Astrid and I walk in silence, our footfalls echoing down the dark tunnel. Every few minutes, I hear faint scratching, which sounds like it’s coming from a trench that runs beside us. When I finally place the source, I wish I hadn’t. Rats, scampering away from our lantern light and into the shadows.

Speaking of rats, I’m beginning to feel like I’m walking next to one. Astrid’s barely said a word since the Aletheians left us half an hour ago. Right now, she’s marching ahead with grim determination, eyes fixed on some point in the distance. Damned if I’ll be the one who caves and speaks first.

Then again, what if we never resolve our issues? This can’t go on forever. I clear my throat, suddenly determined to be the adult here. “Listen, Astrid. Sorry I ran off, but I had my reasons. I was only trying to protect Vin. And you.”

She stops and turns to me, her face in shadows. Both of us have removed our masks so when I hold up the lantern, I’m surprised to see she doesn’t look angry. Just lost in thought.

“I know,” she says. “I’m not mad at you, Wil. Just trying to figure things out.”

Okay. So we’re a team again. Maybe. “What kind of things?” I ask.

“Tell me about Thea. How well do you know her?”

I take a deep breath, then go back to the beginning, starting with the way she singled me out during the screening. Then I describe our walk through the apple orchard and the daily training sessions that followed. “She never gave me a reason to doubt her. She was always kind and patient. Took me under her wing, trying her best to prepare me for life at the Academy.”

“And then she shipped you off to have your mind stripped.”

“I doubt she knew about that,” I say defensively. She does have a point though. “You don’t trust her, do you?”

Astrid shrugs and starts walking again. “She’s a Gamma, so deception’s second nature to her. Serpent in the garden and all that, right?”

“Then you didn’t believe the Aletheians?” I step up my pace until we’re side by side. “It sounded back there like you were pretty convinced.”

“I told them what they wanted to hear and it worked. They let us go.”

“And the fact that they did let us go – that doesn’t mean anything?”

“Not necessarily. I’m not in the habit of believing every word out of a terrorist’s – sorry, alleged terrorist’s – mouth. They have an agenda, Wil, and I’ll bet it’s not the same as ours.”

“Yeah, but they saved our necks in Washton,” I point out. “That’s gotta count for something. And by the way, I’m not the only one who’s been keeping secrets. You never told me you heard Thea’s voice during the Fox Hunt.”

“I didn’t trust you at the time.” She shrugs, like it’s no big deal.

“Well, do you trust me now?”

She stops again, this time gazing right into my eyes. “Yes I do, Wil. With my life. When I called you a coward... that was wrong. I’ve never been more wrong about anything.”

“You had your reasons at the time,” I say, looking away before she can see my eyes misting. Why did I need to hear that so much? I glance down at the scanner Cael gave me, taking a few seconds to compose myself. The monitor still shows green. Safe. “What are we going to do when we reach the surface?”

“Guess I’ll tell Ferro and Brenne everything that’s happened,” she replies, starting to walk again.

“But can they be trusted?”

She frowns at me over her shoulder. “Can Vin?”

“I see your point,” I say, even though I don’t. Vin’s the kind of friend who would take a slicer hit for you. Brenne’s an unknown quantity and Fahrenheit – well, he’s just a fragging idiot. I’d like to explain all this, but we don’t have time to argue. “So what’s out next move?”

“I haven’t figured that out yet.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’ve already decided.” I say. “I’m going with the Aletheians.”

She nods, like she’s known this all along. “Do you believe them?”

“As much as I believe anything.” Maybe now’s the time to tell her everything. If I don’t, she’ll be making her decision in the dark. But where do I begin? I exhale slowly, willing my thumping heart to slow. “Remember that chip Gant implanted in your brain?”

Astrid laughs. “You mean you bought the beeping scanner routine? I’ll bet they totally faked that. Classic Gamma trick.”

“Actually…” I swallow the knot in my throat, then recount my first meeting with Gant. When I get to the part about the Eye and the murdered Pioneer child, she stops walking again and shudders, like someone’s just poured ice water down her back.

“He –” She turns to me, shivering. “He made you choose between the boy and the girl?”

I nod, fighting off a wave of nausea as I relive the moment. “I wanted to tell you before, up on Academy Peak, but I couldn’t. He made it clear he’d be listening to every word.”

“I understand.” She bites her lip. “I’m sorry, Wil. I should have realized. Thea's right. Gant is a monster.”

