"Yeah, but it's the only one we've got." Raider considered the tunnels, indicating the one to the right. "This one is mine."
"Fifteen minutes. Then we meet back here."
Despite his distracted nod, Kira could tell he wasn't really listening, his focus on the tunnel and what waited on the other side.
"Raider." Kira waited until she had his attention. "If you find her, you wait for backup. You don't go in alone."
"Sure thing, Nixxy. Just like you would if the situation was reversed."
Kira watched him disappear into the tunnel with a feeling of resignation. "Why do I get the feeling he's not going to wait?"
"Probably because you wouldn't be able to either," Jin quipped.
With a growl, Kira headed into the tunnel on the left. "Come on, Jin. You're with me."
"Who else would I be with in a situation like this?"
Twenty Eight
Elena – Osiri Lab
"Mom!"
Fear rushed through Elena at the awful silence that answered her. She didn't know if Elise was dead or simply unconscious. And the not knowing was tearing her apart.
"Answer me, Elise," Elena cried, thrashing against her bindings.
Why did the Osiri have to be so inventive? Hadn't they ever heard about giving someone a fighting chance?
And this bone pick! Why was it so useless?
She'd thought when Fyr slipped it into her hand that it might be her beacon of hope. But no. All it had done was poke a hole in her thigh when she’d tried to cut herself loose.
"I won't call you egg donor in my head anymore. So please say something."
"She's not dead. You can stop screaming," Fyr told her.
At the reminder that she wasn't alone, Elena went still. She'd almost forgotten about him.
"How about you release me instead?" Elena tried hopefully.
Fyr's snort was tired. "I don't think so."
Elena shifted on the bed until she could spot Fyr out of the corner of her eye. "What do you have to lose at this point? They betrayed you. As long as you remain in the Osiri's control, your future will be nothing but the pain you warned me about."
The general boy was sitting on the edge of the platform near Elise's prone body. His shoulders sagged and his head bowed in a posture of defeat.
It was strange to see him so down trodden when he'd been nothing but arrogant not too long ago.
"They didn't betray me."
"It sure seems that way to me."
He needed to take a good look at his situation. From where Elena was lying, he'd just been stabbed in the back, assassin style, and was now bleeding out from a mortal wound.
"This is just how things happen sometimes," Fyr said, sounding like he was trying to comfort himself. "This is our fate. It's always been our fate."
Elena rolled her eyes at the ceiling. Boy, these generals sure were dramatic.
