“… so I pulled the trigger and all I hear is a click. I eject the round and chamber a new one. I take a breath, let it out, pull the trigger again. Click. Turned out later half of those goddamn .338 rounds were duds. By now, this guy’s almost out of sight. So I use my scope and focus on the gun he has in his holster, wait for the right angle, then have it shoot a bullet into his ass.”

Lieutenant Josh Keeney, the pilot of the Osprey, laughed. The copilot, Warrant Officer Michels, grinned as well. Nicole sat in the space between the two seats. She was no longer pointing her handgun at the men or even holding the weapon; it rested in the holster at her side. Nicole had been telling the men stories about her missions for the better part of an hour. It was as if they were on a normal flight and the hijacking and getaway from Cheyenne Mountain no longer mattered. In fact, both men seemed to enjoy Nicole’s company.

That’s Nicole, Alex thought. She’ll probably look them up if we survive this and get back to Colorado.

“He managed to crawl out of sight before I could do anything else,” Nicole said. “Probably thought the gun just went off on its own. Lucky bastard. Never saw him again.”

Alex returned to the cabin and sat. The two duffels they had brought now lay empty on the floor. She and Nicole had changed into matching sets of NEA fatigues and ballistic vests. During the unpacking, Alex was surprised to see Nicole had left her sniper rifle behind. Instead, she had packed only her Beretta and a compact personal defense weapon. Nicole had brought a handgun for Alex as well, although it was different from her father’s 1911. The handgun was smaller than her Colt, although not much lighter, and chambered in 9mm instead of .45. Nicole insisted the weapon was more reliable and accurate than Alex’s old handgun. As if I could hit anything either way.

“One minute to the LZ,” Keeney said.

Nicole came back into the cabin, picked up her weapon, and slung it across her vest. She gestured for Alex to stand. “Let me check you over before we hit the ground.”

Alex stood with a sigh. “I’ve done this before, you know.”

Nicole laughed. “Sure, but you’re still a rookie in my book.” She circled Alex, readjusting one of the straps on her ballistic vest and then took Alex’s handgun from its holster and looked it over. “I told you to keep this loaded.”

“I don’t like having a round in the chamber. Besides, it doesn’t even have a safety.”

“God, what do you think it’s going to do? It has a twelve-pound first shot trigger pull. You don’t need a ‘safety.’ You’re supposed to be the safety. It’s not like that old relic your dad makes you carry around.” Nicole racked the slide and chambered a round from the magazine. She depressed a lever on the side of the frame, decocking the hammer, before returning the weapon to Alex’s holster.

“Anything else?” Alex said, irritably.

“Nope,” Nicole said with a pleasant smile. “You ready for this?”

“What if I said ‘no’?”

“Well, at this point, I might just go rescue your boyfriend myself and send you back to the mountain to explain all of this.”

Alex laughed. “In other words, you’d take the easy job.”

“More or less.”

Keeney’s voice came over their headsets. “Beginning descent now. Opening the ramp.”

“Thanks for the flight, boys,” Nicole said. “Maybe the two of you can come to pick us up later.”

“Gladly, ma’am,” Keeney said.

“And don’t forget, if they ask, just tell them I held a gun to your head the whole way.”

“We’ll remember that.”

Cold air rushed into the cabin as the ramp swung open. They were close to the ground. The Osprey had kept low to avoid radar detection. Alex braced herself as the aircraft leveled out and then touched down in the snow. Nicole hurried down the ramp, and Alex followed into the white storm from the rotor wash. Once they made it out of the haze, they stopped to look back as the Osprey lifted away. Slowly, the snow settled back to the earth.

Alex looked around. They were in the middle of an open field. The plains around them were flat and featureless. The scene reminded her of a wasteland, no life for as far as she could see, only snow and isolated clusters of short, leafless trees.

Nicole drew a compass from one of her pockets, looked down at it, and then pointed. “That’s south. Should be a road right around here we can parallel straight to Fort Riley.”

“Shouldn’t we avoid the roads?”

“Not much point.”

“What if a patrol comes and sees us?”

“That’s why we’re wearing these uniforms. They’re not going to shoot us on sight. The worst thing they’ll do tell us to stop while they get closer to check us out. We’ll just say we’re out on patrol. If things go bad…” Nicole patted her weapon, “I’ll take them out. This is all a piece of cake until we get to Fort Riley and have to find your boyfriend and his team. Assuming they’re even there.”

