Chapter Forty-One Faith

"Again."

Faith took a deep breath. Blake had been drilling her for the past three hours. The Liberation Day celebrations were tomorrow, and she was determined they would both be ready. Faith had recited her speech more times than she could count. Her throat was sore, she could feel a headache building, and her back ached from sitting upright in the uncomfortable chair. It would be worth it, she told herself, when the Bellator women heard her words.

But the pressure was immense.

She glanced at the camera. When she had asked why Blake had set it up to face a blank wall, she'd been informed it was to keep their location anonymous. A thought which terrified Faith. She imagined Bellator guards discovering them, storming in through the doors with guns blazing. The piercing red light on the camera made her think of the laser point of a gunsight.

Several dense cables trailed from the powerful spotlights Blake had trained on her. They made the space feel claustrophobic, the heat they threw out making Faith's body pour with sweat. She kept leaning too close to the microphone, feeling foolish as it squealed in protest.

But with every run through, she was getting better. Blake's obsessive preparation was paying off. Faith would keep going as long as the tech genius wanted her to.

A grudging admiration for the woman had grown every second she worked alongside her. Blake never stopped. When she wasn't adjusting lights, listening to Faith talk or shifting the microphone's position by a miniscule degree, her eyes were glued to the screens in front of her. She had laser focus: flipping switches and turning dials, her fingers flying back and forth over her keyboard with alarming speed.

Every so often, she was interrupted by a message from another Resistance member out in the field. Breaking off briefly, she dealt with each request with ruthless efficiency before turning her attention back to Faith.

There was no doubt about it. Blake was a huge asset to the Resistance, despite her lack of social graces. Faith only hoped one day she might prove half as useful.

At a nod from the woman in question, Faith opened her mouth. But before she could launch into her opening line, there was a shrill, repetitive bleeping sound.

Faith glanced at Blake. Usually so composed, the tech genius had gone white.

"No. No, no, no, no!" Her hands flew to her mouth. "Dammit!"

"What is it?"

Blake jerked her head towards the datadev. An alert message had flashed up on the screen, accompanying the alarm. "I was afraid something like this would happen."

Faith leaned forward, trying to read the message, but Blake swiped her hand across the screen and the message disappeared.

"Additional security measures." She started typing with a new intensity. "Danforth knows we're planning something. Every day, she's had her tech team try something new to shut me out. But this…" she ran a despairing hand through her hair, "this is…"

"You can't fix it?"

"Not from here." Blake glared at the screen. "Remember I told you I'd need someone on the inside."

"You said you didn't have anyone to spare."

"We didn't." Blake paused in her typing, squinting at the myriad lines of code which crawled across her screen. "But I need someone there now. Someone who can physically disconnect a cable. Then reconnect it elsewhere." She began to type again. "I'll need to show them how to do it today, so they can replicate the move tomorrow, just before the broadcast begins."

"But why–"

Blake glared at Faith's question. "If we do it today, Danforth's team will know. They'll reconnect the cables and guard the control room more heavily. It'll be ten times harder to get to it after that." She shook her head. "No. It has to be done right before the ceremony, so there's no time for them to realise something's wrong." She raised her wristclip to her mouth. "Open contacts."

"Wait." Faith realised what she was doing. "I thought you said you didn't have anyone down there."

"Strictly speaking, I don't. Not an experienced member of the Resistance, at least." A hologram of names and numbers appeared in the air in front of Blake. She swept a finger down the list. "Knowing this was a possibility, I made sure we had someone down there, in case the worst happened. It's just a case of hoping she responds quickly."

"But who–"

At a warning glance, Faith closed her mouth. But when Ella's contact details appeared, she gasped. Before she could question the choice, Blake had sent the message.

"Ella's your c-contact?" Faith stuttered. "But she's not technical at all."

"She's our best option. She knows Matriarch House well and she's already inside." Catching Faith's expression, Blake raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't need any technical expertise. All she has to do is locate a cable, unplug it, and reconnect it somewhere else. I can take care of the rest from here."

She returned her attention to the datadev as a new message flashed up on the screen.

"Excellent." She smiled grimly. "She'll call us in a few minutes." Blake tutted at Faith's expression. "Relax. I'm just going to talk her through the process. Then all she has to do is repeat it tomorrow."

"All?" Faith began, but there was no time to dwell on it as Madeleine appeared at the door.

"We just heard from Kemp." She wiped a hand across her forehead absentmindedly. "She got the placebos from Arden. Made the switch sometime during the night."

"How did she manage that with them watching her?" Faith asked.

