"We'll talk more later," Dave said, and Tess's head went quiet.

She continued down the streets, staying on the edge of the riots and cacophony of shouts. Ahead, a group of people vanished in a flash of light as the recruits sent them to the Species. But she wasn't the only one who saw—civilians ran and screamed as people disappeared around them. "They're here!" a man exclaimed, his frantic eyes searching the sky.

Tess rushed forward and caught up to the recruits. "You guys need to be more careful! We don't want to leave witnesses and incite a panic."

One of them stuck out his tongue at her and took off running.

Either they didn't respect her alone, or even Jade would have a hard time keeping them in control. Their time in captivity must have messed with their brains. They seemed stunted, almost too childlike for teenagers.

The riots dispersed as people aimlessly ran for their lives. Tess jogged to avoid looking out of place.

She wasn't able to do much to further the City nor the Species' agendas, just to watch the conflict helplessly. If she had to pick a side, she'd pick neither. She felt tired.

The day passed in a blur of chaos. As the sun set, Shaun packed the teenagers in the vans, then drove Tess to a new safe house. At Jade's instruction, Shaun blindfolded Tess with a black band of cloth. She wasn't allowed to take it off even as the car stopped and they walked into a building.

When someone finally tugged the blindfold off, Tess stared into a glare of bright light. As her eyes adjusted, they met those of someone she vaguely recognized.

It was an older woman with sandy gray-blonde hair—the president of their city. Tess heard Dave gasp in her ear as he saw what she did.

Jade, standing with her hand on the president's shoulder, chuckled. "I thought you might like to see who we captured today, on her way to work. She's one of us now, and she'll do whatever I ask her to."

To demonstrate, Jade commanded, "Stand!"

The president stood, her face emotionless.

"Pretty nifty, huh?" Jade smiled. "I could make her do anything." Her eyes flashed with menace. "Run into that wall at full speed."

The president turned to see which wall Jade was pointing at, then took off.

"Stop!" Tess shouted, unable to take any more of this spectacle.

The president came to a stop with her face inches from the solid stone wall.

Jade stepped forward, getting in Tess's face. "What do you think you're doing?" she sneered. "You do not give orders, I do."

Tess held Jade's dark stare, devoid of any empathy, and said, "Get out of my face."

Jade closed her eyes and shook her head. For a moment, Tess thought her humanity might be returning. When she opened her eyes, Tess swore she caught a glimpse of the old Jade, trapped and afraid. Then her face turned to darkness.

"Take her away," Jade said, waving a hand at her latest minions, two broad-shouldered men who looked like bodybuilders.

Tess noted that Jade seemed paranoid about her safety, keeping bodyguards even when among her own kind.

She turned and started to comply, but the guards grabbed her by each arm anyway, dragging her out the door. She fought a little, wishing they'd let her walk on her own. They barely reacted, tightening their grip, fingers pressed deep into her flesh.

Down a few hallways, they stopped at a door and threw her inside. She stumbled as they closed the door with a loud click that told her it was locked. The room was like a prison cell. It reminded her all too much of how the City had treated them, not as human beings.

She sat with her head against her knees, just breathing. Dave was oddly silent despite the eventful past hour.

Then someone tapped on the door. They inserted a key and pushed it open.

"Rosalie," Tess said with relief.

She beamed. "I got Jade to give me the key. It was obviously wrong was she was doing, because the president was converted—she's one of us now. That's why you did what you did, right?"

"...Yeah."

"I knew it. Jade was worried you had too much empathy for humans or something."

"Of course not." Tess gathered herself up off the floor and followed Rosalie out the door.

It was only then that Tess noticed how fancy the building looked, with smooth marble walls adorned with historical paintings.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"We've taken over city hall. Overturned the government. A coup d'etat."

Tess immediately thought of Dave and Kyle. What would happen if they were found? If Jade discovered she was a spy for the government?

