I almost forgot to find James. So, I passed the Chip to my friends, who promised to get it to Molly. Cody refused to let me do this alone, and that's why we're standing in front of the government building. My fists clench, and I try to focus on what needs to be done. I almost jump as Cody places a hand on my shoulder and squeezes, his eyes piercing my own.

With a sigh, I grab his hand. Squeezing, I force us to become invisible. First, I feel the usual tingles, and they spread down my arm to the hand that squeezes Cody's. Glancing over to him, I realize that neither of us can be seen. I grin to myself, but I can already feel the strain in my Chip. Hurriedly, I tug him along, knowing that this needs to be done quickly. I'm already drained from sneaking into Leane's base, and I can feel the aches in my bones.

"Autumn," Cody whispers. "Are you sure you're okay? We need to get back!"

"Yeah, back to where Molly is helping us. We need to help her, too. I have to find James!"

I hear him sigh, then drag him to the doors before he can respond. Luckily, someone walks out. My throat tightens as I realize it's a guard, and I hurry inside. Glancing around, I notice that security has nearly doubled. My hand tightens around Cody's, and I try to summon as much strength as I can. I can't just leave James to be hurt. So, I force myself towards the elevator. I force myself to wait for someone to exit, then pull Cody into the elevator. I have no idea what floor he could be on. I'm also not sure how long I can hold on, or if someone will notice the elevator opening for no one.

I feel a tug on my hand, and Cody leans close to my ear. His breath fans my face as he whispers, "Try the lowest level first."

I nod to myself as sweat trickles into my eyes. After pressing the button for the lowest level, I squeeze my eyes shut. We plummet downwards, but I feel less motion sick. All I can think about are my troubles. Replicating Chips. Derek's betrayal. Two days to Leane's attack. Not to mention Jared and his group of rebels. My stomach churns and my head spins, my anxiety levels rapidly rising.

My eyes open as I feel a tug on my hand. Cody pulls me out of the elevator, and I glance at the dimly lit cement. Cement makes up everything: the walls, ceiling, floor. Cody squeezes my hand, and I squeeze back. There's not much to see, just a dim light hanging from the ceiling. I can't use my night vision, and my head swims slightly. As my eyes adjust to the lighting, I can see cells lining the walls. Guards swim around, and I feel myself swaying. I have to hang on. For Cody. For James. Then, a scream nearly escapes me.

I bump into Cody's chest, and tears swim to my eyes. Tied to a chair near the light is James. His face and body are coated in blood, and a guy stands in front of him holding a gun to his head.

"If you won't talk," the guy sneers, "this will be the last breath you take."

Anger consumes me, and I rush forward. I know Cody is now visible, and I know that I am as well. My head swims a bit less as I gather electricity to my palm and hurl it at the guard. I expect it to hit him, knock him down. Instead, he swivels around and ducks. The ball of electricity misses James' chair by inches. The guard smirks, then throws up his palm. I gasp as I look down, realizing the ground is farther than it should be. The government has Chips.

Coming to my senses, I fight his air manipulation with my own. I haven't practiced with it as much as I have my other abilities, but I do have more experience with Chips. Throwing out my hand, I try to keep myself in the same spot. As the guard concentrates on keeping me airborne, I try to summon electricity to my palm behind my back. Cody shouts behind me, and I feel sweat pouring down my face. I fly across the room, and I slam into something solid. As arms wrap around me, I realize Cody saved me from becoming acquainted with the wall. Looking down, I see that his gun is pointed in the direction of the guard, who is bleeding on the floor. A sigh of relief escapes me. As I try to move, I realize Cody is holding me up.

"Get... James," I force out. My head pounds, and my Chip burns beneath my skin.

"Autumn-"

"Now!"

I feel myself being set against a wall, and I watch through blurry eyes as Cody rushes towards James. My vision fades in and out, but eventually someone tosses me over their shoulder.

My eyes open, and panic floods through me. As I try to sit up, I realize I'm in a car. Glancing around, I realize this car doesn't belong to my aunt. In fact, she isn't even in the driver's seat. Mrs. Jenny is. Beside her sits her bleeding husband, which has makeshift bandages covering his body. Beside me sits Cody, whose face is full of relief.

"What happened?" I croak. My throat feels dry, and my Chip feels a bit warm.

Ms. Jenny turns around and grimaces. "You must've overworked your Chip! Molly's working on replicating those Chips, but I volunteered to pick you guys up once your friends got to my house. They had dropped you off at the government building and raced to my house. I can't believe you saved my husband." She tears up. "Thank you!"

I smile softly at her, still trying to get my bearings. "No problem." Then, I turn to James and realize he's as unconscious as I previously was. "Will he be okay?"

Ms. Jenny nods. "I'm sure he'll be fine. I used to work in the hospital. I know what I'm doing, and I have the supplies."

I sigh in relief. "Good."

