"Well, OutLink won't be looking for her," Zan pointed out.
Sin grunted. "Probablynot. Wouldn't want to put money on it. With as obsessed as Daniel Briggs is with reclaiming their parts, I have a feeling they're going to be counting bodies. I'm mostly worried that OutLink isn't her biggest threat."
Zan pushed out a heavy breath. "Ok, then who? Any idea on who just blew up half the city?"
"I have a bad feeling it was us," Sin admitted.
"Us?" Zan asked.
"The Legion."
Those words fell into the night air like a rock, hitting a little too hard. Zan scrubbed at his mouth and paced away for one step before spinning to face Sin again. The kid's mouth opened, closed, and then opened again, but no real words came out.
"So what do we do?" Zan finally managed.
"Sounds like you're willing to help," Sin teased.
"Always," Zan assured him. "Why? What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking I'm going to have to choose what vow I'll break," Sin said softly. "I'm sworn to protect my angel, but I also promised to act in a way that benefits the church."
"Are you sure about that?" Zan asked him. "I mean, what was the actual vow you took?"
Sin took another drag off his smoke. "That I would do everything in my power to uphold God's will."
"And a church is not the same as a God," Zan pointed out. "Would you really be breaking a vow if you refused to do something you believe is wrong?" He lifted a brow. "Like bombing a fucking building?!"
"No," Sin agreed.
Zan nodded. "Yeah. Because I've been thinking about this since the last time you brought her home. That girl? The Legion won't protect her because someone else decided to enhance her mind. Well, most of her nervous system, I'm guessing." Then he grabbed Sin's arm. "Think about that for a second. The church won't protect the victim, yet God sent you to her. Her, Sin, not someone else."
"Yeah, I know," Sin breathed, flicking the end of his smoke to break off the ashes. "Just..." He paused to pull in a deep breath. "Keep an eye on the news. Let me know if anyone's looking for her, ok? I need to talk to the guys, but not tonight. Everything's going to be monitored, and even breathing a word of female pronouns to them will likely have a squad of Centurions sent this way."
"So we need a new identity for her," Zan said. "I'll need to tell Mom, but I think we can say Rissa's her sister's kid. Always been a bit shy and has a reputation for bucking the system quietly. Sound about right?"
"Exactly." Sin blew out a breath of smoke, then sucked in another. "Probably be nice if we could find a wireless adapter. Something small, meant to be worn on a regular basis."
"Ok. What kind of port? I also need to know if she has any limitations. The last thing we want to do is burn out her mind, and I've never seen a setup like she has."
Sin huffed a laugh, hiding it with another drag. "Trust me, Zan, she'll make sure she doesn't burn out. And any type of port will work; she has them all."
"I can do that," Zan promised. "You worry about her. I'll handle all the neurojock shit, ok?"
Flicking his cigarette onto the concrete, Sin nodded. "And I'm probably going to need your mom's help. I have a girl who can't eat or drink, has never gone to the bathroom, and I don't even want to think about what else. We need a woman to teach her a few things we all consider normal."
Zan just flashed him a smile. "Kinda sounds to me like the very definition of being a mom. I'll talk to her about it." Then he clasped Sin's arm. "We got this. All of us, Sin. Rissa's free. She's alive. You saved your angel, now go get some sleep."
Giving in, Sin palmed open his door. This would work out. It was going to be ok. His angel was safe, and that was all that mattered. He didn't need to stop and think about the repercussions of what had just happened. Then again, he also couldn'tstopthinking about them, because this wasn't over. It was just beginning.
He'd been asked to protect this woman's life. He'd vowed to watch over her for as long as she was in danger. He'd sworn he would let no harm come to her. All this time, he'd assumed that would be something easy. Eventually, he decided it meant he'd have to get her free of the indentured servitude she was stuck in. Now?
It seemed God had bigger plans.
The Legion was falling apart from the inside. The city was on the brink of chaos. The enhanced had just lost the supply of the one medication that would keep their own bodies from killingthem. Outside of his apartment, the world was tearing apart at the seams, but he'd saved the girl. He'd kept her alive, gotten her free, and yet she still wasn't truly safe—and that meant his vow wasn't done. It also meant he had a very big decision to make.
But when he stepped inside, the first thing he saw was Rissa. Wearing only the large shirt, with her clothing in a heap at her feet, she'd fallen asleep against the arm of the couch. The poor thing hadn't even made it to the bed. She probably had never actually used a bed before. It was just one more thing to prove she still needed him. Maybe now more than ever, because the real world was a frightening place.
Crossing the room, he pulled back the covers on his bed, then moved to the girl. Sliding one arm behind her back, the other under her legs, he lifted her easily and carried her to the soft mattress. The moment he set her down, she snuggled into the pillows, looking like she was about to fall into a deeper sleep - until he pulled away. Then her eyes snapped open.
