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

turns worried, an emotion I’ve rarely seen on his face. “There’s a lot of insanity going on now.”
    A sense of dread floods my chest, settling in my stomach. I expected to feel safe once I returned to Earth, to feel comfort in my old life, but nothing about this world feels safe. It feels chaotic. But maybe that’s just a reaction to Kelvin. I hope so.
    We continue through the airport, and I’m reminded of the last time I was here—the attack outside the execution chamber, the deaths from the neurotoxin. I keep my head down to prevent my eyes from watering at the memory. So many died here.
    Dad motions to a hovercraft to the right, and the soft sound of its engine greets us. It’s sleek and black, like every other hovercraft I’ve ever seen, but this is the first time I’ve ever been inside one. I feel my heart rate kick up as we step inside, a part of me still questioning Kelvin’s motives. What if this is all a setup? Some suicide mission, the hovercraft programmed to crash as soon as we’re outside Sydia? But what good would it do him to kill us?
    There are six seats inside, plus the cockpit. A few storage compartments and safety gear, but otherwise, the hovercraft is tiny. I stare around, waiting to see who will man the plane, and see Dad slip into the captain’s seat.
    “When did you learn to fly?” I ask him.
    “I received my license before you were born, when I first became an Operative.”
    I stare at him in awe. “Wow. I had no idea.”
    Dad smiles over at me. “Want to be my copilot?”
    “Really?”
    “Absolutely.”
    I eye Jackson, and he nods for me to go ahead. I wish we had more time to talk, but every moment has been too rushed.
    Dad puts the craft in motion, and I watch him, enjoying the sight of him looking like a leader again. Here, among our group, he is.
    The full group includes Dad, Cybil, Vill, Gretchen, Jackson, and myself. A large part of me wanted to beg Mom to come as well, but Kelvin wouldn’t allow it regardless. She’s the best Chemist he has.
    “What happened while I was gone, Dad?” I ask after we’ve been in the air a few minutes. I know the question is a risk, that the craft is likely bugged, but I need to know.
    Dad adjusts uncomfortably in his seat, then peers over at me. “President Cartier trusted Kelvin too much for too long. By the time she saw his intention to take over, she had her stroke. Since Lawrence was still too young to fully take over as president, he appointed Kelvin to assist. He, like his mom, trusted him. And then more and more of the top Leads placed their faith in Kelvin, and soon, he was the only leader.”
    “But why didn’t you fight it? You had plenty of Engineers who were loyal to you.”
    Dad focuses out the window, into the clouds ahead. “That was before…”
    “Before I became an Ancient.”
    “I was interrogated after you left. They felt I’d allowed you to be with Jackson, supported the Ancients. It took weeks for them to release me, and once they did, no one looked at me the same way again.”
    Guilt punctures my chest. I never wanted to hurt him like this. “I’m sorry.”
    His head snaps over. “They are in the wrong here, Ari. Not you. Never you. I was wrong before. It doesn’t have to be them or us. We can unify. Live as one.”
    My heart warms at his words, at the change in him. But the moment of happiness is fleeting. There’s still Zeus. “Zeus doesn’t see it that way. Not now. Maybe not ever. He wants to destroy humankind.”
    “Perhaps. But he is just one Ancient.”
    “Yes, but he’s the only Ancient that can take this all away.”
    We ride the rest of the way to the West Coast in silence, absorbed in our own thoughts and worries. In my gut, I feel like Zeus is already on Earth, creeping in the shadows and watching. Waiting for the strike. And while we’re planning to train average civilians against him, he has an army of Ancients, all with weapons far more advanced than ours and skills that outmatch us