Taken (Erin Bowman)

don’t think about morals or right and wrong. You think about life and death. You think about survival. In Taem, I did what I thought would keep us alive, and that included pulling the trigger. There will come a day, as this battle continues, that you will face that same decision, and believe me when I say that you will choose your own life over sparing another.”
    “It just seems so heartless, the way we are killing each other. And you act like it’s necessary. You’re proud to do it.”
    “I’m not proud of killing, but I am proud to be a part of the Rebellion. I’m proud to fight for our people, and that’s never going to change.”
    I smile at her certainty. “Are you always going to be so blunt?” I jest.
    She misses my playful tone and frowns. “No one said I was easy to love, Gray.”
    “Is that was this is, then? You and me?”
    “I guess that depends on how you feel. I’ve made myself clear. You’re the one who has to make up his mind.”
    She leaves me there, in the graveyard beyond Mount Martyr, and as she walks away, my thoughts fall on Emma.
    Winter approaches and on a blustery day when the first snowflakes have started to fall into the Basin, Ryder calls an impromptu status meeting. When I arrive, the captains are sitting about the table, while Bree, Xavier, and even Clipper stand with their backs against the wall. Bo is there, too, and he winks at me as I enter.
    The two of us have talked often since our return to Crevice Valley, discussing what we’d seen in the control room and how those visuals might give the Rebels an extra edge. This wink from Bo can only mean that he finally spoke to Ryder about our ideas.
    “We need to talk about next steps,” Ryder says, calling the meeting to order. “I believe our time of hiding, of fighting only in defense, has passed. It is time to fight for everything that first brought us together. It is time for offense, for strategy. It is time to attack.”
    “But even if everyone in Crevice Valley were to fight, our numbers aren’t enough,” Elijah says.
    “Precisely why Bo’s suggestion is so valid,” Ryder replies.
    Fallyn looks at Bo. “What suggestion?”
    “We’re going to Group A,” Bo announces, beaming. I’m smiling with him, but everyone else looks shocked.
    “There’s nothing left of Group A,” Raid states, and several of the others around him nod in agreement.
    “No, there is,” I chime in. “Well, there might be. It warrants checking out.”
    “We are going to trek halfway across the country?” Fallyn shoots back. “Leave the safety of Crevice Valley and go on some wild-goose chase, all on the hunch that there might be a few survivors in Group A?”
    “Not everyone will go,” Ryder says. “Just a few, a select team.”
    “Fine, so this select team gets all the way out to Group A, assuming we even know where it is, which we don’t, and brings back what? Savages? Wild animals? How does this help us?”
    “First of all, I know exactly where it is,” Bo says, tapping the side of his skull with a fidgeting forefinger. “Well, not exactly, but I overheard enough conversations in Taem to have a more than rough idea. Furthermore, if anyone is left in Group A, I doubt they are savages.”
    “And why would you think that?” Fallyn asks, but I start speaking before Bo does.
    “Because we saw them. In the control room, in Union Central. There are dozens of screens still watching Group A. If you looked carefully, you could see them moving about the shadows, ducking out of view. I think they know they are being watched and I think they are undercover purposefully. They are staying out of sight and under the illusion of a wrecked society in the hopes of something. I’m not sure what. Escape, maybe? If we can get in there, break them out, we will have willing participants for our fight against Frank.”
    “Sounds an awful lot like a Heist to me,” Bree says.
    “Yes, but a very different Heist,” I say. “A Heist they want. A Heist they are waiting for.”
    “Precisely.” Ryder smiles, and then pushes a list of team members before us.
    There is a mere dusting of snow on the ground when we pack our bags for the Western Territory. We leave today to begin a journey that will take many weeks; and with luck, we will secure the numbers to beat Frank for good.
    Saying good-bye to Blaine is so difficult it hurts. He wants to come, begs to even, but Ryder refuses. While Blaine is stronger, he’s still not strong enough.