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The words felt rehearsed in her mouth, but she hoped they came out as sincere. If nothing else, the intent behind them was true. She needed them to agree to this or everything was lost.
Dallas smiled encouragingly at her, but the rest of the staff kept their faces blank. Not a good sign.
Renna straightened her spine and brought her hand up to her forehead in a crisp salute. Then she marched from the room in her best military manner.
Only when she rounded the corner to her room did she let her shoulders sag.
She’d done the best she could. Now it was up to them.
FOUR
She must have said something right in the debriefing because, two hours later, Dallas stood in her room, taking in the hospital machinery and stark furnishings, the locks on every drawer, the sensors monitoring her every move.
“You mean to tell me they put you in a holding cell? For five days?” A muscle jumped in his jaw. “Unacceptable.”
“It’s fine, Major. I understand their caution. I am a thief, after all. And one with an implant that could explode at any moment.” Renna shrugged. “But if you could figure out a way to get them to at least give me a holovid, I’d appreciate it.”
Dallas shook his head and sat stiffly in the hard plastic chair beside the vitals monitor. “I can do better than that. Admiral Usamov has agreed to send you after Captain Finn and the Athena. Consider this a trial run for your acceptance into MYTH. If you’re successful with this mission, you’ll become a full-fledged member.”
Her eyebrows shot up. That had been much easier and faster than she’d expected. Interesting. “Did you have something to do with this, Major?”
He smiled. “I wish I could say yes, but other than vouching for your skills, Admiral Usamov made this decision without my input. However, I believe she made the right one.” Dallas leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “What aren’t you telling us, Renna?”
Her pulse jumped, but she kept her face expressionless. “I don’t know what you mean, sir.”
“Renna, I know Finn. I know your history with him. I know he didn’t trust you farther than he could throw you. And he was the one who turned traitor? I don’t buy it.”
“Your guess is as good as mine, sir.” Renna shook her head. “But you’re right. Finn and I didn’t get along. I don’t know what he was thinking.”
Dallas studied her long enough that Renna had to glance away, cursing herself for the action. He continued in a low voice. “I know there’s something you’re not telling us. And I will find out. Finn is one of my best men, and if he’s in trouble, I need to help him.”
Her fingers twitched, and she twisted them together in her lap. He sounded sincere. But then again, she’d sounded sincere earlier, too. She couldn’t risk it. Even if he wasn’t the person who’d ordered the hybrid army and planned to destroy MYTH, trusting the wrong person would put more than herself in danger.
She smiled reassuringly at Dallas. “Whatever our differences, I admire Captain Finn very much. I promise I will do my best to find him and his crew. You’ll be the first to know the instant I discover something else, Major.”
Dallas frowned, the lines around his eyes deepening with worry. “Very well. That’s all I can ask. The admiral is looking into giving you a ship and crew to locate Captain Finn and the boy. I assume you know where to start looking?”
Renna had quite a few ideas, but none of them had to do with finding Finn. The longer he stayed hidden, the safer he’d be. “Actually, sir. If it’s possible, I’d like to start here at headquarters.”
“What do you mean?”
She leaned against the edge of the bed and tucked her hands into the pockets of her black leggings. At least they’d let her take off the gods-awful hospital gowns after the first day.
“I’d like access to the MYTH personnel files. Knowing more about the crew of the Athena may help me figure out where they went or why they ran in the first place.”
Dallas shifted in his chair, his expression shuttered. “I’m afraid that’s not possible. Only top officials have access to that level of classified information.”
She knew that look. He was torn between doing his duty and helping her find his captain. “Come, Major. This is MYTH. Anything is possible. You want to find Finn, don’t you? That’s the best place to start.”
Dallas got to his feet with a heavy sigh. “No promises, Renna, but I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, I’ll have them move you to better quarters. There’s no reason to keep you in the hospital wing any longer.”
“Thank you, sir. I promise you won’t regret it.”
He shook his head as he left the room. “Make sure I don’t, my dear.”
Dallas made good on his word, and Renna was moved to another wing of the facility an hour later. The new room was much nicer, with soft rugs and a large, comfortable bed. There was even a large-screen holovid on one wall.
Now if they could just get her some new underwear. These army-issued briefs were killing her.
But at least there were no needles in this room or the constant low hum of the monitors. And no sign of Dr. Samil, either, though that was probably only temporary. Renna’s head still pounded and her mind felt fuzzy. Not a good sign. Especially when combined with the strange data download that had happened in the conference room. She still had no idea what that was all about.
When Dallas pushed open her door the next morning instead of Samil, Renna hated the relief that flooded through her. Not another test or jab or examination, just the slightly starched major with the graying hair and kind smile.
“I trust you slept well, my dear?” he asked as he scanned the room. “At least it looks more comfortable than your hospital cell.”
“It was lovely. Thank you for getting me moved.”
“Of course. The least I could do.” He glanced back at the door. “You’ll be pleased to know the admiral agreed to give you limited access to the MYTH database to view the Athena’s personnel files.”
Renna whistled between her teeth. “I’m shocked. But you don’t sound very happy about it, Major.”
“Renna, I believe you have Myka’s welfare in mind, but I don’t believe you’ve told me everything. Until you do, I cannot help my crew. Please. Tell me what’s going on.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, sir.”
“So am I.” Dallas opened the door and gestured to the hallway. “Follow me. I’ll take you to the server room.”
