He might have difficult in securinganother drone, and that thought gave him pause, but ….
She was distressed. He disliked that.If it would give her peace, then he thought he should try. Noddingfinally, he began to search the drone he had taken until he foundthere was a connector that seemed to match—somewhat.
He was not prepared for what happenedwhen he connected with her.
His onboard computer began to fill soswiftly with data, it swamped him, overwhelmed him until he lostmost awareness beyond the transfer. It shut down all of the censorsthat had distorted his mind from the time he had taken the droneuntil he could barely function with any rationality.
It was Quan who jerked him out of hisfugue-like state. “We must move. They are coming.”
Sucking in a sharp breath, Tau lookedat him and perceived him in a way he had not before. He glanced atXi, who had taken up a guard position by the door they had entered,and then at the woman in his arms.
He saw her, too, in a way he had notperceived her before.
She was precious to them in a way noneof them had realized—well beyond the fact that she was a female ofbreedable age.
He stood with her, shifted her in hishold until she was more comfortable and then led the way. “There isa tunnel here.”
Xi and Quan both looked at himquestioningly and then with stunned surprise when he led themdirectly to a cabinet that, when moved, revealed the tunnel he hadspoken of.
They followed it as quickly as theycould. When they emerged at last, they found that they had leftmuch of what was left of the city behind.
Consternation filled Tau when hediscovered she had lost consciousness. “Ultima,” he called toher.
She opened her eyes with obviouseffort.
“Where?”
She stared at him blankly, but thenseemed to rally and looked around. “The tree there. Just leaveme.”
“No,” he said implacably.“I would not if I could and I cannot. We were sent to find thetraitor. We must.”
She swallowed with an effort andsettled her head on his shoulder again.
Xi whipped a sharp look at him. “Youhave deciphered their language?”
Tau frowned. “I spoke it?”
Quan stared at him for a moment andsent Xi a questioning look.
“We will wait for them tocome for her—there.”
Xi and Quan were still all at sea.“You accessed the data the traitor collected?” he asked Tau whenthey had settled in the shelter of the tree.
Again Tau frowned and both saw it wasconfusion. “She gave … to me,” he said slowly. “Enlightenment.” Hefrowned, considering that. “Awareness.”
“How?”
“Why?” Quan and Xi askedat almost the same moment.
Tau studied her face, touched itlightly with his hand—felt the silk of her skin beneath the pads ofhis fingertips—the heat that wafted from her that threatened her,he understood, in a way that made him feel … ill, himself, angry,helpless. “It was her last hope … to save her people.”
He looked at his two companions. “Ihope that it will save her.”
Men came—human men. One moment theywere not there, the next they were.
“Put her down.”
Tau’s gaze focused immediately on theman who’d spoken. “No. She is our woman.”
