Jon got the fence up and running again.

  “It won’t hold as much as before,” he said as he entered Hardy’s office, rejoining Chloe, Jin, Lucas, and Aiden—who was now awake, thanks to a bit of Jin’s blood. “But it should buy us enough time to get most of the others out.” He turned to the Chancellor. “Where are we evacuating to?”

  “District 6 is at capacity,” Hardy said, eyes fixed on the figures on his computer screen. “And they’re not willing to budge. I’ve put out calls to 4 and 5, explained the situation, and they’re willing to help. I want every vehicle we have fueled up and ready to go—everything except the heavy lifters. Forget the rules. Fit as many people into a vehicle as possible and get them out.”

  He looked to Jin. “Anything else we should know? Anything you’re keeping from us?”

  “Light,” Jin said. “The specimens have always displayed extreme sensitivity to light. It disorients them.”

  “Good to know.” Hardy nodded, unfolding a large roll of paper on his desk. Rising to his feet, he grabbed a marker and began sketching a battle plan. “Lucas, Aiden, coordinate the evacuation,” he said without looking up.

  Both men nodded and turned to leave, but Jin spoke.

  “Lucas, wait.”

  He halted, growling as he shot her a glare. “What?”

  Jin tossed him a small vial filled with her blood. Lucas caught it instinctively, eyed the contents, then looked back at her, his expression darkening.

  “I don’t need your filth,” he hissed, holding it back out to her.

  “Keep it,” Jin said. “You will.”

  Lucas stared at the vial, his fingers tightening around it as if he might crush it. But instead, he slid it into his pocket and stormed out with Aiden.

  Once they were gone, Hardy straightened slightly, both hands still on the desk. “Alright, here’s the plan,” he said. “If it sounds stupid, feel free to speak up.”

  Jon and the others stepped closer, nodding.

  “Evacuation comes first, obviously,” Hardy began. “We get everyone who can’t fight out of the district. Once we’re the only ones left—us and the guards—we disable the fences.”

  The room stirred at that.

  Jon frowned. “We’re disabling the fences?”

  “We’ll need Cole and Glenn to stay back. They know how to work the system better than anyone.” Hardy wiped sweat from his forehead, exhaled, and continued. “We bring the fences down, let them in, and bait them to the center of the district. Once they’re right where we want them, we turn the fences back on—trap them inside. A proper cage fight.”

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “Then what?” Chloe asked.

  “Once the district is empty, I want all excess power diverted to the lights. Every last bit.” Hardy’s jaw tightened. “I want those goddamn monsters blinded, disoriented—suffering.”

  “The thing you did earlier,” Jon said, turning to Jin. “With the sound. It hurt the angry god, the hounds, killed them. Could you do it again? The lights will disorient them, but we still have to kill them. Even with your blood, that won’t be easy. But with that attack—”

  “It hurt you too,” Jin reminded. “It was a last-ditch effort. If I do it again, it’ll take a toll on you as well. We’ll have to do this the hard way.”

  Jon sighed, shaking his head. “Fine. The hard way, then.”

  Jin stepped forward, fixing Hardy with a sharp gaze. “Your plan relies on baiting them to the center of the district. How do you plan to do that?”

  “They’re here for something, aren’t they?” Hardy asked, his eyes cold as they locked onto hers. “And since your presence is the reason we’re in this goddamn mess, I think it’s fair to ask you to be the bait.”

  “You’ve asked a hell of a lot more from me than that,” Jin said icily. “I will not be your pawn. I will not risk capture.”

  “We’re risking death.” Hardy straightened fully, his muscles tensing beneath his shirt. “We need them deep inside the district before we lock them in. Once the fences are up, it’ll be a hell of a lot harder for them to make off with you.”

  “That’s a huge gamble, Chancellor.” Jin’s jaw tightened. Her hands curled into fists, veins bulging along the backs of them. For the first time, Chloe caught a scent on her—something primal, dangerous. It sent a shiver down her spine, raising the hairs on her neck.

  Chloe tapped Jon’s hand with her pinky, subtly signaling him. He met her gaze, then, just as subtly, moved to Jin’s right while Chloe remained on her left.

  Jin noticed. She turned slightly, letting out a small snort.

  “Really?” she asked. “You want to do this?”

  “We don’t want to do anything.” Chloe clenched her fists, knuckles cracking under the pressure. “But if you act aggressively, you’ll leave us no choice. I know you’re scared of your father and what he might—”

  “I’m afraid of no one,” Jin hissed, her voice filled with venom. For the first time, emotion flickered across her face—real emotion. Pure rage. Hatred. It was the same look Chloe had seen in Lucas.

  “You saved my life,” Chloe continued, her tone softening. “I don’t trust you, and I blame you for all of this, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m still here because of your blood. That means I owe you. I won’t promise to protect you, but I can promise this—you will not be captured by your father or Ravan. You have my word.”

  Jin’s fists loosened. Her shoulders dropped. A moment passed.

  “Fine,” she said, stepping back. “I’ll be your bait. I’ll get them to the center.”

  Hardy gave her a curt nod before continuing. “Assuming things go our way—if we somehow survive—we take the transmitters out of the angry gods and load as many of their corpses as we can onto the heavy lifters. We bring them to District 5.” He exhaled. “That’s if we make it. If we fall here, none of this matters. But I don’t need to remind you all what’s at stake. This isn’t just about the district. We’re fighting for more than ourselves.”

  Jon turned to Chloe. Their eyes met. He gave her a small smile. She returned it with a gentle nod.

  “Alright, that’s it,” Hardy said, rolling up the plans. “Any suggestions?”

  They exchanged glances before shaking their heads.

  “Nope,” Jon said. “Sounds good to me.”

  Hardy rubbed the back of his neck, sighing. “Then I guess now’s the part where we go save the bloody fucking world.”