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"What about Sergei?"
"Anderson is assigning flights now," Sally said. "But I think I can at the very least see what he's up to." She held up the tablet computer. Sally was never very far from her tablet computer.
"Let me 'ave a look at that, Sal," Dean said, reaching out for the tablet. Sally went to hand it over and suddenly Bryan was there, snatching up the tablet and forcing Dean to retreat.
"I'll help Sally," he said. "I've not been reinstated, so I can't get into Dispatch, but I'm a Surgeon and there're things Surgeons know that Novitiates and even Interns don't know. Things a Techie wouldn't even be aware of."
Everyone was holding themselves very still.
"He's right," Rafe finally said. "It pains me to agree with him, but he's right. Half of what Jack knows, I don't know, and he only let slip a few things recently because the shit had hit the fan. Surgeons know about the failsafe, for instance. Interns don't learn that extra prickly stuff until they prove themselves trustworthy to Crawford."
"It ain't that," Bryan said, not unkindly. "It's just safer if fewer people know about the crap that'll get us all killed, is all. It's like a Prophetic Dream." He looked right at Sally when he said that. "The fewer folks who know about it, the less likely it can be changed."
Sally blushed and kept her eyes focused on the far wall and not on him.
"Okay," I said, wanting to get Bryan's — and everyone's — attention off my friend. And then I went and ruined it by saying, "What do you think, Sal? It's up to you. Dean can help you with the tablet if you think that'd be better."
Better meaning less painful, of course.
"No," she said softly, shifting her gaze enough to meet my eyes. "It makes sense that Bryan helps me."
She wasn't okay with it, I could tell. But I also didn't want to force the issue, make her say whatever it was she didn't want to say in front of everyone. Had she had new dreams of this Bryan? Had he had new dreams of her? In the end, Sally was an adult and could make up her own mind. I'd given her an out, and she hadn't taken it. I had to respect her decision.
I purposely shifted so I could face Bryan head-on, and so the movement would make him look at me instead of Sal.
"Bryan will help Sal keep an eye on Anderson in the system, but Sally's in charge." Glaring at him, I added, "You do what she says and only what she says and no more. Got it?"
He offered me a mock bow and said, "You have my word, princess. No harm will come to Miss Groves."
I held his gaze for a while longer and then looked at Dean. "We need someone in the hangar. Rafe'll be in Dispatch, Bryan's not been reinstated so may or may not be able to get down there, and Sally and I are Novitiates and are banned. It has to be you."
"I can do that, Mouse," he said, flicking a glance at Sally. My heart ached for Dean. He loved Sal, but Sally didn't love him the way he wanted or needed her to. "Cathcart's got one of 'em SWAT dicks with 'im wherever he goes," he added. "But they don't watch us Techies so much. I can get to the Orions and do whatever you need to make 'em fly or not fly without being seen, I reckon."
"We'll keep that option in reserve," I said. "For now, just keep an eye on things. Let us know what changes Anderson is making. If and when we need you to do something illegal, you'll be in place and trusted enough to get away with it."
"Illegal is my middle name, Mouse. Can't wait to fuck 'em all up."
"We still need Orions to fly to any rips, Jordan," Rafe said. "Just hold off on the explosions until we've really got our back up against it."
Dean offered him a quasi-salute.
"And you, darlin'?" Bryan asked me. "What will Mimi Wylde be doin'?"
"Finding Jack," I said.
That's all that mattered to me right then. Which was surprising. Being grounded — again — meant I couldn't help my family. They might not have been this universe's Wyldes, but I'd claimed them as my own. I still grieved my Carrie and the loss of my parents over a year ago, but that didn't mean I didn't feel something for these Wyldes.
Besides, I'd told myself that saving them would mess with Sergei, and Sergei needed a good messing with.
But I was grounded — again — so that meant I couldn't fly; couldn't save them. Not right now, anyway. And strangely, considering what was happening at RATS, I was okay with that. Jack and Amanda had stopped Sergei's latest attempt to steal Lunik's secrets. It would take him a while to plan out and enact his next effort to thwart RATS.
For once, maybe we had some time.
But Jack didn't. If he needed medical attention and wasn't getting it, then things could be dire. Even if he wasn't as badly injured as I feared, he was still locked away, and I could not stand for that.
Right then, all I wanted was to free Jack, save RATS, and stick it to Parliament; fucking up Anderson and his Idiots along the way.
"We all know what we've got to do," I said. "Take care out there. Anderson isn't playing by any rules that we know of. Watch your backs, observe, but don't show your hand unless you have no choice but to. We'll meet back here, same time tomorrow, and compare notes."