“You think they’ll be okay? Just captured and not…”

Nicole shrugged. “I don’t know, but it sure would be a waste if we came all this way for nothing.”

They moved west across the field. Soon, they spotted a two-lane road cutting a straight line from north to south through the plain. Packed and frozen snow obscured the pavement although tire tracks dug through the ice, exposing thin sections of the roadway. They turned south, keeping the road a hundred meters to their right. Alex glanced back over her shoulder to make sure nothing was approaching from the north. Nicole stared straight ahead, appearing calm even though they were exposed and behind enemy lines.

This is normal for her. She wouldn’t even be worried if we were in Washington outside the White House.

After about a mile, Nicole finally glanced at Alex. “I probably should have said this earlier.” Alex waited for her to continue but Nicole was silent.

“Said what?”

“Just… Don’t do anything stupid, all right? Don’t get hurt.”

Alex heard sadness in the words. “I… wasn’t planning on it.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Is something wrong?”

Nicole had gone back to focusing on the horizon. Alex searched for something in her friend’s expression, but it was cold and blank.

Alex sighed, put her hands in her pockets, and continued walking. Eventually, she gave up looking back over her shoulder. Nicole would hear anything approaching long before either of them would see it.

“What are we going to do?” Alex said. “I mean, say we find everyone and rescue them and get back to the Springs.”

“I’ll take the heat. We’ll be fine.”

“You’re sure?”

“What are they going to do? They might put a security escort on you but that’s about it. We’re too valuable.”

“I hope so,” Alex said, unconvinced.

“Girl, the problem is you are afraid of them. It should be the other way around. I know you feel bad about Kansas City, but Harrison and everyone else would shit their pants if you threatened to do something like that right in the middle of town.”

“I don’t want people to be afraid of me.”

“Again, there’s your problem.”

“It’s not what my dad would want me to do.”

Nicole chuckled. “Sure. If you say so.”

“What? It’s not.”

Nicole shook her head.

They arrived at a paved road running perpendicular to their path from east to west. The long stretch of pavement leading up to the north and down toward Fort Riley – the same road they had followed since landing – intersected with it a hundred meters to their right. The asphalt marked the end of the open fields, with dense thickets of trees dominating the landscape on the other side of the snow-covered pavement. The faint glow from Fort Riley illuminated the horizon. They paused while Nicole withdrew a laminated map and a flashlight with a red filter from her vest. Nicole shined the light on the map and pointed out the road they had paralleled since landing. Just to the south, the road curved slightly, leading up a hill and then into Fort Riley. The installation perimeter waited a mile away.

On the map, the northern half of Fort Riley resembled a crescent moon pointing south. Motor pools and vehicle maintenance bays formed the outside of the half-circle. Two primary roads, intersected and paralleled in-between by smaller streets, bordered the inner ring. Many of the buildings in the ring resembled the barracks facilities at Fort Carson and Peterson. The inside of the crescent had only a few structures, most of which seemed to have leaked over from the middle. However, what caught her attention was a rectangular building circled in black ink.

“What is that?” Alex pointed on the map.

“I was using your dad’s account to poke around. I accessed the intelligence products from our brainiacs. They think the NEA set up their HQ in that building.”

“Is that where we’re going?”

“Maybe. I’d like to get my own intel before we decide to push in that far.”

“How are you going to do that?”

Nicole held up her hand and cocked her head. Alex looked around but saw and heard nothing. Abruptly, lights appeared at the top of the curved roadway leading up to Fort Riley. Alex turned to run for cover in the trees but Nicole put a hand on her shoulder. “Just stay calm. I’ve got this.”

Nicole removed a silencer from one of the pouches on her vest and attached it to the barrel of her PDW.

A pair of headlights came around the bend in the road. Alex held steady despite her instinct to flee. The vehicle moved slow but soon reached the intersection and turned toward them. It was a civilian jeep spray-painted a camouflage pattern of green and brown. The vehicle stopped the moment the headlights picked Alex and Nicole out against the darkness. Nicole waved. The jeep resumed its approach. The driver pulled to the side of the road and turned off the headlights.

Two soldiers got out of the jeep. One man held his rifle by the carrying handle while the other had his weapon slung over his shoulder. They wore the same uniforms as Alex and Nicole.

