“I’m already proficient in everything.” Sort of. If I’m going to disclose my incitement, they’ll find out soon enough I’m not at all proficient in it.
“Then you won’t require a lot of sessions,” she says. “But you’re required to attend at least one.”
“I can do that.”
“We also require you participate in practical training, and if you choose not to be a field operative, you’ll be given a work assignmenton the base. Finally, the most important condition—the location of the Dagger must never be projected to anyone,” Adrienne concludes with a look that says,I’m not fucking around.“Projecting our location is an automatic death sentence.”
“But no pressure, right?”
Nobody cracks a smile. Not even Gray.
Kallister’s voice is gentle as he says, “We’re responsible for every Mod on this base. We take their safety seriously.”
“How many people live here?”
“Enough,” he says vaguely.
“And their families?” I press. “Children?”
“You can save the rest of your questions for after disclosure.”
“Fine,” I say when I determine he’s not budging. “Let’s move on. I want to talk about Xavier.”
Kallister chuckles.
“I told you she likes to run things,” Gray pipes up. He grins at me. “This is our briefing, Darlington.”
“Not until we talk about Xavier,” I say stubbornly. “What are you planning to do with him?”
“The lieutenant?” Adrienne knits her brow as if my question is preposterous. “He’ll either be executed or be used as leverage.”
Horror tightens my throat. “No. You can’t do that. Please. I’ll vouch for him.”
She flicks up one brow. “He’s the enemy.”
“He’s not. He deserted when he snuck me off the Command base,” I insist. “And he helped me make it through the Blacklands.”
It’s the opposite, really. Xavier squealed like a little girl each time he heard so much as a rustling in the darkness. If anything, he was an impediment to our journey.
But they don’t need to know that.
“I would be dead if it weren’t for him.” I look around at the table. “Please. He doesn’t deserve to die. He’s willing to join our side, and he’s far more useful as an ally, trust me. He’s highly trained, almost as good of a shot as I am—”
Gray snickers.
“And he’s entirely loyal to me.”
“Yes, and why is that, exactly?” Adrienne challenges. “Why did he put everything on the line for you?”
I didn’t anticipate the question, so it requires some quick thinking on my part. “There was a Silver Elite mission in Ward C—” I turn to Gray to back me up. “Do you remember? The hospital ward with the fragmented Mods?”
“Yeah. Fucking brutal. Ford didn’t seem to care, though.”
“He cared. We spoke about it later, and Xavier said he’d done some digging and didn’t like what he found. We suspect the Company is experimenting on Mods whose minds are fragmented. There were all these blood vials in that hospital room…” I shake my head angrily. “Anyway, Xavier didn’t like it, and then after his girlfriend died—” I cast a pointed look in Gray’s direction. This time he has the decency to appear remorseful. “He realized there was nothing keeping him in the Command anymore.”
I pray I’m able to see Xavier before they interrogate him, because if he doesn’t corroborate this crazy story, they’ll know I lied to them. But it’s all I’ve got right now.
“We became friends,” I admit. “When I was sentenced to die after the Jubilee, Xavier refused to let it happen. He wasn’t going to let his superiors murder me for the sole crime of being Modified. He has a conscience.”
