Page 44 of Us Defiant Few

Spade stood, straightening his crisp white suit. “I triple-checked the readings myself. The radiation is gone.”

“That’s impossible.” One of the scarred men slammed his fists onto the table. “They told us we’d return to the surface once it was safe!”

“And the government would never tell lies.” Brock rolled his eyes.

Silence persisted. Many Aces shook their heads, wanting to deny the terrible truth that they’d been lied to their entire lives, just like Khalani and everyone else in Apollo.

“All I’ve ever known is the underground,” Bakarra whispered, staring at the table in disbelief.

“I know this is hard to accept,” Jack continued. “But I’ve ordered our scouts to start gathering supplies to breach the dome. After that, it’s a two-week hike to Apollo.”

He leaned on the table, head hung, eyes sunken from his time in the prison camp.

“I know what I’m asking is a lot,” he said. “But we can’t hide any longer. The people in charge have been keeping us in the shadows, taking away our freedom, and are now trying to rob us of our minds. This is our chance to make them bleed for it.”

“But we’ll likely die, Jack! Is that what you want?” one woman nearly screamed.

“You’re right. I don’t know if we’ll survive this. But I know what will happen if we all stand back and do nothing.” Jack took a deep breath and lifted his iron gaze, letting his conviction spill free. “More of our people will be kidnapped and murdered. And I’d rather die than be made into a machine.”

Khalani glanced at Takeshi. His expression hardened, but he kept very still, his dark gaze holding an entire world of thought. She wished she could dive in and uncover every inch.

“Does anyone want to stay behind?” Spade asked, scanning the room.

Knees bobbed up and down, fingers tapped together, low murmurs sounded. But not one person walked away. Even those who had protested stared at Jack with a shining light in their eyes.

She breathed in their dissent.

Tasted the rebellion on her tongue.

“Khalani,” Winnie whispered low in her ear. “What about Prometheus? We must travel to the Prometheus Headquarters.”

Khalani shifted her gaze to Elise, who absentmindedly twirled her father’s old ring around her finger—the one that said “Prometheus Inc.” When Adan searched through the old Hermes records, he discovered that a few select individuals listed Prometheus Inc. under their previous employment.

If they traveled to the headquarters in California, they might find answers about Project Helix, but despite her promise, the sinking feeling in her stomach didn’t go away. Something deep inside warned her they should never go to that place.

“We will, Winnie,” Khalani whispered back, squeezing her fingers under the table to hide her apprehension. “But we need to help Apollo first.”

Winnie’s shoulders hunched over, the worry evident in her eyes, but she slowly nodded.

“Then it’s settled.” Jack sighed in relief. “In two weeks, we leave for the long road across the Death-Zone.”

“Not all of us will be traveling with you,” Khalani spoke, her heart racing as one more person clung to the top of her mind. Someone she hadn’t forgotten since they left him in the desert.

“What do you mean?”

All attention pivoted to her, including Takeshi.

“We encountered a tribe on the way to Hermes.” She raised her voice. “They call themselves Desert Spring. We had to leave one of our people behind to make it to your city. Our group will leave early to retrieve him. Afterward, we’ll meet you outside Apollo.”

“How do you even know he’s still alive?” Raziel clipped.

“He is alive,” she snapped.

“Khalani’s right,” Adan said, clasping his hands together. “We can’t leave Derek behind. He also worked in the R&R Labs. He’ll know the best way to get us in.”

Jack hesitated, glancing at Spade, who gave a subtle nod.

“Okay.” He fixed them with a stern look. “Which of you will be going ahead?”