Mason meets me in the same park we first met at, but this time, he's not alone.

That Protector and Hunter from before, Tae and Tomas, are with him. I'm sure Amari and Sasha are here too, based on the way Mason's eyes keep darting through the trees to the food stands.

"You got it?" Tae asks, getting to her feet. She looks breathless.

I pull the phone out and offer it to Mason.

Tae reaches for it, but I pull it back and offer it again to Mason.

Mason sighs and takes the phone. He offers it to Tae immediately. "I trust them," he assures me when I make a grunt of protest.

Tae grabs my shoulder. "You've no idea how much this helps the cause."

"The cause to destroy my mother," I remind her.

"The cause to protect the world from your mother," she corrects.

"Find information on Dion's daughter."

"Dion," I say, stepping towards him. "Is that the old man you've been visiting?"

Mason's eyes narrow at me. "Did you find information about that on the phone?"

I nod. "As soon as I left her office, she got a call about it. You've been getting tailed."

Tomas's head snaps up from looking at the phone over Tae's shoulder. "For how long? Not to our apartment, right?"

Mason puts his hand out to him. "I knew I was being tailed to Dion's place. I never let them near yours."

I push his chest. "You knew? They're suspicious of you because of it! They want to torture the old man!"

His expression hardens. "I know, Tarak. Dion asked me to do it. They took his daughter and he's willing to go to any lengths to get her back. He's the bait."

"Bait," I spit. "Me getting that phone was to stop you from doing anything stupid for information!"

"We're not doing it for information," Mason whispers.

Tae and Tomas share a look. Tae steps forward, grabs his arm. "What are you talking about? You haven't told us anything about this. You can't-."

Mason shrugs her off and steps back. "I've got a tracker on him. As soon as they take him, I'll get him out. But search her phone, try to find a location for Daisy. If there's not one, this is my best option. They could take Dion to where Daisy is being held."

"Then what?" Tae demands. "If this conspiracy theory is actually true, wherever they are is going to be loaded to the teeth with Hunters. You can't storm the castle hoping to free the prisoners. Especially not on your own."

"He wouldn't be alone," Tomas murmurs.

Tae slaps his chest. "Don't you start. You're supposed to be on my side with this."

Tomas shrugs. "We got involved in this for a reason, love. If Singh is taking people and infecting them... saving them is our first priority."

Tae puts a hand out to both boys. "If we all die trying to save them, there will be no one left to stop her in the future."

"Amari and Sasha will continue the fight," Mason argues.

I study him. He still doesn't know. Amari still hasn't told him. I wonder why. I mean... it's not like she told me either, I just happen to have access to her medical records. But Mason's her best friend. How could she keep it from him?

Tomas is the one who scoffs, "those two? Neither of them cares about ending Singh's injustice. Amari is in it for you and Sasha is in it for Amari. If you're gone, they're done."

Mason's chest expands and he balls his fists. "You don't know a thing about either of them. I suggest you keep your mouth shut."

"Or what?"

Mason steps forward.

Tae's arm straightens, pushing him back. "No," she orders, glancing between the two of them. "We're not doing this. We're all fighting this for our own reasons, Tomas. Even you. But Tomas is right, Mason. Even if they did want to continue fighting, they wouldn't be able to do it alone. You can't run into a secure compound guns blazing. What would that do? You'll get Daisy and Dion killed for nothing. You'll get yourself killed for nothing."

Mason studies her face and his expression ripples as he argues with himself on whether to agree with her or not. Eventually, he pulls back from her hand and huffs like a bull, raking a hand through his hair. "What am I supposed to do, Tae? Sit here and do nothing while people are in danger? Who did those people in the sewers leave behind? More people like Dion who can't even report their disappearances?"

"I know how you feel-."

"No!" Mason roars, with an anger I've never seen. His green eyes practically glow in the setting sun. "You've no idea! For so long, I have sat here and watched humanity tear itself apart and I can't-!" His voice cracks and the glow fades.

Tae and Tomas watch him with new eyes, like they're preparing to knock him out.

I, for one, can't even muster an understanding of what's happening. I've never seen Mason angry like that. Tired and resigned, maybe, but not furious. And what was that about watching 'humanity tear itself apart'? Does he mean his parents' deaths? My mother? The Infection itself? Where did that even come from?

His voice is different when he says, "I can't stand by and do nothing, Tae."

She seems to realize he's not a threat and eases her fists. Tomas doesn't, watching Mason. Tae grabs Mason's hands and squeezes. "You're not alone, Mason. But give us time to figure something out and we can save more people. Without getting anyone killed."

Mason clearly isn't satisfied with this, but he knows better to argue to someone's face. "Fine," he says.

Tae doesn't seem to understand that Mason is straight up lying to her face, because she looks relieved. "We'll keep examining the phone." She glances at me. "Come join us in a little. We'll update Amari and Sasha."

Mason watches them walk away, then turns to me. "Don't."

"I didn't say anything."

"You're going to tell me not to go."

I sigh, because he's right. "Tae knows what she's talking about. You're going to get someone killed."

"I can do it."

"I don't doubt that. But how many people will you save by yourself versus with help?"

He crosses his arms and glares at the sky like he wants to fight the sun. "I promised Dion I'd try to save his daughter. I have to try."

"And you will. When the time is right." I move closer and take one of his hands, running my thumb over his knuckles. "If you do this on your own before the time is right, I'll be forced to be on the opposite side."

"We've been on opposite sides since I chose Ryan," he growls.

I shake my head. "I'm going to take my tests as soon as I'm back on the island and I'm going to graduate. In a year, we'll be bound again."

"I'm not waiting a year to help Dion."

"I'm not asking you to. I'm asking you to wait until I'm away from the Academy. Away from her."

He grabs the back of my neck and presses our foreheads together. "If I could make you immune to her power, I swear I would."

"Do you really not know how you did it?" I ask, and I expect him to lie.

He rolls his lip between his teeth and shrugs. "I've already got someone in my head telling me what to do. There's no room for her."

"Are you saying you're insane?"

"We both already knew that," he jokes, but there's something worrying about the way he says it. Like he believes he is insane.

"Mason."

He kisses my forehead, and this time, I'm not as surprised by it.

I lean against him and close my eyes. He feels colder than usual, like he's more corpse than person. Part of me wonders how he hasn't gotten infected. He told me that his suit had a rip in it when he was fighting Infected in the sewers. I know he's a good fighter, but shouldn't something bad have happened to him?

His head draws back and turns towards the food stands. "My tail finally caught up. They're looking for me. I'll draw them away so they don't see you. Promise to be safe."

"I promise."

It's hard to let go of his hand. I let my arm raise as he walks away, then fall to my side when he lets me go.

I hug myself as he disappears down the pathway.

I get this horrible feeling that I'm never going to see him again.