She wished she had his confidence.
At last, Nadine slung her bag into place. “It’s time. We get one shot at this. Theo will meet us at the south maintenance tunnel. Once we’re inside, we do not talk. We move fast, we move quiet, and if something goes wrong, don’t wait for orders. Just survive, and someone from the Dissent will find you. We have more eyes than the Systems realize.”
Gemma looked once more at the waterfall, committing its steady rhythm to memory. To her, it sounded like safety. But out there, the noise would be different. And on Reva and in Perileos, safety was an illusion.
Hawk and Imara fell into motion, ensuring the drone was ready and checking last minute supplies. Gemma adjusted the pistol at her hip, feeling its weight settle against her like a promise she wasn’t sure she could keep. Christian took one last look at her before slipping his pack on, the muscles in his jaw tight.
“You ready?” he asked, touching the small of her back.
Not really.
She nodded despite the fear chilling her bones. “As I’ll ever be.”
The battery lamps were turned off one by one until the cavern was lit only by the glow of their torchlights. Shadows stretched across the walls. The waterfall’s voice followed them as they filed toward the narrow slope that would lead them to Reva’s surface.
Gemma stayed close to Christian, his hand in hers as they climbed out of the cave. Each step was slow and deliberate, their boots grinding into loose dirt.
Outside, the desert lay in near silence, broken only by the faint hiss of wind sweeping across the dunes. Their blue sun was long gone, its absence leaving the sky cloaked in shades of pink, purple, green, and blue starlight. Above them, their twin moons hung low, one thin and sharp as a blade and the other full and pale, painting the sand in silver.
Nadine took point without a word, setting a punishing pace. Hawk brought up the rear, his rifle angled low but ready. Imara fidgeted with the brace on her wrist, talking with her drone that had flown several paces ahead to scout for any surprises. Christian stayed at Gemma’s side, close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating through his sleeve.
Every step forward deepened the knot in her stomach. She’d spent her life in Perileos. She knew its smells, its noise, its weight. Which meant, she also knew how quickly the Systems could choke the air from it. Would they risk suffocating theentire city just to find her? If any of her friends got hurt or arrested for helping her escape Zion, and she couldn’t keep her alien side under control . . .
Her hands shook. This was a bad idea.
“Hey,” Christian said, giving her hand a squeeze, “all we need to do is get to the Dissent’s base, and then we’ll be safe while we figure out how to get off this blasted rock.”
Gemma nodded, though her heart felt clamped in a vise.
An hour later, Perileos’ silhouette rose in the distance, notched with rusted vent stacks and rain barrels. Below it, faint specks of light marked the city’s upper vents and maintenance towers.
Nadine slowed as they reached a shelf of rock overlooking the city. Only four percent of it was above ground, and from this far out, Perileos looked almost peaceful.
But Gemma knew better.
Nadine motioned for them to stay low, leading the way across the last stretch of rock. She reached Perileos first, dropping to one knee and working a hidden latch in one of the vents’ frames.
Nadine swore.
“Problem?” Hawk asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Up here, there were rarely guards, but one could never be too confident. Especially when the Systems were looking for them.
“It’s jammed,” Nadine muttered, trying again.
“Wait,” Christian said, and everyone froze. “Do you feel that?”
A soft vibration under Gemma’s feet deepened into a low tremor.
“Fuck. Of course the freight tram is early tonight,” Nadine said. “We have two minutes to get down the vent shaft, or we’ll be stuck out here for stars knows how long.”
And easily spotted.
Hawk and Christian jumped into action, helping Nadine pry the gate open. Gemma spun slowly, searching for signs that theywere about to be discovered, while Imara sent her drone on a large swoop of the surrounding area.
At last, the latch gave way with a metallic snap.
“Go!” Nadine hissed. “Through the panel next to the track.”
Imara’s drone zipped in first, then Hawk swung his legs over and lowered himself until his boots caught the rung of a corroded ladder. Imara went next, and Gemma after her.
