Page 69 of Dissent

“Chelsea had the chip.”

The whisper came from Wes, startling me. He sounded groggy as his head lolled against the headrest.

“Shh… Don’t talk right now.” I kept applying pressure, watching little beads of blood seep from between my fingers, dripping down the backside of my hand.

“Chelsea had the chip.” He lifted his head, his eyes catching mine as he spoke. His breathing was labored, and it was painfully obvious to me how ashen his skin looked. “If you hadn’t come…if I had made you stay in the truck…she would have made it out.”

His words felt like an accusation to me, and as they sank in, I felt the rising threat of tears, vision blurring. One blink and the water tipped over and flowed down the curves of my cheeks. He said what I already knew was true, what I had been desperately trying to shove down into my subconscious. Chelsea was gone because of me. If I hadn’t come, she would still be here. I sniffed, returning my attention to Wes, but his eyes had drifted closed and sat motionless.

“You’ve got to hurry, Matias.”

“I know.” He focused on the road, his expression giving nothing away. And I think it was this look on him that scared me more than anything else. And I couldn’t help but think to myself that Wes was going to die.

35: Confessions

Itwasn’ttoomuchlonger when we finally drove into the north end of camp. At one point, Matias had instructed me to send a message on his tab to Giza, letting him know we were coming and to be ready with medical help for Wes. When I removed my hand from his wound, I gazed briefly in horror as blood just poured out unchecked. And I thought, for sure, I was going to pass out. Never in my life had I witnessed so much blood, and watching Wes slowly fading beneath my hands had my soul wrapped in guilt. I was responsible for Chelsea’s capture, and now I was going to be responsible for Wes’s death.

We didn’t get far into camp before people were on us. Dissenters with white bands emblazoned with red crosses were at the door of the truck and pulled Wes out. He was unconscious, limp in their arms as they placed him on a stretcher. Dr. Jones barked commands, ordering units of blood. I was frozen, watching the scene unfold in front of me before a hand on my shoulder startled me. I jerked around to see Matias—that blank expression on his face.

“Come on. We’ve got to meet with Sasha and report back.”

My mind was spinning, and the reality of what I was about to do sank in. I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to face the punishment that was sure to come my way, but I followed him, not even paying attention as we made it through the camp. I just kept looking at my hands, covered in drying blood. It was my fault… A flurry of a familiar fear I hadn’t felt in weeks churned in my gut, and I realized all I could hear was the ringing in my ears.

It didn’t take long for us to arrive at headquarters. Matias didn’t hesitate as he slipped in through the entryway, and I followed behind him, doing everything I could to settle the nausea in my stomach. Sasha stood at the round table—her hair in a long braid, resting along her right shoulder. She clearly hadn’t had time to change because she was dressed in a plush cotton robe, bundled up against the evening chill. Sergeant Major Giza stood right behind her, dressed, per usual, in his uniform.

I was suddenly hyperaware of our appearance. Matias’s jumpsuit was torn in various places, covered in soot and ash. His face was muddy from dirt mixed with blood that must have come from the scratch he had along the side of his face. I wasn’t better off. I was covered in dirt, blood, and shame.

Her eyes swept over us, taking us in, until her gaze paused for a few extra seconds on me—her expression unreadable. I knew she had figured out that I went along. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that I disobeyed orders. The guilt surged again—that familiar fear swirling inside—and suddenly, the urge to turn and run struck me. Memories of being surrounded by darkness—alone, hungry, and afraid—invaded my mind’s eye.

Sasha settled back in her chair, a calm expression on her face, but I could see the flames burning in her eyes. “What happened?”

Matias glanced at me before taking a deep breath and telling her the main points of what had occurred. I was only half paying attention, though. I was too busy trying to keep my fear and guilt in check. I couldn’t help but notice, however, that he skipped how I ended up joining them on this little excursion.

“It’s a mining facility. They’re pulling tons of it out of the mountain. We’re not really too sure what it is, though. There was also a factory, and they have a building where they’re storing everything, but they’re manufacturing something too.”

Giza’s stony gaze shifted into curiosity. “Did you get a sample?”

Matias nodded. “Yeah, we did. Not of the resource they’re mining, but we grabbed one of the chips they’re making.”

“A chip?” Sasha’s stoic expression faltered for only a second, but then was quickly put back together. “What sort of chip?”

Matias shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s small though, about the size of a grain of rice. And there are thousands of them.” He took another deep breath, preparing himself for what he planned to say next. “We tried to look for any documents, instructions, anything that would help us figure out what they’re making. But we couldn’t find anything, and we ran out of time. Wes set an explosive where they were manufacturing everything, but before we could get out, they were on us. I…I think they knew we were coming.”

My heart sank.What?I turned to look at him, to ask him why he thought that, but Sasha spoke first.

“Why?”

“Everything was just too easy. The back entrance had one guard. There was an open window with easy access. And even though the place was crawling with soldiers on the south side, the building was empty—completely deserted. There were no locked doors, no guards standing by. It just didn’t make any sense. Wes realized it first, that something didn’t feel right. It’s why he set the explosive. He was worried that we had walked into a trap and thought that the explosion might help create a diversion.”

Matias looked down for a moment, appearing to collect his thoughts, taking a deep steading breath before looking back at Sasha. “If he hadn’t set the explosive, they would have caught all three of us. When we tried to leave, we were surrounded. But the bomb went off, and that gave us an opportunity to escape. Wes was shot, and Chelsea got caught in the woods as we tried to make it back to the truck.”

Sasha clicked her tongue, and I could just see the wheels turning in her head. “Were you followed?”

“I don’t think so. Shortly after Chelsea was caught, I didn’t hear them behind us anymore.” Matias’s expression darkened as he tipped his head down to look at the floor. “I purposefully drove around away from the camp for quite some time before I brought us back.”

My eyes widened at his admission. No wonder why the drive seemed to take forever. Becauseit did!And the extra time Matias took to ensure we hadn’t been followed meant extra time Wes spent bleeding out. Matias’s choice meant sacrificing Wes’s life. If he died, I wouldn’t be the only one with blood on my hands.

Sasha nodded, recognizing the same unspoken truth. The truth we all knew and was clearly weighing heavily on Matias’s heart. Her expression softened. “You did correctly, Matias. We must protect the location of our camp at all costs. Failure to do so means the death of us, and the death of our cause.” He didn’t look up, but he nodded to acknowledge her words. We sat in silence for a few seconds before she spoke again. “Where is the chip that was recovered?”

---