Page 149 of Us Defiant Few

And Brock held out his hand.

Takeshi stared at the palm like it was the most dangerous weapon he’d encountered. Khalani and the others held their breath.

But he took the outstretched hand and stood, pulling Khalani to her feet too. Takeshi looked back at her, the last teardrops sweeping away, and he drew her into his warm arms.

“Thank you for not leaving me.”

Her heart clenched, the heaviest weight releasing from her body as her cheek pressed against his chest. Takeshi held her close, like she was the calm in his storm.

“So, what’s the plan?” Serene straightened as they released each other, their eyes ready for battle.

“We need to find Alan,” Khalani said, turning to Takeshi. “Do you know where he might’ve gone?”

“The White House,” he answered, frowning. “I can sense him there.”

“But how do we stop him?” Derek asked. “He’s got a whole army. And if we kill him, won’t he just come back with another clone?”

“No.” They shifted their focus to Adan, who had a renewed fervor in his voice. “You heard what he said about Timothy Talbot’s code.”

“That’s right!” Winnie exclaimed. “If Alan activates Project Helix, his code will be deleted. But Winnie can’t remember how long we have.”

“Thirty minutes,” Khalani answered, remembering. “He said thirty minutes until he fixes the code.”

“About twenty-five now,” Adan added.

“C’mon.” Brock flipped the knife into his pocket. “We need to help the Aces and find the Governor. We’ve got no time to lose.”

He strode over to the dead soldier. He grabbed the discarded gun and threw it at Takeshi, who caught it without hesitation.

The others prepared to leave, but Khalani had one more thing she needed to do.

“Wait!” She rushed to the Governor’s desk, searching for the broadcast button.

“Khalani, we have no time,” Brock said urgently.

“Just give me one minute,” she insisted. “Serene. Turn on the camera.”

Serene didn’t question her and immediately bolted to the camera, carefully avoiding Cheryl’s dead body on the floor.

Her pulse raged. Khalani had no idea what she was doing. Didn’t contemplate the consequences. All she knew was that this battle wasn’t just theirs.

The world needed to know the truth.

Serene gave her a thumbs-up from behind the camera, and without another shred of doubt, she pressed the green button.

“This is Khalani Kanes from Apollo,” she began, not bothering to sit at the desk.

Khalani hesitated, the adrenaline giving way to reality that she was talking to every underground city in the world. But when she made eye contact with Winnie, it gave her the strength to keep going.

“Your government has been lying to you. The surface is survivable. It has been for quite some time. And now, they’re killing us so we don’t discover the truth and escape.”

Khalani took a deep breath, letting her heart speak.

“We’ve been toiling under the earth for three hundred years. But it’s time for us to return home. On the surface. That is where we truly belong. So, if you can still hear this, I’m asking you to not sit back while they take everything. Fight the people keeping you beneath their feet. We outnumber them, and if enough of us band together, we can win. And if you’re listening from Apollo.”

She stepped forward, looking into the camera.

“Head to the elevators and take them to the surface. Fight with us on Genesis. We wait for you under the sun.”