“What are you two doing out here?” The man who spoke seemed curious rather than suspicious.

“Patrolling,” Nicole said. “And you?”

“We’re out checking on some sensors. We got a weird blip north of here. Did you two see anything?”

“Sorry.”

The other man pointing at the weapon slung across Nicole’s vest. “What is that?”

“Fabrique Nationale P90,” Nicole said. “Personal defense weapon. Fifty-round top-loading magazine. Chambered in 5.7x28mm. With the right type of ammo, it’ll go straight through a ballistic vest.”

“That’s not standard issue.”

“Not exactly, but if there’s one thing I love about the Directorate, it’s that we’ve got all the best toys.”

Nicole brought the weapon up to her shoulder. She pulled the trigger, and a hollow crack echoed across the clearing. A red hole appeared between the eyes of the first man who had spoken. He toppled back and fell on his side into the snow. The other soldier fumbled with his rifle. Nicole reached out with her right hand. The rifle jerked out of his grip and flew to Nicole. She dropped the weapon casually at her feet.

“Wait!” the man pleaded as Nicole drew her handgun and advanced. He held up his hands and looked around desperately. “Don’t!”

“Get on the ground,” Nicole said.

“Please. Please. Don’t do this. We’re— I’m… I’m not—”

“Shut up,” Nicole’s voice was cold and deadly. She stopped and held her handgun pointed at his face. “Get down on your knees.”

The man’s voice shook and broke. “Please.”

“Do it.”

He knelt in the snow. Alex read the rank and nametapes on his uniform. He was a specialist named Denning. Nicole moved behind him and placed the gun against the back of his skull.

“Don’t kill me,” Denning begged with tears running down his face. “I have a wife back home. A daughter. Her name is Jessica. She was just born two months ago. I’ve barely seen her. Please. I don’t know who you are. I don’t want to know. Just don’t kill me.”

Nicole grinned at Alex. “Real professional fighting force.”

“I-I’m just a technician. I’ve never even shot a gun outside training.”

“You think that’s going to save you?” Nicole said, obviously enjoying herself. Alex found her friend’s behavior disturbing, but she said nothing. She looked at the body on the ground. Blood leaked from the cavity in the man’s skull. Nicole continued, “Maybe if you’d had some real training, you wouldn’t be in this situation.”

Denning squeezed his eyes shut. Alex took a step forward but Nicole glanced up and shook her head. She pointed to her eyes and then at the surrounding area. Alex looked again at Denning but then nodded and turned to keep watch.

“Here’s the deal,” Nicole said. “I need some information. You help us out, and maybe you’ll live long enough to see your kid.”

“Okay. J-Just tell me what you want.”

“We’re looking for someone. A POW.”

“I-I w-w-wouldn’t know anything—”

“Shut up until I’m finished.”

“I’m sorry. I—” Denning grunted of pain. Alex spun and saw him sprawled on the snow clutching the back of his head. Nicole was holding her handgun like a club. She crouched next to Denning and grabbed him by the collar of his uniform. She raised the handgun to strike a second time.

“Nicki!” Alex rushed forward but Nicole pushed Denning back into the snow and was instantly up on her feet.

“Back off,” Nicole said.

The intensity in Nicole’s eyes and voice frightened Alex. She hesitated but held her ground. “What are you doing?” Alex said in a pleading tone.

“I’m doing what we came here to do.”

Alex shook her head. “Not like this.”

“These people are responsible for what happened to your dad. They might have killed Shepherd and the rest of your team. Just let me—”

“No.”

They stared at each other – steel blue into amber and emerald green. “Fine. Whatever. You deal with him.” Nicole picked up Denning’s rifle and stalked off toward the jeep.

Alex knelt beside Denning. You don’t have to hurt him. But don’t forget he’s still with the NEA. He’s an enemy, not a friend.

“Get up.” Her voice was firm but not harsh. Denning rose to his knees while holding a hand to the back of his head. He looked at her and continued trembling while wet tear streaks ran down his face to his chin.

“Who are you?”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m here to help my friends.”

“You’re with the Directorate.”

“Yes. Do you know if there was any kind of firefight two days ago?”

“I don’t know. That’s not my thing. This is the first time I’ve been to the front. All I do is check equipment and sit at a computer.”

“Are there any prisoners at Fort Riley?”

