me to fully understand its purpose.
Fear claws at my heart. I curse.
What’s wrong? Beau asks.
Its purpose is to report no life signs on the planet to DES, and DES has already sent two requests for scans.
There’s a pause. We already suspected DES believes we went silent.
But this is proof! It makes it more…real.
Beau touches my shoulder and gives me a reassuring squeeze. It’s more information, which is good for us.
True.
Can you disable it? he asks.
A number of the strands are alarms. If I cut the program, it will signal Jarren—I think. It’s a work of genius, but it doesn’t match Jarren’s style. Which is more evidence that my guess that Jarren is working with other super wormers is correct. This is just getting better and better. Yes, I’m being sarcastic. It beats hyperventilating.
Ara?
No, I can’t. Not without alerting the person who planted it. I rewind the strands, putting it back to its original construction.
The person? Beau pauses. Yeah, I thought it didn’t look like our boy’s work. Is there anything hidden in the video feeds?
No.
Good. I’ll add a few hidden alarms in case anyone tries to alter them. Beau works fast and when he’s finished, I help him tuck them deep.
Then we move on to our next task with the satellite. Detailed scans of the surface show no one hiding between the base and Pit 21. I access the satellite’s recordings of the surface, going back until I find a boring day and night that shows nothing but empty sands. Copying it, I store it in my Q-cluster until we need it to cover our activities when we’re outside the base.
It’s delicate, exacting work that takes us hours. By the time we finish, pain thumps in my temples and I’m as exhausted as if I spent the day doing drills with Elese. Pulling out my tangs, I rest my head on my arms.
Beau’s chair squeaks. I tilt my head and peek at him with one eye. He’s leaning back with his eyes closed, rubbing his forehead. My stomach growls. Loudly.
“That’s what happens when you work through lunch,” he says, meeting my one-eyed gaze.
I lift my head. It’s sixteen hundred. We wormed for seven hours straight. No wonder my head hurts. “I don’t know about you, but after putting those measures in place, I’ve gotten my appetite back.”
“They’re masterpieces, Ly…Ara.”
Not bad for an apology. “I couldn’t have done it without you.” The truth.
After we recover, we leave his office. Tora has replaced Rance. Beau tells her she’s off duty. The Q-net is monitoring the feeds.
Instead of leaving, she crosses her arms. “I’ll stay until Radcliff returns.”
Beau gives her a sour look. “Suit yourself.”
I glance at the screens. “Will Radcliff turn them off?”
“No. We’ll still check them from time to time. Plus Radcliff likes to ensure his team is where they’re supposed to be,” Beau says.
Speaking of Radcliff, he’s in the conference room with my parents and…I peer closer…all the archeology techs.
“Do you know what he’s doing?” I ask Tora.
“I believe he’s motivating them,” she says. Her tone is far from friendly.
Okay that’s it. “What’s wrong this time?” I ask her.
“You’ve been just full of advice about important security measures lately.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
She tilts her pointed chin up, meeting my gaze. “For someone in your position, yes.”
“My position?” I glance at Beau, but he’s being very careful to stay out of it.
“You’re living with Radcliff and dating his son,” she says. “They’re listening to your advice, but you have no experience with security. It’s making the rest of the officers nervous.”
That explains the increased tension. “Oh yeah, because Radcliff is so easy to sway.”
“You know what I mean.”
“No. Not really. Radcliff puts the safety of his team and the base above everything else. You, with all your vast experience, should know that.” I can’t believe I just defended the man. Kill me now.
She stabs a finger at the screen. “I know that you don’t go telling techs things they don’t need—”
“Stop right there. I know exactly what they need. I’ve worked with them since I was big enough to hold a brush. If you want them to cooperate, then they should be fully aware of the situation. And I was under the impression that suggestions were welcome in this team. Are you telling me I shouldn’t voice my opinion?”
“You’re going to get us all killed.”
Ah. There it is. Nothing like brutal honesty. How do I respond? She might be right. Just by surviving Jarren’s murder attempt, I might be the