Ethan was clearly pissed that Maisie of all people was now trying to ruin his plan, he had expected much of her best friend, but he thought he had struck such fear in the girl she wouldn’t be coming here making threats to him now. Ethan knew he had to remove her because she would not stop at getting to Iris who was a key part of his plan currently, a plan that felt like it was falling apart because he was certain that the King would have turned up for her by now. It seemed Iris had been right in saying she had broken his heart and he was now about to lose his only bargaining chip to getting to the crown. 

“Ethan! I know you have her; I swear to [i]god[/i] if you have hurt her!?”

“Swear to god what Maisie? You’ll [b]kill[/b] me? Please, you’re weak and couldn’t even touch me.” Ethan spat back at the girl his rage building as the girl didn’t back down and stood firmly in front of him challenging his authority. 

Ethan was right, Maisie knew that, but she couldn’t just let her friend suffer like this. Sighing softly her shoulders slumped because she was useless in this situation because she was only a baker. Maisie didn’t have the backbone or strength to fight it, she didn’t want her friend to get hurt, but what could she do? Bake him a batch of cookies? A bitter thought crossed her mind not that the districts even had the ingredients to bake something so sweet. “The rebellion is done with. Can’t you see it? You can’t bring down the monarchy and it’s stupid to think we can. The districts are suffering, why not focus your effort into improving them?”

Ethan could hear the plea in her voice, the resignation that she was not about to get past him to help Iris. There was no reasoning with him and instead of replying to her Ethan grabbed her by the wrist and began to escort her out of the house they had been using as a temporary base. Dragging along a protesting Maisie, he threw her out onto the floor shaking his head, “Go home Maisie, this is my final warning, or I will do something I’ll regret. You have his protection for now.”

Turning on his heal he slammed the front door behind him and stormed towards the front room where various different people were working away on plans. They were all just as sick and twisted as he were, and he’d established them to continue on the rebellion as others turned their back just because he’d done a few things they didn’t agree with. 

“Ethan, they’ve started to trace our hacking. I’ve hidden our signal best we can, but we’ve been blocked out the Capital again.” A gruff voice spoke up, he was new to the rebellion and was an escaped convict from said place. 

“Maybe [i]he[/i] is coming after all.” Ethan mumbled to himself as he tapped his fingers against his chin. “Pack up your things. I can’t risk you getting caught up in this. Someone needs to continue the rebellion.”

“That’s the sanest thing you’ve said in a while.” Another man with pale skin and burn marks running up his left side chuckled as he nodded to the escape convict both began packing up their stolen computer ready to make a hasty getaway. “We’ll meet at dusk.”

“If I’m not there in two days assume I am dead and enact plan B as discussed.” Ethan stated as he glanced towards the stairs that led upstairs to where Iris was with a knife embedded in her. With everyone giving a quick nod the two men that had been helping him hack into the Capital had scarpered out from the house leaving him and a few expendable members of the rebellion left in the household. After all he had to make them think they had squashed the last of the rebellion if they were on their way. It could all be for nothing and maybe no one was coming, but you could never be too careful.