Grounded

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"We'll need to break into the power station and override the main transformer," Korwin says. We jog down the alley and take a left at the crossroad. "I'll warn you, it's heavily guarded. This is how I got caught the first time."

I arch an eyebrow in his direction. "I never knew. All this time I've wanted to ask you and never had the chance."

"Jonas has a reason to be nervous. We tried this once before."

"What happened?"

"I was supposed to blow the transformer. I'd practiced for months and thought I was ready. On that night, I joined a team of rebels under Jonas's leadership. Three men. The plan was for the three to get me in and then I would bring it down. When the city went dark, the rebellion would attack."

"What went wrong?"

"I thought I had it. I juiced but there was too much. I couldn't take it all in. So I pulsed. Pushed everything I had into the transformer. Caused a wicked energy surge but it wasn't enough. All I managed to do was call attention to myself. Before I knew what was happening, I was captured and hooked up to the drainer."

I squint my eyes at him. "Didn't the others try to rescue you? The three men? The rebellion?"

"It didn't happen."

"But your father... didn't he even try?"

"I guess the risks were too great. I was collateral damage." His voice sounds strangled.

I shake my head. "The rebellion has a history of cut and run."

"Exactly."

"Which means we're in this alone."

"Yep."

All at once I hate Maxwell Stuart. It's one thing to lose a soldier but another to sacrifice a son. There's no excuse. What reason could there possibly be for abandoning your child? But there is no time for us to wallow in the past. Unlike his father, Korwin has decided to do the right thing. He'll try his best to save Maxwell. That's the man he is. But, truthfully, I'll have no problem leaving Maxwell behind when we go home.

I shrug and pass him a nervous smile. "Just as well," I say. He seems to understand. Our fate is written in our DNA.

Korwin leads me down the back streets and away from the most congested part of the city. The night is cloudy and cool, no moon or stars. It gives the air a stark chill, like we are on the edge of bad weather. I pull my jacket tighter around me.

We walk a few miles, the buildings growing farther apart. Off in the distance I can see the glow of lights and wires, as wide as a city block.

"There it is. This is the hub for the whole city. All the energy created flows through here before it's parceled out to users."

Over the stretch of barren landscape, the building that houses the transformer rises on the horizon. A slight wind picks up the dirt, and it dances in swirls across the air. Aside from a few thin trees and some formidable boulders, there is nothing to mar the view.

"There's almost no place to hide," I say. "What if someone sees us?"

"It could happen, but luckily there's no reason for people to come this way unless they work here. The shift change happens at seven. It's four now, so we have three hours before any new traffic. There's no avoiding the guards. Our only hope is to take them out before they have time to act."

"I'm ready," I say, but the truth is I am far from it. Never in my life did I expect to be here, martyring myself for a cause that has nothing to do with me. I ache for home. I miss my cow and the haymow, even the feel of bread dough between my fingers.