The Resistance

know is that it’s all kicked off. And Mr Pincent, he’s not happy.’
    The guards looked at each other apprehensively then pushed Peter towards Pip before turning and climbing the stairs again.
    Roughly, Pip grabbed Peter; then turned and pushed him down the stairs, causing Peter to stumble.
    ‘Get a move on,’ he said tersely. ‘I’ve got enough to do without babysitting, do you understand? Now come on, move.’
    Peter started to walk, but Pip quickly stopped him, then put his finger to his lips and crept up after the guards. Peter heard two dull thuds and they both fell to the floor; Pip was holding what looked like a revolver, which he returned to his guard’s holster. He bent over the guards, located their keys and in a few seconds had released Peter’s handcuffs.
    ‘Quick, help me move them,’ he whispered. They dragged the bodies down to the second floor landing, and Peter acted as a lookout while Pip found an empty room to stash them in.
    ‘Right. To the storerooms,’ Pip said when he’d finished. ‘After you.’
    He held the door to the stairwell open for Peter, who walked through it, his legs feeling unsteady.
    ‘You . . . you know where they are?’ Peter managed to say.
    ‘I have a feeling I might,’ Pip said, taking the map from his pocket. He pulled Peter down the stairs then motioned towards a door, leading to a long, empty corridor. Peter followed, silently; moments later, Pip opened a door leading to an empty room.
    ‘Quick,’ he said. ‘We haven’t got long. What’s going on? Did you cause the blackout? Why the guards?’
    Peter felt his heart thumping. ‘Anna,’ he said, ignoring Pip’s questions. ‘My grandfather . . . he said she’s been arrested. He said she’d been caught planning seditious activities.’
    ‘She was trapped,’ Pip said calmly. ‘That’s why we came here – to get her out.’
    ‘She’s here? I thought she was in prison somewhere. Who’s the “we” anyway? Are you here with other people?’
    Pip nodded.
    ‘Then tell them we need them to storm this place,’ Peter said, his voice rising with emotion. ‘To get Anna out, but also . . .’ he paused, his eyes widening as he looked at Pip. ‘They have to go to Unit X. I was there. That’s why my grandfather . . . the guards, I mean. It was because I saw what he’s doing up there. He had Sheila, and other Surplus girls. They were . . . They’re harvesting foetuses, Pip. For Longevity+. I had to leave her there. I have to sign the Declaration, otherwise Anna . . .’ His voice dried up as he felt his legs buckling beneath him and he slowly slid to the ground. ‘I didn’t listen to you,’ he whispered. ‘I didn’t listen . . .’
    ‘You discovered the truth,’ Pip said, seeming to take this torrent of information in his stride. ‘Better to find your own way than to blindly trust the words of others, whoever they are.’ He leant down and put his hand on Peter’s shoulder. ‘But now you know the truth, we must get you both out of here.’
    ‘I didn’t protect Anna,’ Peter said desperately. ‘I said I would, and I failed her. I told her to sign. I . . .’ He gulped, forcing back the tears that had welled up in his eyes. ‘And it was all a lie. The sterilisation programme. He made it all up.’
    ‘A lie?’ Pip’s face lit up. ‘Yes, yes, I hoped . . .’
    ‘I hate myself,’ Peter whispered.
    ‘You should despise Richard Pincent, but not yourself,’ Pip said gently. ‘Richard Pincent is determined to twist the world to his own dark ends; you are on the side of the angels. But even angels fall, sometimes. We all make mistakes; without them we would learn nothing.’
    ‘You don’t make mistakes,’ Peter said despondently.
    Pip turned away. ‘I have made the worst mistakes of all,’ he said quietly. ‘But we can all strive to make amends. That is why I fight, Peter. That is why I continue to take Longevity, the drug I despise, why I keep myself alive – because I won’t stop until it’s over. Until it’s all over.’
    Peter looked at him searchingly. His mentor, the man he had once considered invincible, all-knowing, all-seeing, suddenly seemed frail, human.
    ‘So what are we waiting for?’ he said. ‘Let’s get them out. Let’s attack.’
    Pip shook his head. ‘No, Peter. We can’t risk it.’
    ‘But why?’ Peter said desperately. ‘We need to get the girls out. You didn’t see it, Pip, it was horrible.’
    ‘I know,’ Pip said seriously. ‘But an