She nods, serious now.
“The cave is close to that. Look for orange flowers.”
“We’re all going together,” Pax says.
“I know. But in case something happens to me, she’ll be able to find it.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to you,” Amira says, like she can will it into fact.
“Let’s stop talking and get there,” Nova says. “Pax is right, we’re sitting ducks here.”
We gather our meager possessions and leave the bunker. After getting some sleep, I’m more clearheaded. Less sad and helpless—more white-hot furious at Ingrid Voss for whatever she did to Marcus.
The inky shade of the jungle at night is already dusty gray. A single bird calls, asking the others if it’s time to wake up. Thick, post-storm air carries scents of decay and renewal: floral perfumes, rotting leaves, and the freshness of rapidly flowing water in a nearby stream.
“I’ll take the back,” Pax says.
I nod and meet Nova’s gaze, silently asking her if I can lead our group. She’s on alert for both herself and Ellison, who isn’t used to evading jungle predators, both animal and human.
Nova gives me the slightest nod, and I incline my head at Amira, telling her to take the position behind me.
She’s completed the transition from Olympic archer to primal one. Amira is lethal not only because her aim is flawless but also because she doesn’t hesitate for even a fraction of a second when she shoots.
A bow is like an extension of her arm. Her mind doesn’t have to go through as many steps as other people’s do when shooting arrows; it’s just part of her being.
I wish she had more arrows. But a genie with a lamp could stay busy around the clock here—we work with what we have.
“I need the switch,” I say to Olin.
With my aromium activated, I’ll be able to see better in the dark, hear anyone approaching from further away, and run faster.
Ellison doesn’t have her implant anymore, but the rest of us do. Amira, Nova, and Olin all tug down the waistbands of their pants so I can scan the spot on their hips where the implants are.
I do my own last, and when I do, something rushes through me. It’s like I just plugged myself into a hive mind. There’s a hum of oneness, the surrounding plants and trees becoming part of me.
“What was that?” Amira says softly.
“You felt it, too?”
She shakes her head. “I didn’t feel anything, but the leaves on the trees were shaking a little bit. All of them.”
“It’s because of me.”
She locks eyes with me. “I’m glad you’re on our side.”
“Back at you.”
Moving as quickly as I can, I try to adjust to the amplified sounds flooding my ears. I’m more aware of the way my boots touch the soggy ground and everything I see is sharper and clearer.
It’s good, but it’s also overwhelming at a time when I’m straining to hear footsteps or voices.
I’ll come back to you. We’re going to burn this shit to the ground.
Marcus’s promises to me were all the warmth I needed. All the sleep I needed. All the food I needed. It didn’t matter how hard all of this was or that just surviving was an uphill battle when I was doing it with him.
Those bastards are going to pay dearly. It is one of their own experiments that forged the sword that will behead their regime. With my mother’s DNA and my father’s training, I’ll end every one of them or die trying.
I stop, shooting my left arm into the air and drawing my handgun with my right hand. Everyone behind me freezes.
