I enter the gates to the Forge and hop out of my truck. Ansel stands by the foot of the stairs with Orion, Clover, and Spider. Behind them is an assembled troop of eight soldiers from their insignias; they’re Delta. One of Ansel’s units. He couldn’t resist keeping tabs on me out on the field.
Spider rushes past them and wraps his arms around my shoulder.
“Ender, you’re safe. I was so worried they took you, too. I don’t know what I would do if?—”
“Unhand me, Spider,” I say sharply. “I don’t have time for this shit.”
He takes a step back, rubbing his head sheepishly.
“I forgot the ‘no touching’ rule,” he murmurs.
“Orion, you’re taking second,” I call. “Clover, you are his backup.”
“But I want to take second,” Spider says. “I’ll follow your every order. I promise, Ender. You have to trust me.”
Orion shoves him aside.
“Shut it, pup,” he says gruffly. “Maybe once you grow a bit of facial hair, you can sit with the big boys.”
Spider punches him in the gut, and Orion leaps at him, hands outstretched to choke him. I step between them both.
“Knox is in trouble,” I hiss. “Can we not do this for five seconds?”
Orion straightens and steps away from Spider.
“We’ll get him back,” Orion promises. “I studied the footage from the accident. They ditched the car in the forest after the collision. That’s where we should start.”
Ansel steps forward.
“We got a call from the High General earlier,” he says. “Priority one is the girl.”
“Fraser is?—”
“With all due respect, sir, we answer to the High General,” Ansel says. His words are clipped and disguised under false formality.
My jaw clenches. How dare he cut me off?
“You answer to me,” I growl. “Priority one is Fraser.”
I turn my back to him and address the group.
“Listen up,” I say, voice cutting through the night air. “We have one objective: extract Fraser and Warrick. We are going in blind and don’t know their numbers or powers. We are on defense, not offense. Stay sharp, trust your instincts, and watch each other’s backs.”
I unravel a map from my truck. I always carry a paper copy in case they tinker with our satellites, and it disrupts our online grid.
“We’ll start with where they went to escape the street cameras,” I say. Orion points to the specific spot where their trail went dark. “Any abandoned houses or buildings will be considered as points of interest. Radio in before you enter.”
“Delta squad. Half of you are with me, the rest are with Orion,” I say. “Clover, you’re with me. Spider, you follow Orion’s lead. Is that understood?”
Spider drags his feet to where Orion stands.
“We move now. Keep your eyes open and your weapons ready. Extraction only. Do not engage unless necessary.”
I don’t care to kill the rebels and risk the rescue mission. Once this blows over, I will hunt them down, one by one, andshow them what true pain feels like. They know that the girl is related to me by marriage and that Knox is my second-in-command, which means they dared to touch what is mine.
The engines roar to life.
“We’ll find him, Ender,” Clover says softly.
