The cat she was in contact with sped away. Leaped. Vertigo hit me hard at the sideways twist in the air. The cat landed, turned, and studied the enemy, now much closer. The uniforms were not current, but war-time issue. Clarisse Warhammer had put together an army of her own and stuck them in uniforms. I figured eventually she’d just take over the real military from the inside and the make-do uniforms would be unnecessary.
“All teams,” I said. “Enemy combatants are wearing US military uniforms from wartime, all branches. Shoot to kill. Repeat. Donothesitate to shoot to kill.”
“Team Delta reporting. Have secured the hallway at the entrance to the energy-source room. Instruments indicate no humans have gained access. Door is sealed.”
“Team Delta, maintain position,” I replied. “Backup delayed.”
“Understood. Maintaining position.”
“Team Epsilon reportin’,” a halfway familiar voice said. “We done secured both ends of the hallway in front of the entrance to the Admin Suite. Awaiting Commander Li’l Girl.”
“Bengal?” I asked. “That you leading Team Epsilon?”
“Affirmative, Li’l Girl. Bengal of Team Epsilon reportin’ in. You think a coonass member of the Cajun Navy gonna let his number one have all dis fun? Hell, I been shootin’ nutria since I a little boy. These military rats is like shooting rats in a barrel and is all de bes’ fun I done had in years.”
“Confirm,” I said. “Rats at your twenty?”
“Only a few hundred. We got it under control. Hey, Puta-Bella. You gots a few at your two o’clock. Fire, damn it. Epsilon out.”
Puta-Bella?I shook my head. “Copy that, Epsilon,” I said.
“Team Gamma. This is Team Beta Two,” Wingding said. “Retreat out of firing range. Beta Two is approaching the enemy combatants from the rear.” She paused. “Holy shit. The cats with us just jumped on the enemy. Cats at their heads. Aim low. Aim low. Fire. Fire.” A massive barrage of weapons fire sounded, then the odd screaming of the blaster-hit dying. “Commander. Encom down. All eliminated. Permission to assist getting all of our injured to the medical department.”
“Make it fast, Wingding,” I said, returning my attention to the schematics as we made our way out of the stockade. “Once you have the wounded to the medical ward, assist as backup to secure the entrance to the energy room.”
“Team Beta Two, roger that.”
“Mina and Camilla. Get Objective One to the air shaft.”
“I’m not leaving,” Mina said. “I’m staying with the action.”
Faster than human, I initiated antirecoil on my suit’s nondominant side and whipped to her voice. Picked her up. Threw her across the hallway with my left arm. She crashed into the wall. Her armor went into auto-antirecoil the instant before she hit. Mina had good reflexes. Not as good as mine. But good for a human.
“I repeat. Mina and Camilla. You will obey orders. Get Objective One to the exfil site at the air shaft. Camilla, you will then assist getting Evelyn to safety up the shaft and to the battle tank. Strip her and yourself, then wash her and yourself and your gear. Then re-armor and find me. I’ll send a cat to show you the way, if needed. Jolene, open a channel between Mina, me, and you.”
“Channel open, Commander Sugah.”
I focused on the girl climbing to her feet. “Mina.”
Real emotion showed on her face. Embarrassment. Fury.
“You will follow orders, or I will deactivate your suit and you will spend the rest of the battle locked up and unable to move.”
Another batch of emotion washed across her face, slower, easier to read. Shock, understanding, recalculation, and retribution. She made sure I saw it all.
I grinned and made sure she saw it. “Yes. I considered betrayal. Yes. Jolene created a back door into the armor function. You will obey orders. Copy?” The little psycho didn’t like me laughing at her. I could see her calculating possible responses. A fight between us would be fun, so I rubbed it in a little and said, “You want a fight, Mina? Little Girl will give you one when this is over. For now? I’m your commander. You.Will. Obey. Orders. Copy?”
“Copy.Commander,” she replied.
Her tone was full of vengeance, and I understood that the only reason she hadn’t killed me yet was because of a title she didn’t think I deserved. That made two of us knowing I didn’t deserve to be in charge.
Mina assisted Camilla as she shifted Evelyn in her arms, and helped her adjust her armor’s antirecoil and partial, non-combat hardening. Camilla could now carry her burden without effort, and Mina could protect them both. Mina looked at me, calculation hot in her eyes. Adjusting the position of her weapons and drawing a blaster, Mina set it to wide range. She drew another blaster and set it to pinpoint accuracy at six meters. I wondered if she would shoot me, but, without a backward glance, Mina took point, her weapons covering the exfil.
“Open general channel,” I said. When Jolene complied, I said, “Mina. Once Objective One is on the way up the air shaft, you will return to our twenty. Jolene will assist if a cat is not available. Copy?”
“Roger that, Commander,” Mina said, nothing of her previous emotions in her tone.
“Jagger, Jacopo, and I will join the team at the entrance to the nest, as laid out for the Op. Spy?” I looked at the cat. She was bleeding from bite wounds to her shoulders and haunches. So was Maul. Spy was standing with a rat in her fangs, and the rat probably weighed twice what she did. “Don’t eat that. It’s poisoned with nanos. Can you fight?”
