The Illuminae Rebellion

Chapter Three

It was going to be a long night.
After Kady had finished checking in with Ella, she'd grabbed a handful of NutraBarz and a can of Mount Russshmore before locking herself away in her quarters. The room was tight, with a small desk underneath a loft bed, a tiny dresser for her clothes, and a window looking out on the alleyway next to the Hub. She'd taped a few photos up on the walls: her and her mother, grinning at the camera; her and her cousin Asha at a Lexi Blue concert; her and Ezra dressed up for a party. She spent a minute looking at the last photo before sighing and sitting down at her desk. Time to get to work.
Tonight, Kady was trying to hack into the cams at one of BeiTech's headquarters. There were rumors that BeiTech would attempt to overthrow Mayor Donnelly, Hanna's father, in just a few days. If there was any information on this operation, it would be kept in their Uptown HQ. That was where their most sensitive information was kept, and it was Kady's job to try and access it.
Currently, she was butting heads with their firewall. BeiTech had really upped their cybersecurity since last time she'd cracked their files, a couple months ago. A scowl crept across her face. She'd need to get Ella's help on this one.
She didn't want to think about what it would mean if she couldn't get the info that she was tasked with finding. Not only would she be out of a job and housing, the Rebellion would have no way of predicting BeiTech's next move. They'd have no way of knowing how to keep Mayor Donnelly in charge of the city.
Kady pushed her chair away from the desk and took a sip of Mount Russshmore before checking the time on her palmpad. 1:00 AM. She let her head fall back against her chair. She was not getting paid enough for this. But you do want to see BeiTech gone, don't you?
She was interrupted from her tired self-pity by her palmpad buzzing on her desk. Who the hell is messaging me at one in the fucking morning? If Ella is telling me about something Moxy did, I will wring her little-
It was a notification from Ezra.
EZ: hey sorry 2 text so late
        o shit i didnt realize it wuz 1AM sorry
        i just ..
        i had a nightmare
        about kerenza
        it was pretty bad kades
       can i come to ur quaraters ?
        not in that way i just
        need to be around someone
        if ur not asleep that is
ME: of course
         you ok?
EZ:  will be i think
        see you in a min
At 1:12 there's a gentle knock on Kady's door.
Ezra's standing there sheepishly, his face red, his hair messed up in a way that made her think that he'd been tugging on it.
"Hey," she said softly.
"Hi," he replied. His voice was hoarse. "Sorry, I just... this was a stupid idea, I'm sorry, I'll just..." He took a step back like he was getting ready to leave, but Kady held her hand out to him. He hesitated a moment before taking it. He let her tug him into a hug.
"It's okay," she whispered, reaching a hand up to smooth his hair. "It's okay."
Ezra melted into her embrace. "I saw it all," he mumbled. "The bombing, I heard the people screaming... it was like I was back there, Kades" His voice cracked and Kady could feel him start to cry again.
"It's okay Ezra. You're here. I'm here. You're safe. It's okay."
They stood like that for a minute. She held him close as he cried for the life they'd lost, remembering the destruction that they'd seen on the day that the life they'd known crumbled around their feet. They held each other close, a brief moment anchored, trying to ignore the storm around them.
After a while, Kady cupped Ezra's cheek. "Do you want to stay here tonight?"
"Please."
They spent the rest of the night curled around each other in the too-small loft bed. Kady still held onto Ezra's hand, tracing her thumb across his palm. She kept herself awake until she heard his breathing even out and eventually slow down. She gazed at his beautiful face, her eyes flitting over the features she'd memorized so long ago.
In the darkness of her room, pressed up against this boy in her tiny twin bed, with the weight of his hand in her own, she had the courage to say something that she couldn't have in the daytime. "I love you," she breathed, letting her eyes finally fall closed.
If she'd kept her eyes open a moment more, she would have seen his eyes flutter open at those three words.