I tell her it gets even worse. Then I detail my second meeting with the Prime Enforcer, throat tightening when I describe how he forced me to watch my sister being tortured on the crop fields of Ag Settlement Three. “He sent me to York to make sure the terrorists captured you,” I confess, suddenly unable to get the words out fast enough. “That’s the price of my freedom. If I defy him, he’ll take it out on Vin and my sister. He’ll torture them to death just to prove a point.” Just like he did with that poor Pioneer family.

“Founders’ blood. They were telling the truth about the chip.” Astrid’s voice shakes as she starts walking again. “You were right, Wil. I did have a migraine in the infirmary. My head felt like it was being split open.”

“That’s what he did to my sister. He activated that damn chip and made her squirm. No little kid should have to suffer like that.”

Astrid pauses to reach for my shoulder. She’s only touching fabric, so why does it feel like every nerve in my arm just fired?

“And you’re sure she’s real?”

“Who? My sister?” I swallow hard, knowing exactly what she’s getting at: maybe Gant fabricated the girl in the field. The thought has certainly crossed my mind. But how could he have faked those frightened blue eyes? When I looked into them, I saw my own reflection.

“Yeah,” I say, convincing myself. “She’s real.”

“Okay. Then let’s accept for the moment that she is, and the Prime Enforcer’s using her as a hostage. How do you know she’ll still be in Ag Set Three? You could get there only to find she’s locked up in some prison thousands of miles away.”

I hadn’t thought of that. She’s right, of course. “Gant’s expecting a report tomorrow,” I say, thinking out loud. “I’ll demand to see visible proof she’s still alive. That way, I’ll know she hasn’t been moved.”

Astrid sighs. “It won’t work, Wil. The Aletheians won’t just let you go off on your own rescue mission.”

“Then I’ll escape, once they’ve gotten me out of York.”

“That’s crazy! You’ll never make it.”

“Doesn’t matter. I have to try.” I gaze into Astrid’s eyes, hoping she’ll understand. “Our parents are dead and she’s all alone. What kind of brother would I be if I just abandoned her now? She’s done nothing wrong but she’s still suffering, Because of me.”

“You’re right,” she says after a long stretch of silence. “You have to find her. But you’re not going alone. We’ll do this together, with or without Thea's help.”

Her offer leaves me stunned. Would she really take this risk for me?

“But if word gets out that you’re with the Aletheians…” My voice trails off as I consider the implications. It’s one thing for me to be labeled a traitor, but if the Prime Founder’s daughter looks like a terrorist sympathizer…

“I know it’s a risk,” Astrid says. “But I don’t see any other options.”

“But your father –”

“Is already in danger! I don’t trust the Aletheians, Wil, but I trust you. And what you just told me…” She gasps and touches her fingers to her lips as the shock must hit her again. “I can’t go back now. Gant already has too much power. If he can put a bleeding chip in my head without anyone stopping him, then what else is he capable of?”

That ends the discussion, at least for now. We move on in silence. Five minutes pass before I notice the tunnel air feels fresher and colder against my exposed skin. I check the RTC scanner. Yellow. The numerical countdown now reads ‘1229.’ I reach forward to tap Astrid’s shoulder, and when she turns, I show her the scanner.

“We don’t have much time,” she says. “Before we get to the surface, there’s something I need to tell you.”

She’s shivering. I offer her Cael’s extra cloak, but she shakes me off, then tilts her chin toward the trench. “Let’s sit here for a bit, okay?”

There’s a ledge dropping to the decayed tracks below, and before I can stop her, she swings her legs over the side and dangles them into the darkness. I sit next to her, trying not to think about the starving rats that are probably swarming beneath us.

“I want you to know why I’m going with you,” she begins, breath condensing into a frosty plume. “Why I want to help you find your sister.” Her teeth have started to chatter, so I set down the lantern and drape Cael’s cloak over her shoulders. She leans into me.

“You think I’m crazy, don’t you?” I ask.

“No.” She gives me a sideways glance. “There’s nothing more important than family, Wil. That’s what I wanted to tell you. I… I had a younger brother, but he’s gone now. I’d do anything to get him back.”

“What happened?” I ask softly. I know the story, but it feels important to hear it from her.

“Jake died the same time as my mother.” She blinks, staring into the darkness. “It happened on Harvest Day, during my first year at the GA. Dad had just been appointed Second Founder, so I flew home to celebrate. He came to pick me up, but we got stuck in traffic. Some parade.”

As she speaks, I can picture her clearly: an eight-year-old girl skipping off the air-trans to be reunited with her father. Giddy with anticipation as their glide skims over the tracks, moving closer and closer to home.

