effort to distract Noah by taking advantage of his relationship with Faith.

But Robyn and Blake's reaction had demonstrated the severity of the error.

"Do you think they'll send him back?" Ella's gaze rested on Faith, her eyes filled with concern.

As the real drudge finished cleaning up the water, she slumped down in her seat again. "I don't know."

The morning had started badly. After the horror of Hammond's attack on Kemp, she had attempted to occupy herself with Ella's training. She and Diane had begun to familiarise the young Eremus woman with the city's layout using a number of maps and photographs, but images of Kemp being beaten had kept swirling through her mind. When they'd been asked to assist with Noah's training, she'd been glad to have the distraction.

But to have him fall at the first hurdle, in front of Blake and Robyn? Things just kept getting worse.

She glanced at the real drudge. Having replaced her glass with a fresh one, he was now pouring her a fresh glass of water. His hand was steady, his motions subtle, just as a drudge's should be. Her eyes wandered to his face.

"Arden!" she stuttered, recognising the large, expressive eyes. "Is that you?"

Behind his mask, he looked as startled as she did. But once he recovered from his shock, she was certain he was smiling behind the face covering.

"I thought you said drudges didn't have names." Ella looked puzzled.

"They don't. Not usually. So who…" As Faith stared at the man, something clicked into place. "Madeleine was the one who named you?" He nodded. "And you're the one who's helping Noah train?"

"Yes." Arden bent his head.

"So you work for the Resistance?"

"I do." He straightened his back, looking less like the drudge that he was. "Recruited by Professor Kemp. I keep an eye on what goes on at the–"

"Wait! You're from the academy?" Diane flushed. "But I don't recognise you."

"Why would you?" He met her gaze shyly. "Most Bellator citizens don't give us a second glance."

"I know." Diane looked shamefaced. "I thought–" she lowered her gaze, "I thought I was different. But I don't feel like I've ever seen you before."

"That's normal for me." Arden shrugged. "I'm not offended."

"Do many drudges work for the Resistance?" Ella asked.

He shook his head. "We are bred to be subservient. Many drudges are too afraid. That's why–" He cast a glance at the kitchen door.

Faith followed his gaze. "You want things to work with Noah."

Arden looked back at her. "He would be an effective ally. And he's good. It will just take him… a little time."

"Yeah." Diane jerked a hand at the closed office door. "Time they don't seem to think we have."

Silence fell over the table for a moment. Faith contemplated Noah's failure again. It had been wonderful to see him. Would she feel better if he were sent back to Eremus and its relative safety? Or if he could remain here and manage to become a convincing drudge? Both would mean him leaving her, but perhaps the drudge training would keep him in the library a little longer. She had to admit just being near him soothed her.

And it wasn't like she hadn't put herself in danger for the cause. There had been the mission to BellaLab Corp, and the previous one to the academy itself…

A thought struck her. She turned to Arden. "Were you the one who left the window open for the Resistance? The night we came to the academy?"

Arden hung his head. "I meant to say how sorry I was."

Faith frowned. "Sorry? What for?"

"The window." He looked sheepish. "I opened it as instructed, but when I came back to secure it afterwards it was already locked. I realised later…" He bit his lip. "We had a new guard in that night. Really inexperienced. She had sneaked into that office to smoke, not knowing about the alarm system. I guess…"

Diane groaned. "She opened the window to let the smoke out."

"She must have," Arden agreed. "And it would have automatically locked when she closed it." Faith felt a growing sense of horror. "That's why the alarm system reactivated faster than we expected."

"She obviously didn't expect the window to be alarmed, otherwise, she wouldn't have tried to use the room in the first place." Faith frowned. "Did no one ask questions about why the alarm didn't go off in the first place?"

"Oh, they questioned everyone about it. Had the whole security system reset the next day. And one of the other drudges overheard the guard being severely disciplined a few days later."

"Good job you didn't try to exit while she was smoking." Diane whistled under her breath. "It could've turned out quite differently."

Faith felt sick at her friend's words. They had been so close to getting caught. She thought of Laura, of Sophia, of Noah's mistake. They were always so close to getting caught.

She glanced at the kitchen door. There was still no sign of Noah. She stood up, ready to go and check on him. But she hadn't taken more than a step when the door to Madeleine's office burst open, making them all jump.

Robyn stood in the doorway, her eyes wild. "Danforth's about to make an announcement! We're betting she'll give her reaction to the leaflets." She beckoned to Faith and Diane. "Want to listen?"

Leaving Ella and Arden at the table, they hurried towards the leader's office. Inside, their attention was drawn to the ever-present datadev on the desk. Madeleine and Blake were already hunched over it, concern etched on their faces. On the screen, the chancellor stood behind a podium, her face sombre.

