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“I guess we know who wears the pants in this relationship,” Alixandra says.
“Why are you my best friend again?” he asks her.
“Wait! Alixandra? Alix?” I can’t control the volume of my voice.
“That took you long enough,” she says.
“But Alix is a boy,” I say, trying to work through this confusing turn of events. “Alix has to be a boy.”
“Why?” Erik asks.
“You g-g-grew up together and Alix w-w-works for the Guild,” I stammer out my answers in spurts of confusion. “What about segregation?”
“All those things are true,” Erik says, “but she’s still a girl.”
“You could have mentioned that,” I say, smacking him again.
“It didn’t occur to me.”
“Thank you. That’s very flattering, Erik,” Alix says.
From his seat, Jost props his feet on the table and watches us with a giant grin.
“You are enjoying this too much,” Erik says.
“Yes, I am,” Jost says, folding his hands behind his head. “I told you, Ad. Saxun doesn’t segregate. I married Rozenn the day she was released from testing.”
“There is an actual emergency,” Dante snaps, pushing Jost’s feet off the table. We all look to Alixandra and she pulls a digifile from her bag.
“Cormac has initiated final termination of this sector,” she says.
“Like, Protocol Three?” I ask.
“Protocol Three allows for evacuation before the sector is destroyed,” Jax says. “This isn’t Protocol Three.”
“But why now?” Erik asks. “He’s already infected half the population, there are no resources left. It’s only a matter of time.”
“He knows we’re here,” I say, looking to Alix for confirmation. She nods.
“He wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to destroy the Agenda,” Dante says in a grim voice.
“Does he know I’m here?” I ask, wondering if I can message Cormac. Maybe if he discovers I’m here, he’ll stay his order to terminate the sector.
“He knows,” Alix says. “I bought you as much time as possible before I had to get out myself.”
“I guess the wedding is off,” I say.
“Good. You can get rid of that ring,” Erik says, and I realize I’m still wearing it. I tug it off my finger and throw it across the room.
“What do we do?” I ask Dante, feeling lighter and ready to take on Cormac.
“We evacuate,” he says.
“But what about the citizens?” I ask. “Not everyone in the Eastern Sector is infected.”
“We don’t have time,” he says.
“Where will we go?” Jost asks. “Back to Earth? It won’t be long before it’s unstable there.”
