The devil if I know what, though.
“What’s that?” Fade asked, when it became clear I was keeping quiet.
“Special ops are initiatives undertaken for the good of the town, but not common knowledge to the other soldiers.”
“A dirty secret then,” I said.
“Not exactly, but I could see how it would sound that way. First, how familiar are you with what we’ve laid out here?” She indicated the map and all its markers.
I shrugged. “I can see what it is, but I don’t know what those wood pieces mean.”
“The black ones stand for settlements,” she explained. “And the red represents all the Mutie movements scouts have spotted in the vicinity.”
“Has the horde broken into smaller groups?” I asked.
“No. This is it.” The colonel touched the biggest red piece on the map.
It covered what looked like impressive ground in the middle of the territory, plus there were all the smaller forces to contend with as well. I had no idea it was this dire. Stalker probably did. And he didn’t tell you. And there was nothing I could do about it. I curled my hands into fists. My knives were paltry against such a threat.
“What do you want?” Fade asked. “It’s fine to show us how bad things are, but that’s not why you summoned us.”
“No. After talking to some of my men and hearing stories, some of which I don’t entirely believe, I’ve come to the conclusion that the two of you might be the best suited to undertake a mission for me.”
“Let me guess—” I started.
The colonel held up a hand. “Don’t waste my time with sarcasm. Hear me out. It’s a simple yes or no. We need info from a settlement to the northwest … and it’ll help us combat the Muties. But getting through enemy lines won’t be easy, and I need someone who’s used to traveling quick and quiet. Your mission is simple—avoid detection whenever possible, find Dr. Wilson, retrieve the scientific data, and get back here fast.”
Fade arched a brow. “Is he a medical doctor?”
Good question. If so, Tegan would want to meet him for sure. Now that her patients were better, she was currently working with the doctor in Soldier’s Pond, but she didn’t think highly of his skills. So maybe we could persuade Wilson to come to Soldier’s Pond. If he wasn’t used to travel, that might make the return journey difficult, but it’d be worth it to see her smile again.
But the colonel shook her head. “Not exactly. He’s a scientist, and he’s been studying the Muties for twenty years. Last contact we had, he was close to finding a weakness, something we can exploit to counter their greater numbers.”
“That won’t be enough,” I said. “You need an army, not facts and figures.”
Her expression went flat. “We have one, but I won’t send them out ill-prepared when Wilson could potentially save lives.”
“Your army is too small.” I had been thinking about this for a while, and the truth crystallized for me like candy Momma Oaks used to make. “The only way we win is for all the settlements to band together, pool their people and resources.”
She laughed at me, then shook her head ruefully. “It’s a nice idea, Deuce, but folks have gotten too used to their independence. We can barely come to consensus here, let alone get another town to agree on the action we should take. The territories have turned into a bunch of separate city-states … we haven’t cooperated in over a hundred years.”
I didn’t know what a city-state was, but it sounded counterproductive. It’s unlikely we can win this war with all the towns acting alone. But the colonel wasn’t interested in my advice, only in using me.
“Then we’ve already lost,” Fade said. “And this trip is pointless. We may as well go about our business until the horde swoops in. You’ll last longer since your fortifications are metal and you have an ammo stockpile, but sooner or later, they’ll overrun you.”
His assessment matched mine completely, and I gave a short nod. The colonel planted her hands on her hips, trying to stare us down, but it didn’t work. Silk had a much worse glare and her punishments had been truly cruel. I doubted the colonel had anything like that kind of ruthless streak—until she proved me wrong.
“Do you know what conscription is?” she asked me.
Immediately, I tensed, more at her tone than the word. “No.”
Her smile genuinely frightened me. “What about a draft?”
“Like when a cool wind gets in through cracks in the house?” I guessed that wasn’t it.
She shook her head, proving me right. “Historically speaking, armies and navies could demand that a person sign up for service and enforce that requirement by any means necessary in times of war. I’d say this qualifies, wouldn’t you?”
Since I’d long thought the Freaks weren’t just killing us for food—that they saw us as their enemies—I could hardly dispute her statement. So I stared at her hard, hoping she felt my active dislike. In her smooth tone, I sensed a trap; I just couldn’t make out its shape just yet.
“No need to answer. Your eyes speak plainly enough. So that being the case, I might have no choice but to call someone else up for active duty, if you refuse this mission.” She paused delicately, pacing a step or two, as if contemplating who it might be. “Your brother, Rex, perhaps. He seems strong, hearty enough.”
“You’d send Rex out into the wilderness? That’s the same as executing him. He doesn’t have the skills to survive.” The words burst out before I could stop them, showing the colonel that she had me exactly where she wanted me.
It didn’t matter what I thought of this task, or the relative worth of the information she wanted me to retrieve. Momma Oaks would be heartbroken if anything happened to her sole surviving son, especially after the sack and pillage of Salvation. She was clinging to the tatters of faith that a rough life had left her, and I’d do anything to keep her cheerful spirit as bright as it could be. I bit down on my lower lip against the curses that sprang to mind, some I’d learned from Gary Miles and his cohorts, but somehow I doubted I would succeed in shocking the colonel, now watching me with a faint smile.
“That’s up to you,” she said softly. “I won’t risk my own people, and I need that data.”
Fade growled, taking a step toward her. I threw out a hand, not touching him but keeping him from going after her. He wasn’t altogether rational when people threatened me, and this qualified. But it was more emotional duress than physical danger, and he knew it, which was probably why he stood down at my gesture. By his look, he was furious, however—and so was I.
“Don’t expect me ever to join your military,” I said in a low, lethal tone. “You’ll get this one job out of me, and nothing more, ever. Plus, I have some terms.”
Her mouth twitched. “I can’t wait to hear this.”
“Clear the room.”
“My advisors are privy to anything you—”
I drew a knife and spun it in my palm, a habit that had unnerved the men in Salvation. “I said, clear the room. I won’t ask twice.”
She appeared to come to a rapid decision. “Everyone out. Give us five minutes.”
“But, Colonel,” one of the men protested, and she waved away his concern.
“If I can’t keep one girl from killing me, then you need someone else leading your armed forces. Post a guard at the door and see that we’re not disturbed.”