Summer Lane - State of Rebellion

Chris turns his head slightly, sharing a glance with me.

Don’t worry, he seems to say. We’ve got this.

As far as I know, Jeff and Derek are with their platoons, still safely hidden. As the vehicle comes to the top of the hill, it slows to a halt, and the troops slowly come out. Chinese soldiers surround a man exiting the front passenger door. They protect him with their bodies, a human shield. They move him towards us, standing in a straight line in front of his body.

“Start talking,” Colonel Rivera states.

Chris says nothing. His silence speaks volumes.

The man shielded by the troops is obviously the messenger, and as he begins to talk, his soldiers pull apart enough for us to get a view of his appearance. Sophia slaps her hand across her mouth, unable to contain her shock. A stone drops to the bottom of my stomach.

Wavy brown hair. Tall, lean figure. Piercing blue eyes. All of this wrapped up in a recognizable blue Omega uniform that contrasts the Chinese’s black suits perfectly.

“Now Colonel,” he says, his voice smooth. Perfect. “Let’s not dispense with the pleasantries simply because we’re on a battleground. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Harry Lydell, and I am the acting Commander for this detachment of troops.”

Of all the people I had expected to see in the midst of this Armageddon, Harry Lydell was not one of them. The Englishman who spied on Sophia and I during our imprisonment at an Omega labor camp. The guy who fed information to the enemy before the attack on Sanger, costing us the lives of too many good men.

And I definitely didn’t expect him to be a commander .

“Don’t look so shocked, Cassidy,” he says, looking directly at me. “You didn’t think I’d just disappear forever, did you?”

Well, actually…

“You know this man?” Rivera asks, turning to Chris.

“He was an Omega spy. He betrayed my men,” he replies simply.

“Betray is a rather harsh word, don’t you think?” Harry asks, still watching me. “Betrayal implies that one was loyal to a cause before turning their backs on it. I did no such thing. I’ve always known where my loyalty lies, and it was never with the militias.”

“That’s your mistake, then,” I say.

“So bitter.”

“You almost got me killed.”

“Sorry about that, love. But this is war, you know.”

“Don’t you dare—”

“— Enough ,” Chris growls, and even Harry flinches at the tone of his voice. Chris, after all, is the man that almost snapped his neck on one occasion. And I saved Harry’s life. Epic fail. “You’re here to deliver a message. Deliver it.”

“Colonel Cho sends his condolences for the losses you will take if you do not stop your attempt to exterminate our forces,” Harry says, an irritating smirk on his lips. “I volunteered to represent him at this meeting. I recognized your fighting techniques, Young. You haven’t changed.”

“And you’re still a jerk,” I grit.

“Now, now,” Harry says, raising a finger. “This is supposed to be a peaceful meeting.”

“I should jam my boot down your throat.”

“By all means, go ahead. That would be an amusing attempt to watch.”

“Lydell, why didn’t your Colonel meet us here himself?” Chris interjects, holding his hand up, silencing both of us immediately.

“Because it wasn’t necessary.” Harry folds his arms across his chest. “You’ve made a noble attempt to stop us, I’ll give you that. But you cannot defeat us, and we will kill every man and woman in our path. The solution to your problems is simple: surrender.”

“Surrender is not an option,” Chris replies.

“Why not? Join us. Omega will provide you with food, weapons, ammunition. Be on the winning side.” Harry again moves his gaze to me, smiling wickedly. “When all of this is over, and the new Order is established, you don’t want to be on the wrong side of the border, trust me.”

“You’re asking us to turn our backs on our own country,” Max says. “You’re insane.”

“Colonel Cho is making a generous offer,” Harry answers. “We will unleash everything on your forces if you don’t surrender. I guarantee you, not a single man will be left standing.”

“Don’t threaten me,” Chris warns. “We’re not joining you.”

“Then I suggest you run.”

“We’re not running. You and your allies need to get the hell out of our home.”

“ Your home?” Harry sighs. “As if it belongs to you . It’s ours for the taking, and we’re taking it. You can either step aside and bow to the superior power, join us in our fight, or be annihilated. Personally, I prefer option three, but that would be a waste of some talented guerrilla war fighters.”

“Consider them wasted,” Colonel Rivera shoots back, startling me with the venom in his voice. “We’re not going anywhere. We’re going to wipe the floor with your face, kid.”

I press my lips together, fighting the irrational laughter bubbling up in my chest. Harry looks very ticked.

“So is that a refusal, then?” he asks.

“That’s a no,” Chris corrects. “Get off my hilltop. And by the way, the next time you and I meet, I’m going to kill you.”

Ouch.

“Cassidy?” Harry says, swallowing.

“I’m not a traitor,” I reply.

He glares at me.

“You will be responsible for the death of hundreds,” Harry presses.

“Leave,” Chris commands.

“Your mistake. This offer will not come again.” Harry turns back towards the vehicle, the soldiers retreating from the parley. “Just remember that you had a chance to live. It will be the last thought you have before you die .”

He slams the door shut. We stand there in silence as the vehicle rolls back down the hill. I release a breath I didn’t even realize I’d been holding, my heart beating wildly in my chest.

“ That was entertaining,” Rivera states. “Let’s get back to work. They’ll be on us as soon as he gets back to his commanding officer.”

“At least we know the name of their Colonel,” I shrug.

“I cannot believe Harry is here,” Sophia gasps. “After all this time.”

“It’s a small world,” I say. “And it’s getting smaller every day.”

“That meeting was meant to intimidate us,” Chris says. “They wouldn’t have stopped to parley if they had as much power as Harry is bragging about. We would all be dead already.”

“He’s bluffing?” I say.

“They’re hesitating,” Chris replies. “And that’s perfect.” He turns to Max. “I want you to join Jeff’s platoon. Sophia, you go with him. Cassidy, you stay with me.” He and Rivera look at each other for a second. Chris simply nods and the two of us head to our vehicle.

I slide inside, wrapping my fingers around Chris’s forearm.

“Chris, did you catch what he said about the ‘new Order?” I ask.

“I caught it.”

“What’s the Order?”

“I don’t know. Maybe that’s what Omega’s calling the new government system they’re going to set up. Does it matter?”

“Yeah. I’d like to know what their evil master plan is.”

Chris strokes my hair.

“We know what it is. Annihilation and domination.” He shrugs. “We just have to stop them.”

“It’s going to be a long day.”

“It already has been.”

You know that feeling you get when you stand on the edge of a cliff? Maybe you do. Maybe you don’t. For me, standing on the edge of a cliff is just as exciting as it is terrifying. If I fall off the cliff, I’ll die. And that’s terrifying. But I’m also looking out over the world. I’m on top of the world. And that is exciting. There’s no way to describe it unless you’ve experienced it.