Free Collide (Entangled Teen) (The Taking Book 3) by Melissa West

explanation as to why he’s no longer the commander, at least not in action, but the explanation never comes.
    We say goodbye to Mom and then follow Dad down the hall to the elevators and up a floor to a level that reminds me of the Engineer building back in Business Park. A chemical scent hits my nose, then the distinct smell of machinery.
    “What is this level?” I ask. “I thought there were only four levels to the Underground.”
    Dad’s gaze remains straight ahead. “It’s manufacturing. Kelvin had the Chemists create machinery that produces weapons. It’s a small operation, but at least it’s something.”
    I peer around and sure enough, there are conveyor belts filled with various types of guns—assault rifles, laser guns, handguns, you name it. There are only a few workers scattered here and there, and otherwise it’s completely automated.
    “How does Kelvin intend to use all of these guns? There aren’t nearly this many Operatives.”
    Cybil nods. “Exactly right.”
    “Wait. What are you saying?”
    She turns to me. “Remember what Zeus had us doing back on Loge? How he asked us to train every human, whether he or she was a trained fighter or not? That’s what Kelvin is doing here, but with the entire population.”
    “So, when you say we’re mobilizing the bases…”
    “We’re mobilizing the populace, Ari,” Dad says. “We’re teaching everyone that has a free hand and a sound mind to fight.”
    “But isn’t that risky? What if they turn on each other?”
    Dad stops at a door at the end of the hall, enters a code into the keypad, and ushers us inside once the wide door slides open. “It’s survival. When the war begins, people will band together against Zeus’s army. They will fight together as one.”
    I feel a wave of nervousness move through me at his words—they’re honorable to a fault. I’ve learned too much about humanity over the last six months to put my faith in anyone banding together.
    We slip past the door and into a weapons armory. Thousands of different weapons, all arranged on floor-to-ceiling shelves, all with coding systems at the bottom. We stare in wonder until Dad shakes us from our trance. “Well, what are you waiting for? Choose.”
    He doesn’t have to ask twice. We separate into the long room, examining every shelf until we each have two guns—traditional and laser, because you never know.
    Once our weapons are strapped into place, Dad leads us back to the elevator, where he selects zero, and I know that we’re going to the surface. A myriad of thoughts races through my mind. What will we find? What will we see? Nothing? Sydia destroyed? Or everything? More bodies than ground?
    The doors slice open and a breath of cold air rushes into the open elevator. Dad darts out, but I’m more cautious, a new trait for me, but recklessness no longer has its place. Or maybe it never had a place. I peer out into the open, scanning everything visible, listening and feeling for the presence of others, then once satisfied that it’s safe, I follow Dad out and onto a composite-steel surface, the rubber of our soles making the tiniest of squeaking sounds against the metal. I draw a breath, then two, enjoying the smell of fresh air and the sun on my face.
    We’re surrounded by woods, in the forest that cradles the airport, the rest of Sydia only visible on the horizon, but immediately I notice something missing. I turn around, trying to gain my bearings, but I’ve always had an impeccable sense of direction. I can find due north anywhere, always have.
    So why can’t I find the Trinity towers in Business Park?
    “Where are the buildings?” I ask. “I thought the war hadn’t begun yet?”
    Dad faces me. “Kelvin had them demolished. He felt Zeus would hit there first, and he didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of taking down our most treasured buildings. So he did it himself.”
    I suck in a breath. “He did it? But that’s insane.”
    Dad’s expression