Daniel pointed straight at the screen in shock. "Did you see that? Did you? She put something in her drink."

Jonathon nodded in agreement. Daniel moved back; his heart racing. He'd just seen Anna Hart interfere with the tea on the counter. But why?

The insurgent moved away from the kitchen and Daniel's heart skipped a beat. Mina bounced up to the spy with a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. Her skin glistened, like it always did after a workout, and she wore her hair and clothes in the same way as always. Yet there was something missing; a sparkle to her eyes; a flash of personality. She seemed almost dull and two dimensional, not the Mina he knew, whose face lit up around a biscuit without fail.

Anna emerged from the kitchen and handed Mina the tea. She gulped it down as Anna watched intently. Daniel's stomach sank to his knees. It was his worst fear come to life. Mina really was in danger, and she was being drugged by her mother.

23 * Mina *

Even as a child I loved my training. Dad showed me how to punch pretty young. He told me to pour out a glass of water from a heavy pitcher; he made me do it over and over. And then he taught me to mimic the position of my arm when I poured the water, with my fist in the same position. Knees slightly bent, shoulders back... draw your hand to your side with your elbows bent... then forward, twisting your fist into the same position as before... go on... that's right.

The air hissed out of the bag as I lunged again, pow, pow, pow, in quick succession, grunting out my breath in a ha. Those memories were lies. I hit the bag a listening to the thud of fist against synthetic plastic. He'd lied to me over and over. I hated him.

The timer rang and I moved on to the speed bag, working my right fist first. My shoulder ached, but I carried on, hitting and hitting and hitting. This time Mum had to call out when the timer went off. I didn't even hear it. She looked up from her notebook and smiled in approval. I shuffled to the next challenge, my breath now laboured and sweat pouring down my face. I arranged the cars in a pile using my mind. There was no need to concentrate or shut my eyes. The anger and hate lay just under the surface; ready to erupt. I balanced them into two piles, juggled with them and lastly laid them back into position. Mum hurried towards me with a towel to dry me off.

"That was good, Mina. You're on great form."

"Sure," I said.

She handed me a cup of cooled tea and I drank it down. A sense of calm spread through my body.

Late that night I lay awake as my body shook. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Daniel laughing and joking with my dad as though everything was okay. Sometimes the scene changed and it was Dad with Hiro, taking him to the park, with me left out on the side-lines, staring through the metal fences.

My muscles ached, and when I cried out my mum brought me hot milk to drink. Then the numbness spread and I drifted to sleep.

"I have a surprise for you tomorrow," Mum said. "I want to show you what you can be. It's really exciting."

I hardly heard her as I drifted into slumber. She blurred into my dreams like a ghost; an un-dead spirit with glowing red eyes and a fearsome set of teeth. I woke to the sound of my alarm with a start.

"Come in for breakfast, Mina," she called from the kitchen. "I've made you bacon sandwiches this morning."

The air smelled of the salty yumminess of bacon, so I rushed through in my pyjamas. When I saw her there I lost my appetite. I backed away from the table, staring at the other woman who haunted my nightmares. The same woman who had cut off my hair and humiliated me. Mrs Murgatroyd sat at our table with her legs crossed calmly.

"I know this is a shock, darlingaa" Mum started.

"What is she doing here?" I snapped.

"She runs an important part of the GEM a something you need to see in order to realise what we're doing here."

Mrs Murgatroyd smirked. "It's nice to see you, Mina. Your hair has grown, I see. It's quite... fetching."

"She tried to kill me," I said through gritted teeth.

Mrs Murgatroyd rolled her eyes at me as though I were a frustrating child. "That's in the past."

"It was only a few months ago!" I said.

Mum stood and approached me. "I know it's hard to believe, but Margaret is actually on our side now. What happened in Area 14 went too far, and Margaret knows this." Mum regarded her sternly. "She's even been verbally warned by the Ministry."

"Verbally warned?" I said with a harsh laugh. "What would have happened if I'd died? A slap on the wrist? I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe you've brought her here to me a in our flat." I shook my head.

"I thought you said you had her under control?" Mrs Murgatroyd said, still smirking.

Mum glared at her before turning back to me. "I understand your anger, Mina. I'm still angry too. If you'd have died... well, I'd be a mess. You know I love you, and I will make sure that you're not put in danger. But during the war we'll have to work with her. I know it's hard, but please try, for me." She placed her hands on my shoulders and squeezed gently. "Now come and eat your sandwich before it goes cold."

