Jaxx stared at the now-frozen screen showing the fugitive as she clambered onto the top of the wall. “A female,” he murmured, fingers stroking the beard on his chin. “Incredible.”
“A rebel,” Warr snarled, reaching out to clear the screen. He didn’t like Jaxx looking at her. Even a recording of her. “Not a female, a beta rebel.”
He paused for a second. “Give me a progress update on your projects.”
Jaxx had been working on new technology to combat the human threat. For saying they were a technologically inferior species in most regards, this rebellion seemed well-equipped and far too hard to track. They must have stolen L’crav tech and retro-engineered it. Something. No way could humans do this on their own.
Jaxx nodded. “The L’crav were sloppy. Now we’ll have to clean up their mess.”
“I’ve found some of their communication signals. They’re hard to detect and even more difficult to pinpoint, but it’s a starting place. They’re smart. They’ve figured out how to bury their signals inside of ours. They’ve created a shadow network that uses our tech.” He called up a new image on the display and overlaid it with the map Warr had been staring at. “I tracked them to this spot.” He pointed to a space on the map that wasn’t more than a few hours’ ride away from the walls of the citadel.
“They’re that close? How?”
“They’re not there anymore, but yes, they were. I’ve been out to the site. It was definitely being used as a camp of some kind. A large one. It’s been completely abandoned.”
Warr’s words came out curled around a snarl. “And I’m only hearing about this now?”
Jaxx shrugged. “I only confirmed this yesterday, and upon my return I learned that one of my friends was preparing to face the Iratzi Tarn. I was going to bring it to you tonight, after we’d seen him off.”
“You should have told me.” Had she been part of that camp? Was it possible she’d been living in the shadow of Zabor T’ah’s walls and he hadn’t known?
“If there had been any chance of finding someone there, I would have. I knew they were gone. The signal vanished some time ago.”
He ground his teeth. “Where are they now?”
“I don’t know.” Jaxx gestured to the map. “I haven’t found their signal again.”
“You will do so. And you will do it fast. I want this rebel caught.”
Jaxx looked up at him, his expression mild. “You want payback for your fall earlier today?”
“I am the Lord Overseer’s general. I do not indulge in revenge.” He flashed his fangs. “I remove threats.”
Max limped back into camp, minus a boot and in a foul temper. She’d been trailed the last couple of miles by feral dogs drawn by the bloodied cut on her leg, so she’d had to stop and take care of it rather than have the damn things trail her back into camp.
So Bas’s grinning face was the last thing she wanted to see as she stomped through the gate.
“Stow it, Barnes,” she growled. “Find Harris. Tell her to meet me in the command tent.”
She didn’t bother with any other explanation. Everyone knew Harris was banging the guy to try and take the edge off her heat, so if anyone knew where the rebellion second in command was, it would be him.
“Yes, ma’am. Shall I tell her to bring a pair of boots from the stores for you? You uh, seem to be missing one.”
“You’ll be missing more than a boot if you’re not out of my sight in the next three seconds. Three. Two.”
He was gone before she reached one. That man moved with a speed bordering on the unnatural, even for a soldier… or a survivor.
She’d heard stories that men were naturally more athletic than women. Given that she’d only ever seen a handful of men in her life, she didn’t put much stock in that tale. Few men were left by the time the L’crav had finished their victory dance, so the women had banded together and done what they always did when times got hard. They survived.
Inside the tent, things were at least a little cooler. She dropped onto the nearest chair as one of the younger volunteers brought her a carafe of water and a cup, both of them made from what looked like a re-shaped hubcap.
“Thank you, Yala.”
“You’re alone?” the girl asked.
“She changed her mind.” And that was all she was going to say about her sister. Right now, she was too angry to even speak her name. She angrily sloshed water into the glass. Some splashed on her hand and she licked it off before downing the rest. Resources were scarce and getting scarcer. They couldn’t afford to waste anything. Even her single boot would be thrown into stores until someone could figure out a way to use it.
“Boss? You wanted to see me?” Harris asked as she ducked into the tent. Older than Max, she was average-height, her dark hair scraped back into a ponytail. Her expression was hard and professional as she scanned the tent for threats before her gaze settled on Max.
Of all of her soldiers, Harris was the one Max trusted with her life. The woman didn’t talk a lot about her past, but Max had seen the scars. They were too old to be from the aliens. Humans had hurt Harris once, a long time ago.
“Yes,” Max grunted, offering the glass and motioning toward the carafe. “We need to pack up and move. Tonight.”
Harris’s eyebrow winged up as she refilled the glass. No one bothered about cleaning glasses here. A little spit was the least of what they’d all shared. Blood, sweat and tears had forged them into a hardened fighting force dedicated to bringing down the alien threat.
Her second didn’t ask the obvious question until she had settled herself onto the only other seat in the tent and taken a sip of the water. “Why?”
“Because Serena is an idiot, and apparently she’s the smart twin.” So much for not mentioning her damned sister’s name.
Harris nodded once. “She didn’t come back with you?”
“She did not.” The words tasted bitter as they fell from her lips. “She’s staying. With him.” She slammed a fist against her thigh. “By choice.”
Harris’s eyes darkened. “I see. And we’re moving because?”
“Because I fucked up. One of them spotted me. Chased me. I had to use an emergency exit.”
“Which one?” Harris asked.
“Gamma Two.”
“I’ll spread the word that one’s burned.”
Max nodded and dropped her head back with a sigh. “One of them got my scent,” she admitted.
That snapped Harris’s head around. “Was he in beast form?”
Max didn’t answer. They both knew the problem there. The aliens were like fucking bloodhounds, able to track a scent to the ends of the Earth, an ability that was heightened if they got a scent when they were in their bigger, uglier form.
“Fuck!” Harris hissed, her hand tightening on the glass.
“Question or statement?” A deep voice drawled from the doorway.
Max grunted and closed her eyes. “Did you have to bring your pet? Is he at least house-trained?”
“He’s a work in progress.” Which was as close to an apology as Max was going to get from the other woman. Harris’ choices were her own, even if something about Barnes rubbed Max wrong.