The Last Mission of the Living (The Last Bastion #2)(110)

“Martel.” Lindsey remembered the dinner reservation she’d uncovered while snooping. “She’s your...” Lindsey hesitated, remembering her conversation with Torran about relationship titles. The memory caused more pain than she’d ever dreamed. They’d never even agreed on what to call each other.

“She’s my girlfriend. Or I thought she was. And she’s in the Gaia Cult.”

“You had no idea, did you?”

Dr. Curran shook her head sorrowfully. “No, I didn’t. But upon reflection, I can see now how she seduced me. I always loved her, but she was always romantically entangled with men and didn’t show any inclination toward returning my affections. Then, soon after the liberation of the valley, she reached out to me and suggested we get reacquainted over dinner. At first, I thought maybe it was my newfound celebrity that attracted her, but she convinced me it was love. That she’d been in denial.”

Lindsey rubbed her lips together, not really wanting to feel bad for the scientist, but she actually did. “That’s really f*ckin’ awful.”

“Yes, well, we’re all fools for love at some point. Look at what the castellan did for Maria. I never dreamed he loved her so much.” Dr. Curran wistfully sighed, then returned to her chair.

“What happens next?”

“They’ll talk to you. Hope you see the error of your ways and embrace the future by helping them find Maria. Which you should do if you want to live.” Dr. Curran’s voice was somber and devoid of warmth.

“Is that a threat?” Again, Lindsey wondered if this was the interrogation. Was Dr. Curran lying to her? Creating false sympathy? Or was there something more at play?

“No, Vanguard Rooney, it’s just reality.”

“Then reality can shove it up its *,”

Anger was keeping Lindsey from despair. There had to be a way out of the situation. She’d never allow Gaia Cult to find Maria. That would doom everyone in the city. The idea of tricking them came to mind. She could maybe use the remote communication cloud to divert the Gaia Cult to a wrong location, but Carter was a concern. He’d probably be watching her every little move if they allowed her near the equipment to transmit messages to Maria, and it was uncertain if his skills matched her own. Maybe it was arrogance, but she doubted he could best her.

“Listen to what they have to say,” Dr. Curran urged. Tilting her head down, the scientist moved her lips, but didn’t say actual words. It took Lindsey a few seconds to finally figure out what she was mouthing.

I have a plan.



*



The three prisoners were being escorted down a long corridor and Torran was still struggling to wake up completely. It had been disorienting and infuriating to return to consciousness strapped to a bed. He’d been relieved to see Lindsey was all right, but unnerved by the presence of Dr. Curran.

“Bloody hell,” Torran growled, rubbing the top of his head vigorously with his bound hands. “How many of those damn things did they hit us with?”

“Enough,” Dr. Curran replied.

When he dropped his hands, Lindsey shifted her bound wrists so she could intertwine her fingers with his. There was no point in denying their relationship in front of the people who’d seen him leap into a river to save her. There was also a strong possibility they’d been watched before the food retrieval mission had even become a reality.

“No touching,” Carter ordered.

Lindsey gave the man a dark look, but let go of Torran.

“It’ll be okay,” Torran said to Lindsey.

“If you cooperate,” Yates interjected. Her short blond hair was slicked back from her face making her appear even more imposing.

The two women had been filling him in on their circumstances when his former squad members had come to claim them. Carter, Yates, and Ramirez had stripped their armor of their insignias and now wore Gaia Cult armbands. All three had remained unresponsive to every question hurled at them while they were releasing Lindsey and Torran from the bed restraints. The Cultists had then shackled their prisoners’ wrists and ankles, making it difficult to walk. Dr. Curran, apparently having gained some of the trust of the Cultist, was left unrestrained.

Now Torran stumbled beside Lindsey through the new headquarters of the Gaia Cult. Since there wasn’t power in the facility, remote generators were tucked near doorways to give power only to certain areas. It left most of the floor in the dark, which was disconcerting. Torran found it amusing that a group so adamantly against tech were dependent on its use.

The prisoners were escorted into a large room that had once been the primary hub of the rescue center. There was a lot of damage to the room, and upon closer inspection, Torran saw it was probably from the evacuation. Entire consoles had been yanked out of the walls. A few of the old screens were operational, and Torran saw more of his former squad members working to restore others.

Meanwhile, Chief Defender Solomon sat in the command chair, observing their approach. As they stepped into the room, she gave them a disquieting smirk. “Welcome.”

“You have a strange way of making people feel welcomed,” Torran said, holding up his bound wrists.

“And this place doesn’t really feel all that welcoming,” Lindsey added, looking about the room. “Not very safe either.”

“I beg to differ, Vanguard Rooney,” Solomon said. “When this facility was built, it was claimed that no Scrag could ever breach the doors. It was created to survive in the worst outbreak. This declaration was actually correct. The Scrags didn’t breach the doors. Gaia Liberation opened them. One floor after the other. Except for the one at the far end of the hall. We kept that one closed so we could return for needed equipment after the facility was abandoned.” Solomon pointed at one of the screens that revealed a stairwell packed with Scrags. “So if you’re worried about security, I can assure you: we’re safe.”