I chose the seat the furthest away from Mrs Murgatroyd, and ate my food. It immediately made me feel a lot better. Then I had a quick shower and change before meeting Mum back in the kitchen.

"We're taking you on an extended tour today," Mum said. "You're going to see just how powerful the GEM is."

After a short drive Mum stopped the car outside a huge warehouse the size of the maize field on the farm in the Compound. Mrs Murgatroyd stepped out first, and the breeze took her mane of hair a swishing it against her face. As much as I resented being forced to spend time in close proximity with the woman who tried to murder me, I was grateful to be outside in the fresh air after days of being cooped up inside the GEM. I sucked in the cool breeze and let it burn my lungs. It was a good day for running. No matter how much Mum told me the treadmill was better for training, I missed the sights, the sky and the bitter feeling of cold wind. Most of all, I missed finishing my run and finding Daniel. I missed lying with him on the grass and staring up at the clouds in the sky. I closed the door to the car and noticed my fingers shaking again. The calm slipped away and my chest constricted.

"Ready, Mina?" Mum called in a sing song voice.

"Yeah, sure." I moved towards her and took the hand she extended to me. Mrs Murgatroyd watched us with hooded eyes, and I thought for a fleeting second that she was in pain. Then the moment passed, and her usual hard mask of a face came back.

We followed Mrs Murgatroyd to the warehouse door. She applied a print to let us into a narrow passageway. On the right lay a small kitchen area with tall men hanging around eating, cleaning, or leaning against the walls. They observed us calmly and sniffed the air. If I hadn't known Mike and Kitty, I would have thought it was strange. Luckily, I was accustomed to strange.

After opening another door, we came to a vast area spanning almost the entire length of the warehouse. I stopped, mid-step, and my mouth fell open. Covering every square feet of the room were more of the same tall men. They stopped what they were doing and stared at us a the intruders. Mrs Murgatroyd raised an arm and they rushed into formation: like soldiers awaiting instruction. Each of them wore a pristine white tracksuit. The room was decked out with living areas and beds on the right. On the left they lined up for inspection. I squinted into the distance to see a training area beyond, but it was hard to make out after the lines and lines of men. Thousands of them.

"Who are they?" I asked. We followed Mrs Murgatroyd's lead. I stayed close to my mum, all too aware that these men could rush and trample us, or take us out in a fight. I wouldn't like to see how my gift fared against thousands of trained fighters.

"This isn't even half of them," said Mrs Murgatroyd. "There are five warehouses, each with two thousand men living in them. They train both outside and in. There's a shooting range and an assault course behind the warehouse." She walked slowly, with her hands behind her back. "And they all answer to me." Her eyes shone with excitement. "Watch."

She approached the first line of men and stopped right in front of them.

"Bow," she said to the closest.

The man dropped to his knees, his head bent low. I hated to see it. It was like her cutting my hair all over again; humiliating someone for an audience.

"Get up," she ordered. The man stood with his back straight. "Punch number thirteen." The man a who had twelve stitched to his jacket a turned and punched number thirteen in the mouth. I recoiled as the blow drew blood. Thirteen didn't even flinch. "Punch yourself in the groin." Twelve punched himself between his legs. Not even a wince.

"Stop it," I blurted out. "I get the message. Why have you brought me here? This is horrible."

"This is power," said Mrs Murgatroyd. "This is the army the GEM own. And when you join them, the GEM will have all the power in the world."

I stared at her aghast. "I'll never join that army. Never."

Mrs Murgatroyd and Mum shared a look. Then Mum sighed and took my hands. "Mina, the GEM have a good cause to fight for. They need to stamp out the Resistance for good. They are bad people, Mina."

"No, they aren't," I said. "They fight for the Blemished. They help people." My voice quivered. What did I really know about the Resistance? For years I thought my mum worked with them, fighting against the GEM. I'd seen the run down, sorry excuse for the Resistance in Area 14, who met in the Slums and stood around arguing. "Uncle Matthew was in the Resistance."

"Your Uncle Matthew was brainwashed," she said with pursed lips. "I think it's time you knew."

"Knew what?"

"What they're really like."

