Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
I can’t believe he left. Rowan cupped her elbows in her hands, shivering slightly.
“You okay?” Mike Kenwood hunched over his console, a thin stoop-shouldered man whose talent of minor precognition made him valuable—or so Rowan had been told. “You should get some sleep.”
Rowan ignored that. “How long has it been?” she asked again, picking up her coffee cup. It was cold, and she grimaced.
“Eighteen hours. Radio silence for two and a half. It’ll be six before you should worry, Rowan. Why don’t you go get some sleep?”
Rowan shifted uncomfortably on the hard-backed chair. I couldn’t sleep. Not with Justin gone. Her heart flipped over. She was going to miss her classes the next day, and the hour at the track she’d planned to get in. And her next scheduled sparring class. She was gong to miss everything.
It didn’t matter. “So Morgan and Sheila were part of a team, and the team was caught by Sigma.”
“Fucking bastards,” Kenwood muttered, then cast her a blue-eyed glance. “Sorry.”
“They are bastards.” She stared at the screen. Green light touched his face, made their reflections into ghosts.
There were other “home controls” hunched over other screens, people hurrying back and forth with paper printouts. Someone brought coffee every twenty minutes. There were six “active” missions going, and a couple that hadn’t “gone critical” yet.
She was learning a whole new language.
The comm-unit crackled and Kenwood sat straight up, knocking two sheets of paper to the floor.
“Kenwood.” It was Henderson’s voice over the comm. “Channel count.”
“Delta five, two-zero-eight, stat,” Kenwood replied. “Clear.”
“We’re under heavy fire. You’ve got the location?”
“I do. You need another team?”
“Nope, we’ve got Del. Del, come in.”
“Just a minute.” His voice made Rowan jump.
He sounded cool, clinical. She “reached” the way Kate had taught her, but didn’t feel him.
He was a thousand miles away—the Sig installation was in the Midwest, far outside even her sensing range.
Still, it was reflexive. And she seemed to catch a whisper of something if she strained.
He was concentrating fiercely. “Got a little problem… There. What?”
“We’re under fire. What can you do?”
“Hang on. Yoshi, give me the five-point on this due west here, I’m nervous about it.”
Yoshi’s voice said, “I’m in. Four guards. Del, be careful. They’ve got a net.”
“Of course they’ve got a net, it’s SOP. Knock ‘em and give me a mark.” Fizz of static.
“Mark.” Yoshi didn’t sound upset.
“Oh, fuck,” Catherine suddenly snarled, “Zeke’s hit. He’s down. It’s bad, fucking—”
“Calm down,” Delgado said. “I’m on my way.”
“Zeke’s hit.” Catherine sounded breathless, and very young. “He’s bleeding pretty bad.”
“Just be cool. Yoshi, move with me, man.”
“Right with you, Del. Watch your nine. There’s a couple of Sigs hiding out with guns.”
“I hear Andrews is in this complex,” Delgado said.
“No way, dude. He hates the cornfields.” Yoshi exhaled sharply. “Del, you’re walking into crossfire.”
“I know what I’m doing. Cath?”
“Goddamn,” Catherine breathed. “Zeke’s hit bad, Del. He’s gonna need your girlfriend to patch him up—”
“Watch your motherfucking mouth, Cath.” Now Del sounded irritated. “I’ve gotten to the cell block. General?”
“Catherine, stay put. Del, we’re right behind you. Wish someone could shut those motherfucking sirens off.”
“You want me to?” Yoshi said, almost whimsically.
Delgado’s bitter little laugh echoed through the electronics. “And stop all this fun? I’ve got Morgan. Fuck. Sheila’s gone. Jesus. She’s full of Zed and moaning. Bring her in or neutralize?”
Rowan’s entire body went cold.
“Bring her in,” Henderson said. “We leave no man behind.”
“There it is, then.” Justin sounded relieved.
Crackling static, then Henderson’s voice broke through. “Fuck you too. Give me that.”
“Take ’em both. I’ll go get Zeke and Cath.”
Henderson exhaled, as if picking up a heavy weight. “Be careful.”
“Can’t be careful in a fire zone. Kenwood?” Now Justin sounded calm again, not relieved.
“Aye-aye-sir.” Kenwood had gone pale.