"One of her roles is directing the drudges." Madeleine laughed, the sound hollow. "It's considered a lowly position, but it puts her in close contact with Arden, so it suits her just fine. Lily included some sedatives in the package with the placebos. Once Kemp had the drugs, she slipped a sleeping pill into Professor Lannion's coffee."

Faith pictured the over-enthusiastic sports teacher. "She was the one watching Kemp?"

"Last night she was." Madeleine shrugged. "Anyway, it worked. Lannion passed out in the professors' lounge. Kemp stole her keycard, accessed the drug stores, and made the switch."

Faith's heart leapt at the good news. "That's great."

"It is." Madeleine looked relieved. "The girls are safe."

"For now."

Madeleine winced at Blake's trademark bluntness. "Yes. For now."

"For now is good enough." Faith tried to put a more positive spin on the situation. "Once the mission succeeds, we can rescue them for good."

"We can." But Madeleine sagged against the doorframe. "Thank goodness."

Faith wondered if the leader was remembering her decision to leave the academy girls where they were. When Robyn had suggested they consider a rescue, Madeleine had overruled her. It was too risky, she argued, and Danforth wouldn't administer unknown drugs until she had evidence of how well they worked.

Madeleine knew she'd been wrong. The guilt was etched permanently on her face.

Shaking herself, Madeleine turned to Faith. "You all ready for tomorrow?"

Jolted from her thoughts, Faith sat straighter in her chair. "I think so."

"Almost." Blake flashed a rare smile. It was gone so quickly, Faith wondered if she'd imagined it. "I've really been putting her through it, but she's taken it like a pro. We're nearly there."

As Madeleine left the office with a smile, Faith wondered if Blake had omitted telling her about the technical issue to avoid a lecture or to ease the leader's burden. She didn't have time to dwell on it. A pinging sound from Blake's wristclip indicated an incoming video call.

Immediately alert, Blake swished a finger across the screen. Ella's face appeared, close up, the hologram floating eerily in midair.

"Blake? Can you hear me okay?" She peered at the screen, giving them a generous view up her nostrils. "I still don't fully have the hang of this thing."

"All good. We can see and hear you." Blake's tone was more reassuring than usual. "Perhaps hear you a little too clearly, if you know what I mean." Ella's face paled at the warning. "You have your earcoms in, right?"

"I do." Ella dropped her voice to whisper-level. "No one but me can hear you. I'll keep the talking to a minimum. Only speak when there's no one within earshot. There's no one around right now?"

"No. It's pretty quiet at the back of the building." Ella rotated her gaze left and right. "Most people are busy elsewhere, prepping for the big day."

"That's what I was hoping." Blake tabbed to another screen. "Alright. I'm going to direct you to the control room. Can you switch to forward mode on your wristclip?"

"I think…" Ella squinted at the screen, her eyes looming even larger. "Here we go."

The view from her feed changed. Now they could see the hallway ahead of her.

Blake flicked a switch on the dash, silencing the feed. She turned to Faith. "While I'm directing her through the building, I want you to keep an eye on this."

She jabbed a finger at a diagram on the second screen.

"What is it? Some kind of schematic of the building?"

"Yep. Every time Ella passes a camera, mark it on the map. Might as well note them down while we have this insight, for future reference. Matriarch House is Danforth's main base. Who knows when the intel might prove useful?" She stared at Faith. "Got it?"

"Got it."

Blake flicked the switch again. "You with us, Ella?"

"Yep."

"Keep your wristclip pointing forward but high. We're trying to mark the camera positions."

"Got it." The image wavered as Ella started walking. The direction changed as she levered her arm upwards. "That okay?"

"Perfect." Blake pointed as the first camera came into view. "See it?" She gestured to a specific point on the map. "Ella's right here."

Faith marked a star on the map. Confident she knew what she was doing, Blake returned her attention to Ella.

"Okay. So there'll be someone on duty in the Control Centre. Hopefully only one person. You're going to have to distract them. Did you bring the cleaning equipment?"

"Uh-huh."

"That's your reason for being there." Blake paused, drawing in a breath before continuing. "See the blue door on the right? That's where you're headed. I'll stay quiet now, give you a chance to concentrate. Remember to keep your explanations short and simple."

Faith could hear Ella's shaky breathing as she walked down the remainder of the hallway. When she reached the control room, she paused a second before knocking.

It was several seconds before the door was jerked open. The woman on the other side looked harassed.

"Yes?"

"I need to get in here to clean." Ella brandished a cloth in the air.

The woman frowned. "Right now?"

Ella hesitated. "Hammond's orders. She wants to make sure the equipment is in tiptop condition for the big day."

