Ending the War

Chapter Sixteen

Ryan had a forced smile, and was sitting in a corner booth. The cafe was small, and there was a single girl at the bar taking orders, a guy sitting at the bar reading the newspaper, and a girl a bit older than me, by the window hunched over a computer.

As I approached the table, I noticed Michael was sitting at the booth, sitting with his back to me, across from Ryan.

I cautiously sat down next to Michael, glancing at Michael out of the corner of my eyes, but facing Ryan. I wasn't going to divert my attention for a moment. The corner of my mouth quirked, then it sunk back down.

"So, I think we should send a group into the building to set bombs, that will go off once we are ready, but before they see us or have time to prepare." I jumped right into business. I was going to have a say in this fight.

"You think you get a say? We haven't cleared you yet," Ryan snapped.

"Oh, yeah. That reminds me," I dig my hand around in my pocket, and produce the crumbled up letter from Kyle to Chad. I give it to Ryan, "I'm not the spy you have to be worried about. I was searching through the base, and found that not only did Chad know about the bomb, and pack his things up, but he had been communicating with Kyle."

"So that's where you were."

"He sent guys out to hunt you down," Michael muttered, not meeting my eyes, it was quiet, probably information meant to be passed under the table. I didn't acknowledge it, so Ryan might not notice, or become suspicious. But honestly, I am not really that surprised, Ryan called me out on what he thought was a bluff. I just had to make sure he knew it wasn't.

But what touched me was that Michael and Ben, both of who knew exactly where I was, hadn't told Ryan where I was. That even if we were on rocky terms, they still had my back.

"And, if you are a spy, how does this rule out the fact that you have access to Kyle, and can have him write the letter."

"You're going to have to take my word for it," I smirk, knowing that this can't be water under the bridge. But it bothered me that everyone wanted to group me together with Kyle. I hated him.

"I don't think I can do that. You'll have to prove it."

I could tell he was beating around the bush. I cleared my throat, "Anyway, I want a say in the plan, or I'm gone."

"What makes you think we'll let you leave." I saw him smirk, but it didn't reach his eyes. I couldn't look back. I had to keep talking, and keep pushing.

"Fine, but I'll never fight for you, and then you'll lose for sure."

"What about if we sent you in to fight Kyle alone. Obviously you like us more than him."

"Except, you won't do that because if I'm a spy, then I will be right where you don't want me. Anyways, if I had a group with me, we might actually have a chance of taking out some of the guards outside of his office, and actually getting to Kyle." I knew I had surprised him, he didn't expect that well thought-out of a plan.

Where Kyle messed up was that he didn't believe in his wildest dreams or worst nightmares that I would leave the Revolutionaries, and I had learned so much that I could destroy him.

"She has a point, Dad." Michael says. I had forgotten he was here. But when I looked at him, he was staring at Ryan, a calm face, as if we were discussing dinner instead of war.

Ryan groans and rolls his eyes. "What were you thinking?" he asks me, staring at my forehead instead of making eye contact. His pride was damaged.

"Well, I think that we should blow up his HQ. We have a better chance of winning, especially if we have diminished forces. That way, they come out ambushed and don't have the chance to arm themselves. Then, we go straight to Kyle."