The two girls decided to go now rather than wait. Michael tried to convince them to get some rest, but Ruth was too antsy to sit still. She and Jessica changed into some of the spare clothes in the safe house, then made their way out onto the street. The two girls had tentatively agreed on a plan. Ezra was the priority, and if they could also get the data, then that would be great too.

  It was still evening and people were walking, biking, or driving down the streets. Lights hanging from buildings and walkways above lit the roads, gently glowing as they illuminated the city. Jessica was able to blend into the crowds seamlessly, while Ruth felt like she was bumping into people constantly. Once again, she was amazed and jealous of how easily the other girl slipped into the role of a bubbly young woman out on the town.

  They made it about a block away from the safe house before they ducked into an alley. They climbed up to the lowest rooftops, Jessica easily climbing up. Clearly the girl had pretended to struggle earlier in the day, probably as part of her act. Once on the roof, Jessica began laying out the plan.

  "My father's office is in one of the main gang hubs, near the base of the power plant. That's most likely where they would take Ezra as well considering it's the closest hideout. We'll need to get close, but the area will probably be crawling with Ghouls. I know a way to sneak closer, but it won't be easy."

  Ruth wanted to scoff, her natural reaction being one of pride and disdain. The Ruth of this morning would have been completely self-assured that should could accomplish anything that Jessica could do. Now? Now she wasn't making any assumptions. If Jessica said it wouldn't be easy, Ruth would believe her.

  "What's the route?"

  Jessica pointed straight up, and Ruth followed the finger to gaze at the sheer wall that made up the exterior of the power plant. "Through the plant? Are you crazy?"

  Jessica shook her head. "I've done it before...once. Almost made it too."

  "How is that even possible?"

  Jessica waved the objection away. "I did it when I was younger. The security team let me off with a warning, but I studied the plans for the place in case I ever needed to try again."

  Ruth looked at the massive concrete wall that divided an entire city in half. It was enormous, full to the brim with power banks and solar panels. She had no idea how anyone was even supposed to move around in there, or even if it was meant to let people move around at all.

  "You're sure this will work?" Ruth asked, still skeptical.

  Jessica was silent for a daunting moment. "Yes. It'll work." Her words seemed to help psych herself up, as if trying to make herself believe that this would work.

  Ruth sighed, knowing full well that she didn't have much of a choice in the matter. "Lead the way."

  The two began making their way up the city, taking trams and walkways to climb higher and higher. This late in the day, people were beginning to congregate near the top parts of the city. After the sun went down, retractable bridges would extend across the gap created by the power plant all across the city. They only bridged the gap from a half hour after sunset until a half hour before sunrise. Some people worked on the opposite side of the city from where they lived, and they had to wait for the bridges to extend before they could go home for the night.

  Jessica and Ruth stepped onto the central bridge platform. This was the highest station in the city, and Ruth had only been here once. The height was staggering, and when you crossed the bridge you could see the drop down to the ground below. There weren't any ceiling panels here, and it was one of the only uncovered sections of the city. The power plants didn't want anything blocking their precious sunlight, so the area was restricted during the day. With no people to worry about they wouldn't have to put ceiling panels up here.

  The darkened sky hung above them, but Ruth wasn't really interested in looking at it. You couldn't see the stars from here, and the daytime constellations weren't visible at night. The sky held very little for a resident of a covered city, deadly during the day and boring during the night. Instead, Ruth contemplated what was below her.

  Heights normally didn't bother Ruth as someone who frequented rooftops, but something about this man-made canyon had always set her on edge. She had avoided the central bridge ever since her first trip, but Jessica had insisted they come here specifically. Jessica walked close to the edge, leaning on the rail on the edge of the wall. Not wanting to seem out of place, Ruth nervously stepped closer, her eyes peering over the edge of the drop.