We left the warehouse, leaving the strange identical army to themselves, and Mum drove us back to the GEM. My time in the open air had been brief and disturbing.

Mrs Murgatroyd left us in the flat. Mum made us a pot of tea, and then flicked the television channels until we got to a fuzzy screen. I leaned forward so I could see the picture better. Two people with scarves obscuring their features held a young girl towards the camera. The young girl, possible a little younger than me and GEM beautiful, had tears streaming down her face. Mum turned up the sound so I could hear her pleas.

"They're going to kill me," she cried. "Please help me. Please do anything they want."

"GEM pigs. You have not met our demands. We asked you to shut down all genetic cloning, to abolish your disgusting ways. And yet you continue to create filth like this girl here." The voice was distorted and gruff, but unmistakably female. She shook the young girl, making her scream. "Now, you will pay."

With barely a second's notice the woman lifted a sword high above her head.

"Turn it off," I yelled. "I don't want toaa"

The sword swung low and I closed my eyes.

"Is that who you want to help?" Mum asked.

24 * Angela *

They were in trouble. On the first day they climbed on each other's shoulders and pulled at the bars covering the window. It was no use. They refused to budge no matter how hard they tried. Then they examined every last inch of the cell, searching for something a anything a to help them escape; even a tiny mouse hole to widen with their bare hands. The guards caught them with their backsides in the air, searching each nook and cranny of the tiny room, and stormed the cell with their batons aloft. Angela experienced the harsh rap of a truncheon against her flesh, as well as the soul crushing sight of being held back as guards beat her boyfriend to a bloody pulp. Afterwards Cam quietened, and crawled into a corner, staring out through his bruised eyes; staring into nothing.

But whilst their situation seemed bleak, it was blatantly obvious that only Sebastian remained unharmed by the guards. Could it be that Vincent Cole still loved his son? Why else would the guards go easy on him? And if he did, it gave her hope. Hope that he'd stop the execution and let them go. She clutched her knees and bit her lip. She had to cling to that thought and never let it go.

Fruitless days passed. Cam pulled away from her, growing terser by the hour, and Sebastian slipped into a near catatonic state, which infuriated Ginge. After days of sharing the same room and the same toilet, Angela began to hate them all. Even the sight of their faces and the sound of their voices drove her mad. She hated the way Ginge walked up and down, running her hands against the bars. She hated Cam's pouty lip as he waited for his bruises to heal, moping in the corner. She even hated Sebastian's whimpering at night. Most of all, she hated herself, for letting the prison get to her, and for almost turning against her friends. If she let it make her crazy it was game over for all of them. She loved them really, and she had to remember it. She had to make herself remember.

"They're winning," Angela mumbled half to herself. "If we lose hope it means they've already won."

"We need a plan," Ginge said for the hundredth time. "We cannae just sit here an' wait te die."

Cam sighed. "We've been through everythin'. Jus' leave it, eh?"

"I can't believe you said that." Angela glared at Cam, on her last nerve with his defeatist attitude.

"If one of us pretends we're sick, we can overpower the guards an' take their guns," Ginge said.

"We've been over that plan," Cam replied. "An' it's as effin' stupid nae as it was then. We're weak. We've nae chance o'fightin' aem. Ye felt the thrashin' we took the last time." He gestured to his black eye. "We'd just be killin' ourselves sooner."

"Not necessarily," Angela said. "The guards didn't hurt Sebastian. They must be under orders to leave him alone."

"Aye, that's true." Ginge's eyes widened. "We can use Sebastian te get oot."

"How?" Cam gave an overdramatic shrug. "He's no' all there."

Sebastian sat cross-legged on the stone floor, tracing through the dirt with his fingers. He'd lost all hope. He'd even lost weight. His cheeks sunk into hollows a sharpening his cheekbones.

Ginge crouched next to him. "C'mon, nae. Ye cannae leave us like this." Her voice took on a new note of desperation, high-pitched and whiny. "Ah need ye. Ah dunnae want te die."

When Ginge's voice cracked, Angela sunk to her knees. For the first time since she'd left Area 14, she felt out of control and helpless. The realisation hit her that they'd need much more than a half-baked escape plan to get out of the cells. She slumped against the wall, suddenly devoid of all energy.

"So much fer ma big talk, eh?" Cam said. He pulled at a thread on his jumper, focussed on the floor instead of anyone's eyes. "Sayin' ah'd never let anythin' happen te ye. Well here we are. About te die."

