She laughed. “The shower’s all yours, if that’s what you were waiting for. I know you prefer that one over the others. It’s the only one with semi-decent water pressure.”
He winked at her. “It also happens to be the only one that two people can fit into. Let me know if you’d like to try it sometime.”
Kayla raised an eyebrow. “With that suck-ass water pressure? There’s no way in hell I’d share the dribble that comes out of there. Wait your turn, bucko.”
“A man can dream,” he said with a drawn-out sigh. Then, his expression turned serious. “By the way, Lars and Sergei just left. I got the impression they’ll be back soon though. It seems like our two new friends are pretty intrigued after your little display back there. Leo’s a little concerned about their interest.”
“You know me, Mack. I can handle myself.”
He nodded, not disputing her claim. “No doubt, but the last time you pulled something like that, we ended up having to leave Ramiro’s district. Just a warning, darlin’. Watch yourself with these two. Something about them rubs me the wrong way and not because they look like they want to take a bite out of you.”
Kayla looked up at Mack and saw real concern on his face. It surprised and touched her at the same time. She gave him a reassuring smile and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. “Thanks for looking after me, Mack. I’ve missed you.”
“Same goes, babe. I’m going to hit the showers. If you feel like riding with us tomorrow, let me know. I’ll rig your bike with one of the scanners.”
“Maybe,” she replied neutrally. The thought of mapping Carl’s district still didn’t sit right with her, but it might be the only way to find out what these guys were looking for. “I’m going to take a look at the scanners first. I want to see what types of readings they’re capable of generating.”
“They’re still in the workroom. I’m going to hook them up a bit later. Do what you want with them until then.”
Kayla nodded and headed to the workroom. Walking over to the desk, she picked up the first elongated device and studied it. On the surface, it appeared to be a well-designed unit, but it was easy to cover up a hunk of junk with a polished exterior. Besides, it was always possible to make improvements.
Hooking it up to the computer monitor, she worked through the code to determine the scope of the device. It didn’t appear to be anything special or hazardous. It analyzed the ground surface, creating a map of the area and noting abnormalities in the collected topographical data.
With a sigh, Kayla turned her attention to modifying the device. She might as well try to cut down on their time out in the field. It only took a few minor tweaks to expand the mapping radius to almost double the distance without compromising the integrity of the results. Satisfied the new configuration would work, she disengaged the first unit and moved on to the next.
It took her over an hour to reconfigure all four of the devices. She left them on the desk for Mack to install in the morning. For now, she’d play along with these foreigners until she could find out more about them. If necessary, she could always corrupt the data before turning it over to them.
Drumming her fingers thoughtfully on the desk, she pulled out her commlink. Based on what Sergei had told her, Kayla guessed their facility was located somewhere near pre-war Russia. She wasn’t ready to talk to Alec or Carl, so she called the only other person who could possibly help her.
When his image appeared on the screen, she smiled. “Hey, Rand! How’s it going?”
The newest trader and Carl’s longtime friend looked surprised to hear from her. She couldn’t really blame him. They’d only talked a handful of times since they first met in the towers. Carl was the one who usually interacted with him since they both frequently had to discuss trader business.
“Kayla! It’s been a while. You’re looking well.”
“Thanks,” she replied. “Hey, listen, I’ve got a favor to ask. I’m a little out of touch with OmniLab at the moment, but I was wondering if you might have some information or could run a quick check through OmniLab records for me.”
Rand’s brow furrowed. “Out of touch with OmniLab? Is everything all right? Is Carl with you?”
“Everything’s fine,” she promised, not willing to elaborate on the details. “I just need some information, and I really don’t want to ask Alec or Carl about it right now. It’s complicated.”
Rand frowned. “I see. What sort of information?”
“I know you’re more knowledgeable about pre-war living environments and cultures, but I need some information about another facility. Do you know if a group calling themselves the ‘Coalition’ originated in an area near pre-war Russia?”
“Just a moment,” he said and turned away from the screen. A moment later, he nodded. “Yes. It appears their original facility was located in Russia, somewhere in the vicinity of a city called Egvekinot. I’ll send the information to your commlink.”
“Fantastic. Thanks.”
Before she could disconnect, Rand said, “Kayla, wait. What’s going on? I heard there was more air surveillance recorded in Warig’s district earlier today. Director Borshin said this group still hasn’t responded to our repeated attempts at contacting them. OmniLab has begun initiating procedures to disable or shoot down any of their aircrafts sighted within the districts. Have you discovered something about them?”
Kayla paused for a moment and shook her head. Although he had a right to know, she wanted to make sure her suspicions were accurate first. “I don’t know yet. I might have found a connection. I’m trying to figure it out right now. I’ll let you know if I find out anything else. Thanks again.”
“No problem. Take care of yourself.”
She ended the connection. All indications pointed to these guys being from the Coalition. What didn’t make sense was why they were mapping the district and ignoring communication attempts from the towers. Her commlink beeped a moment later, and she scanned through the data Rand sent over.
