Midnight had come sooner than anyone had hoped. The Electi counsel was escorted through the gates of the city and brought to the center of Copucity. Hunter and I stood on opposite sides of the containment bubble, starting at the roaring crowd with blank faces. The Electi arrived at the front of the steps, and Ingrid stepped down to meet them, bowing once she reached the last step.

"Councilmen, we wish to end this violence today. My two brothers have engaged in warfare against your country wrongfully, and I believe that amends can be made. Unneeded bloodshed came from these two men, so I offer you their blood as an olive branch," Angry whispers came from the people, cries of treason escaped many lips. The Electi council seemed a bit taken aback with this offering. I could see the many outcomes crossing their minds being displayed across their faces. My arm was aching and all I wanted was for this to be over with. Glancing back behind me to see Hunter's side of the crowd, I noticed that a path was clearing. The crowd had parted for a group of three, all in black clothing, marching with teeth and desires bared. This was a trap.

"14!" I screamed, barreling my way to Ingrid. She stepped out of the way, and I fell to the ground by her side. My arm was throbbing at the impact.

"Everyone for themselves!" General Smith yelled from the top of the bubble, racing down to join the fight. I sat up. Ingrid was dueling with the council. Longs knives clashed and scraped against each other. She blew out a knee of an advancing attacker. A swift press of a button on a bracelet, and she set off a blast of fire. Three council members fell to the ground, melting into their robes. I saw her eyes flicker towards me for a quick second, but that was all I needed. I make a break for the alleyways. Dashing through the streets as the people were rampant. The Electi was on the streets, slaughtering anyone who got in their way. Mothers were crying next to buildings, holding their bleeding children as the light faded from within their young souls. Fathers were fighting back, but being left to lie broken on the pavement. Older siblings lead the younger into the darkest corners, in hopes of waiting for the horror to pass. I flinched when a shrieking alarm started blaring throughout the city.

THIS IS AN ATTACK ON THE CITY, EVACUATE OR BE LEFT TO DIE! The screaming only grew louder as the announcement started playing in a loop. The neverending sentence started to match the pounding of my feet. I found a dumpster and hopped inside. The garbage squished beneath my feet as I fumbled for my belt. My stunner gun and long blade were on me. I let out a reluctant sigh. With the long blade in my left hand and the stunner in my right, I jumped out of the dumpster and started on my path to protect who I could. Slashing throats and paralyzing attackers, I made my way down the city streets. Most of my attacks came from behind, accomplished by staying quiet and swift with my work. A younger lady was trying to jump out of her window near the wall. I ran over and started to shout.

"No! Don't jump!" She threw a bag at my face and jumped from the window. I ran forward to catch her but she was already on the ground. She had hit the ground rolling. Once she popped up into a fighting stance, we both paused as the recognition set in. All the breath had been taken out of my lungs as Janie stared back at me.

"We need to go, they were in my apart-" The sound of breaking glass came from above. Two angry assailants started to train their guns on us. I grabbed Janie's wrist and began dragging her behind me. Hearts and feet hammering loudly. The shots popped off as we turned the corner and booked it towards the bubble. Most of the crowd was running against us, not very promising. Janie suddenly jerked my arm backward. I whipped around, searching her eyes for what was wrong. "I have to leave, I can't go back and fight. I need to get over that wall." I tried to blink a response to my tongue.

"I don't understand." She grabbed my face and looked me dead in the eyes.

"It doesn't matter, you have to help me get out. I'll be killed if I don't. Posy, please!" I backed away, the pieces were starting to come together.

"You're not one of us, are you?" Janie shook her head wildly.

"No! You don't understand, and I don't have time to explain. I heard something that I shouldn't have, and now I'll be killed if I can't get out. I had nothing to do with this, please believe me!" Tears started to run down her face. I grit my teeth and stepped towards her.

"Keep your voice down, do you want to be murdered?" She shook her head as she clenched her fists tighter. I grabbed her wrist and started pulling her towards the gardens. We tread quickly and quietly, on high alert for an attack, at the third tree on the right I pulled her into the bushes surrounding it. Twigs scratched our skin as we trudged through the foliage. I was able to find the release panel and started typing the code in. Janie tapped the side of my arm as I racked my brain for the last two digits. "What?" She seemed startled at my voice.

"Oh, I didn't realize." She drew her hand off of my arm and started fiddling with her thumbs. I pressed the last two digits in, and a low creaking came from my right. The door had been rusted over from lack of cleaning over the past few years. I grabbed Janie's hand and led her to the door.

"Once you've stopped moving, press this button on the side for the metal doors to release. A glass panel will still be up, so you can check your surroundings. Press the orange button right next to it to open the glass panel. The doors will close again five seconds after you step out, and it will come back up here. You can stay in the chamber for as long as you need, you'll only be interrupted if someone calls it up from here. I hope that you can stay safe out there," I looked down into my hands. Warmth has started radiating from the backs of my eyes. Janie grabbed my hands and brought them to her chest. A blush started creeping across my face.

"Thank you, Posy." I could see tears welling up in her eyes. A snap came from a bit behind me, and I shoved Janie into the chamber. I slammed the seal button and whipped around to face whatever was coming. A fretful Hunter came up to me, grabbing my good arm and pulling me forward.

"Ingrid got hurt, I need your help," I nodded and we started racing to the bubble, leaving all thoughts of the past far behind us.