Teriq nods. “We’ll communicate via encrypted comms. Ryker will set everyone up. I’ll coordinate over telepathy with our prisoner contacts, Bowe and Morlee.”
My head snaps up. “Morlee Hadley?”
Teriq glances toward me. “You know her?”
“She’s from my ward. Her son was one of the instructors in the Program.” I seek out Gray’s gaze. “Matt Hadley.”
“The traitor,” someone mutters. It’s common knowledge that Hadley turned in his own mother to the Command when he discovered she was Modified.
“Morlee and Bowe will have everyone ready to move the moment we give them the word,” Teriq says.
“Once the diversion kicks off, the Coppers will panic. Depending on their response time, this will buy us either a lot of time or just a tight window, so that first wave is crucial,” Saint says. “Ryker will jam their channels so they can’t call for reinforcements, but we can’t rely on that. Attack team, we hit them with suppressive fire, make it look like a full-on assault, then fall back. Decoy team, set the charges in the tunnel and get the fuck out.”
I run through the sequence in my mind. Hit them hard, distract them, pull back, get out.
Sounds easy enough.
“What’s our fallback plan if things go sideways?” Neema asks.
Gray fields that one. “If the diversion fails, we abort. Pull out and retreat.”
“And the prisoners?” I say, frowning.
His response is more callous than I expect. “Can’t save everyone, Darlington.”
“Extraction team,” says Teriq, “I’m sending the guards’ patrol patterns to your comms. Study them.”
“Same goes for diversion,” Saint says. “Decoy team, make sure to memorize the tunnel map so you know where the charges need to go.”
I raise my hand, feeling embarrassed. “I don’t have clearance to everything on the comm.”
Saint spares me a look. “I’ll grant you access. You need to know that tunnel in and out. This entire op is about speed and misdirection. I want the decoy team on your way back to the pickup zone the moment you set those charges.”
Teriq claps his hands to signal the end of the briefing. “We move out at midnight.”
I can feel the excitement in the air as we’re dismissed. I spend the next several hours poring over all the intel that Saint transmits to my comm. I sit in the common room because Xavier will only pester me with questions if I’m in our quarters. Though I will say, the Uprising is really missing out by not utilizing Xavier better. He’d be a major asset in a mission like this. Instead, he can’t even leave the Personnel floor unless I’m chaperoning him.
As our departure time nears, I report to the gear room to get fitted with body armor beneath my all-black getup. Next up is the armory, where I strap on some knife sheaths and a holster for my sidearm. I sign out a sleek rifle with a night scope, shivering as I run my fingers along the barrel.
Saint lifts a brow as I practically purr with pleasure.
“I warned you,” Gray tells him. “She’s really into her guns.”
“This is the sexiest rifle I’ve ever seen,” I mumble, peering through the scope.
After we’ve armed up and run through the mission specs several more times, we assemble in the hangar. We’re minutes from going wheels up, as Gray calls it. Claims it’s an Old Era military term that was used by their air forces.
A tiny burst of adrenaline jolts through my veins as I board the small cargo jet. Luisa’s in the cockpit, confidently flicking switches and adjusting controls. I wish I was in the hovercraft with Gray and Teriq, but this is the first time a mission lead actually selected me for an op, so I’m not about to complain.
I strap in next to Henley, who offers a wink as he leans toward me. “This needs to be tighter,” he drawls and then deftly tightens my harness.
“Thanks,” I murmur.
Seconds later, we’re flying out of the Dagger.
With my stomach in knots, I try to link with Tana to let her know what’s happening. I tried earlier, too, but she wasn’t allowing the link. She doesn’t accept it now, either, triggering a rush of frustration. I’m sure she knows we’re coming—Morlee was responsible for preparing the others—so why isn’t she letting me contact her?
We’re only a few minutes into the flight when Teriq’s voice ripples through our earpieces.