The information on the facility was limited and mostly detailed their origins. It looked to be a militant group with different pre-war governments acting as their founders and leaders. There were a few references to their advanced technology, but the details about their culture and agenda was limited. There were a few other notes listing other facilities they had absorbed, but there was no other information about these groups once the Coalition had taken control.
Kayla frowned, surprised at the lack of information OmniLab had obtained about the group. With a sigh, she started to close her commlink. A new message from Veridian caught her eye, and she read through it.
Kayla,
I’m glad you’re safe, but we’re all worried about you. Carl told me what happened. I think you need to give him a chance to talk to you. Alec’s been calling nonstop to find out if you’ve returned, and I think he’s about ready to send out some teams from OmniLab to hunt you down.
Either way, I want to see you face to face. Say the word and I’ll come to you. We’ve been through too much together for you to disappear on me.
V.
Feeling guilty, Kayla closed the commlink without replying. She wasn’t sure how to handle the situation and needed more time to think. She’d hoped coming back here would give her time to figure things out. Instead, there were just more mysteries. Stretching her tired muscles, she headed down the hallway toward the crew’s quarters.
It was comforting to be back at Leo’s camp with all its familiarity. It was nice to just be herself again, without having to worry about people treating her differently because she was part of the Inner Circle. She’d always felt different on some level, but at least no one was trying to get into her head or dump energy on her while she was back in the ruin rat camp.
Several people were already sleeping when she entered the crew’s quarters. Keeping her footsteps quiet, she tiptoed over to the bed next to Mack. Crawling onto the hard surface, she laid down and stared up at the ceiling. With nothing left to distract
her, Kayla found herself once again replaying the scene from the restaurant. She desperately missed Carl, but his words and the look on his face had hurt deeply. Her guilt at what had happened with Alec in his office made the situation even worse. She’d made a mess of the entire thing. Kayla rolled over, buried her head in the small pillow, and tried to blink back the threatening tears.
“What’s the matter, darlin’?” Mack whispered.
Kayla lifted her head to find Mack propped up on his elbow watching her. She shook her head and looked away. He sighed. “Aw, shit. That trader screwed you up pretty good, didn’t he?”
She didn’t reply. Mack pulled Kayla’s bed closer and gestured for her to scoot over. With a sniff, she crawled over into Mack’s bunk. He laid back down and put his arm around her. Keeping his voice low so as not to wake anyone up, he said, “Go ahead and cry, if that’s what you need to do, darlin’. I’d like to kick the bastard’s ass, personally. But since he’s not handy, I’ll just offer you a shoulder instead.”
Kayla buried her head against his chest, and the tears she’d been holding back began to fall. Mack held her close, stroking her hair and whispering soothing words. It was a long time before she was finally able to drift off into a restless sleep.
Alec rubbed his temples and tried to keep his temper in check. Carl stood across from him, his stance rigid and appearing equally perturbed. Ever since Kayla had run off on them earlier, things had deteriorated and they’d both lost their tempers. Alec should have known pushing her into that situation in the café would backfire; her emotions and reactions were too volatile.
It would be convenient to blame Carl for the entire thing, but Alec knew he was just as much at fault. That was the point that grated on him the most. He leaned back in his chair to better study Kayla’s lover. “You’re sure she’s back at her former camp?”
“Yes. She ditched the standard tracking device on her speeder, but I never told her about the secondary one I installed. She’s there now, but Leo won’t confirm or deny it. Veridian hasn’t been able to get a straight answer, either, except to say she’s safe.”
Alec pushed away from his desk. Guessing wasn’t sufficient. Anything could happen to her out there. With these unknown threats hovering over them, he couldn’t afford to take any chances. The bond between them was still fragile. He’d hoped that once Kayla arrived at the towers, she would have been curious enough to embrace their bond… and him.
He’d seen signs, and it had given him hope. The small looks, emotions he’d picked up through their bond, and even the way she tried to comfort him with her energy had indicated she was coming around. Alec just needed more time with her. Kayla was like a budding flower that just needed to be drawn out into the sunlight.
Alec moved to stand near the window and looked out into the darkness. If he closed his eyes, he could still feel the softness of her skin under his fingers and the taste of her energy on his lips. Without a doubt, she was exquisite. It was a constant battle to resist his urges to keep her close. It was tempting to just take her away from everything else, including her beloved trader. But he recognized if he pushed too far and too fast like he had today, he could possibly lose her forever. He’d already come close. Patience had never been his strong suit, but now it was a thousand times worse with these threats looming over them.
He turned back to look at Carl. “She’s not safe out there. We need to convince her to come back.”
Carl’s jaw clenched, and his eyes flashed with anger. “I’ll be damned if I’m going to force her to come back here. Go ahead and threaten me or my family again, but it’s not going to happen.”
Brant stepped forward and held up his hand in an attempt to keep the peace. “I think we’re all trying to do what’s in Kayla’s best interests. Carl, you’ve said yourself that some of the conditions in these surface camps are hazardous. We can’t protect her there. If we can convince her to either come here or return to your camp, she’ll be safer. But right now, there’s no one looking out for her. She could be in danger if anyone from the Inner Circle finds out her location before we do.”
