Arden tried to convince herself that they’d be okay. Dade was resourceful. He’d proven to her that he was smart and capable of taking care of himself. She wanted to believe in happy endings, even if the logical side of her brain didn’t agree.
She watched with the rest of the city as the battle ceased for the moment, practically holding her breath the whole time. She felt the burn from lack of air and the ache of the unknown. Her head felt light too. Being on this side of things—watching and not doing—was the purest form of torture she’d ever experienced.
The visicasters continued chatting. Recapping the last ten minutes. Speculating and discussing the situation with supposed experts. It was complete rubbish. They had no clue what was happening, but they needed to fill airtime.
The picture was set on a repeated loop, showing the last part of the chase that had ended in the phase-fight. Then the picture switched to show a full shot of the visicasters looking directly into the camera.
Arden held her breath.
“We’ve gotten a preliminary report that the Ghost has been shot.” Hal delivered the announcement in a somber tone. “Once again, we believe that the Ghost—the menace who is believed to have stolen our precious VitD resources—has been killed. There’s no confirmation at this time, but we will bring you more information whenever we get it.”
Arden’s stomach twisted. Had Dade stayed with whoever had played the Ghost? Had he been shot as well?
The woman broke in. “The city is blocking our view of the live feed in an effort to secure the crime scene. Just as soon as we have the live shot back, we’ll take you there for the most immediate details.”
“Wait a second,” Hal said, interrupting her. “We’ve just gotten word that there is movement on Level Two.”
The camera went wide with another live shot. The streets were crowded, as they usually were at that time of day. The shot focused on a door to that same building as before. It caught Dade emerging and the girl, Clarissa, following. They quickly merged into the crowd, keeping their heads down as they pushed themselves through the commuters.
Arden clenched her jaw, sending pain streaking through her face. Resentment rolled through her, making her seethe. Of course Clarissa was there, fighting by his side, because Arden couldn’t. And that, she realized too late, was so many levels of wrong. She should have never relinquished her spot to fight beside him.
“Is that Clarissa Hemstock, Dade Croix’s fiancée?” the woman visicaster asked.
“I believe so,” Hal agreed.
The woman looked flabbergasted. “What is going on?”
Hal shook his head, equally dumbfounded.
Arden’s gaze stayed on the video feed, taking in as much as the camera angle allowed. Dade and Clarissa weren’t moving fast enough, and they didn’t realize they’d been spotted. She panicked. Her heart thundered in her ears, and her already twisting stomach threatened to rebel. Why were the govies focused on him and not on the Ghost? Dade was a Solizen. They could pick him up at home without a problem. He posed no threat, unless the govies were declaring war on the noble class. Arden had a sick, sick feeling that was only confirmed when the blast hit Dade.
His mouth made an O, and his eyes opened wide in surprise. The cameras caught every nuance.
Arden felt it as if she’d taken the blast herself.
Clarissa looked up, realizing they were under attack. She glanced at Dade. Arden knew there was nothing Clarissa could do. If she had been in the same situation, she would have calculated that there’d be no way to help him and that she should save herself at that point. Clarissa must have realized the same thing. She moved to the right, running fast, and the camera lost her as it stayed focused on Dade.
Arden wanted to scream. Instead, she choked as tears streamed from her eyes, and she hiccupped in a sob. The horror of watching nearly undid her. Dade could not die. In no scenario had she ever fathomed that happening. He had to be wearing protective gear. He’d run. He’d hide. He’d be alive.
Even the visicasters were buzzing with this development. They talked over each other, making it difficult to understand what was happening.
Chaos erupted around Dade. Hundreds of people screaming, running away from him like a starburst.
She tried to memorize his features, the slide of his brow, his strong, confident nose. Because she knew the outcome. Even though she had yet to see what happened next, she knew. Her heart lodged in her throat as the hand that held the datapad shook uncontrollably. She felt sick and utterly devastated, not wanting to calculate his odds of survival, yet unable to stop herself. Her heart thumped loudly in her ears. The darkness of despair pressed against her mind.
Another blast hit Dade. This time it pushed him off his feet and over the side of the skyway. He fell, his arms flung wide, simply surrendering, no fight left in his body. She watched his body as it was swallowed up by the static, so thickly gray that it took the view of his last moments of life away from her.
Arden pressed her fist against her mouth to block the desperate sounds leaking from it. Tears left her eyes, unchecked now. She gasped in half breaths, half sobs. Never quite able to fully inhale. Her heart broke. She could feel the ghost of it in her chest, a blinding pain that twisted into knots. She’d never touch his sun-warmed skin again. Never kiss his lips or smell his skin.
This could not happen. She refused to accept it. Why hadn’t he told her about his plans? She would have helped him.
Arden understood the need to escape. They were together in that. Now that he was gone, she didn’t want to live by herself. He was her sun-star. She couldn’t survive in the darkness without him. There was nothing left for her here. Not anymore.
That was when she realized that the best way to honor him was to hit those bastards where it counted, even if it meant her death. She’d pay them back for taking Dade from her. He was the only good thing in her life.
The tears fell faster now. Her breath morphing into gasping sobs. She gazed at the datapad, watching the last few moments of his life replayed over and over again. Through the tears and heartbreak, she managed a sad smile. They’d be together soon. He’d kept his promise. He’d sworn that he would not marry Clarissa. And Arden would not waste that sacrifice. If they couldn’t be together in life, they’d be together in death.
Her datapad vibrated in her hands. It was enough to startle her out of her stupor. She blinked a moment, orienting herself. Then swiped the tablet to pull up her pings.
Niall’s summons rang with authority: Project Blackout initiated. Check in immediately.