“I…” Denning’s voice trailed off. He looked at the body of his companion. Then slowly, he nodded. “I think so. Maybe. We… I saw it while we were driving out here.”

“Saw what?”

“I guess it might be where we’re keeping prisoners. They set up a bunch of tents in one of the lots. They put up fences, too. It looked like we were guarding it pretty close. I only saw it for a second. I’m not even sure if it’s—”

“Can you take us there?”

“What if I say yes?” Denning asked. Alex gave him a questioning look. “You’ll just kill me once we get there.”

“I won’t.”

“She will,” Denning said, gesturing at the jeep. Nicole sat in the passenger seat, arms crossed, watching them.

“I won’t let her. You’ll be safe as long as you cooperate.”

“You promise?”

“Don’t worry.”

Denning nodded slowly. “What do you want me to do?”

“Can you get us into Fort Riley and take us to that place you told me about?”

“Yes.”

Alex stood and waved at the jeep. Nicole got out and walked toward them.

“Done playing good cop?”

“He’ll get us inside. There’s something he thinks might be a POW camp.”

“Well, we’re not going anywhere until we take care of that.” Nicole pointed at the body on the other soldier. The blood puddle had stopped expanding but it had dirtied a sizable swath of snow. Nicole gestured at Denning. “You, take his legs. We’ve got the arms. We’ll take him across the road and dump him in those trees. No one will find him until morning.”

They positioned themselves around the body. Nicole was the first to grab an arm, then Alex. Denning hesitated but finally picked up both legs by the ankles. They lifted. The body came up from the snow. It was heavy, much heavier than Alex had expected. Deadweight, she thought dryly. Then she almost gagged when a chunk of gore slipped from the cavity in the man’s skull and plopped into the pool of blood. Denning, dropped the body, bent over, and threw up.

“I swear to god, if he gets us caught…” Nicole said.

Denning heaved again and then wiped at his mouth. He glanced at Nicole and then quickly back at the ground. He grabbed the corpse’s ankles and shuffled after Alex and Nicole as they crossed the road.

Alex avoided looking at the body but she knew a trail of blood, appearing black instead of red in the darkness, snaked along behind them. They soon reached the tree line. The tangle of branches scratched at Alex’s face. After a few feet, she could barely make out the roadway. Nicole stopped, and they set the body on the ground. Nicole kicked some snow over the corpse. As they made their way back to the jeep, Nicole lagged behind, doing her best to disguise and cover the trail of blood.

“Get in,” Nicole said to Denning when she reached the jeep.

Alex got into the back while Nicole took the front passenger seat and Denning sat down as the driver.

“What’s your security like?” Nicole said.

“There’s a checkpoint up the road.”

“How many guards?”

“Four,” Denning said, uncertainly.

“You sure about that?”

“I-I think so. I don’t remember.”

“Hey,” Nicole said, turning in her seat to look at Alex, “get your gun ready.”

“Wait!” Denning seemed about to open the door and flee. Nicole grabbed him and slammed him forward against the steering wheel.

“Calm down.” She stared at Denning until he gave her a frightened nod. She looked back at Alex. “If your friend here gives us trouble at the checkpoint, I’m shooting him. If I do that, get out of the jeep and go hot. Shoot anyone you see or…” Nicole pointed briefly at Alex’s forehead and grinned, “do your thing.”

Alex didn’t reply.

Nicole gestured for Denning to start the jeep. They made a U-turn and then went left at the intersection. In the faint light, the trail of blood behind them was barely distinguishable amidst the disturbed snow and ice. As they started up the hill to Fort Riley, another pair of headlights rounded the corner. Denning tensed and slowed the jeep. Alex drew her handgun and covered it in her lap with her hands. Nicole barely paid the headlights any attention. The vehicle – a Humvee – passed by. Alex turned to watch as the Humvee slowed at the intersection. For a moment, it seemed about to turn toward the trail of blood but then it accelerated and sped toward the north.

They rounded the curve and reached the top of the hill. The distant lights from the center of the installation cast the buildings along the installation perimeter into stark relief. The tiny checkpoint consisted of a guard post and two Humvees. Three figures huddled together near the perimeter fences with cigarettes in hand. Another man stood in the guard post while a fifth sat outside close to the road. Denning slowed. The man outside the guard post got up and approached.

