45
We decide to take a moment to collect our thoughts. I move to the seat next to Edward as Rook sits on the floor in front of us. “How are you doing?” I ask him. “Really?”
Edward shakes his head and blows out a breath. “I’m confused,” he says. “When I was in there, I was prepared to die. Now that I’m out, I don’t know where I go from here. They’ll never let me return to my normal life.”
“We got you into this mess, and I’m so sorry. I should never have asked you to break into The Shield’s computers for me.”
Edward stares out the window, his jaw working before he turns back to me.
“I’ve had a lot of time to think. This wasn’t your fault. I agreed to help you. I knew the risks and understood why you were asking for this information.”
His gaze grows distant before he begins speaking again.
“Maybe a part of me wanted to break some rules, too. I’ve always hated Fiama and what it stands for.
I never wanted to join the Patrol. I wanted to create things, not destroy them, but I had no choice but to remain loyal to my family and my mom.
I was worried about what might happen if I left her.
” He stops, swallows. “The irony being that I had no choice but to leave her anyway.”
“I’m so sorry we left you behind.”
“If you hadn’t, you’d be dead,” he says. “At least I’m still here. Maybe I was meant to see those things, and maybe now . . . I can fuck some shit up.”
I nod, though I’m still not fully convinced. I think he’s being very generous right now.
“Have you seen my mom?” he asks. “I need to know she’s okay. She has a sister. They’ve never been super close, but I’m hoping my aunt’s family is looking after her.”
“I haven’t,” I say. “I’ve only seen my parents once, and that didn’t go so well.”
“They’re still mad about the whole House-defection thing, I take it?”
“My mom, not so much, but my dad . . .” I shrug. “Well, you know how he is.”
Edward laughs. “I sure do.”
“What is their plan for you?” Rook asks, gesturing to Ada, Henry, and the others who are talking on the other side of the room. “How will they keep you safe?”
“I have no idea. They said I’d probably have to leave New Manhattan.” He says it casually, and I wonder if he’s way more scared than he’s letting on. “I don’t even know what that means, though.”
“Edward,” I say, glancing at Rook. “You could build a life outside this place.”
He frowns. “But there’s nothing out there. I’ll probably die from starvation, assuming a storm doesn’t blitz me first.”
I shake my head. “They’ve been lying about that, too. There’s an entire world out there. One you could become a part of.”
Edward’s gaze shifts to Rook before he scans him from head to toe.
“Really?” he asks.
“Really,” Rook says. “Poet saw everything.”
I describe my time in the Veil. I tell him about the station camps and Neo-Cities, but it’s obvious he’s having trouble absorbing it all. Edward barks out a laugh that borders on hysterical as he points at Rook. “Of course. Now everything about you makes so much more sense.”
Rook offers him a small smile, just as the others break apart and resume their positions around the room.
We wait anxiously as Ada lays out the first step of their plan.
Namely, to find this facility, locate Dr. Mowry, and figure out what he knows.
“We need to show everyone what’s been kept from them.
The chancellors could have been protecting all of us, but they’ve actively chosen not to.
And we need proof. Our word won’t be good enough on its own. ”
“What if Dr. Mowry won’t talk?” I ask. “Do you think the general knows he’s here? She told us she hasn’t seen him in years.”
Henry shakes his head. “Those are all very good questions, but I’m not sure we can ask them without risking the Fog’s security.”
“I think she wants what you want,” I say.
“Did she ever explicitly explain what she wants?” Ada asks. “Yes, she wants to find the cure, but to what end?”
I take a pause, my mouth opening and then closing.
“She never got to that part,” Rook says.
Ada dips her chin. “I want to believe General Sol came to you with good intentions. But until we can be sure, we must assume she is still working with The Shield. She benefits from New Manhattan’s current arrangement, and I’m not yet convinced she would welcome its fall.”
I nod. “Of course.”
It’s not like she’s contacted us in a long time anyway. It does feel like something else is going on.
Ada turns to Edward. “Do you think you could find this information again?”
Edward scrunches his forehead. “With the right equipment, maybe.”
“Would you be able to uncover . . . other things?” Henry asks.
Edward shrugs. “Probably. But I’d need time to put it all together.”
“I’m not sure how long we can keep you safe,” Ada says. “How much time would you need?”
“A few weeks at least,” he says. “But . . . I’m not worried about me. If I can help, I’m willing to take the risk.”
“Are you sure?” Henry asks, and after a slight pause, Edward nods.
“What about us?” I ask, gesturing to Rook. “What can we do?”
“You can return to Amery. Any changes to your normal routines could arouse suspicion,” Ada answers.
“But I want to do something,” I insist.
“You are and you will,” she says. “But for now, you must leave the Fog to the job we’ve been doing for years.”
Her tone is firm, and I want to argue, but she levels me with a look that suggests she has no intention of tolerating my objections.
A moment later, her expression softens. “We’re grateful for all the information you’ve brought to us,” she says.
“And I understand that you want to help. There will be a job for you at some point. Please just allow us to take things slowly. Acting too quickly could risk everything we’ve been working for. ”
My gaze shifts to Rook, and I know he wants to argue, too, but he defers to Ada and her authority.
“Poet,” Edward says. “There’s something you could do for me, if you wouldn’t mind?”
“Sure,” I say. “What is it?”
“Can you please check on my mom?”