Page 220 of Silver Elite

“What?”

“For the Jubilee.”

“Oh. Yes.”

For the first time in my life, I used Lux credits to purchase clothing, and I even managed to find a fabric that isn’t gray, black, or blue. The dress I bought is a deep emerald green that complements my eyes and makes my skin appear luminous. I looked like a stranger in the mirror, but I felt beautiful. I want Cross to see me in it.

“I’ll come by your quarters before the party tomorrow. We’ll do our hair and makeup together.”

“Sounds great.” I squeeze her hand, and it feels bittersweet.

We started off this journey. Me, her, and Kaine. Now there’s only two of us left. But I suppose it’s better than being alone.

—

That night, Adrienne reaches out and tells me what I need to do. It’s a simple objective, and one that gives me hope I wasn’t lying to Cross when I said they wouldn’t target civilians.

The following evening, I make my way to the outskirts of the base and the tunnel off the vehicle pool where I first met Adrienne. Thepackage they’ve left for me is inside a sleek black pack bearing the Silver Block logo, identical to the packs we carry on missions. I don’t know how she got it. Don’t care.

I fit the straps over my shoulders and then skulk back into the lot, making a show of looking around. I’m here under the pretense of tracking down Yemi, one of the officers in charge of signing out vehicles.

“There you are,” I call, smiling at the burly man as he hops out of the driver’s seat of an armored truck. “I wanted to talk to you about borrowing a car this weekend. I have a leisure pass.”

It’s not a lie. I do have a pass. I told Lyddie I’d visit her parents in the city with her, which anyone can verify by asking her.

“Sure thing,” Yemi says, leading me toward his booth.

I shift the pack on my back, hoping whoever is monitoring the cameras and may have seen me enter the vehicle pool without a bag, doesn’t notice that I’m leaving with one.

Chapter 49

It’s time.

The Jubilee starts soon, and I have less than an hour to execute my mission. With my pack in the passenger seat, I drive my borrowed vehicle across the base to the large, sprawling venue where the General hosts all his events. The capitalists and other Continent elites prefer the only hotel in the city grand enough to host large gatherings. The Elysian. They purchase permits to celebrate the most frivolous things—a daughter graduating from upper school. A son landing his first job assignment.

The General, of course, is not about these frills. His trusty Command base will do, even for celebrating such a monumental feather in the cap of his rule. According to Cross, he doesn’t care one lick about this Jubilee. The General believes all parties are self-indulgent, period, but hosts them for appearances’ sake. Tonight he’ll be giving a speech. There’ll be dancing. Refreshments. And then everyone will be dismissed in military fashion before midnight and ushered off the base.

Copper Block is overseeing transportation. Civilian vehicles will enter the base from the checkpoint near the venue. Searched andscanned, of course. I ran into Lieutenant Hirai in the mess hall earlier, and he told me he was responsible for strengthening the force field surrounding the venue. If any guests ignore the multiple warning signs and try to step foot beyond the designated area, they’re in for a nasty surprise in the form of electrocution.

“We really hope we don’t have a lot of dead civilians on our hands tonight,” he said ruefully, and I had to giggle.

“Do you have the package?”Adrienne asks.

“Yes.”

This will be the tricky part. I need to set the charges inside the caterers’ quarters. Not in the kitchen, but a large supply room two doors down. Adrienne projected the blueprints to me last night.

“There won’t be anyone in here?”I ask her, the same way I asked yesterday when I was told my objective.

“There shouldn’t be.”

Good. I’m assuming my role in the plan is to create another decoy. The explosives taking up residence in my bag are nowhere near enough to do much damage to the supply room, let alone the entire base. But I’m still on need-to-know footing, with no directive other than to plant these explosives.

Silver Elite comes with the kind of security perks that make the lower blocks jealous. My movements hardly ever get questioned, and if I do happen to get stopped, I scan my thumb, they see my unit, and there are no questions asked. Today, luckily, not a single soul noticesme.

The venue is chaotic. Catering trucks parked outside, soldiers with guns watching the staff unload items and scanning each one. I keep my head down and slip into the building, averting gazes in the hallway. I haven’t activated my jammer yet—it’ll draw too much attention if all the cameras in the building suddenly stop working—so I’m very aware of the blinking red lights in the ceiling following my every move. I enter the kitchen, and only then do I remove the jammer from my bag, activate it, and scurry back into the hall, invisible to the cameras.

In the supply room, I make quick work of the charges, settingthem around the room. Every sound, every rustle of fabric, sets my nerves on edge. I want to hurry, to rush what I’m doing, but I can’t afford to be careless. Adrienne is counting on me.

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