Chapter 24
Word of Xavier’s heroic feat spreads through the Dagger. Sadly, it doesn’t win him points from anyone other than Poppy.
But you’ve got to start somewhere, right?
When we enter the mess hall for breakfast the next day, I notice that some of the cold stares usually directed at him have thawed a little. Not long after we’re seated, Poppy shyly walks over to inquire about his arm.
“Like it never even happened,” he assures her, holding up his forearm.
She obviously wants to say something more, but she hesitates, fiddling with her sleeve.
“Anything else?” His lips twitch with humor.
“Do you like games?” she blurts out, and I bite my cheek to stop from laughing.
“Not only do I like games,” Xavier says gravely, “but I also throw very intense tantrums if I lose them.”
Poppy breaks out in a smile. “I just learned how to play clash poker. We should play.”
“You’re on.” He takes a quick sip of his coffee, watching her over the rim of his cup before setting it down with a heavy sigh. “Fuck. How old are you again? It just occurred to me you might be infatuated with me because I saved your life. Is that what’s happening right now?”
Her jaw drops. “What? No.”
I break out in laughter, attracting several curious glances from neighboring tables.
“I was being nice,” Poppy sputters, her cheeks turning pink.
“Oh, in that case, I’d love to play cards with you,” he says.
Once Poppy is gone, I jab Xavier in the side. “Why’d you have to embarrass her like that?”
He grows defensive. “Just needed to make sure she isn’t locked on me. She’s, what, sixteen? I can’t have her scary-ass mother hunting me down and accusing me of making moves on her teenage daughter.”
I forgot my comm in our quarters, so I head back there after breakfast to collect it, walking through the door just as Cross attempts to link with me. He doesn’t ask if I’m good, getting right to the point.
“Travis is moving all the Modified prisoners out of Ice Canyon.”
I furrow my brow. “Why?”
“Too much chaos. The Primes at the mine are refusing to work with the Mods, so Travis is designating it a Prime facility. He’s ordered the Mods to be transported to the coal mine in Ward K.”
My guard snaps up. K is a southern ward.
In the Program, we learned all about the southern facilities.
They’re tiny. The salt mine in Ice Canyon is by far the largest on the Continent, housing two hundred and fifty prisoners, fifty or so of them Modified.
Most of the mines in the south house fifty workers each, total.
“The mine in K doesn’t have enough room for fifty Mods,” I point out, feeling uneasy.
“They won’t all be going.”
Outrage sizzles through my veins. “Some of them will be killed?”
“The ones Travis doesn’t deem useful, yeah.”
“We can’t let that happen, Cross.”
“I’ll handle it.”
“How?” I demand. “You lost all your clearance.”
“I still have some levers I can pull. I’ll handle it.”
He cuts the link, and a gust of anger slams into me. Seriously? He’s going to leave me hanging like that?
Fuck!
I hurry down to the Operations floor in search of Gray. I find him in the hangar, of course, lying underneath one of his sleek gray fighter jets, tinkering with a wrench.
“Get out here, ace,” I tell his lower body. “We need to talk.”
Chuckling, he rolls out from under the belly of the aircraft. He’s wearing an olive-green flight suit with the top half stripped off and wrapped around his waist, leaving him bare-chested.
“You’re covered in grease,” I say.
Gray runs his hand over his pecs and lifts it to find his palm stained black, grinning. “What’s up?”
I hesitate. Cross didn’t ask me not to share the information. All he said was that he’d handle it. And maybe he will find a way to handle it, despite not having Silver Block’s vast resources at his disposal.
But in the likely event that he can’t, there’s no way I’m letting anyone at that salt mine get killed. Especially not my best friend.
“I have some intel,” I admit. “I think maybe it needs to be relayed to the Authority.”
“What kind of intel?”
“Regarding the Ice Canyon facility. They’re relocating all the Modified prisoners to the coal mine in K.”
His features sharpen. “The Stillwater mine? That facility can’t accommodate all those people.”
“I know. Not all of them will be leaving Ice Canyon alive.”
“Shit.” He shoves his arms into his sleeves and zips up the flight suit. “Where’d you hear this?”
I already have my lie prepared. “The Mod I know who’s dating someone in the Command. She doesn’t work for the network and has no interest in coming aboard, so that’s all I can reveal.”
Although he scrutinizes me for a second, he doesn’t push or try to poke holes in the story.
“All right. I’ll brief the others. But they won’t take any action unless the intel is confirmed by one of our own sources.”
Message received. I’m not a trustworthy source.
Several hours later, I’m at the shooting range when I feel a nudge at the back of my mind.
