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WES

W e’d been here all morning. Giza and Sasha sat at the far side of the table. Nora and Javier stood at the end next to the projector screen, which had an aerial shot of a location I didn’t recognize. Krous, my mother, and I sat on the side closest to the door.

“Claro, General,” he said with an easygoing smile.

“This compound is the site of a former reeducation camp known as Apex Rehabilitation Institute. I was stationed there before the riot broke out. According to our intel, the camp was closed for repairs following the riot.” He clapped his hands together, rubbing them.

“Y ahora, it’s open for business. Specifically, the compound is the new site for the NIT Labs. ”

The aerial view showed a large hill with some sort of structure built on top. A perimeter fence with two entrances on opposite ends of the facility encircled the property. Beyond that, there was nothing. Just a wide-open expanse of desert, as Nora had indicated .

“Aquí”—Javier pointed to the structure—“is the transmission tower. From here, all the signals go out to other towers nearby called repeaters. Each one repeats the transmission to the next, creating a network that controls the nanochips within their field of range.” His finger made a swooping circle around the mountain.

“This is Apex Peak, and inside the hill is where the cell blocks used to be for prisoners. The processing plant was relocated inside the mountain after your Dissenters discovered it over the summer. The neural lab was also relocated here to protect it.”

The image changed to show the front of the facility. A building was built into the hill from the ground all the way to the top where the radio tower sat. Another facility was stationed on top of the peak like a crown.

“The hill was carved into, creating a tunnel system inside, and here”—he pointed at the building at the base of the hill—“is the only entrance inside. There are five elevators here that ride to the top. Aquí y aquí…here and here are emergency stairwells at either end.” Finally, he pointed to the building at the top of the hill.

“This is new. When I was there, there was nothing on top of the mountain. Everything was located inside.”

Nora spoke. “Javier and I believe that this is where the main transmissions are being sent out for the nanochips.”

Mother spoke, “So we have two options. Destroy the labs or take out the tower.”

Giza rubbed his goatee. “With either option, we take out the control Raúl has over those retrofitted. Destroying the labs destroys the transmissions. Destroying the tower eliminates the signals from reaching the repeaters.”

I clenched my jaw and leaned back in my seat, rubbing my lips with my fingertips.

“Do we know what the layout is inside Apex?” Sasha sat with perfect posture as always, fingers clasped in front of her.

Javier leaned over the table, placing his hands on the surface. “I know what it used to look like, but I don’t know what it is now. ”

“Bomb it.” I looked at my mother. She said it so casually, as though bombing a facility was no different from changing the sheets on her bed. “Send an airstrike and blow the whole hill.”

“We can’t,” Krous said gently, but I noticed the tightness in his jaw. “I’m sure the skies are being surveilled, right?”

“Correctamente,” de la Puente said. “You’re correct. And the compound is located too close to the city and Raúl’s air force. Anything approaching from the skies would be destroyed before it ever got close enough to strike.”

“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath. If anybody heard me, they didn’t say a word.

“A land assault is out then,” Krous stated.

“True,” Giza added. “Anyone even remotely doing their job would spot our team a mile away.” He leaned forward in his chair, resting an elbow on the table. “And I assume the facility is heavily guarded?”

General Pierce stepped next to Javier, arms behind her back. “That is correct. The facility has an entire battalion guarding it.”

“Well then, the idea of destroying the lab seems to be an impossibility to me.” Mother’s voice was cold, and the scowl on her face could have dropped a grown man to his knees.

“You’re all saying that an approach from the sky or land is an impossibility.

What is the point of this meeting if there is no way of breaching the compound? ”

Nora smirked. “There is a way of breaching the facility, Marissa. I wouldn’t waste your time or mine on a pointless endeavor.” She stood up straighter, standing shoulder to shoulder with her lieutenant. “Ever read The Iliad , First Commander?”

Mother cocked a brow.

Nora’s grin deepened. “We’re going to take a page from history, Marissa. The great city of Troy was breached with a Trojan horse, and we’re going to breach Apex with our very own.”