Cody sighs beside me. "You had us worried, Autumn! You didn't need to wear yourself out! You have people working with you for a reason."

I shrug. "I'm fine now, aren't I? We saved James. That's all that matters. Now we need to get make to the base and tell everyone of Derek's betrayal."

Cody rests a hand on my knee. "They know, Autumn."

My eyes widen. "What?"

"Once Leane told him what you did, things went downhill at the base. Plus, some of our friends told people back at the base."

"Is Derek taken care of?"

Cody sighs. "Not exactly. There were people still loyal to The Others and Derek. Those loyal to us escaped."

I run a hand down my face. "So, basically we have more enemies than allies, Chips to replicate, and two days to Leane's attack? Wow, that's so wonderful!"

Cody squeezes my knee comfortingly. "Autumn, we can get through this."

I lean my head back against the headrest. I notice it's leather, just like in my aunt's car. "So much is going wrong, Cody. My Chip can barely take a beating, and-"

Cody presses a finger to my lips, turning to face me. "Just- don't. Please, Autumn. I don't need you doubting this, too."

I sigh, pushing away his arm. Then, I turn to James. His bleeding has been stopped, and he doesn't look as bad as he did earlier. It looks like they haven't been torturing him for that long, but the sight still makes me sick to my stomach. I wish I would've gotten there sooner. I wish things were different. I wish we had more of a fighting chance.

Molly's hunched over her kitchen table as we walk in. She doesn't bother to acknowledge our entrance, furiously fiddling with something in front of her. Cody and I support James' weight between us, and Mrs. Jenny instructs us to lead him into a bedroom down the hall. I feel sick to my stomach as we walk into a small, dark room. The light flicks on, and Cody and I set James on a queen bed. Before I can take in the room, or James' bleeding body, I walk out of the room. My head feels light, and my stomach churns. I press a hand to my abdomen, pleading with myself to not throw up.

Cody places a hand on my back, and I realize I've walked back into the kitchen. It's now that Molly looks up at me, grinning. Before I can blink, she has me wrapped in her arms.

"Thank you, Autumn," she whispers. "You saved him, and I can never repay you for what you've done."

I shake my head, pulling away slightly. "Molly, replicating the Chips is more than enough payment. Even the government has them. Without you, we wouldn't stand a chance."

She freezes, then yanks away from me completely. "What? The government has what?"

I grimace at the older woman. "Somehow, they have the Chips with abilities."

Molly curses under her breath, then turns back to the table. Two Chips sit there. They're both silver and a bit deconstructed. "I've almost got it."

My eyes widen. "Already?"

She smirks. "What do you take me for? I'm good at what I do." Then, she sighs. "I don't have to hand make each one, so I should have enough Chips for your allies by noon tomorrow."

I let out a breath of relief. "Okay. That's not bad. There's still training- we don't have much time."

Molly grins. "Don't worry, my new Chips will be easier to use. I tried to make them as advanced as possible, but it's difficult under such a time constraint. However, it's the size of your army that I'm worried about."

My anxiety rushes back to me. "How many people?"

"About two hundred."

I grin slightly. "That's more than I expected, to be honest." Then, my grin drops, and the reality of the situation hits me full force. "Do we stand a chance, Molly?"

Her grimace is answer enough.

I turn away from her and throw my hands in the air. "Great. Just great. We don't stand a chance, do we?'

"Autumn-"

"No, Cody! We need to be honest with ourselves!" I shout. "People are going to die, and it's my fault!"

Cody shakes his head. "It's Derek's. And Leane's. And the government's. All you've done is try to better things."

I turn away from him, tears of frustration pricking my eyes. "Before any of this, at least people weren't going to die. At least we didn't have more enemies than allies. At least-"

"Before, people were blind!" Molly shouts. "At least, now, the public needs to choose whether to fight for their freedom or give into submission! Now, everything is going to be out in the open. You can't blame yourself for everything. You've tried to help, but people need to do things for themselves. Leane is coming in two days, and I think it's time the public knows it."

I stare at her in shock. Then, I realize that she's right. Why didn't I think of this before? The government won't help me, but the people might. We're fighting for the freedom of everyone, but not everyone knows."

I grin. "How good are you at hacking into televisions?"

She grins back. "I must say, I'm pretty good at it."

Then, I turn to Cody. "We go live in thirty minutes." I glance back at Molly. "Can you make that happen?"

She nods. "I can."

"Get Aubrey, Eva, and Avery. I want them to be a part of this, too," I tell Cody.

He smiles, then rushes off. I feel my worry become replaced with hope. Maybe, we might have a chance. I turn to Molly as something else strikes me. "I never wanted people to have Chips again, but it looks like our only choice."

Molly nods. "I can make that happen. If they want them. It can be optional, because we're not the controlling government."

A grin stretches across my face. As Molly gets back to work, I take a seat across from her. My mind begins racing, and I come up with everything I want to and need to say.