Nova Femen crossed the Rio Grande at midnight, led at the front by a convoy of border police cars. At the head of the column was Millie, driving with one eye on the rear-view.

'Keep your sights on the road!' she yelled over the roar of the engine and the rush of lukewarm desert air funnelling into the car through the open windows. Leng, the right-hand gunner, zeroed in on a small black mass a few hundred yards down-range.

'I see something!'

Millie cursed quietly and stuck her head in the direction of Leng's barrel. The black mass moved slowly parallel to their convoy, difficult to make out in the near-pitch darkness. As the road curved over to the East a flash of moonlight hit the object; it was furry, about three feet long and snuffling after something in a burnt-out bush.

'Its a damn possum, or coyote!' Millie gave Leng a clip on the back, 'don't get distracted!'

Leng nodded frantically, mouth agape and sweating despite the breeze. She turned her gun back to the road behind them.

The convoy pulled up to an abandoned rest-stop just inside U.S territory. Millie let the girls unload and made for the rear entrance to what used to be a trucker's shower-room. Cracked tiles covered the walls, floor and part of the ceiling, and rusted pipes made veins on the pale fleshwork. It stank of septic.

'Hey.'

Degan had found his way out of the convoy. His broad shoulders slid between the narrow doorway as he entered, giving Millie a weak smile. She returned it.

'Did they give you any trouble?'

Degan shrugged, staring into the broken mirror overhanging a sink-shaped outline on the wall. It split his face into a hundred shards and gave him a long, sharp jowl that to Millie looked like a pair of hungry fangs.

'No trouble. Just a few shitty words. Nothing I can't handle.'

'They'll get over it.' Millie took a step towards him. His grey button-up shirt shone silver in the moonlight. 'All they know is what I told them. Hearing about the Compounds isn't the same as seeing them.'

'So long as you're not planning another break-in, I guess I'm safe.' He sighed, turning his head toward her. His true face was more broken than the monster in the mirror. 'I never asked. What made you go dark after that?'

'I trusted the wrong man.' She leant her back up against the cracking tiles and looked at the floor. 'He kept me prisoner in my own home. That asshole could teach Wilkes a thing or two about torturing women.'

Degan nodded. 'But you got out.'

She checked his face with curiosity. Was there a hint of respect?

'I did.'

'So what makes you think you're not making the same mistake twice? Trusting the wrong man?'

'We have to start somewhere. In case you didn't notice, these girls couldn't take down a billboard with a bazooka without someone who knows what they're doing calling the shots.'

'You seem capable.'

Millie snorted. 'If I learnt anything from my time in Washington, its that one woman isn't nearly enough.'

'Changing up the uniforms was a good start,' Degan gestured at her black khakis and Kevlar vest, 'the old one looked made you look like a slutty Halloween dolphin.'

Millie laughed. 'Well, damn, you do have a sense of humour! Didn't seem like it until now.'

'You don't laugh much in a cell.'

'You don't have to tell me.'

They stared at each other for a few moments. Millie opened her mouth, not sure what she was going to say, before Leng burst into the room.

'Miss Slate, I'm sorry. Should we fire the beacon?'

Millie nodded at her. Leng's eyes darted between the pair of them before she left. The air she left in her wake was thick with tension. Millie knew he wanted to leave.

'I had them set up a camp for you,' she pointed out of the small window to a spot just beneath a grand overhanging rock, 'you'll be comfortable.'

'Thanks. I just have one question; what the Hell am I supposed to be doing for you?'

Millie looked him in the face again. Each time the lion that lived behind those eyes reared up again she felt a little burst inside herself. Even if a wounded Degan was better for her, and for the cause, it was still a terrible thing to see. A lion without his teeth, a scorpion without its sting.

'You can shoot, right?'

'Yeah. What does that have to do with it?'

'You'll know soon enough.' Millie made for the door. 'Get some sleep. We're moving to Houston in the morning.'

Outside Millie caught a shiver; the temperature had dropped a few degrees. She pulled up her jacket and made for the tent-line. The girls sat around a warm campfire while Leng read out the news from her TabPhone, talking about Hobart's new Female Control policy. Millie made right for her tent and lay down, staring hard at the canvas ceiling.

Leng poked her head through the flap.

'Sorry, Miss Slate. Just that the beacon's been sent up. What should we do now?'

'Nothing,' she tried not to snap at the girl, 'just go to your tents. Wake me at five.'

Leng retreated. Millie rolled over and slammed her eyes shut, making herself think of Wilkes, of the women kept in those terrible kennels, of the injustices happening right now. She needed distraction.

The tent flap slid open again. This time she really did snap.

'Did I stutter?' She rolled onto her back and sat up straight, 'I told you to-'

Degan's face was inches from hers. His long arms flanked either side of her small body. Her lips quivered as he leant in, pressing hard into her chest with a strong hand, pushing her onto her back. His lips met hers and the quivering stopped. His tongue brushed her cheek and she heard the sound of ripping velcro as he took off her body armour.

'Wait...' she whispered. He stopped.

'What?'

His eyes glistened. Her groin ached.

'Nothing.' she said, and kissed him again.