"But some workers and the military are still camped out in secret locations. We just need to find them. That's our key mission right now."

Tess swallowed. "Tell Jade I'll do anything for the cause. If she suspects any locations as military hideouts, I'll walk in myself and search every inch."

Rosalie nodded slowly. "It'd be really dangerous, you know."

"Yeah." She knew it wouldn't be dangerous for her, as long as the military knew she was their spy. But a mission that looked heroic might make Jade trust her.

Rosalie left her to speak to Jade. Tess slunk into a nearby bathroom and latched the door. "Dave?" she whispered, paranoid someone might hear.

It took a moment, then he replied in a dazed voice, "Yeah?"

"You heard everything, right?"

"Right...I've been making a lot of phone calls. Things are very chaotic here."

"Kyle is safe and secure, right?"

"Yes."

"I need proof. I need to hear his voice."

"No."

"I have a plan to gain Jade's trust, and maybe even deliver her to the military."

He paused, then sighed. "I'm listening."

"Not unless you let me talk to Kyle."

"Seriously? That can't happen."

***

Half an hour later, she heard Kyle's voice, a bit soft and tired. "I just talk into this, and she can hear me?"

"Yes," Tess said, heart pounding as she wondered if he'd heard her.

She heard a strangled gasp. "I'm so glad to hear your voice...I don't know what to—"

"Me too." She smiled, wishing she could see his face or hold his hand. "How have they been treating you?"

"They...well...they take regular blood samples, but nothing else. The worst part is the isolation. It's like solitary confinement."

"I'm so sorry. I'm doing everything I can to keep you safe."

"Don't worry about me," he insisted. "Just do what you need to survive."

"Okay," Dave interrupted. "That's all for now. If you don't keep your end of the bargain, Tess, he gets hurt."

A shard of ice pierced her heart. She wished she could speak to Kyle a little longer. It was also setting in that her plan could fail.

"Right," Tess said unsteadily. "So, Jade and the rest want to look for your remaining military bases. I'll volunteer to scope out any places she suspects. If she's right about your location, I can lie to her, or else warn you and give you time to get your people out."

"You mentioned possibly delivering her to us."

"Yeah." She bit her lip. "That plan wasn't as fleshed out. She has these big, burly guards, and everyone is fiercely loyal to her. Maybe you can drop some supplies for me, like some kind of knockout gas, y'know? And I could use it in the room she's in and drag her out—"

"Seriously?" He sounded annoyed, clearly unimpressed by her plans.

"I was thinking before that maybe I could lure her into an ambush. But I don't think she'd follow me anywhere."

"This whole thing was a mistake," she heard Dave mutter, his voice fading out as if he were walking away.

"Hold on—we can work something out. We can come up with a plan..."

She waited. He was gone. All was silent.

Until someone pounded on the bathroom door. "Tess?"

It was Rosalie again. Tess unlocked the door and stepped out.

"Jade says she'll give you one chance to prove yourself." She handed Tess a communicator. "You go to those coordinates tonight. A lot of radio activity is coming from there, that's all we know. Oh, and Shaun will go with you."

This was moving too quickly. Dave had left, so she couldn't warn him that they were coming. She wasn't sure other government employees would recognize she was working for them. And Shaun's presence would complicate the whole thing.

"Okay," she said, staring at the GPS coordinate, a lone dot on a vast map.

Shaun drove the car again, but this time, she told him which roads to take to reach their destination.

The riots had started up again, the night alive with shouts and violence. Tess spotted a burning overturned car down a desolate street. She swallowed, veins rushing with trepidation.

___________

Late Merry Christmas! Or Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah, or anything else you may celebrate! And a happy New Year!

Probably unimportant, but I just noticed the word count is different on my laptop vs phone for the same chapter. Like almost 100 fewer words show up in my PC browser for the exact same text. Anyway, I'll try to post again soon in early January. Hope you get to spend quality time with family...and/or pets. :D