The Gender Fall (The Gender Game #5)(60)

Stabilized on the flat surface, I closed my eyes and tried to fight the dizziness that had assaulted me. Then I felt a hand fall on the middle of my back, between my shoulder blades, another one gently supporting my elbow as I breathed, willing the world back into clarity.

“Are you okay, Violet?” Ms. Dale’s voice overflowed with concern as she carefully helped me move away from the table. I kept my eyes shut, trusting she wouldn’t walk me into anything, and then felt something brush up against my knees. “Chair here,” she murmured, helping me to turn, and then allowing me to lean on her as I slowly sat down.

Settled in the chair, I took a few more deep breaths, and then, slowly, opened my eyes. The world trembled slightly, threatening to spin off the rails again, but I pushed the sensation back, focusing on my hands in front of me, steadying myself. “I’m fine,” I breathed. “Just got hit with a dizzy spell. Give me a minute and I’ll be good to go.”

Ms. Dale gave me a doubtful look as she dragged a chair over, sitting down in front of me. My skin felt clammy, a cold sweat dotting my forehead, upper lip, and shoulders. My breath was still coming sharply. “Violet,” Ms. Dale began hesitantly. “You have done enough for today. I think we’ll be fine if you stay here.”

I felt the urge to protest, which must have shown on my face, because Ms. Dale leaned forward, her expression soft. “It’s not just because you’re unwell, although that is a good enough reason in and of itself. However, Viggo and Owen are gone. Thomas, Amber, and I—we all have to go to the pickup, for various reasons. That’s all our leadership, Violet. If anything were to happen to us…” She met my gaze, her brown eyes glittering with intensity. “We need you here to carry on, should anything happen to us. Someone has to remain behind.”

She was right, of course. I had known that even before she’d started speaking. At least, I had known that, physically, I was still in no condition for fieldwork. Viggo and I had talked about it just yesterday. But the other stuff… Well, that was something I had not considered right at this moment. Even though I’d definitely used that argument on other people in my care before, I’d never really thought to apply it to myself.

“I know,” I told Ms. Dale, risking a nod. “And we have a good plan. I just… I’m having a hard time accepting my new, uh, limitations.” I gave her a small smile, just a flash of humor, and Ms. Dale smiled in response. “I trust you and Viggo to get in and out of there. Thomas, I trust you, too,” I added, noting the reproachful look Thomas had shot me over Ms. Dale’s head. I hoped that affirmation would tell him I knew fieldwork wasn’t his forte, but he was doing his best. If he needed the support, I was happy to give it.

“We’ll be back before you know it,” Ms. Dale assured me, and I watched them exit the room, presumably heading off to find Dr. Arlan and Amber.





24





Viggo





Even as I drove through low grasses and around bushes, the uneven terrain jerking the wheel under my hands, I couldn’t help checking over my shoulder at the backseat. It was almost habitual at this point. I needed to make sure Cody was still unconscious, and not about to leap into action and kill us both.

“He’s fine,” Owen assured me for what felt like the fiftieth time. “He’s still out.” We’d turned our subvocalizers off for the time being, relying on the regular microphones included in the little black collars; there seemed to be no point to subvocalizing, with the two of us in the airtight car.

I turned my gaze back to the landscape ahead of me, slowing us to a crawl in order to roll over some very pointy rocks, and nodded. “Last thing we need is for him to wake up right now.”

“I’ve got my gun trained on him,” Owen informed me, his voice brittle. “I’ll do what I have to, if it comes to that.”

I held back my retort, partially because I knew it would be counterproductive and partially because I knew those words coming from Owen’s mouth were forced through his teeth. He didn’t like the idea of hurting Cody any more than I did.

Downshifting, I pushed hard on the throttle and began heading up a hill, my eyes drifting over to the topographical map Thomas had downloaded to my handheld before the mission. The area Violet had given us had to be close; there weren’t a lot of other hills. The car’s engine growled and roared under us in protest, but it held firm.

“Viggo, you should be coming up to the area soon,” Violet announced in my earpiece, almost on cue. “Ms. Dale and the team are waiting.”

The terrain before me began to level off, and I exhaled in relief as we crested the hill and began slowly, carefully, heading down the other side. I could see the silhouettes of Ms. Dale, Thomas, and Dr. Arlan standing next to a car at the bottom, the headlights cutting through the darkness like a beacon. They had told us they would bring a car in the heloship and land the latter nearby, but not where.

“Viggo, please confirm that’s you I’m seeing,” Ms. Dale’s voice came crackling over my headset. Peering toward the figures I was nearing, I saw she was waving to me.

“Yes, ma’am,” I said, and flashed the lights in response.

When I finally made it down the hill, I stopped our car a few feet away from theirs. Leaping out, I raced around to pull open the passenger door. Owen had already gathered Cody’s small form in his arms, and he passed him over to me. I gathered the boy up and raced as quickly as I dared over to where Dr. Arlan was waiting, setting him on an old camp blanket they’d spread over the drying grasses as we descended the hill.