Carl sighed. “I know. The conditions aren’t ideal, but Kayla grew up in that camp. They’ll do what they can to look after her. There’s no way in hell Leo would allow any Omni to walk into his camp. I’ve only been there twice, and they made it clear I wasn’t welcome. If you try to push her into something she’s not willing to do, she’ll do the opposite just to spite you. Veridian seems to think she just needs more time.”
Alec was quiet for a long moment. He tried to reach out across their shared bond, but he was too far away to get a good sense of her. If they had fully cemented their bond and claimed each other on all levels, he’d be able to sense her from any distance. Instead, he just felt the familiar ache of her absence. Frustrated, he idly rubbed his chest as though trying to ward off the pain.
“You have twenty-four hours to convince her,” Alec declared and turned back to the window again. Although he wanted her back in the towers, it was far more important to assure her safety than his own desires. “If she’s not back here or in your camp within that time, I’ll send a retrieval party to the surface camp to extract her.”
“That would be a mistake,” Carl warned. “She’ll turn away from both of us.”
Alec turned back to the dark-haired trader. He couldn’t help but feel envious of the man’s relationship with Kayla, but he forced himself to put it aside. It was obvious the trader cared for her and believed he was acting in her best interest. Those same traits were the reason Alec trusted Carl with Kayla’s protection.
“You’re right,” Alec agreed. “She would never forgive us for such a move. I’ve spent the last several weeks learning how much she values her independence.” He turned back to the window again, wishing there was another option. “However, I would rather have Kayla hate me for the rest of her life than risk living mine without her in it.”
Kayla woke up early the next morning to her commlink vibrating in her pocket. She rubbed her eyes, slipped out the communication device, and turned off its alarm. Most of the camp was still asleep, but Mack and Tharin’s beds were empty. Johnny was awake and starting to get dressed, so she knew they hadn’t left yet.
She reached down, grabbed her bag from under the bed, and pulled out a change of clothes. After getting dressed and using the lavatory, she headed into the workroom to find Mack and Tharin packing up equipment. They glanced up when she entered, and Mack waved her over. “Morning, babe. We’re just about ready to head out. Johnny get his sorry ass out of bed yet?”
“Yeah, he’s up. You guys need any help?”
“Nah,” Tharin replied and snapped his bag shut. “Mack mentioned you modified the devices last night. You joining us?”
Kayla nodded and shoved her hands in her back pockets. “Yeah. The modifications should cut down on the time. I plotted a course that should take the four of us only about five hours to complete the outlying areas. We’ll be done before you know it.”
“Sounds good.” Mack hefted up his bag. “I’m going to take this out to the bikes. Tharin, tell Johnny to get his ass moving. I want to get this done.”
Kayla followed Mack to the front entrance where they pulled on their UV-protective gear before stepping outside into the cool, morning air. The sun wasn’t up yet and the stars still shone overhead. She loved this time of day when the promise of the morning loomed just below the horizon.
She walked over to the bikes and programmed each of them to follow different courses. They would need to split up to cover more ground, but she was confident each of them could outrun Carl’s crew if necessary. She hoped it didn’t come to that though.
Kayla frowned and wondered about Lars and Sergei again. Neither of them were particularly forthcoming with information, but she suspected Sergei would be more receptive to her inquiries. If she could hurry up and finish the mapping by this afternoon, she could try contacting Sergei and learn more about them.
Mack spo
ke over her headset, “You zoning out over there?”
“Nah, I was just programming the courses. I’m done now.”
Johnny and Tharin approached the bikes as Kayla climbed on the back of hers. They fired up their engines and took off across the barren landscape, riding hard for the hour needed to reach the perimeter of Carl’s district. Mack ordered a stop, and Kayla stretched after dismounting, taking the opportunity to walk around for a minute while Mack activated all of the mapping devices.
“Done,” Mack announced once he finished activating them. “Let’s roll.”
Kayla nodded and climbed back on her bike. With a wave to her companions, she took off along the route she had plotted the night before. She drove down abandoned streets of the district and passed various sectors along the way. Abandoned buildings which had once stood proud were run down and withering. In some cases, they’d collapsed completely. She couldn’t help but wonder what it had been like when the streets were thriving with life and activity.
Her view shifted without even realizing it and a child with long, golden hair ran into the middle of the street. The ghostly image startled her, and she instinctively swerved to avoid hitting it. The speeder jerked to the side, spinning out of control, and as it hit the ground, she flew off and rolled across the hard earth.
Pain shot through her shoulder at the impact. From her location on the ground, she stared up at the now brightly lit sky and cursed her luck. Fucking hell. She definitely jarred her shoulder during the fall. Kayla winced trying to sit up. She carefully tried to move her injured arm and a cry of pain escaped her. Mack’s voice came over her headset. “You okay, Kayla?”
She grimaced, wondering how she’d ever live this down. “I took a tumble, and I think I dislocated my shoulder.”
“Where are you?” he demanded.
Kayla reached into her pocket with her good hand and pulled out her commlink. Even the slight movement was excruciating. She gritted her teeth to keep from crying out again and managed to send the coordinates to Mack. “I just sent you my location. I’m close to Sector Four.”
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