“We saw the smoke from miles away. Thick and flowing, like a black wind. At first I thought it had to be coming from the bay, maybe a refinery fire, but every time we turned, it kept getting closer. By the time we reached our block, I already knew.” She blinks away tears and I realize it’s the first time I’ve seen her cry. “Gas vent explosion. We’d missed it by less than ten minutes. If it hadn’t been for the traffic…”

I take a deep breath, piecing together the timing of the accident. Harvest Day, during her first year at the GA. Which means her mom and brother died just weeks before we met on the playing fields. Another image bubbles to mind, this one of a pretty girl with sad blue eyes, her voice serious as she asks why I won’t defend myself against a pack of bullies. She must’ve still been in mourning. Lonely, maybe looking for a friend. And when she approached me with an outstretched hand… I practically bit it off. 

No wonder she’s hated me all these years.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” I reach over to touch her shoulder but she pulls away.

“We don’t have time for this.” She sniffs, then jumps to her feet. “We need to come up with a plan before we reach the surface.”

“Right.” I rise to follow her. Who knows why she just confided in me? But the moment, whatever it was, has clearly passed. “I’m telling Vin everything. The rest is up to him. I won’t blame him if he never speaks to me again.”

“He’ll understand, and he’ll go with you. So will Brenne.”

“Wait. They’re that close already?”

She answers with that mysterious half-smile of hers. “She’s always had a crush on him. Just too shy to do anything about it. I think she actually looked forward to trading with Cara for York. I was furious with her, but she refused to budge. She’d finally found an excuse to let Vin know how she feels.”

“And how do you feel…?” I trail off awkwardly, realizing that came out all wrong. “I mean, about the Aletheians’ offer?”

“I’m giving Brenne and Ferro the same choice you’re giving Vin.” She jerks her head toward the end of the tunnel. “We’re wasting time. We still need to figure out what to tell Bridges and Gant. When Dax tells them you just ran off, you’d better have a good explanation.”

I listen to her for the next five minutes, mostly nodding in agreement as she lays out our cover story. She starts with the idea that the terrorists snuck up and grabbed me. It’s amazing how her mind works: how effortlessly she creates a plausible explanation, anticipating any possible challenges. When she’s done, she asks me to repeat the scenario, just like she did in the greenhouse before my first meeting with Cillian Gant. 

When I’m done with my recap, she nods. “Good. Now let’s get moving.”

Before I can respond, she picks up her pace to a fast jog. Now that she’s made up her mind, it’s as if she’s rushing to meet the future head-on.

I race after her, stopping every few minutes to check the scanner. When the countdown drops below 100, I warn her that we’re almost in range of the Eye. She nods and circles back to me.

“Don’t tell Ferro about the Aletheians!” I blurt when she’s only a few strides away. “Please. I don’t trust him.”

Her hands drop to her hips. “Well, I do. And there’s no flaming way I’m leaving him behind without giving him the chance to join us. Once we’re gone, he won’t be safe. What makes you think Gant would spare him?”

“Because he’s a High Founder.”

“Oh, I see.” She taps the base of her skull, right where Cael showed her the RTC insertion point. “And that really helped me a lot.”

“But he’ll betray us!”

“No he won’t!” Her eyes narrow. “Come on, Wil. Don’t fight me on this. He’s my best friend. I’m not leaving him behind.”

“So then you love him?” The question slips from my lips before I can block it.

Astrid gives me a puzzled look. “Of course I do.”

“Of course you do,” I echo, forcing my shoulders into a shrug. Best to stay just friends, right? I know this as well as she does.

“Hey.” She takes a step toward me, so close now that I could reach out and run my fingertips across her cheek. Trace the sweep of her jawline. The curve of her lips. “You were honest with me, Wil. So I’m going to be honest with you. No more secrets between us, okay?”

I nod, managing a tight smile.

“When we get to the surface, things will be different. We won’t be able to say what’s on our minds. I won’t know how you feel, and you won’t know how I feel, right?”

I nod again. Suddenly, I don’t have enough energy to do anything else. She’s the Prime Founder’s daughter. Did you actually think, even for a second…?

 “So I want you to know one thing right now.”

“Okay.”

I wait dutifully for her next command, but she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she takes a step closer, so close now I can feel the heat of her breath against my cheek. Another half-step and then she leans in to close the remaining inches between us.

I close my eyes as her lips touch mine, brushing softly and then gone.

Like a whispered promise.

***

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