about the very real danger of not letting anyone else in the base know about me and how they should refer to me as Ara Lawrence in all communications and reports.
“Junior Officer Lawrence, please join us,” Radcliff says loud enough for me to hear through the doors.
That’s my signal. When I enter, everyone stares at me. Everyone. Amusement shines in Beau and Elese’s eyes. Niall gives me a warm smile. My parents beam—no idea why. Radcliff frowns while Morgan is Morgan—neutral. And the techs…some are wide eyed with shock, others give me huge happy grins, and a few don’t seem to care.
Gavin jumps up and pulls me into a rough hug. “So glad you’re alive,” he whispers in my ear. Gavin releases me just as fast and returns to his seat.
Wow. So much for my suspicions that I annoy him. I sit down in the empty chair between Beau and Elese.
“Now that everyone is here, we can review the plan,” Mom says. A map showing the research base and the surrounding desert appears on the large screen behind Radcliff. “Pit 21 is twenty kilometers from the base.”
An X materializes in the sand. There be treasure here, maties. I suppress a giggle. My mom explains how the team will drive out, open the pit, and do a survey of the Warriors inside. Radcliff describes the general role of security during the mission. I’m once again the center of attention. This time the expressions are tighter as they learn there’s a chance of encountering invisible and dangerous shadow-blobs. The tension in the room increases as many of them are probably remembering the attack in the pits. One man rubs a long thin scar on his forearm.
“How do we know that looter won’t worm into the satellite and see what we’re doing?” one of the female techs asks.
“We have alarms in place and I’ll be monitoring the feeds,” Radcliff says.
That’s a nice surprise. The man’s not half bad with the Q-net.
“We need four of you to stay behind and fill in for the officers who are accompanying us,” Dad says. “Who wants to volunteer?”
Eight raise their hands, including the lady who asked about the satellite. Beau and Elese exchange an amused look. No doubt over the fact that these same techs complained about training and having to help with security.
Dad inclines his head to Radcliff. “I’ll let the Chief pick.”
“Malia, Tao, Rez, and Sander,” Radcliff says, choosing the two women and two men without seeming to consider his options.
Radcliff also selected the woman who questioned the security of the satellite. Malia sinks back in her chair with obvious relief. I wonder if that’s why he picked her.
“We’ll leave the base at oh-seven-hundred tomorrow,” Dad says. “Be in the port and ready at that time. Bring your field kits, including tents and sunscreen.” Dad goes on to check the status on the various prep tasks the techs were assigned, gathering equipment, supplies, floodlights, a generator, a portable washroom, water, and food for the expedition.
Wow, who knew you needed so much stuff to go camping in the desert.
Before the meeting is over, Radcliff obtains everyone’s attention. He waits until quiet descends and we’re all focused on him. “Officer Dorey is in charge of security while you’re in the field. This means your safety is his number one priority and not the dig site.” Radcliff scans faces. His don’t-mess-with-me scowl is firmly in place. “If he believes you are in danger, then you will abandon the site and return to base without hesitation.” This last bit is said to my parents. “Understand?” he asks. Everyone does, but Radcliff fails to look happy.
My mom dismisses the techs, but remains seated with my dad as they file out. Once they’re gone, she asks Radcliff, “How exactly is the security going to work?”
“Officer Dorey will explain,” Radcliff says.
From Beau’s irritated glare, I guess this is the first time he’s been asked his opinion about it. After a long moment, he says, “We will ensure the site is secure before you’re allowed to set up camp. When you open the pit, three of us will go down to check for hostiles, including Junior Officer Lawrence. If the pit is safe, you will be allowed to enter. During work hours, Lawrence will stay in the pits with you and three officers will remain on the surface—one stationed near the hatch, one to keep an eye on the surrounding area, and one will sleep—the three will rotate shifts. At night, two officers