** *

A tower maintenance vehicle. We were going to capture a tower maintenance vehicle scheduled to arrive at the facility in just a little over a month.

A team would be sent in, pretending to be conducting routine maintenance on the radio tower.

Explosives would be set at all four corners with remote detonators.

Then, a Trojan horse virus would be implanted into the computer terminal at the site, which would activate itself forty-eight hours after installation, destroying the program.

Those forty-eight hours would provide us enough time to regroup and then launch an all-out assault on Telvia, with an airstrike to hit Raúl’s location the moment he was found.

This was it. With the Telvian transmissions down, the chaos would give us our one and only opportunity to take Raúl out before the REG had a chance to undo the havoc caused by the virus. It was a small window, and we only had a few weeks to get ready.

I fucking hated Hail Marys.

***

MARA

I didn’t see Wes at all that day. And I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was hiding from me. I thought about messaging him too, but my pride eventually took over, and hurt spun into anger.

I felt like an absolute fool. How could I be so freaking stupid? To lay myself out like that, only to give him the opportunity to reject me? He was happy to be a damn rabbit with Calista apparently, but with me ? The one he was supposed to marry ?

Oh no, can’t do that. I’m not ready .

BS.

Eff that .

The more I thought about it, the more Blondie’s words made sense.

It really was me. I really was the problem.

So why the hell would he ask me to marry him?

I mean, if he found me disgusting, then have the stupid decency to let me find another tree to climb, right?

Or was he just that possessive that every woman that used to be his was now off limits to someone else?

I growled, laying on the bench press, pushing up on the weight bar while Chelsea spotted me.

“Let’s go, Miss Mara. I don’t have all day,” she goaded.

I pushed up again, feeling my muscles strain under the weight. I needed something to keep my mind off everything, and when Edith and Liddy left for their shift, Chelsea showed up. She took one look at me and beckoned me with her finger.

“You look like someone ran over your dog,” she said. “Follow me.”

And now we were here, with Chelsea having me doing reps on the Olympic bar. She had me working out all damn afternoon.

“That’s eight. Two more, Mara. Let’s go.”

I pushed up, feeling exhausted as gravity pulled down on the 100 pounds Chelsea had me set up for. Arms finally extended, she called out nine . Then I slowly lowered it, feeling my arms tremble.

Chelsea leaned forward at my head, knees bent as she rested both hands on her thighs, supporting her upper body. “Nice work. Last one. You’ve got this.” Slowly I pushed up, feeling my arms shake with the strain. “Almost… almost .”

I yelled out as I finally locked my elbows in place.

“Yes!” She reached out, taking some of the weight, and helped me guide it back onto the stand. Then she walked over and offered me a hand. “Nice job, Mara. Never thought I’d say this, but I’m impressed.”

I panted, took her hand and sat up as she handed me a white towel. Dabbing my face with it, I said breathlessly, “Thanks.” It felt good to work out my frustrations with Wes like that. I was still hurt and pissed like a hornet, but at least it felt good to do something productive .

“So, feel better?” Chelsea crossed her arms, cocking out her hip.

Still panting, I managed, “Sorta.”

She patted my back. “Good. Then let’s grab dinner before it’s too late.”

“Actually, I think I’m going to head up. I wanna shower, and I’m tired.” I stood up, draping the towel over my shoulder.

She eyed me suspiciously. “Want me to tell Wes—”

“ No ,” I said a little too loud. Chelsea startled, eyes widening before narrowing her gaze on me. I sighed. “I-I don’t wanna see him, actually.”

“Are you serious?” She placed a hand on her hip. “What the hell is up with you?”

“Nothing,” I lied. Chelsea and I had finally found even ground, but I wasn’t about to sob to her about how Wes couldn’t stand the look of me. No matter how hard I tried to escape my past, it had an uncanny way of clawing its way back and breaking me over and over again.

She scrutinized me for a moment, but when it became apparent that I wasn’t going to divulge anymore, she lifted her hands up in surrender. “Fine. See you tomorrow, I guess.”

Nausea twisted in my gut, and my heart bleated. God, this whole thing really sucked.