"Tiptop condition?" The woman didn't move. "We service it regularly. It's not like–"

Ella leaned forward. "Thought you might want a little break too. They just whipped up several batches of cookies in the canteen. To keep up morale, you know?" She kept up a steady chatter so the techie couldn't interrupt. "Why don't you pop down and grab a few? They'll be gone before you know it."

The woman looked interested. "Well," she cast a glance over her shoulder, "I guess I could…"

"It wouldn't take you long." Ella stepped back, and Faith imagined her gesturing in the direction of the canteen. "I'll be finished by the time you get back, and out of your way."

"I guess you're right." The woman shot Ella a grateful grin. "I could use a break."

"See you soon then," Ella trilled.

She waited until the woman had passed her before darting into the control room. Once the door was closed, she spoke again. "All clear for now. But I'd like to escape before she gets back to complain about the distinct lack of cookies. What do you need me to do?"

"Go to the rear of the room." Blake didn't waste time. "You're looking for a machine called a server. It will have…"

Ella was there before she had finished the sentence. She rotated her wristclip in a semicircle. "You see it?"

"There!" Blake exclaimed. "The big grey box."

Ella approached it with caution. "What next?"

"Look at the back." Blake waited while Ella obeyed. "Let me see it… wait a minute… There! See the blue cable?"

"This one?"

"No!" Beside Faith, Blake jumped out of her chair. "The light blue one."

"H-here?" Ella's fingers were shaking as they closed around it.

"That's it." Still tense, Blake leaned closer to the screen. "Follow it. You should find it's connected to a smaller black device. It's called a firewall."

Ella trailed the cable through her fingers, stopping when she hit the firewall. "Now what?"

"Unplug it." Blake waited, but Ella didn't move. "What are you waiting for?"

"You're s-sure this is right?"

"I am." Blake's breathing quickened as she watched Ella grab hold of the cable and begin tugging. "NO!" It was practically a scream.

The image distorted as Ella jumped. "What?"

"There's an attachment on the end of the cable where it meets the firewall. You need to depress the little lever to release it. Otherwise you'll break the cable. It'll be useless." Blake slammed her hand on the table. "Worse, they'll know someone was messing with it."

The image stabilized as Ella moved back toward the box and released the cable. Blake continued to offer instruction, her voice calmer now. "Now move it out of the way."

The camera feed swung wildly as Ella followed Blake's instructions. For several moments, they couldn't see what was going on in the Control Room. There was a shifting sound, followed by a dull thud.

"Is t-that right?" Ella aimed the camera at the equipment. Faith could tell she was finding it difficult to keep her wrist steady.

"Yep. Now, see the thin grey cable?" Blake's voice was terse, tense. "You need to unplug it. Then replace it with the original – the light blue one. And quickly."

Ella did as Blake had asked. The task took her a while, her hands slipping off the cables several times. She was clearly sweating. When she was finished, she sat back. "Is that right?"

"Yes." Blake leaned in closer, her voice urgent. "Now reverse the process." As Ella complied, Blake continued to bark instructions. "Repeat this tomorrow, just before the ceremony. Exactly this. Got it?"

"G-got it."

"And you're certain you've memorised the steps?" Blake didn't wait for a response. "Because if you don't manage to get this done, I can't bypass the firewall, which means…"

"No one will hear Faith's speech. I get it." Ella stood up. "When does this need to happen?"

"No more than an hour before the ceremony begins." Blake lectured. "It has to be done before Danforth starts speaking, or–"

Recognising the terror on Ella's face, Faith laid a hand on Blake's arm. Enough, she mouthed. Blake gave a curt nod.

"I'll make sure it's done," Ella whispered, "and–" There was a sound behind her. She spun round, the video feed revealing the woman she had sent to the canteen in the doorway.

"There were no cookies." She took a step into the room.

"That's odd." Ella kept her cool. "I'm sure I heard someone say they'd just laid out a fresh batch."

"Not that I could see."

"Perhaps they ran out." Ella walked past the woman, making her way to the door. She turned. "I'm heading down there now. I'll see if they're making a fresh batch."

She pulled the door open.

"Wait a minute." The woman's tone was suspicious. "Did you finish cleaning?"

"I did thanks." Pulling a cloth out of nowhere, Ella waved it in the air. "All done. I'll see you later. Bring you cookies, when they're ready. Least I can do, since I sent you on such a goose chase."

Once she was outside the door, Ella switched the feed back to her face. "That was close. And now I guess I have to conjure up some cookies from somewhere and keep up the pretence."

"You can manage that?" Faith asked.

"Sure. I have full access to the canteen. And I'd better make good on my promise." There was a rustling sound, like Ella was on the move again. "But we'd better start thinking up a different excuse for tomorrow. Because that one's not going to work twice."