“Don’t screw this up,” Nicole said and then unhooked her PDW from its sling and set it gently in the back out of sight. “If you want to see your kid again, just do what you need to do to get us through.”

“I will. I promise.”

Denning rolled down the window. The guard came up to the jeep and glanced inside. He eyed Nicole and Alex before saying, “Back already? What happened to Herb?”

“He— Well, we… There was another team already out there. He went with them to check the sensors. I came in to verify the readings.”

“I’ll bet it’s nice and toasty back at HQ,” the guard said longingly.

“It’s not too bad.”

“And your passengers?” the guard looked again at Nicole.

Before Denning could answer, Nicole said, “I’m Lieutenant Clark. I’m bringing Private Bradford in to medical. She didn’t put on enough cold-weather gear. Might have frostbite.”

Cute, Alex thought. Then strangely, she heard Martin’s voice, It’s not the age, it’s the mileage.

“Oh,” the guard said, immediately standing straighter. “Yes, ma’am. You better hurry then.”

“That’s the idea,” Nicole said.

The guard waved them through. Denning rolled up the window and continued driving. The checkpoint disappeared behind them, and they arrived on the outskirts of Fort Riley. Most of the buildings were dark and the motor pools empty. However, several hundred meters to the southwest, spools of concertina wire and two rows of chain-link fencing surrounded a sizable lot. A generator tower light stood at each corner of the lot, shining in toward the center and three canvas tents. There was no movement from inside the fence’s perimeter, but pairs of soldiers patrolled the adjacent roads.

“Pull over,” Nicole said. “Kill the engine.”

Denning parked at the side of the road. He disengaged the engine and turned off the headlights. They sat in darkness as Nicole studied the makeshift camp. Alex shifted her gaze between the windshield and the handgun in her lap. Her heart pounded, and her hands trembled. She felt short of breath. The air in the jeep was thick and stale. Just calm down. Take a deep breath. Shepherd and everyone else could be right inside those tents. They need you at the top of your game.

“All right,” Nicole said. “Everyone out.”

Nicole picked up her PDW from behind the seat, left the jeep, and went around to the rear of the vehicle. Alex got out and followed with Denning trailing behind. Then Nicole charged past her and slammed the heel of her boot against Denning’s leg. He fell, and before he could cry out in pain or surprise, Nicole put a chokehold around his neck. Denning grabbed at Nicole’s forearm and tried to pry her away, but his efforts were useless. Alex, still surprised by the rush of movement, found the sight of Nicole choking out a man at least a hundred pounds heavier and a foot taller almost comical. After a few seconds, Denning ceased struggling. His eyes fluttered shut, and Nicole dropped him to the ground. She reached into one of her pouches and withdrew a pair of zip cuffs. She secured Denning’s hands behind his back and then tied his legs at the ankles.

“What?” Nicole said, noticing Alex watching her. “I could have killed him, which is what I should do anyway, but I knew you’d throw a fit. Help me get him in the back.”

They picked Denning’s limp form up from the ground and maneuvered him up into the back of the jeep. Nicole shoved him into the gap between the front and rear passenger seats. She retrieved Denning’s rifle and closed the door. Alex took the rifle when Nicole held it out to her.

“What now?” Alex said.

“I count two patrols of two men each walking the perimeter. I see at least two more in that Humvee by the gate.”

“I see it.”

“We’re going to walk right up to the gate. When I say, I want you to knock out that closest light and then blow apart the gate. That should draw in the patrols. Once they’re gathered together, I’ll take care of them.”

Alex stared past Nicole at the gate. A Humvee idled just to the right of the entrance. The vehicle’s turret was unoccupied although a machinegun rested in the mount pointed toward the three tents. One of the patrols had just passed the area while the other was somewhere out of sight on the other side of the perimeter. She was nervous about using her abilities. She remembered how she had attacked Ellzey without even realizing it before it was over. She pictured the darkness at the edges of her vision. Moreover, she thought about how she had almost lost control in Harrison’s office. What if it doesn’t stop with the gate? What if I attack those soldiers? What if I attack Nicole?

“What’s wrong?” Nicole said.

“I’m not sure… I don’t know if I can do it.”

“Hey.” Nicole put her hands on Alex’s shoulders. “Look at me. Don’t chicken out, girl. If they have your boyfriend, he has to be in one of those tents. I can try to do this on my own, but… I’d prefer to have you there with me.”