"I don't need to hear this," Angela said in a quiet voice.

"Why not? It's true. Ah've been nothin' but a mess since the day ah were born. Ah was only born acause ma da' raped ma mother. He hated me. He hated me, an' he tried te punish me when ah ran away from him. He killed so many people jus' fer that. He invaded the damn Compound because of it." He ripped the thread from his jumper and turned his head towards the wall. "An' nae he's dead an' all ah dae is cause more pain. Ah didnae stop ye from comin' on this journey when ah knew it would be trouble, an' it wasn't fer you. It was fer me. Ah wanted te get out, an' nae look at us."

Angela scuttled over to him. She couldn't bear to see him like that, because she knew he was shutting down bit by bit, losing himself to his guilt and grief. He sniffed, and she knew he was trying to hold back tears.

"Cam, listen to me. We've all been through too much, and it makes you want to give up. I almost did that once when I thought I'd lose everything. Do you know what happened next? I met you." Angela took his hand. "It was you who helped me be a better person. Your influence. None of this is your fault. You're a good person."

Cam leaned into her shoulder and she ran her fingers through his hair. It'd grown a little, and the dirt weighed it down, yet underneath all that, it still felt soft and fluffy like always.

"I know this is about your dad. It was awful, truly awful, to lose him in those circumstances. And I know you feel helpless, because I feel it too. We have to remember how strong we are, or we'll never get out of here. I believe in you." A strange, cold feeling spread over Angela's body, and her mouth tasted odd. She ignored it and carried on. "We need you to come back, Cam. You're our rock, you're my rock, and I miss you." Her mouth tasted metallic and she wanted to gag. But she couldn't stop now that Cam was nearly back. "I know you can help us right now. You're the most resourceful man I know. We have to get out of here or we're going to..." Angela trailed off. Her hands trembled and she glanced down at them, feeling strangely disconnected. "I don't feel... well."

A freezing cold spread through her muscles, and along with it came this dread that she was going to die. She was sure of it a knew it like she knew herself a and there was nothing she could do. An electric bolt shot up from her feet to her head and she tipped away from Cam, hitting the floor and shaking uncontrollably. Her limbs jerked. Her teeth chattered together. She saw Cam leaning over her, and heard him shout, "Angela" before the cell went dark.

"She needs a medic! Get someone in here now. Ah mean it. So help me, ah'll kill the lot o'ye when ah get outta this cell."

"Cam," Angela muttered. It took all of her strength to say the word. "No. Don't."

The cell stank of urine, and Angela felt the wetness between her legs with complete horror. She tried to sit up, but her body wouldn't let her. There was something soft under her head, and Ginge and Sebastian knelt beside her.

"Dunnae try te move. Jus' lay still," Ginge said. She used the sleeve of her top to wipe sweat from Angela's forehead.

"Angela!" Cam knelt by her side. "Yer awake. Ah was so worried."

Angela half drifted in and out of consciousness, and Cam's face faded. It took her a few moments to realise where she was, and then she started to cry huge, fat tears. She just wanted to be alone. She didn't want any of these people seeing her like this a with pee stained clothes and the remnants of drool drying on her chin. Cam held her to him as Angela cried into his chest. She'd never felt so completely demoralised and exhausted. The memory of losing control over her body brought nothing but shame and horror.

"Don't cry, baby," Cam soothed. "Dunnae cry. Yer okay, and that's all that matters."

Footsteps approached the cell and Angela shrank further into Cam's arms, not wanting anyone to see her. She just wanted them to go away, everyone except Cam.

"What's going on?"

"Dad!"

Angela pulled back from Cam to see Sebastian jump up towards the cell bars. He clutched hold of them and stared out at his father. Angela managed to sit up, leaning against the small cot-bed by the cell wall. She lifted her knees up and hoped no one noticed her accident. There wasn't much of a damp patch; luckily it'd soaked into the concrete.

"Angela had a seizure," Sebastian explained. "She has epilepsy."

Vincent turned to Angela. She shuddered under his hard, dark eyes. "Are you all right?"

She nodded, trying not to meet his gaze.

"Do you need something?"

Before Angela could answer, the short man appeared. "They're going to die, Vincent, and yet you're offering them things?"