her head, muttering something about idiots. “Officer Radcliff would have to approve it. How many people do you need to set up a sensor, Bertie?”
Color drains from poor Bertie’s face. “Uh…we’d need…” She glances at Yenay, who crosses her arms over her lab coat as if that would protect her.
But then Yenay’s spine stiffens and her hesitation transforms into determination. At the moment she resembles my mom. She gestures, indicating Bertie and herself. “Us,” she says. “We’re supposed to keep all this under wraps, right? So it’s the two of us.”
“How long to install it?” Morgan asks Yenay.
“Five minutes.”
“Make sure the sensors have a battery and a way to connect to the Q-net without wires,” I say, remembering the lights.
“How far into the pits do you need to go?” Morgan asks.
Now Bertie and Yenay do a silent communication thing. And I guess they’ve worked together before. Maybe as partners like me and Beau.
“Ara, did you see HoLFs in all the Warrior pits?” Yenay asks.
“Yes. I saw the most in Pit 4, but that’s where I spent all my time.” Reconstructing the General, which I also miss doing, which I’ll never admit to my parents.
“Then we only need to install the sensor in Pit 1. A couple of meters from the entrance should work.”
“I’ll discuss this with the boss,” Morgan says.
A shudder rips through me. The looters referred to Jarren as The Boss. And I’d be happy never to see him again. No. That’s not entirely accurate. I’d love to see him locked in a cell. Plus he has answers that I desperately want to know—like what do those alien symbols on the Warriors mean? And why are they so important? Why kill over them? My curiosity is going to get me into trouble—actually, more trouble since it was my involvement that brought Jarren back to Planet Yulin. He said I was too clever and would figure it out. I think he overestimated my abilities.
Beau touches my right arm. I’m hugging it to my body as if I’m about to lose it. Relaxing, I smile thanks.
“Disentangle from the Q-net, Lawrence. I believe you need to report to training with Officer Keir soon,” Morgan says.
Ah, rub it in. I slip from my Q-cluster and check that my web of security remains undisturbed before I exit.
“I’ll contact you if the project is a go,” Morgan says to the two scientists. “Do you have any more questions for Junior Officer Lawrence?”
“Not right now, but can we contact her?” Bertie asks.
“Only through me. For now,” Morgan says.
The ladies leave.
“Come on, I’ll walk back with you.” Beau hooks his arm through mine.
I glance at the door on the left wall. It leads to the monitoring room where Niall’s been watching the camera feeds of the base’s public areas and labs. There’s no audio and no cameras are allowed in the housing units—that would be creepy.
“You don’t have time to say hello,” Beau says.
Annoyed that he read me so well, I drop his arm and head for the exit.
Chuckling, Beau catches up in a few strides. “Too easy. You need to learn how to hide your emotions or Keir will keep slamming you down on the mat.”
Easier said than done. “How long?”
“For what?”
“Until I stop training all day and get to do something else.”
Beau slows. “What else do you want to do?”
I huff. Is he being dense on purpose? “Jarren’s out there. We need to find him and stop him.”
“It’s only been twenty days since you…” He clears his throat. “Actively searching for him may tip him off about you.”
We stop outside my unit. “Then we’ll just have to be subtle about it.”
“It’s not that simple. I can’t even determine where he’s gone in the Q-net or even a hint about his physical location.”
“Even more reason I should be helping you.” When he doesn’t say anything, my fingers itch with the desire to strangle the man. “You saw what I did. It was easy, Beau. You can’t say you weren’t impressed.”
He fights a smile. “I see your ego hasn’t been affected by your recent adventures.”
“Come on, face it, you need your partner.”
“I do.”
Ha! Progress finally. “And Radcliff did say that Junior Officer Lawrence would be helping you track down Jarren.”
“He did.”
Yes! “So what’s the problem?”
“Your parents.”
My excitement deflates. Everyone in my life is overprotective—boyfriend, boss, and my parents. Okay, yes my parents have the biological right to be, but…sheesh. They can’t see anything beyond my lifeless body on the floor. I’m not helpless. After all, I did