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“Please,” the blonde cried, pressing back into the corner. “Don’t let them take me.”
“Not going to happen,” the brave one said firmly. “If you can’t do your job without terrorizing women, then question me.”
“Tell me what I need to know and I will spare her,” Jobek offered. Then less harshly, he asked, “What is your name?”
“Eden. What’s yours?”
“Commander Jobek. Now tell me the name of the missing female and tell me where she’s hiding.”
Eden ignored him, asking instead, “What did you do with the founders?”
“Answer my questions and I might answer yours,” Jobek countered.
“‘Tell me the name of the missing female’ is a command, not a question,” Eden pointed out, subtle challenge rippling through her tone.
Jobek’s gaze narrowed, so Tandor intervened. Eden was much more afraid than she appeared. If Jobek punished her for her attitude, she would likely shut down rather than cooperate. “I am familiar with this sector of your planet. The temperature drops drastically once the planet’s rotation takes you beyond the star’s warmth. Do you want your friend to freeze to death?”
Eden stared back at him rebelliously for a moment, then her eyes took on a cunning gleam. “Her name is Ansley, but no one knows where she went. We’re as surprised by her behavior as you are. She’s probably hiding in one of the dormitories or a storage shed. She couldn’t have gone far.”
“You’ll never find her,” a brunette to their right sneered. “Ansley knows our island like the back of her hand and sleeping in the woods is nothing to her. She loves the wilderness.”
“Oh, my God, Jessie. Can you ever just keep your mouth shut?” Eden snapped. She shot the brunette a furious glare then turned her face away.
Even if Ansley was a skilled survivalist, she should not have been able to elude the transport scanners. It didn’t make sense. “Everyone over the age of twenty-five is locked in a different holding area,” Tandor told Eden, answering her earlier question. “No one has been harmed. Do as you’re told, and that fact will not change.”
“Where are you taking us?” Eden called out as they started to walk away.
Jobek glanced back at her and said, “Home. We’re taking you home.”
The females scrambled out of Jobek and Tandor’s way as they crossed the cargo bay.
At least the initial panic was calming down. Tandor had been bombarded with emotions when he walked into the room. The sensory deluge had been overwhelming so he’d shielded his empathic receptors. Now that the situation was settling, he eased back on the protection so he could scan at will.
“I’m not sure how her first name helps us, but the other information is interesting,” Jobek mused as they reached the corridor. “Will Neloff allow us to hunt down the stray?” The hopeful lift in Jobek’s tone was unmistakable.
Tandor couldn’t blame him. Too often these days their missions required in-depth data dives and sector by sector scans. They were bounty hunters. Nothing was as thrilling as chasing down their prey. “There is only one way to find out.”
“I’ll go ready the ship,” Jobek said, clearly confident that Neloff would agree.
Tandor nodded and Jobek headed off in the opposite direction. Rather than waiting for the lift, Tandor took the stairs to level two and pressed his hand against the scanner controlling access to the command deck. Only those with appropriate clearance could trigger the door. Neloff motioned Tandor over to the central control station as soon as he came into view.
“Our escapee’s name is Ansley, and she is reported to have wilderness skills. It might be challenging to find her.”
“Why the hell isn’t she showing up on scanners?” Neloff grumbled. “We’ve been sweeping the entire island ever since the last group of females was streamed aboard.”
“I can’t answer that, but she’s still down there. There’s no doubt.”
Neloff nodded. He stared at the main display for a moment then looked at Tandor. “Cylex won’t be here until late tomorrow. That gives us a day and a half to find her. I’ll keep scanning, but are you and Jobek up for a physical hunt? I know it’s been a while since you used those skills, but you’re my best team by far.”
“We’re looking forward to it,” Tandor assured his brother with a wolfish grin.
* * *
Ansley moved to the back of the sea cave and slipped the large pack off with a groan. It felt wonderful to be free of the burden. Her shoulders were tense and her back ached. The island was only three miles across, but the terrain was treacherous. The sun had set by the time she reached the cave, which meant the mouth would soon be blocked by water. Unlike most of the caves on the island, this one didn’t fill completely during high tide. Being trapped inside was unnerving, but the water also protected her until morning. She could rest for a few hours, eat a hearty if less than appetizing meal of vacuum-sealed food, then set out again at dawn. The secret to eluding capture was to keep moving. Anyone who had ever been a fugitive knew that. Maybe if the founders had followed the simple rule, Still Water Farm wouldn’t be empty right now.
The silvery poncho, with its deep hood, would prevent the hunters from detecting her with sensors. They would have to spot her to catch her, which made her hopeful that she would be able to accomplish her task.
The temperature was rapidly dropping now that the sun had gone down. She didn’t dare start a fire. Not only was there inadequate ventilation, but light and smoke traveled surprising distances and would immediately give her away. Instead, she pulled the ultra-thin sleeping bag and a heat-retaining blanket out of the backpack. Like the poncho, everything in the pack was Altorian, which meant it was more technologically advanced than similar items found on Earth.