  The concrete walls stood ominously, stretching down to ground level hundreds of feet below. The walls had grooves on each side, and Ruth knew that they were sliding doors that opened and shut. Solar panels would emerge across the entire gap from both sides, sliding back inside as the ones higher up grew too hot or filled their batteries.

  For a brief period of time, Ruth and Ezra had lived close to the wall. The methodical sounds of the panels extending and retracting, a 'slide. thunk. slide. thunk,' had driven her crazy. This late in the day, all the panels were stowed and the sun had set. Ruth took deep breaths as her gaze remained transfixed on the sheer drop in front of her. She nearly jumped out of her skin as Jessica laid a hand on her arm.

  "Jesus Christ! Don't scare me like that!"

  Jessica flinched back, surprised at the outburst. Then she giggled softly before letting out a stronger laugh. "Sorry, I didn't mean to spook you."

  Ruth felt herself flush in embarrassment, turning her head from the other girl. "It's not funny," she muttered.

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  Jessica reigned in her laughter, once more laying a hand on Ruth's arm. "It wasn't, I'm sorry for laughing." She smiled softly, a reassuring look on her face. "You seemed unwell. I didn't take you for someone scared of heights."

  Ruth almost got defensive again, but stopped herself. She kept feeling like she should be harsher with Jessica, but something about the girl made Ruth feel...well she didn't know. Okay perhaps, or at the very least, not upset.

  "I'm not scared of heights." Ruth glanced at the other girl as she spoke, expecting her to look disbelieving or questioning. Instead, she only saw a curious expression and attentive eyes. Ruth continued, feeling awkward under the attention. "I just don't like the plant. Something about it just creeps me out."

  Jessica nodded solemnly. "That's actually more common than you might think. They've done surveys to get public opinion on covered cities and the plants. Over seventy percent of people living in covered cities like this claim that they feel unsettled by the solar collection facilities."

  Ruth raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she glanced down at the bare walls and thin rails that separated her from a lethal fall. "I thought it would be more."

  Jessica chuckled, and Ruth felt herself blush slightly once more at the beautiful sound. She grit her teeth in frustration. Why was she acting like this?

  "Scientists say it's human instinct telling us that's its dangerous here. The plants are ground zero for increased solar radiation. The city ceiling blocks most of it, but life expectancy in covered cities averages about ten years less than other places." Jessica rattled the info off with practiced ease as if this was something she was very familiar with.

  Ruth had no idea what the other girl was talking about.

  "Uh, yeah. Crazy...stuff..."

  "...You have no idea what I'm saying, do you?"

  "Not a clue."

  There was a long pause, then both of them suddenly started laughing together. Ruth should have felt embarrassed and stupid, but something about the interaction had just felt right. She didn't get to laugh like this often, even Ezra couldn't-

  Ruth stopped laughing in an instant, her body tensing as she chided herself. What the hell was she doing? Laughing with some girl while her brother was being held prisoner, or worse. Ruth turned away from Jessica, the other girl sobering up just as quickly.

  Jessica reached out a tentative hand to touch Ruth's arm again, but Ruth just shrugged her off. When she spoke, her own voice felt harder than she meant it to be, "Enough wasting time. What's the plan?"

  Jessica, for her part, quickly told her that they needed to wait on the platform until the main foot traffic died down a bit. If required, they could hide out in one of the bathrooms on the bridge platform to not seem suspicious.

  Ruth stood in silence, not looking at Jessica as they waited. Every touch, every smile they had shared felt like a dagger twisting in her heart. Ezra needed her. She had to focus.

  An intercom crackled with static overhead, a distorted voice sounding out. "Attention, attention. The bridges will now extend. Please wait until they are fully extended before you cross."

  The bridges were drawbridge style. Long, thick platforms that would lower from both sides and lock together. The railing would extend along the sides, though Ruth had always found them to be a bit too flimsy for her liking. With a groan, the platforms began inching downward, lowering slowly until they met in the middle.