“I just don’t know if I can control it.”

“Fine by me. If you want to melt these assholes like you did in Kansas City, it’ll make my life a lot easier.”

“And what if—”

“No ‘what ifs’. I trust you, Bedford. You can do this. Got it?”

Alex looked into her friend’s eyes. Then slowly, she nodded. “Okay.”

“Great.” Nicole smiled. “Let’s kick ass.”

They stepped out from behind the jeep and started along the road. Two hundred meters separated them from the gate. No one noticed them approaching; their dark ballistic vests and fatigues, colored by blotches of black and grey, blended with the night. Alex again felt the pounding of her heart. She was sweating despite the cold air. They continued forward. At one hundred meters from the gate, one of the guards finally looked up from within the Humvee. The man stepped out and watched them. At seventy-five meters, he started forward. At fifty, he waved and yelled, “Hey! What’s going on?”

“Now,” Nicole said.

Alex closed her eyes.

Imprints of the gate, the fences, and the Humvee persisted in her mind. She focused on the gate, on the links in the chain, on ripping it all apart and throwing it aside. Then all at once, her perspective exploded.

She was aware at once of the entire perimeter, the generator lights at each corner, the spools of razor wire at the base of the fences, and the two groups of men patrolling along the sidewalk. The gate vanished as her focus shifted to the nearest NEA soldier. A ballistic vest full of ceramic plates and Kevlar panels covered the name and rank tapes of his uniform. But she could see beneath the vest and read his name, Wells, over his right breast, and New England Alliance over the left, and in the middle, the three chevrons of a sergeant. He held his rifle, an M16, in one hand and waved at them with the other. A round occupied the weapon’s chamber although the safety was on. His eyes were brown and his face gaunt with thin lips and a small nose. Alex struggled to break away and return to the gate. The nearest patrol stopped. They looked at her and Nicole.

Whispers, the same unintelligible collection of voices from New York and Kansas City, asserted themselves over the pounding blood around her ears. The voices grew louder, more intense, and somehow she understood their desire for her to release control. The gate blurred in and out of focus behind the approaching sergeant. His uniform blended with his skin, but then both vanished and gave way to his heart, veins, arteries, and the blood pumping through his system. His heartbeat competed with the whispering voices. Creeping black tendrils and darkness obscured the edges of her vision. Her head pounded, her brain threatening to explode from her skull.

Her grasp of the situation was on the verge of slipping away. And if that happened, instinct or something deeper and more terrifying would take control. She wrestled her concentration away from the sergeant and back toward the gate. Suddenly, she was there, right in front of the chain links as if she had collided face first with them.

Alex clasped her right hand into a fist and let go.

The air around the gate distorted at the moment before the pavement blew upward as if propelled by a volcanic eruption. The gate and the surrounding fencing and wire disintegrated. The Humvee’s bullet-proof windows shattered an instant before the vehicle blew over on its side. The generator light collapsed, removing one pair of lights from the perimeter. A shockwave slammed the sergeant to the ground. The force battered Alex like a punch to the gut. Nicole grunted but kept her footing.

The soldiers from the nearest patrol began shouting. The sergeant picked himself up and looked around, dazed. He noticed the toppled Humvee and sprinted back to the remains of the gate. From within the enclosure, three figures wearing Directorate uniforms emerged from one of the tents. They weren’t members of the team. The first NEA patrol reached the break in the perimeter and pointed their weapons inward at the three men. Shouting erupted from both sides. Then the second patrol came sprinting toward the destroyed gate.

“You all right?” Nicole said.

Alex nodded.

“Okay. Just stick with me. I’ll handle the rest.”

They jogged toward the soldiers. The sergeant crouched near the wreckage of the Humvee, gesturing through the broken windshield at the man inside. The second patrol arrived at the same time as Alex and Nicole. The men looked around in confusion before one of them addressed Alex. “Who are you?”

Nicole opened fire. Her weapon produced a chattering scream backed up by an echo of sharp cracks. The two soldiers of the second patrol went down without as much as a groan. Nicole pivoted to aim at the other men. They looked back in surprise as Nicole squeezed the trigger. Alex glanced at the sergeant. His M16 lay on the ground but he had drawn a pistol from his belt. Alex reached for her handgun. A thunderous detonation went off by the left ear. Alex stumbled back and saw Nicole holding her Beretta. The sergeant fell with a hole in his forehead. Nicole fired three more times through the windshield of the Humvee, striking the man inside. She brought the handgun in close to her body, surveyed the area, and then holstered the weapon.

