UNPROTECTED

Part Fifteen

Connor's POV

"We need a plan and fast. The Ministry could already be on us. Ideas anyone?" Pearilia looked in my direction - what could she think that I had to offer?

Looking down at Alina, into her piercing blue eyes, I saw the need for justice and realized that I had something. "Maybe you could send me back." Pearilia nodded, smiling, thoughtfully.

"No!" Alina gripped my arm, surely cutting off the circulation in it.

"I have to. If I go back, questions will be thrown at me but I know that I can answer them. I have enough cuts and bruises as it is to be able to say that they tortured me and, sadly, Marcus passed on after he got electrocuted yesterday. I escaped in the mayhem but never saw anyone else that I knew. They always kept us in cells and demanded that we join them." I took Alina's hand off my arm and held it, "Yes, my father will hold that grudge against me when I return but some things can't be helped."

"You can't do that, Connor. He won't believe it - he'll be holding a lot more than a grudge: he will be holding a gun to your head and telling you that you are lying, which you are." Marcus glared at me, making goosebumps appear on my arms - he was smarter than all of us put together.

"That's right. People here care about you and you care about them - you could, possibly be putting them in more danger by going through with it. I'll go. Stay undercover, after all, that's what Reformers do." Marcus smirked at Delia who seemed to have captured his heart. She made a tiny lunge for his hand as they held eye contact for a few seconds.

"What?!" Louisa yelled, quite obviously aggravated.

"What do you mean?" Delia was utterly confused and lost.

"You just said, 'that's what Reformers do'. What exactly did you mean by that? Delia, if you tell me what I think you're about to tell me, I can't be responsible for my actions." I don't think that Alina could, either. I could feel her stiffen at her older sisters words.

Delia flickered a glance in Pearilias direction as she nodded, approving a hidden detail.

"I was the member of the family who was the Reformer. Mum and Dad were - that's how they met. Then they had Lou, and then me and then Alina. I had overheard them talking a few days before they died about secret meetings and doing what was best. When they died, I felt I needed to continue the work that they left behind. Forgive me for not telling you sooner."

"But, hey, at least you know now. Don't be hard on her - she was only trying to help, after all." Right, there was definately something going on with Marcus and Delia. First it's hand holding and now he's standing up for her when nobody has even protested against her.

"Del, you should have told us before. But, I get why you couldn't - you had to keep us safe. I mean, all the surveillance in the arena; you where bound to get found out if you had breathed a word to us." Alina had finally spoken, her voice becoming croaky.

"Enough of this - we know now. Let's get down to business. Delia: you're fine going in? Pearilia, we need explosives to blow up the Ministry and every spare oxygen-bit you have that isn't already in use. Delia, you go around all the houses and warn them, but not before setting up the bombs inside or around the Ministers blocks. We only want to use the bombs as a last resort." Honestly, I had no idea where my idea had come from. But Pearilia was impressed, Alina had perked up slightly and her sisters where eager to hear more.

"Connor, I think I'm gonna need someone with me - that's too much to ask from just one person. I'm bound to get caught."

"I'll help her out!" Ryan piped up after what seemed an age of him not saying a thing. I had kind of forgotten that he was there and I don't think that I was the only one.

"Okay. Delia, Ryan, we're relying on you. Pearilia, could you get some disguises sorted along with explosives and CCTV control? We want to air our dealings with the Ministry so everyone knows that we mean business." Nodding, she left the room to talk to her pets a.k.a. the Reformers.

"The rest of us, we will follow at a safe distance."

"Sir," I blushed at what another Reformer had just called me. "I hope you don't mind my interruption, but there is a trapdoor leading to some of the tree houses. It is secure on our side and completely camouflaged on the other. Maybe that could be of use?" I nodded as I tweaked my plan inside my head.

"Okay, Ryan, you plant the bombs and meet us all at the entrance to the treehouses and, when you return, we will travel to the center, near the Ministers block and Delia, you give the people in their homes an oxygen-bit each. Once that is all done, we will attempt to get the attention of the Ministry by blowing up one bomb and, hopefully, we can hack their systems so that we can contact them and try and sort this without using weaponry. Each of you must wear a balaclava as it will be no good if we are recognized. Sound good?" They all seemed to smile as they nodded.

"Sorry, Sir, to interrupt you again. We have been able to get through the systems before and we had no problems so, to do it again, it shall be an easy task. But you're going to need people power to defeat these people."

"He's right. We need to speak with the Refugee leader." Pearilia announced.