“Sending Henderson and Brew out with our guys. Support them. Is Rowan there?”
“I’m here,” Rowan whispered.
“She’s here.” Kenwood’s fingers danced over the keyboard.
“Tell her I’m on my way.” Delgado sounded cool and calm. “She okay?”
Kenwood glanced at Rowan, who sat bolt-upright, her hands locked together. “She’s fine. A little tired, but fine.”
“Tell her to go get some rest—fuck. Goddamn it. Catherine, get the fuck down.”
“It’s Zeke. He’s bleedin’. Git’chor ass—” The accent had begun to wear through Catherine’s voice. “Git’chor ass here, Delgado. What the fuck you good for?”
“Keep cool, Cath.”
“Keep cool? Keep cool?”
Rowan inhaled sharply. “Give me a commlink.”
Kenwood tossed one in her general direction, then went back to clicking at his keyboard. “Goddamn it. You guys have to get out of there. They’re scrambling at the nearest base to get in the air. Move it along, guys.”
Rowan’s fingers fumbled at the commlink. She finally managed to make the tiny electronic thing work. “Cath? It’s Rowan. Take a deep breath.”
“Shut up, girl! Zeke—Zeke—”
“Justin’s coming, Catherine. He won’t let anything happen to you.” Rowan’s teeth threatened to chatter. “Now stop yelling. You won’t do Zeke any good by yelling.”
Catherine swore under her breath. “Rowan, you tell your boyfriend to get here—oh. Oh my fucking God.”
“Get him up. Zeke, on your fucking feet. Now.” Delgado now sounded strained. “Now, soldier!”
Rowan’s skin roughened into gooseflesh. “Catherine, Justin’s there. He’ll take care of you, but I want you to calm down and help him.”
“‘Kay… Zeke.” Catherine sounded as if she was crying.
“Thanks, Rowan,” Henderson said. “Del?”
“I’m fine,” Delgado said between gritted teeth. “Get up. Cath, hold him, that’s a good pressure bandage, good work. Yoshi, give me another five-point here, okay? Shut down those goddamn lights. Giving me a headache.”
“Shutting down the lights, on the mark… mark. Del, be careful, they’re crawling toward you.”
“I know. Walk, Zeke, you asshole. Come on! Catherine, drag him. Here—”
Confusion. Rowan bit her lip. “Justin,” she whispered, too low for the commlink to pick it up.
“Get him out of here,” Delgado said harshly. “Wait five minutes, not a second more. You hear me, Yoshi?”
“Delgado, don’t you fucking dare play hero,” Henderson barked.
“I’m not playing, I’m getting my goddamn teammates out. Yoshi, now!”
“Right with you, Del,” Yoshi said. They’re in the red—move to your left, four feet. Oh fuck, there’s a Sig at your six. Drop, goddammit… good. Move, move, move… okay, Henderson’s out. Goddammit, move, Del. You can haul ass faster than that. Get that motherfucker, Del.”
“I got him. One less motherfucking Sig.”
“Good, now book it!” Yoshi barked.
“Kenwood, Rowan still there?”
Henderson again. “Don’t worry about her, Del. Worry about getting out of there!”
“Of course I’ll get out.”
There was a noise like worlds colliding. Rowan winced at the burst of static and Kenwood cursed.
“Oh, fuck.” Justin sounded surprised, and Rowan’s heart plummeted.
“Delgado?” Henderson didn’t sound worried, and yet.
“I think I’ve been shot,” Justin said slowly. Rowan’s heart finished its drop by splashing into the absolute pit of her stomach.
“We’re loose,” Catherine said. “Thank God. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Del? Delgado?”
“I’m here, General. Get out of here, they’re closing in.”
“Not without you. We’re clear, Morgan’s good, Sheila’s under control. Dammit, Del, get the hell out of there.”
“Justin? Get out of there.” Rowan couldn’t believe her own voice, authoritative, snapping like Hilary used to. “On your feet, soldier!”
“You… say… the… sweetest…” He stopped. There was a long ten seconds of silence.
“Get up, Delgado,” Yoshi said harshly. It was the first note of panic Rowan had ever heard from him. “Rowan, talk to him, get him up.”
“Justin, you have to move,” she said, motioning frantically and uselessly at Kenwood. His fingers danced over the keyboard. “Get up now.”
