Page 133 of Resist

Great. Just perfect. As though this wasn’t already big enough of a mess, now we were on a time crunch because our team wanted to upload a virus, but Jacob and I had different plans. We needed to make sure everything was destroyed or Raúl would just have Jacob’s work recreated, and we’d be back at square one.

“When we land,” Wes jumped in, “I’ll take point through the tunnel. Once we're on the other side,” he faced Jacob, “you’ll need to lead us to REG Command.” Jacob nodded. “Mara, you’re covering Geo and Jay. Edith, you’re taking the rear.”

We all nodded.

The pilot interjected, “We’re ready for the drop.” No sooner did he say that, the helicopter slowed and lowered down into a giant clearing of desert shrubs and Joshua trees. Slowly, it dropped to the ground until it finally landed with a hard thump. “Go!”

He didn’t have to tell us twice. We all leaped out, ducking down as the blades of the Blackhawk continued spinning, causing a forceful wind that threatened to topple me over. As soon as the last one of us was out, the helicopter rose and took off toward the battleground.

Miles away, I could see the plumes of black smoke and the flickering dance of flames. Muted booms broke through the serene landscape, and memories of the forest ablaze, the rebel camp destroyed and engulfed in flames, disturbed me.

“Mara?” my brother said gently, a hand on my shoulder. I shook my head, trying to clear the images from my mind as I turned to face him. “Ready?”

I looked back out at the battle ensuing so many miles away, blowing out a breath. “Absolutely.”

***

We raced down the tunnel, dim utility lighting doing the worst job of fulfilling their function. And it was a race. We had at least a mile to go in the darkness, and then a mile to the REG once we came out of the tunnel. The layers of clothing and gear made me feel hot and sweaty, but the tunnels were cool on my face. The smell of stale air and mold, however, was definitely not my favorite.

We kept up a fast-paced jog. I could tell once we had crossed into the city because every once in a while we’d hear a muted sound, like thunder off in the distance, and dirt would fall from the ceiling on top of us. The whole thing gave me this uneasy feeling that the tunnel was going to cave in on us, but I swallowed my internal panic, shoving it down. I had to stay focused.

After twenty minutes, we came to a scuffed up, yellow ladder that rose what looked like dozens of feet. Without so much as a word, Wes grabbed onto the first rung and started climbing, moving quickly. Jacob followed next, then Geo, me, Jay, and Edith.

Eventually, we reached the top. One by one, we climbed out into a tiny square room we could hardly fit in. And the worst part was, there was no way out. No windows and no doors. Just four solid walls.

“Where are we?” I asked.

Wes stepped over to one of the blank walls and pressed his hand flat against it. A light appeared that moved from left to right, tracing the outline of his hand. Something beeped, and then suddenly, the entire wall slid back.

“Holy hell,” Jacob mumbled under his breath, eyes wide and jaw hanging open. “How the—”

“Pretty impressive, eh, Telvian?” Geo snickered as he lifted the hood on his hoodie over his red, buzzed cut hair. “Looks like the REG ain’t as good as they thought they were.”

Jacob just stared and then glanced at me with adid you know about this?kind of look. I just shrugged with a silent chuckle. If only he knew there were more of these secret passageways all over the city. Once he found that out, his mind was going to be totally blown.

Wes stepped into the space beyond, which turned out to be a back storeroom, littered with boxes and discarded merchandise. “Clear.”

We all piled into the room and waited for Wes to close the door—wall?—behind us. It slid back into place and made a softbeepsound when it locked into place. And, just like before, it was nothing more than just another wall. Wes took point again, leading us up a flight of stairs and through an open door. Light hit my eyes, causing me to lift my hands to help protect them from the sunlight shimmering through the windows and bouncing off the mirrors and glass. And when my eyes finally adjusted, I felt my stomach drop and my cheeks redden.

The store we were in was a clothing shop. But not just any clothing shop…it was a—

“Ooo!” Edith squealed as she completely forgot her position as the tail in our group and busted out into the shop. “I wantthatone!” She went to a table and lifted a red, very see-through thong, holding it up high and admiring it. “What do you think, Jay?”

Jay started coughing, curling his hand into a fist and slapping at his chest. I couldn’t believe it. Of all the stores on Cameron Street, it had to be the lingerie shop. I was walking around in a life-sized skank drawer, and Edith was—apparently—in total heaven.

“Oh! This one! I want this one!” She clamored as she skipped to another table with a lacy teddy. At least it was tasteful. She grabbed it and held it up, and I almost choked on my own spit. It had holes.Twoholes…right where the breasts go. “Mara! This one’s perfect for you!”

“Oh no…” Jacob squeaked out, shifting uncomfortably. That made two of us. “The REG’s this way,” he said as he just about ran out of the room.

“I’m following that guy,” Jay said, cheeks red. But I caught him giving Edith a quick wink as she stuffed the not-so-tasteful teddy in her backpack.

“I’ll grab you one, Mara,” she said.

“No!” I shrieked, causing Wes and her to jump. “I’m good. I’msogood. I havewaymore than I’ll ever need—”

Wes started choking just as I realized I had just admitted to owning several pieces of intimate apparel.

Edith glowed. “Ooo! Did you try the red lace—”

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