Adrienne keeps it short and to the point. “Our intel corroborates yours. They’re moving the prisoners tomorrow morning.”
“What are we going to do?”
She leaves my mind without answering.
Good talk.
I eat dinner with Xavier, desperate to be in the war room right now.
Gray and Teriq are notably absent from the mess hall, and while Adrienne’s and Kallister’s absence doesn’t set off alarm bells since I rarely see them in here, the fact that all the mission leads are missing speaks volumes.
Saint. Evlynne. Raven Persimmons, who today I learned is also a lead. I imagine that enrages Mako.
We’re playing cards with Poppy in the common room after dinner when a voice crackles over the Dagger’s sound system.
“All field operatives report to the mess hall.”
Xavier glances up from his cards. “That include you?” he asks me.
“I think so?” I played a pivotal role in Adrienne’s mission to corrupt the General, so I think that earns me field operative status. Either way, let them try to keep me away. I’m too curious to miss out.
He glumly sticks out his chin. “I never get invited to parties.”
“Neither do I,” Poppy tells him in a show of support as I lay down my cards and duck out of the room.
I file into the mess hall along with dozens of others, and there are no seats left by the time I make it inside. I stand next to Hawkins, who grunts in greeting. I’m surprised to see him, considering he said nobody wants to work with him. Granted, nobody wants to work with me, either, and I’m here.
I expect the entire Authority, but only Gray and Teriq enter. The room goes quiet as Teriq gets things going.
“The Authority voted earlier to authorize an extraction.”
My heart jumps with excitement. Finally. They’re going to rescue them.
I’m not the only who’s excited. At the announcement, a current of anticipation travels through the room.
“This is a high-risk, high-priority mission,” Gray says, arms crossed to his chest. “One objective: to extract the Mods from the salt mine in Ice Canyon.”
He nods toward Saint, who pushes away from the wall and strides over.
“We’re assembling two teams,” Teriq says. “Saint and I will be the mission leads on the ground. Gray is our air lead. He and Luisa will handle transport.”
My pulse kicks up. I want to be chosen for this mission so fucking badly.
Teriq steps forward and asks, “Who wants in?”
Gray had mentioned that every operation is volunteer-only, and it’s fascinating to watch the process unfold. I’m not surprised when every single person in the mess hall flicks up their hand. I do, too.
“I need four for my team.” Teriq scans the crowd, then lists off several names. Mine isn’t among them.
Saint is next, those forest-green eyes sweeping over the group. “I need five. I’ll take…Henley, Neema…”
Each name that isn’t mine twists the knot of disappointment in my stomach tighter.
I try to remind myself that they’re all more experienced than I am.
They’ve been part of the network for years, some of them decades, whereas Uncle Jim kept me as far away from the Uprising as possible.
Everyone here has worked together on numerous missions and built up trust that I haven’t earned yet.
“Orin…”
But I’m not some rookie, either. I’m a great shot. I can provide cover, backup. Maybe I’m not ready to lead my own mission, but I can certainly support one.
“Cillian.” The fourth slot goes to a man I’ve never heard of.
I can’t remember the last time I was this desperate to prove myself. All I need is one fucking person to give me a chance—
“And Darlington.”
I freeze, my gaze seeking out Saint’s. I’m worried I misheard him, but when he catches my eye, he raises a brow.
“Are you keen with that, Darlington?”
“Y-yes.” I’m stammering like a fool. I clear my throat. “Yes, sir.”
The room is silent.
“Saint,” Evlynne warns.
Even Teriq, who’s always been fairly neutral about me, turns to him. “You sure you want her? She’s green.”
“I need a gun,” Saint says. “She’s one of the best here.”
Pleasure floods my chest. At least somebody has noticed I can be an asset.
Teriq shrugs and addresses the operatives who were chosen. “Extraction team—report to the war room in an hour. We’ll brief then.”
As the group disperses, chatter once again filling the mess hall, I remain standing, still stunned that Saint is giving me a chance. For the first time since I got to the Dagger, I have a stamp of approval, recognition, from someone other than Gray or Xavier.
Before I can stop myself, I intercept Saint at the door. But I lose my nerve and end up standing in front of him, biting my lip.
“Yes?” He waits.
“Uh. Fuck.”
He doesn’t smile, but I swear I see the corners of his mouth twitch. “All right.”
“Sorry. I mean, thank you. I appreciate you giving me this chance.”
Saint nods and heads out the door.
When Gray sidles up to me and winks, I hiss in his ear, “Was this you?”
“Nope.” He shrugs. “Saint picks his own teams.”