Year 12 (First Draft)

-Chapter 29-

  "Fel? Felisha?" I wake up, thinking it's Kane talking to me, but I notice he's still asleep.

  I realize it must be someone on my UCP, and sit up, fully alert. "I'm here."

  "Today's the day," It's Andrea.

  "Don't remind me," I mutter, looking at Kane's calm, sleeping figure. How will he sleep tonight? Will he even be around to, or will he be like I was those first few nights after he was taken? I shake my head, trying to focus. "What's the plan?"

  "We're staked out," Andrea explains, "we plan to move in within the next hour."

  I stand up, the blanket falling from around me. At some point in the night, Kane adjusted the blanket to be fully around me, leaving him curled on the floor in his ripped t-shirt and dirty jeans.

  "Is there anything I can do to prepare?" I ask, my body starting to shake with adrenaline. This has been a plan for a while now, and it is finally being put into action.

  "No, just sit tight. We'll let you know when we head in," She informs me, and I nod. I feel helpless here in this Cell. Andrea, Paul, Andrew, they're out there readying themselves for all of this, and I'm just here, sitting, worrying.

  "Is Paul around?" I ask, and I hear a chuckle in my ear.

  "I'm here," Paul says, and I can picture him, sitting at a monitor, cracking away at code, tampering with the surveillance.

  "I'm scared," I whimper, my heart racing.

  "Don't be scared," He sighs, "we've got this under control, okay?"

  Paul doesn't know the extent of it all, though, and I worry if he knew he wouldn't follow through on his part in this plan. He doesn't believe in me that fully.

  "Well," I gulp, "I'll see you guys in an hour."

  "They'll be here when?" Kane asks, wiping his eyes.

  "Another twenty minutes or so."

  Kane sits up, then stands, making his way over to the wall opposite the door. He shimmies a brick out of place, then pulls out something concealed in a tattered cardboard box.

  "What is that?" I ask, walking up beside him.

  He opens the box, and my heart skips a beat. "Something I hope I don't have to use." He says as he pulls the gun out, tucking it into his waistband.

  "Where'd that come from?"

  "An Agent dropped it one day. He never came back looking for it, so I grabbed it," Kane informs me, sliding the brick back into place.

  "Fel?" I hear Andrew's voice in my ear, and I take a deep breath.

  "Yeah? I'm here," I say.

  "Paul has security and surveillance down, so we're heading in."

  My heart feels like someone is squishing it under the heel of their foot, while also finally feeling alive.

  "Okay," I breathe, my eyes finding Kane's, "see you soon."

  "Felisha, can you hear me okay?" It's Paul, his voice frantic.

  "Loud and clear, what's up?"

  "I'm working on opening the door to your Cell, stand away from it if you aren't already." He commands, and Kane and I step back over by where we were ten minutes ago, by the loose brick in the wall.