every chance they were also highly likable. Gray could talk all day about not growing a conscience, but the truth was that Rafe didn’t need to grow one. It was already there, writhing beneath the pragmatism he wore like armor.
He made hard choices to protect his people. His family, hidden away where the TechCorps could never find them. His squad, who had become his brothers.
And Luna. Wary, brilliant Luna. A childhood that could inspire nightmares had left her with scars that went deep. It had taken him years to earn her trust. At some point, she’d become a stand-in for the sister he rarely got to see. Or maybe a reminder of the pained shadow his sister might have become if Rafe hadn’t made so many hard choices.
Luna had rebuilt her life, brick by brick. Sometimes Rafe had even been around to help. And all that work would be for nothing if he didn’t deliver Nina into the hands of whatever evil-fucking-genius person had drawn the connection between them.
Rafe liked people. Now, for the first time, he almost wished the Protectorate had managed to beat that out of him.
* * *
CLASSIFIED BEHAVIOR EVALUATION
Franklin Center for Genetic Research
Subject HS-Gen16-C has been showing signs of emotional distress since clusters KJ-Gen2 and LN-Gen3 were decommissioned. Her strong attachment to the flawed C-designations in both clusters shows a predilection toward being protective of the weak. Recommend psychological intervention and behavioral reconditioning.
Dr. Zima, July 2062
* * *
FOUR
Nina was accustomed to packing light and moving fast. At one point, she’d traveled with everything she owned tucked carefully into a single pack. Now, planning to leave her home base for two solid weeks, she realized just how far she’d come from those solitary days.
And it wasn’t just that she had so much stuff now. She had responsibilities that were harder to leave. She glanced over at the corner, where Maya was showing one of the building’s tenants how to operate the book printer.
“You load the paper here.” Maya hauled open the printer drawer, which was stacked with crisp pages tinged gray from the recycling process. “Wait until they’ve paid you, though. Most people are on the level, but some assholes figure once you print up some random book, you’re stuck with it, and they can haggle you down. Paper’s too pricey to fuck around with.”
“Payment first,” Tai echoed obediently, and Nina had no doubt that the woman would remember. She was a scavenger by trade, perfectly well aware of how precious raw materials could be.
Paper was the biggest expense associated with operating the printing machine. There was also a roll of thin cardboard inside that the machine would cut to size to form the covers and spine, but that lasted a long time, as did the glue that bound the pages. The paper went fast.
Tai pushed her heavy-rimmed glasses up her nose and scribbled in her little notebook. “What if I run out?”
“You shouldn’t. We have about a month’s supply out in the warehouse.” Maya bumped the drawer shut with her hip and picked up a tablet. “This is the list of printable books…”
In a perfect world, they could print all their books and lend them out, just like a real library. They had the space to store the volumes, but they couldn’t afford to do the printing. Especially since Maya wasn’t wrong—some people were assholes. They’d tried lending out some of the physical books Nina had recovered, but half of them had never been returned.
At least they’d had the presence of mind to digitize those volumes before they vanished. They could replace them—if they had the money to do it. Maybe, if they managed to pull off this job, they would. They could even buy more items to lend out, like heavy equipment and tools necessary for proper do-it-yourself repairs to shelters, appliances, and vehicles.
But that was one giant fucking if.
Nina checked her drill bits, then tucked her last borescope into its slim case and joined Dani at the kitchen table. Her friend’s main pack was zipped and ready, propped against one table leg, but the duffel she used to carry her weapons was still open on the table, surrounded by a mountain of firepower.
Dani looked up, a frown of consternation creasing her brow. “I can’t decide which pistols to take.”
“Which ones do you want to take?”
“Honestly? All of them.”
Of course. “You know, the Devils are supposed to be handling security.”
Dani barked out a laugh, shook her head, and added four more handguns to her duffel.