“I know,” Henderson said.“But thanks anyway.”
“What could take the gridandthe backups out?”Catherine shivered.“I hope nobody’s stuck on the transports.”
“If they are, they’re relatively safe,” Delgado pointed out.“It takes time to crack a transport line.”
“What do you think’s happened?”Cath turned around to look at Delgado.“Rowan?”
“I don’t know,” she said miserably, breath hitching.Henderson cut the ignition, rolling to a stop, then slipping the van into park without touching the brakes.
“Hear that?”The entire van went silent.
A faint noise filtered through.Delgado’s skin went cold, then roughened.“Choppers,” he said against Rowan’s temple, inhaled the clean scent of her hair.“Christ.”
“What?”Cath was still twisted in her seat, looking at Rowan, who slumped into Delgado’s side.The gun in Rowan’s hand, pointed at the floor with fingers locked outside the trigger guard just in case.
“What else?”Henderson said quietly.“Sigma.”
“How?”Yoshi shifted slightly, uncomfortable without his computer.“And what are we going to do?”
“Go in or go to ground,” Delgado said.“That’s the question.”
“Something terrible’s happened,” Rowan whispered.“If there’s someone alive in there…”
Silence.The entire group waited.
“We’ll recon,” Henderson said heavily.“If it’s an attack, we’ll be needed for covering an exit to get the noncoms out.And if it isn’t, if it’s just a power failure, they’ll need Rowan to calm everyone down.”
“It’s not a power failure.”A terrible certainty colored Rowan’s voice.
The thudding of helicopters faded, before returning louder than ever.“Sweeps,” Delgado said.“It’s got to be Sigma.”
“All right.”Henderson had decided, and now it was time todo.“Del, you cover Rowan.Rowan, you sense anyone, point ‘em out to Del and let him take care of it.Rest of you, let’s go in quick and quiet.It’s maximum prejudice.”
Catherine swore, but nobody else said anything.Don’t worry.Del laid the words in Rowan’s mind—as gently as he could.
That’s like telling me not to breathe.No matter how much her body rebelled against the nearness of Sigma’s presence, her mental tone was strong and clear.He pressed a kiss against her temple; nobody else would see in the darkness.
Zeke carefully, slowly, slid the handle of the door up.There was a slight click.“Anyone out there?”
“No,” Rowan whispered back.“I don’t feel anyone.Not close, anyway.”
“Okay.”He tapped his commlink, eased the door open.Chill air poured into the vehicle.For such a large man, he moved lightly, sliding out, kneeling, and sweeping the opposite side of the road.
Cath went next.Henderson climbed out through the side door.Then Yoshi opened his door and almost-vanished.Brew exited, and Del gave Rowan a gentle push.
Go on, angel.Don’t worry, I’m here.He followed as she moved slowly, boots shushing on the wet pavement, to the side and crouched, pale hair glimmering in the moonlight.
That hair of hers is going to make things difficult.
Cath handed Rowan a scarf, which she knotted around her head with no comment.
They went around both sides of the van, across the drainage ditch, boots slipping in slush-snow.Delgado steadied Rowan when she slipped on frost-rimed grass.His heart sped up, not quite racing but not resting either.
There was an empty field; they slid over in waves, taking care to move in an unpredictable pattern, Rowan like an automaton.All her attention was taken with fighting off the urge to throw up or scream at the tearing, jagged pain in her head, the twisting nausea.
Why do Sigs affect her that way?What is it about them?Just the danger?It wasn’t the first time he’d wondered.Is it the migmeters or something else?
Slowly, they crept to the easternmost edge of Headquarters.Every building, every light that should have been showing paths over the quad or the basketball court was out.Delgado sensed no ripple of emotion.It was as if everyone had left and the last person had shut off the lights.
