G.U.A.R.D. Book #4: Tracked

-19-

    When it came to strategy, Cleve was right. I was a complete dunce. All I knew was we needed to get the recruits together, convince them to come, steal a few cars, then somehow find the League. First, she said, we had to establish a way of convincing the others. I didn't want to disclose the file, but it was inevitable. I mean, they deserved to know why the League attacked Station 3, anyway.

"Convince them it'll benefit each one," she told me. "Then they'll agree wholeheartedly. So you don't know exactly what the file is about?"

"I have a hunch."

"Then we're breaking into the League to find out for sure. Saving your sister would just be an added bonus."

Not that we would actually tell them Ally was my sister. I wondered if that was lying.

"Stop it," Cleve snapped.

"What?"

"You're making that face you do when you're having second thoughts."

I rolled my eyes, and we continued planning. Stocking up on weapons would be next. Cleve said they would be in the gadget rooms, and the only way in would be to use a keycard from someone who had access. She surprised me when she said she could get one of those keycards. She surprised me even more when she said she could also get us a car. Just said it would be a black 2014 Sedan. Nothing more. It would only hold five of us, though.

"I may know someone who can help us," I said suddenly.

"Who?"

"She's a pilot. Knows a lot."

"Would she turn us in?"

"I have no idea. She might. But she might not." I thought for a moment. "But her sister was killed in the attack. And she knows about the file, but not the contents. She could be a strong ally."

"And she'd be useful to getting the transportation?"

"Definitely."

"Then we'll risk it."

After that would be locating the League. But how do you locate people that have been hiding their whole lives? I remembered the way Slade tracked "flying gasoline" before, but there would be way too much of that at Base 5 to actually get a clear course. G.U.A.R.D. had to have some League prisoners from the attack. There had to be a way of getting answers out of them, but just when that was suggested, my thoughts turned to the methods of torture our instructors told us about before Station 3 was attacked. Could I really subject someone to that?

If only I could get in contact with Jade. Though she grew up in G.U.A.R.D., she joined the League at some point. She had to know the locations of some of their bases at the least. But with her outsider attitude, I doubted she would've even helped if I could talk to her.

"What about your pilot friend?" Cleve asked. "Could she help us find a base?"

"She might have high contacts, but I seriously... doubt it."

Cleve noticed my frown and asked, "What?"

"'Contacts,'" I repeated.

"I said he's a contact."

"He's one of the most knowledgeable people in the world."

I blinked, focusing on Cleve again. "Do you know a guy with the last name Conway?"

"Ryder, I'm pretty sure there are a lot of people with that name."

"Yeah, but this guy's special. Lives somewhere up in Canada. British Columbia." I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to remember. Why hadn't I paid more attention? Finally, I opened my eyes again. "Look, he's an informant. Has a lot of connections pretty much everywhere. He has to know where a League base is—or at least have a suspicion."