the squad leader had been hauled before his superiors and ordered back to retrieve the body.
By that point, scavengers had done their work. There was nothing left to further confirm identity or cause of death. The squad leader had been severely reprimanded, and his team punished, even though they’d followed regulations and their orders to the letter.
The Protectorate had a way of only caring about the rules and regulations that suited them in the moment.
His gaze snagged on Maya’s designation again. Data Courier.
No wonder she’d known who he was. She’d rattled off his name and rank with the confidence of someone reading his profile—which she probably had been, in her own way. Data couriers were chosen and modified as children, then trained to be the ideal receptacles of important data. Perfect auditory recall.
And perfect loyalty. The TechCorps didn’t treat their data couriers the way they treated grunt soldiers. Brainwashed from childhood, couriers lived in luxury, every desire and whim indulged … until the stress of perfect recall began to unravel their minds. Then it was the Gold Star retirement package—a quick bullet in the back of the head and a trip to the incinerator.
Maya had clearly gotten out before that. And Knox would bet every last credit of that unclaimed reward that Nina had been somehow responsible for faking the girl’s death.
He shouldn’t find that level of ingenuity attractive.
He shouldn’t find that level of stupidity honorable.
Two million was a lot. It was live-soft-up-on-the-Hill money. Never-worry-about-food-or-shelter-again money. Knox couldn’t think of many information brokers or treasure seekers who would have passed up that opportunity to cash in.
Unless they had just as much reason to avoid the TechCorps as Maya did.
Gray’s sharp whistle alerted him, and he turned to see Nina and her people clearing the barricade at the end of the access road. All three were weighted down with packs, and Nina’s alone looked bulky enough to contain two weeks’ worth of supplies for all of them. She moved effortlessly with it, though, confirming his suspicions that speed and brains weren’t her only enhancements.
And that she still didn’t trust him or his promise to provide supplies. He couldn’t blame her. He wouldn’t have trusted his men’s safety to someone else’s planning, either.
“Captain.” She smiled as she shrugged out of her pack. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?”
It was hot and sunny, two states he’d noticed because the heat increased the need to stay properly hydrated, and the sun would allow them to rely on solar power for the trucks and reserve their biofuel. The weather was an important variable in his plans, but he rarely ascribed subjective value to it. “It’s fine.”
“Mmm.” She eyed him expectantly, then nudged her pack with her boot. “Where should I put this?”
He nodded to the second truck, where Conall was making one last check of its solar panels. “We already loaded food and survival supplies for you, but there should be room for your gear. Which of you is driving?”
Nina arched an eyebrow and turned to Dani and Maya. Silently, they lifted their left hands flat, palms up, and smacked their fists against them. On the third count, Nina and Maya each splayed two fingers out, while Dani kept her fist closed.
Dani did a little victory dance, then shoved past Knox and slung her duffel and her pack into the second truck.
Nina sighed. “I don’t know why we bother.”
“She always wins,” Maya grumbled in agreement as she unstrapped her heavy backpack. She dragged it away, leaving Knox and Nina alone.
He was painfully aware of the life story still displayed on the folded tablet in his hand. The easy democratic ritual and cheerful rivalry between the women didn’t match the dark violence and ruthless efficiency laid out in Maya’s troubled life and manufactured death.
None of them were what they seemed. He had to remember that.
He tucked the tablet into his back pocket and nodded toward the truck. “We’ll be good on power as long as this weather holds. Just follow close behind us. There are short-range radios in the trucks if you see anything. We should be clear of raiders for at least a day, but it’s still smart to keep an eye out.”
“It’s your show,” Nina said amiably. “I’m just along for the ride.”
“Then let’s get moving. We have a long way to go before dark.”
She stopped just short of rolling her eyes and tossed him a wave as she headed for the truck. While her crew settled into the vehicle, Gray stepped up beside Knox. “I