The Drowned Cities (Ship Breaker #2)(38)

“Sir?”

“We’re not going back. We’re staying right here.” He looked out at the jungle. “That doctor and his girl haven’t come back, and I won’t leave until I see them again.”

“They rabbited. No way they’ll come back while we’re around. Might not even come back at all. Jungle’s got them now.”

“We’ll have to give them a reason, then.”

“You want them executed?”

Sayle shook his head. “No, I want to know why they left with all their medical supplies. Most of these civvies, they run with food, or a weapon. But these people took their meds.”

“Meds are valuable. He’s a doctor. The girl’s practically a barefoot doctor herself, even with that stump. I’d take meds, too.”

The lieutenant nodded slowly, but then he said, “You noticed that when the girl arrived, she was running? Out of breath. Panicked?”

“Everyone’s panicked when they run into us.”

“But she was running before she saw us. We surprised her.”

Ocho suddenly got it. “You think she was running from something?”

The lieutenant nodded. “It would have to be something big, don’t you think? To scare a war maggot like her? Castoff that’s already seen plenty of blood. Plenty of pain.” He gazed out at the greenery below. “I think she saw something very frightening out there.”

“You think that dog-face got its teeth in her somehow?” Ocho couldn’t hide the doubt. “That seems pretty far-fetched.”

“How long have we been together, Sergeant?”

“Years.” Lifetimes.

“Have I ever led you astray? Wasted work on an operation that wasn’t worthwhile? That didn’t take the fight to the enemy, and come back with trophies for the cause?”

“No, sir.”

“I think there are still a few questions worth asking, here in this little town.”

“But the Colonel wants us to head back. He won’t go easy on us if we don’t jump.”

Sayle didn’t say anything.

Ocho tried again. “You really think that dog-face is still alive?”

“I want to see its body.”

“What difference does it make? Colonel doesn’t care.”

“He does, actually. That dog-face survived in the pits for months.”

“Yeah. Epic ring. But we’re dead if we don’t head back to the front. Stern will execute all of us.”

“Stern executes soldiers who fail. It’s one thing to loaf out here when the fighting is there, but this is a different case, and demands different thinking.” The lieutenant shook his head. “And the Colonel rewards results. The UPF won’t be able to hold now that AOG has those 999s. Those cross-kissers will cut more artillery deals, and more scavenge contracts, and the tide will move against us. We’ll lose our access to ammunition and weapons, and we will be forced to retreat. The 999s are changing everything. In another year, we could be as lost as Tulane Company.”

“What’s that got to do with the dog-face?”

“How much do you know about augments… half-men? How much do you know?”

Ocho rubbed his ribs, thinking about how the dog-face had come after him. “All I need to know is that I don’t want to fight one again.”

Sayle laughed at that. “Have you ever wondered why dog-faces haven’t taken over the world? They’re better than us. Faster. Stronger. Many of them are smarter. Perfect tacticians. Built for war, from day one.”

“Oh, you mean they’re war maggots,” Ocho joked.

Sayle smiled. “There are similarities. Trial by fire hardens us all. But I’ll tell you, that half-man should already be dead.”

“I never thought it would beat those panthers.”

“No.” Sayle shook his head impatiently. “Not like that. Most half-men, when they’re trapped, forced to fight for nothing other than survival, they don’t last. They pine for their masters, and they die. It’s a fail-safe. So they can’t be turned. So they can’t go rogue against their wealthy masters. So they can’t raise a flag for themselves.

“The worst nightmare of any general would be an army of augments gone rogue. They are faster, stronger, and smarter than the average human being. If they were independent as well?” He shook his head. “It would be disastrous. And so when they are cut off from their own, or lose their masters, they die.”

Ocho puzzled on that for a little while. “But that one didn’t die.”

“That’s right, soldier. That one didn’t die. It bided its time. It survived for months, and then it escaped, and it tore a hole in us and ours. It’s all alone, but it’s still alive and running.”

“So what do you think you can do with it? It’ll rip our throats out if we find it. Practically did, already.”

The lieutenant shrugged. “Let’s just say that it might have a use.”

“If it’s still alive.”

“It’s out there.” Sayle stared out at the jungle. “It’s out there, and that castoff knows where it is. If we find the girl, we find the half-man.” He looked over at Ocho. “I have a job for you, Sergeant. It’s time for you to redeem yourself.”