Alex tried to ignore the tuning fork ringing in her skull as they ran toward the tents.

One of the Directorate soldiers stared at them. “Who are you?” His name tape and rank insignia identified him as Specialist Evans.

“I’m Nicole Serrano. This is Alexandra Bedford. Who are you?”

Private Granger, another of the men, said, “You’re General Bedford’s daughter! The ‘kinetic!”

Alex nodded.

“We’re from the 3rd Sustainment Brigade,” Specialist Evans said. “We got captured at Topeka. You’re here to rescue us?”

“It’s your lucky day,” Nicole said. “We’re looking for Echo, 1st SOU. Are they here?”

“Alex!” Sergeant Murray yelled.

Alex looked around and saw the big, red-haired Midwesterner racing toward her from the open flap of one of the tents. He embraced her, momentarily lifting her off her feet. He beamed a wide smile as he set her down. Behind him, Sergeant Wilson, Ziegler, Specialist Jarden, and Sergeant Atkins emerged from the tent.

“Holy shit, are we glad to see you!” Murray said. “Where’s everyone else?”

“It’s just us,” Alex said.

Wilson came up to them. “They sent the two of you without backup?”

“This little rescue operation wasn’t exactly sanctioned by higher,” Nicole said.

Wilson looked confused. “Sorry?”

“I found out you guys were MIA,” Alex said. “General Harrison wasn’t going to do anything about it, so… Nicole and I came to help.”

“How did you get here?” Murray said.

Nicole said simply, “We flew. Where’s Shepherd?”

“And what about O’Brian?” Alex said.

Murray shook his head. “O’Brian didn’t make it. The NEA ambushed us before we even got close to the objective. It was like they were waiting for us. I don’t know where the captain’s at. He was here for about a day before they took him somewhere else. We haven’t seen him since.”

“Damn it,” Nicole muttered.

A crowd had gathered around them. Alex counted at least a dozen soldiers including the team. All of them wore Directorate uniforms. “They might have taken him to their HQ,” a young lieutenant said. “They took me in a few days back. They asked me all these questions about Kansas City. I didn’t answer anything but they seemed just as confused as us, like they didn’t know what happened. After a few hours, they sent me back here.”

Alex looked at Nicole. “Do you think we can get there? To their HQ?”

“Not with this many people following us.”

“We can barricade ourselves in one of those buildings,” Wilson said. “We can make a distraction. You’ll have to hurry, though.”

Nicole nodded. “Fine. Bedford and I will go on foot. Get the weapons and ammo from the guards and head over there.” She pointed at an old one-story supply annex in the adjacent motor pool. Most of the team members and several of the other soldiers started toward the gate. Murray and Wilson stayed behind.

“Sure you don’t want some backup?” Wilson said.

Nicole shook her head. “You’ll just attract attention with those uniforms.”

“This is going to turn into a shit show pretty quick,” Murray said. “What’s the plan for exfil?”

Nicole withdrew a bulky phone with a thick antenna from a pouch on her belt. She tossed the device to Murray. “Sat phone. Direct line to Hannibal-2. Get in contact with anyone you can. The bird we hijacked might have stopped for a refuel in Salina. If not, I’m sure General Harrison will rustle up something.”

“Are you sure about that?” Alex said.

“I’m sure he’s pissed but he’s not going to leave us here. Well, at least he won’t leave me here. Don’t know about you.”

Reassuring, Alex thought.

“You two be careful,” Wilson said. “Good luck finding Captain Shepherd.”

“Thanks,” Alex said and then handed Denning’s rifle to Wilson. He smiled, took the weapon, and jogged after the rest of the men.

Nicole sighed. To Alex’s surprise, she handed her PDW to Murray. “You’re going to need this more than I am.” She removed the weapon’s extra magazines from her vest and dumped them into Murray’s arms. “But if you break it, you’re going to answer to me when we get back home.”

Murray examined the weapon as he slung it across his chest. “Would this be a bad time to ask for your number?”

Nicole grinned. “You get us a bird out of here, and I’ll give you a lot more than my number!”