As Owen and Katrina disappeared over the hill, I drowned in my own uncertainty. Protocol dictated that I should report their infraction immediately, giving Quinn enough time to warn Peter. I looked for her, but she was stationed to the south, too far for me to reach and still have a chance of catching up. I curled my hands into fists, my fingernails biting into my palms. With each second that passed, Owen and Katrina drew closer to the forest.

There was no time left. I pushed off from the gravemarker and gave chase.

The wind whipped around my legs as I sprinted, and my head burned with white-hot fury. How could Owen join Peter’s team without training or weapons? It’s a suicide mission. And he convinced Katrina to follow him. I pushed harder. When I catch him, I’ll kill him.

I rounded the crux of the hill. Below, Owen and Katrina were running at full tilt, stumbling over the stones in their attempt to create distance between us. Owen’s watch partner, an older man, was hot in pursuit. As I watched, he threw himself at Katrina’s leg, but Owen pulled her out of reach. The man smashed into the hillside and lay motionless. I gasped, and another wave of adrenaline flooded my senses.

The world turned a shade darker as the van disappeared behind the trees. Owen and Katrina reached the treeline just as I began my descent. I half-ran, half-slid downwards, my ankles twisting on the minefield of tree roots and marble shards. My shins stung with fresh cuts and bruises.

Halfway down the hillside, I drew even with the body of Owen’s watch partner. He lay at an odd angle, with one hand twisted beneath his body. I gritted my teeth with uncertainty. I’ve got to catch Owen and Katrina… but what if he’s seriously injured? Cursing, I scrambled to push two fingers against his neck. His pulse thrummed hard against my fingers. “Thank God!” I exclaimed, leaping up and continuing the chase.

A moment later, the leaves of the forest crunched underneath my feet. Only a hundred yards ahead, the silhouettes of my friends wove between the trees. Branches slapped at my limbs, slitting my skin and drawing hot blood to the surface. I closed the gap, drawing closer until I could see the dirt flying up beneath Owen’s sneakers.

“S-stop!” I panted. Owen glanced back, but said nothing. My blood burned with betrayal.

The chase continued for a few more long minutes. My legs felt as though they were being stabbed with a thousand needles, and I struggled to draw air into my lungs. I could taste the sourness of stomach acid on my tongue. Katrina lagged behind Owen, but stayed just out of my reach. She hadn’t trained long, and it was a miracle that she was able to keep going—Owen must have prepared her with this in mind.

What was he thinking? I wondered with disbelief. Clearly, neither she nor Owen thought this plan through. As the daughter of a government official, Katrina had the most to lose. Although her father was power hungry, he protected her and her mother, and by assisting the Resistance, she was acting against him. If the government fell, he would be among the first to be hanged.

The forest thinned around us, and we entered a vast plain. The earth was barren and grey, and our feet churned up brown dust. Once again, I could make out the headlights of the van in the distance. It was parked, waiting in front of two massive iron gates that ended in spear-like points. Midway across the plain, Peter’s group was jogging like a pack of wolves toward the entrance.

The earth shook as the gates rumbled open. The van passed through the opening and continued down the road, its light fading as it rounded the bend. Peter’s team was waiting for the van to open the gates to the restricted area, I realized. It’s their way into the government compound. Genius.

The first members of the raiding party jogged through the gap. Ahead, Owen and Katrina showed no sign of slowing, although I knew they must be exhausted. The earth shook again underneath my feet as the gates began to close. We won’t make it, I thought with relief.

But as we neared, the gates were still grinding together agonizingly slowly. I sped up again, using the last of my strength. When Owen was only twenty yards away from the gap, I drew even with Katrina. Owen was close enough that I could hear him gasping for air. The opening shrank as we closed in—the gates were only six feet apart. Five. Four.

I reached for him, trying to grab his collar before he could make it through. He put on a burst of speed and slipped through my fingertips, clearing the gap and hitting the ground with a solid thump. Muffled shouts came from the other side of the gates. Force him back through! I wanted to yell, but there was no air in my lungs.

Katrina’s ragged breaths beside me reminded me that I hadn’t failed yet. I took a deep breath and dove forward, blocking the opening. Her eyes grew wide with terror. We collided at full speed, our heads whacking together and then ricocheting apart. I stumbled backwards as my vision went spotty. Holding on to a shred of consciousness, I shoved her away with all of my strength, and she fell to the ground. Between us, the iron panels slammed together.

***

I pulled myself off of the ground and vomited between my hands. My chest heaved as I struggled to breathe, and drops of blood fell from my arms and splattered on the dirt. I raised my head, searching beyond the gate. Katrina lay crumbled on the ground, sobbing.

The fall had torn my pants at the knees. I brushed off my scrapes and looked around for Peter. “Shit!” someone shouted, and I whipped around to see Owen a few yards away. He was crouching, with his face twisted into a gruesome expression. He lunged forward and pushed me back against the dirt. I kicked him away, but he pinned my arms with his knees and raised his fist.

Peter grabbed him from behind and ripped him off of me. I scooted backwards, eyes wide. “Damn you!” Owen cursed.

I flinched. He had never spoken to me so harshly before. “What’s wrong with you?” I exclaimed, “You left me, put Katrina in danger, and risked this entire plan!”

“I didn’t leave you! I knew you’d follow us,” Owen snapped back. “Be honest! If I’d asked you, you never would have agreed to follow Dad!”

“Damn right!” I glared at him, my chest still pounding. “This is not the Owen I know!”

Owen’s eyes took on a wild intensity. “You ruined everyth-”

His words were cut off as Peter pushed him to the ground. Even with his face against the dirt, his gaze never left mine. “What were you thinking?” Peter asked, his voice deadly calm. “I trusted you to do your part. Now you’ve proven yourself to be nothing more than a child.”

“A child?” Owen spat.

Peter ignored him and addressed me. “Glace, you did the right thing. Katrina has less experience than anyone else involved in this mission. She could have died or put us all in danger.”

“Yes, sir.” I replied, glancing over at Owen. “I’ll take him back home. We’ll go around.”

“Like hell you will,” Owen protested.

Peter shook his head, and his expression turned heavy. “There’s no going back. Once you pass through these gates, the only way out is through the Fortress.”

My jaw dropped. “No way…can’t we wait for another car to pass through?”

“As far as I know, there was only one appointment tonight. If you wait for another car, you might be caught here for days, and you won’t want to be anywhere near the Fortress when they discover the theft.”

I covered my mouth with one hand. “Oh no…”

A figure nudged Peter’s arm and whispered something into his ear. “Right,” Peter said, “we can’t stay here much longer. Give Glace and Owen gear, but weapons. Keep them in the middle. Get ready to move out.”

I tried to slow my frantic breathing as I was handed a black mask and gloves, and my hands shook as I tried to pull them on. To my right, Peter was speaking rapidly to Katrina. “Get up,” he urged. “Go back to the graveyard and tell Quinn what happened. Stay away from the road and cover your blood with dirt if it spills in the clearing. Do you understand?”

Katrina tried to sit up. “Y-yeah.”

Peter glanced around. “I know you’re injured, but you must go now.”

Painfully, Katrina drew herself up and began to stumble back toward the trees. I breathed a sigh of relief. At least she’s safe.

As the group began to move, I peeled myself off of the ground and started walking. Behind me, Owen followed silently. I knew he was smoldering with anger—his pride must have been wounded by his father’s words. Still, he had gotten what he wanted. We were going into the Fortress.