“They have drones, air cruisers. Probably an army of guards,” Rik said. “Don’t kid yourself. They could drop a bomb or a grenade on us. Do you really want to see what they’re capable of?”
“Do you really want to go on living in that cell?” I halted, and Rik faced me, eyes narrowed.
Cecile stepped forward. “None of us die.” She glared at us, hands on her hips. “We do what they say. Follow their goddamn orders. That’s how we survive.”
“Agreed.” Rik stared at me. “Ida?”
I bit my tongue, trying to block the flood of curse words I wanted to scream at them. Then Cecile stomped over and got in my face. “Don’t risk all our lives for your stupid hero act. You think you’re so tough, but underneath it all, you’re just as scared as us.”
I paced away, fists clenched.
She was right.
Nineteen
The mountain turned out to be a steep, craggy hill. It didn’t take the three of us long to scale it and reach the summit. The tablet buzzed with instructions. The mark would be located at the bottom of the valley on the other side. From here on, we had to be stealthy. Should we be discovered, the target might fire upon us.
“What the hell?” I whispered to Rik as we stretched out on our bellies, shimmying forward through dirt and brush. “The target has a weapon?”
“I told you they’re smart, and this is a test. Don’t screw up.” He smirked. “I mean, good luck.”
Cecile clapped me on the shoulder. “You can do it, Ida. We’ve got your back.”
We reached the crest and peered down at the valley below. Out in the open, next to a small tree, was an armored truck like the one that had transported us. A figure leaned against the side of the hood—a man, judging by the frame. He wore military fatigues, with a cap shielding his face from our vantage point.
“The target,” Rik said.
“No shit, Sherlock,” I muttered.
Cecile stifled a giggle. Rik and I both stared at her. “Sorry, I laugh when I get nervous.”
The tablet buzzed with a message: Target acquired.
“Remember what I showed you,” Cecile said. “Set your sight in the scope, calm your breathing, and ready the trigger. Squeeze real gentle when you’re sure it’s time to fire.”
“Right.” I raised the rifle to my shoulder and steadied it. My sweaty fingers trembled, and I realized my breath was shallow. I inhaled, then exhaled firmly through pursed lips. Calm down, girl. I studied the traitor through the scope. He rubbed his hands together briskly in the cool morning air then stooped to rummage through a bag on the ground.
“Can you get a look at him?” Cecile asked.
“No.” I didn’t take my gaze off him. “He turned away. What do you think he did, anyway? To be considered a traitor?”
Rik sighed. “Who cares? Just shoot him so this can be over and you graduate. I’m hungry. The one thing we can count on is that they feed us. Once, I even got a candy bar.”
My pulse quickened, and I set the rifle down. “What did you say? Someone gave you a candy bar?”
“Yeah. It was awesome. The first time the guard came into my cell, I tried to overcome him. I was scared. Anyway, another guard came in and stung me with a baton. Later, someone slid a chocolate bar under my tray. I figured it was on account of them having to zap me like that.”
“Another guard? Did you get a look at him? Find out his name?”
“No. Everything happened so fast, and when I got stunned, my body went rigid. I couldn’t move for a while. They threw me face down on my bed and left.”
“Why? What’s up, Ida?” asked Cecile.
I shook my head. “Nothing. Just curious about the candy bar thing. Something similar happened to me.”
“Did they stun you?” Rik said.
I nodded.
“There you go.”
Still, a thought nagged at me. Why would the guards or Kenmore show kindness? Or were the candy bars an attempt to manipulate us?
“Hey, not to be a total bummer,” interrupted Cecile, “but the time reads 0450. Time to take the shot, Ida.”
I raised the gun and lined up my right eye to the sight. As I surveyed the target again, I searched for threats. A rifle stood propped against the truck within his reach. If I shot and missed, he’d take cover and return fire. I couldn’t let that happen; the whole mission would fail.
“0451.”
“What are you waiting for?” Rik whined.
“Yeah, yeah. Just lining up the shot.” I trained the crosshairs high on the man’s back. The bullet would pierce him from behind and exit his chest. He’d die right away. No pain. Or so I hoped.
I steadied my rifle and feathered the trigger. Then I second-guessed myself. Should I go for the head? That would be the cleanest shot. The surest way to kill immediately. But if I missed the smaller target…
“The clock is ticking,” Cecile reminded me.
Through my scope, I saw that the man’s legs were slightly bent, his hand around his front. Then he hopped a little, and I realized he’d been taking a leak.
He turned, and I glimpsed his profile.
The target was Peterson.
Twenty
I flinched and pulled my finger from the trigger. Why him?
“What’s happening?” Rik shifted and slid closer. “Can you take the shot or not?”
“0453,” said Cecile.
I stared at the dirt. “He… he’s my guard.”
“So?” he said. “All the better to shoot him. He’s one of the guys keeping you prisoner.”
“Why? Why do they want us to assassinate someone who works here—a guard?”
“They called him a traitor,” said Cecile. “Maybe he did something bad.”
“He… he tried to help me.”
“Our mission is to kill him. He’s our target. Nobody else is here. He must be the one.” Rik peered down the hill.
The tablet rested in front of Cecile. I could see giant red digits counting down.
Rik grunted and wiped sweat from his forehead. “If we don’t do it, nobody gets to advance. We