  An audible clicking noise was heard as the two halves locked together. Only once the noise had stopped did the intercom crackle again. "Attention, attention. The bridge has been fully extended. Please cross slowly and carefully. Thank you."

  All across the length of the city, the same announcement would be playing simultaneously at every crossing station. Fortunately, Ruth knew that the central bridge was one of the least desirable. It was high enough to be unnerving, as well as being inconvenient to climb up to. Lower bridges would be further out from the city's center but were often quicker to access.

  Ruth leaned against one of the structures further away from the bridge, having wandered back this way to avoid all the people. She kept her eyes on the stairs, her gaze peering into the shaded depths as she watched for constables and throngs of people. Ruth was casually watching the other side of the bridge, waiting for their moment to move.

  The moment came suddenly, Jessica frantically tapping Ruth on the shoulder. "Now. Let's go now!"

  There was no one coming up the stairs that Ruth could see, and on the other side of the bridge, the only people she could see had their backs to the two of them. Ruth quickly followed Jessica, who made her way to the edge next to the drawbridge before ducking the railing.

  Ruth froze for half a second. She couldn't believe her eyes. Jessica glanced down, then began CLIMBING DOWN THE SIDE OF THE POWER PLANT! Ruth stared in horror as he came to a sudden realization. Jessica expected her to do that too.

  Jessica's fingers found purchase in the small divot where the highest solar panels came out. She slowly lowered herself into the gap between the two walls of the plant, then slowly began to shimmy under the bridge. She paused as she glanced up at Ruth. "Hurry up!" she hissed.

  Ruth had met some cocky idiots before. But all those guys had nothing on Jessica. This was the single craziest thing Ruth had ever heard of someone doing. And Ruth was about to do it too.

  "Come on, Ruth. Ezra needs you. He NEEDS you!" Psyching herself up, Ruth slipped under the railing and made the mistake of looking down. The chasm yawned beneath her, seeming to stretch down and down like a never-ending void. Ruth looked at that horrifying sight, and found herself growing angry. She spit into the chasm.

  "You don't scare me." She muttered to herself, her anger turning to contempt. There was no way she was going to let some sunbaked pit in the ground keep her from rescuing the only family she had.

  Before she could change her mind, Ruth lowered herself down and let a foot dangle over the edge. She slowly slid her body down until her feet found purchase, then lowered her other leg to match. When both feet were secure, she began lowering her upper body as well.

  Ruth's head dipped beneath bridge-level and she glanced over at Jessica. The other girl was beneath the drawbridge, looking at Ruth expectantly. She jerked her head for Ruth to scooch over quickly. Ruth shimmied her way over, ducking slightly as she joined Jessica.

  "Now what?" Ruth clung to the side of the power plant, bracing herself against the bridge above her.

  Jessica gestured at the divot they were using as a handhold. "We're going to open this and climb in."

  Ruth felt some relief at the idea of not staying on this wall, but she didn't see any way to open the slab of concrete. Aside from the divots, both the wall and the panel were totally smooth. She raised a questioning eyebrow at Jessica.

  With a confident smirk, Jessica pushed at the panel.

  Nothing happened.

  She pushed again, harder this time.

  Once more, nothing happened.

  Jessica rammed her elbow into the panel as hard as she could.

  The panel slid open, the slab of concrete sliding into the wall and pivoting downwards on the clamps that held it.

  Jessica rubbed her elbow painfully but gave Ruth a self-satisfied smile. Ruth rolled her eyes at the other girl.

  The two girls began climbing into the gap, which was only about two feet tall. It was tricky while still hanging on the wall, but they gradually squeezed their way inside. Jessica entered the power plant, and Ruth was struck with a sudden memory as she crawled out of the concrete gap.

  The person she had seen standing in the sun earlier that day had been standing on the same platform they had just left.

  But before she could process the thought anymore, she slipped fully inside the power plant, her feet landing on the metal floor in the largest, most secure building in the city.