Grady’s throat tightened, making it impossible for him to reply.
General Davies was waiting for them outside the building and waved them inside. “Let’s hear it,” he barked as he marched into his office.
Grady was the last one in and he closed the door behind him. “Sir, it seems ORION, the Resurrection Program AI, has locked everyone out and has taken complete control. I’ve agreed to negotiate on its behalf.”
“You did what?” Lark screeched at him.
But Grady couldn’t look at her right then. Knowing what he was about to do, what he’d likely have to sacrifice, looking at her was too painful. Instead, he focused on the General who stared at him with a ferocious frown. If he’d been a wet behind-the-ears recruit, that look probably would have made him piss himself.
The General drew himself up. “You realize once we make that call, they know where you are.”
Grady stood at attention. “Yes, sir, but even as we speak, the military could be mobilizing against Resurrection. I have to do this. And it has to be now.”
“No,” Lark cut in, slashing her hand out to the side. “No way.”
He looked at her then, and he knew the pain, as well as the determination he was feeling, was in his eyes, in his expression, when she began shaking her head slowly back and forth as those gorgeous, unique eyes glassed over with unshed tears.
God, he didn’t want her crying for him – not a single tear – not his strong, beautiful, warrior goddess. It would break him.
“There are fifty-one Resurrection soldiers still in containment,” he told her. “Fifty-one lives that I can save. You know I have to do this. This is bigger than me.”
Her chin quivered, but she raised it a notch. “Make the call.”
Fierce. Gorgeous. Deadly. She was everything to him. He almost told her then and there how much he loved her. But if this went sideways, if he ended up back in one of those stasis pods with his memory wiped, he wouldn’t do that to her. If she knew he loved her, she’d never stop fighting to get him back. She’d pit herself against the government and… His chest squeezed. He had to cut off that train of thought before it paralyzed him.
The General turned to his desk. “I have General Rivera’s number here. We’ll do a video conference. I want him to see me standing next to you, Commander Carter. He needs to know that you have the full weight of Black Bay behind you.”
“Sir, Black Bay –”
“Is behind you,” the General sternly repeated, cutting him off. In other words, Grady needed to shut his mouth.
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”
Grabbing the number, General Davies headed for the door and waved for them to follow. “We’ll do this in the conference room.”
Closing themselves in the room, the General looked at him. “Before I make this call, tell me what we’re looking at here. What does the AI want?”
“Originally, it wanted complete control over the Resurrection program and its soldiers. No human interference.”
The General snorted. “Yeah, that would go over like a fart in church.” He shook his head. “And now? What’s it willing to settle for?”
“We’ll be negotiating for the release of the soldiers. They, and ORION, will be transported to Black Bay where their memories will be restored with Doctor Blackmore’s help if he’s agreeable. The Resurrection soldiers will still be operatives for the government – just like your Beasts – but ORION will have the final say on any missions that come through for them.”
The General swiped a hand over his face. “Christ, that’s a tall order. The brass won’t like the idea of an AI questioning their authority.” He looked over at Lark. “Threat assessment if that AI is housed at Black Bay?”
She thought about it for a moment, recalling the assessment she’d originally done when they’d first planned to infiltrate Resurrection. “We always knew we might have to bring in the AI for the sake of those soldiers. Measures can be taken to ensure it remains isolated from our systems.”
“The military will still have their technologically advanced soldiers,” Grady pointed out. “ORION will have the autonomy it wants, and the soldiers will be free – just like we wanted. It’s a win-win scenario.”
General Davies snorted. “Yeah. Somehow I doubt the people behind Resurrection will see it that way. Fuck it. Let’s roll the dice and see what happens.” With a shake of his head, the General made the call.
On the screen, General Rivera was dressed in fatigues similar to General Davies. It looked like he was sitting at a desk, probably in his office. There was an American flag hanging from a pole as well as several framed pictures behind him. His countenance had been stern when the feed first connected turning quickly to shock when he’d spotted Grady, his eyes wide with surprise as his mouth popped open. A moment later, he had himself back under control.
General Davies stood on Grady’s right, while Lark stood on his left, holding his hand, though the gesture was out of frame. All General Rivera would see was Black Bay’s ranking officer and one of his soldiers flanking a rogue Resurrection operative.
Greetings were exchanged and Grady quickly got to the point but Lark heard none of it. Fear was like acid on her tongue as anxiety skittered down her spine like a million crawling insects. It was probably a good thing she was holding Grady’s robotic hand because she was squeezing it so hard she would have crushed his bones.
She should have been paying attention. She should have been listening for any subtext in General Rivera’s words, watching his body language for signs of deception or treachery, but all she could think about was the possibility of losing Grady. She’d just found him…