"Citizens of Bellator," she began, a serious expression on her face. "It has come to my attention that some very disturbing information may have reached you recently. It may have come in the form of an illegal broadcast which you could have stumbled across. It is more likely, however, that you have received a leaflet making numerous libellous claims about myself and my government."

"Libellous!" Faith hissed. "They were far from–"

Madeleine held up a hand as Danforth continued to speak. "These pamphlets, I can assure you, are filled with vicious lies. We have long been aware of the rogue males living in the forest. Despite my tireless efforts to rid our beloved city of their influence, it seems that some of them might have contacts within the city."

Robyn and Madeleine exchanged horrified glances.

"Yes, you heard me correctly." Danforth raised an eyebrow. "A small number of women within Bellator, who know of the vicious horrific influence that men had over females in the past, appear to be supporting these men in their efforts to disrupt and even overthrow our way of life." On the screen, Danforth leaned closer. "Now I don't want you to be concerned. These women are clearly troubled, and in some way being controlled by the male influence. And, as I said, there are not many of them. However, as I'm sure you will agree, they need to be stopped, before they can destroy our city and its way of life forever.

"Please know that I have not been idle on this matter. It is of extreme concern to our government that these women might gain the ear of any Bellator citizen–"

"I'll bet it is." Diane's comment was rewarded with a stern stare from Robyn. She fell silent as Danforth continued to speak.

"…to that end, I have begun to identify and hunt down any Bellator citizen who might have found themselves… involved in such treachery. Rest assured, I will treat these women with care and respect." At this, even Robyn spat out a bitter laugh. "They are sick. They have been infected by the male plague and should therefore be supported and helped to see the damage that such thoughts can cause." On the screen, Danforth gave a little shudder. "But if you suspect that anyone you know might be involved in some way, it is your civic duty to report them."

Everyone jumped as Madeleine banged a hand down on the desk. "She wants us to turn tail on one another! Control us by fear, have us so afraid for our own lives that we're prepared to betray others to save ourselves."

"Will this undo the good the leaflets might have done?" Diane asked.

"Of course, it will." Madeleine snapped. "The more the women of this city fear their lives are at risk if they side with the Resistance, the less likely they'll help us."

"Not only that," Blake spoke for the first time. "She's encouraging them to help her hunt us down."

"That only works if she knows who we are." Robyn attempted comfort. "As long as we remain anonymous, as long as no one knows who we are or where we are, we should be–"

She stopped speaking as a familiar face appeared on the screen. A gasp of horror ran around the room as they all recognised Laura. Her face was pale and her hands were bound. She sat on a bed at what appeared to be a medcentre. The camera crept ever closer to her face. She looked tired, the dark circles under her eyes reflecting exhaustion, as well as terror.

"This is one of the women my guards caught last night. She was delivering the poisonous leaflets I'm sure many of you have seen."

"Women like this," Danforth continued, "are a danger to themselves and to the integrity of the community we've fought so hard to build. This rebel will remain in one of the Bellator medical facilities. She will be given medication and therapy to rehabilitate her."

"Rehabilitate her!" Robyn snapped. "Not likely."

After Kemp's experience earlier that day, they could all imagine what kind of treatment Laura was receiving.

"However," Danforth continued to speak, her tone hardening, "It is not only those delivering the leaflets who have been brought to my attention."

The video feed of Laura disappeared, replaced by an image of the leaflet itself. The camera zoomed in slowly as Danforth paused. A sense of dread settled over Faith as the entire screen was filled with her face. She felt the eyes in the room flick to her and back to the screen before the voiceover continued.

"This young woman," Danforth's tone was cold and forbidding, "disappeared from the city after the recent explosion at the Bellator Hospital. I have had guards out searching for her, to no avail." The chancellor's voice filled with fake concern. "We had assumed that she was a victim of some kind of kidnapping. But now, it seems she is being used as a prop for those people who wish to hurt this good city."

Faith bristled at the word prop. It implied she hadn't chosen to be part of this. That she was being manipulated by the people around her. That she didn't agree with the words Stella had quoted her saying on the leaflet.

"It is vital that Faith Hanlon is found and brought to me," Danforth continued. "We must give her the treatment she needs, take her away from the evil influences which control her. Before it's too late."

The camera returned to Danforth's face and she smiled directly into it, reminding Faith of a predator about to pounce on its prey. As she delivered the final blow, Faith felt sick.

"Good citizens of Bellator, I must ask for your help. Look out for Faith Hanlon. If you see her, it is your civic duty to alert the authorities. Anyone who has information on her whereabouts will receive the enduring gratitude of the city of Bellator." She paused, smiling slightly. "And a significant monetary reward."