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Chapter 3

Hunter glanced up fromthe screen he’d been studying for hours in the briefing room. His eyes were gritty and burned with tiredness, but he wasn’t quitting. Not while Cleo was still awake.

They’d spent the night sifting through the information High Command had sent through about the new Siblet manufacturing site.

The data was heavily encrypted, but working alongside ELVIS and Dallin, they’d unlocked about sixty percent of the content.

“This project is so much bigger than we realized. I figured we’d found the main base already, but this has to be it. It’s three times the size of the last site.” Cleo reached for her mug of coffee, but missed, and it tipped off the desk.

Hunter grabbed the mug and righted it. “You need a break. You’re running on empty. We’ve got everything we can from this data. Let Dallin and ELVIS work on it some more, and see if they can de-code what’s left.”

“It’s not enough. We’ve identified three possible lab sites on the planet, but there could be more. And we don’t want to miss any animals that could be down there. We have to bring them back.”

“We won’t miss them. And we’ll go in under the cover of darkness, so we’ve got time to rest.”

“We might have time, but we don’t have enough people to run this mission.” Cleo raked a hand through her hair. “The crew is already assigned to key rescue missions. I can’t change their detail, or we’ll lose our shot with the rescues.”

“We could bring Eden and Blaze back from their sanctuary visit,” Hunter said.

“They won’t make it in time. And they’re heading farther out once they’re done, to check on a sighting of a xilo. I don’t want to risk missing out on that retrieval. They’re not an option. If the Siblet figure out we’re on to them, they’ll shut down the site, kill the animals, and move on before we stop them.”

“I’ll look at the details of the crew missions. We could postpone a few if we have to.”

“Months of research and planning go into those missions. If we fail on our retrieval work, it could endanger an entire species.” Frustration flickered across her face. “I figured we’d discovered most of the Siblet bases, so I wouldn’t need everyone focused on this. I underestimated how determined the Siblet are to get this poison perfected.”

“So, what do you plan to do?” Hunter gritted his teeth. He knew exactly where Cleo was going with this, and he didn’t like it.

“This will be our mission. We’ll do it.”

He shook his head. “There could be hundreds of Siblet down there. It won’t be safe for you.”

“It won’t be safe for anyone I send. We’re doing this.”

“You have an incoming call from High Command,” ELVIS said.

“Great, another one,” Hunter grumbled. “They’ve been checking on us every half hour.”

“They’re panicking,” Cleo said. “And you would be too if you had the Apexian leaders breathing down your neck and demanding results.”

Hunter growled softly. He didn’t want Cleo exposed to the Siblet or their damned poison.

She accessed the call, and Commissioner Viewick appeared on the screen. “Cleo, Hunter. I trust you had a productive night.”

“Most of the data has been decoded,” Cleo said. “We’ve discovered the locations of the laboratories on the planet. We plan on sending a small scouting mission to confirm the findings.”

“Excellent. It needs to be as soon as possible. How far out are you from the planet?”

“We can be there in four hours. We’ll go in at nightfall, so it’ll be easier to move around undetected.”

“Make sure you send your best.”

Cleo glanced at Hunter. “We’re leading this mission. The majority of the crew are already assigned to vital projects, with the rest working on the data you sent us.”

Hunter pressed his lips together to stop the protests from blasting out. Cleo was the boss, and he wouldn’t let his pride screw this up for her by making a scene. This was a crucial mission, and he knew it tore her apart to uncover the abduction and misuse of animals.

And he was right alongside her. He hated the Siblets planned program of destruction, but he also hated the possibility that Cleo would put her life at risk.

“This must be covert,” Commissioner Viewick said. “From the transmissions we’ve picked up from this planet, this is an important base. If we can figure out a way to destroy it, it’ll cut off the head of the beast. Any remaining outposts should fold without proper leadership.”