“Rowan…” It was a long exhale.
“Get up!” she shrilled.
“He’s up,” Yoshi said. “Down to your right, Del. Take the access hatch.”
“Talk to me.” Delgado gasped. Her heart squeezed itself into a small black box in the middle of her chest. “Tell me something… anything.”
Rowan saw Kenwood look up, blue eyes swimming behind wire-rimmed lenses. He shook his head slightly, and she didn’t need to be psychic to understand it.
“Justin!” Her voice almost broke. “Move to your right! Now!”
“Good,” Yoshi said clinically. “Fifty feet, straight ahead, will bring you to another access hatch. After that it’s a straight shot to the open.”
“Fifty feet straight ahead, Justin.” Her lips were numb. “Keep moving. Please. I don’t know what I’d do if you didn’t come back, we have to talk.”
“That’s right,” he said, husky. “Talk to me, angel.”
“He’s in bad shape, Ro,” Yoshi said. “Keep him talking. Move him fifty feet straight ahead.”
“Justin, keep walking. Keep walking, keep moving. Please. I want to talk to you.”
“Mad at me?” The vulnerable tone made her flinch. “Left before I could say…”
“Of course I’m not mad at you. You’re my hero, remember? Just keep moving. Where are you hurt, Justin?”
“Don’t ask him that,” Yoshi said urgently. “Keep him moving.”
“Justin, keep going.” She managed not to sound as if her throat was full of sand. “One foot in front of the other.”
“Chest. He got me in the chest. Christ.”
“Just keep going.” Rowan’s mouth was dry, too. The vision of her father rose again—the little gurgle, Daddy’s head tilted back, the light vanishing from his body. If that happens again…
“Hey… Rowan… mad at… me?”
“Of course not,” she said sharply. “Keep moving.”
“Okay,” he said, obediently.
“Oh, shit. Rowan, get him to stop. Jesus.” Yoshi sounded frantic.
“Justin, stop!”
“Okay.” Obediently. “Talk to me, angel. Talk to me…”
“When I was little, my mother told me I was special,” she said, searching desperately for any subject other than my God you’re bleeding buckets and I can’t do anything about it. “She told me I should always do good, that God had blessed me. My father—”
Yoshi interrupted. “Have him start moving, Rowan. Straight ahead.”
“Justin, I need you to move again. Straight ahead.”
“Okay…”
“Good work.” Yoshi, calm as ever. “Keep him moving.”
“Beautiful. Rowan—”
“Keep moving, Justin. I really need to talk to you.”
“Mad at me?”
“Of course not.” Why does he keep asking? “Don’t be silly. Just hold on… keep going.”
“’Kay.”
“Rowan, he’s almost out. Access hatch on his nine. Tell him exactly that.”
“Justin, there’s an access hatch on your nine. Go.”
“Moving…” He sounded dreamy again. A harsh, racking cough, too wet to be healthy.
“He’s out. Move down the hill. Rowan, move him down that goddamn hill. We’re running out of time!”
“Justin, down the hill. Come on.”
“’Kay.” He even sounds pale, Rowan thought, her entire body cold. Waves of gooseflesh spilled through her body. “Rowan?”
“I’m here. Keep moving.”
“Lights—”
“We’ve got him, Ro. Tell him not to fight us.”
“Justin, don’t fight them. Listen to me, don’t fight them!”
“What if they’re Sigma?” The dreamy tone began to frighten her. Rowan swallowed hot bile, wished she hadn’t.
“They’re not. Trust me.”
“All right.” He coughed again, the sound sending wet static over the comm-unit.
“Jesus Christ,” Henderson said. “Good work, Rowan. We’ve got him. Get us out of here, Yoshi.”
“Ten-four. Lifting off. Good job, everyone.”
“Rowan?” Justin sounded faint, he coughed again.
“I’m here,” she said, numbly. “They have you, so relax. Just relax. You’re coming home.”
“He’s passed out.” Henderson sounded grim. “Took a few bullets. We’ll do what we can. Get Med down as soon as we get there.”
Rowan gasped. “Bullets?”
“Relax,” Henderson snapped. “He isn’t going anywhere. Get us out of here, Kenwood!”
“You got it,” Kenwood said, and Rowan dropped the commlink.
Justin, she thought, but there was no answer. None at all.