“I’m calling foul. Right here, right now. These liberal fanatics have stolen the election and are getting away with it. We have video evidence of ballots being dropped off by the ton to skew the results.”

  “Alright, let’s see it then.”

  “Well, uh… I don’t have it here.”

  “Why?”

  “Because.”

  “Bucker, data transmission in the UHR is so fast you would only need a nanosecond to get the proof. The reason you don’t have it is that your proof doesn’t exist.”

  ~Live feed cut due to technical difficulties~ - From Bucker Jarlson Tonight – June 3, 3265.

  Thea hated when the squad had to separate. Last time they did, Candice had gotten shot on what was supposed to be a simple patrol mission. If a veteran Phantom from another squad hadn’t been there, she would have died. Too much time in the field was not a good excuse for losing a life, and that was a hill she was willing to die on.

  One of the smaller, less important things Jack had yet to master was remembering to cut out the rest of the squad when talking to Command. Most of the time, it was a boon that gave insight into what the higher-ups were thinking. Because of that, Spier Squad had unilaterally decided not to let the young optic know that his ‘private’ conversations weren’t so private after all.

  More information was good for the group, right?

  It was because of this oversight that everyone knew Command was splitting them up and it was not Hawkins’ idea. The number of times the LT stopped the conversation to confer with the captain proved just how much he opposed it.

  But in reality, what other choices were there?

  While the other three squads were almost finished with their missions, Spier was falling behind in the basement of some old factory. If the prior pace held, it wouldn’t be long before the enemy’s retreat turned this building into a last-ditch defense point.

  She wasn’t one for planning or tactics, but when you were in a squad composed of mostly planners, it didn’t take long for them to try explaining why the choices made were tactically sound.

  It was very annoying.

  “According to the map, we’re going to cross two more floors before reaching our target,” Dave said. “I say we check them for goodies… and prisoners. Worst case, we find someone and let them out.”

  The group strolled along without a care in the world, faceplates up as a map projected on the ground guided them. It was easy to mistake it as carelessness unless you saw the faint blue tint of a shield surrounding them.

  “Didn’t you hear Command? We don’t have time for bullshitting around,” Jenkins pointed out.

  “I did, but I also saw you go into your little trance and come back when Jack found the control room. The fact that we’re walking right now tells me you had some trouble. So now it’s Warren’s turn, and it’s only a matter of time before he has the security back in place.”

  “Then shouldn’t we meet up with them and be ready to leave?”

  “Pfft, no? We need to find something big enough to justify splitting the group. That means finding possible prisoners or a supply of Serum. If we can’t help locking things down, securing as many assets as possible is the next best thing,” Dave explained, making very valid points.

  Thea could understand why Jenkins would want to rush to rejoin the others, but trusting your fellow squadmates was a big part of being a soldier. If a person couldn’t lean on the other members of their squad, who could they lean on?

  Thea cleared her head with a shake and rejoined the squad chat. “Monroe, we are on the second to last floor now. I’m expecting at least a few prisoners.”

  “Copy that,” he replied, sounding strained.

  How odd.

  Upon opening the next door, they were greeted by the sight of a well-lit hallway with doors evenly spaced along the wall. Tasteful paintings proved it was either the nicest prison in history or sleeping quarters for factory workers held late into the night.

  “Jenkins, you’re with me on the left. West and Morningwood, you take the right. Leave nothing unsearched,” she said, pushing past the Aegis and through the first door. “Let’s get this finished so we can go home.”

  “You really miss Jack that much, huh?” Alec asked suggestively.

  “Not really, but I do want to get done with the assignment so that I can take my armor off.”

  The first twelve rooms were identical: small, with a bed at the center, and a bathroom off to the side. If the hallway didn’t scream hotel before, this more than confirmed the thought.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  When she opened the door to the thirteenth room, Thea saw something that would haunt her dreams for months to come.

  A woman hung from the light fixture by torn, bloody, and manacled wrists. Thea’s eyes followed the streaks of dry blood that curled around her arms. It was clear they had held this poor human in these horrific conditions for quite some time.

  Look at the eyes.

  No, no, she couldn’t bring herself to meet the unliving gaze of the damned.

  Instead, she looked down at the naked and beaten body, starved so badly she was barely more than skin and bones. How they’d managed this much suffering in such a short time, she’d never know.

  The eyes.

  But she wouldn’t. Couldn’t. Seeing those eyes would tear into her soul, and she knew it.

  It was incredible that she’d held on for as long as she did, especially considering the number of lacerations covering her body. Thea looked at the woman’s feet and saw several missing toes, each in different stages of healing.

  Or decay.

  Whoever had done this was sick beyond anything she’d ever seen, and that was after being exposed to two years of desensitizing training just to get her ready for this day. But being trained to see horror and actually experiencing it were two very different things.

  The eyes.

  There was nowhere else to look.

  Thea swallowed her revulsion; well aware she wouldn’t sleep for the next several months. She examined the body, bracing herself for the moment her gaze met those dull, lifeless eyes.

  A moan escaped lips that hadn’t seen moisture in days.

  Reacting on training alone, Thea rushed in and pulled the small Li-Tech knife she carried for when—not if—she needed to carve her way into an ally’s armor. Bringing it to life with the green Light of the Phantoms, she cut through the woman’s bonds.

  Dropping the knife, the medic caught the tortured woman before she could hit the floor.

  She was light, lighter than an adult human had any business being, and it made carrying her emaciated frame sickeningly easy as she moved to set the injured woman on a bed in the corner. The stark contrast of the white linens did nothing to make the situation any easier to stomach. In fact, watching blood stain the sheets felt like an apt allegory to the way this woman’s jailers had stained her soul.

  If Thea was going to save a life today, she had to act fast and with no hesitation.

  She called on her power, pushing her mind into the woman and healing the most grievous wounds first. Her chest and stomach had been flayed, peeled like an orange, and left to wither away. If that wasn’t enough, Thea found alarming levels of salt in the woman’s bloodstream.

  The sick bastard had peeled her skin away and literally rubbed salt on the wounds. Almost like they were trying to stop the inevitable infection before burning the raw tissue in a crude cauterization attempt. While it may have kept her alive, that much raw flesh exposed to the air for an extended period guaranteed illness.

  That she was still alive was nothing less than a miracle.

  Thea surged her power and encouraged new skin to grow over the burns. Even sped up by with Light, it still would cost too much in internal vitamins and minerals to fully heal her body.

  She could do so much with a fresh wound, but healing a body this broken took time and resources.

  Reaching into her med kit, Thea pulled out a pill so densely packed with various elements it could probably regrow a hand if the situation called for it. Without giving it a second thought, she shoved it into the woman’s mouth and forced her to swallow.

  It wasn’t pleasant, but was saving a life ever easy?

  Moments later, burned flesh gave way to a fresh layer of pink skin as the damage to her torso was slowly undone. Shifting her focus to other injuries, she felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her as she pushed more Light into the woman, healing multiple broken bones and repairing nearly every internal organ.

  With the skin regrown and organs restored, she started treating a deeply ingrained infection that—if left alone—would kill the woman just as effectively as the injuries themselves.

  It took every ounce of willpower she had not to fall over and give up on the patient. The sheer volume of Light channeled into this poor woman was more than anything Thea had ever used in a day, much less on a single person.

  After this, she was going to buy herself a drink, and if Jack was too busy with sergeant stuff to join her, too bad.

  An eternity passed while she worked on the victim. When Thea finally took a wobbly step back, she was shocked to find the entire ordeal had only taken ten minutes. With a deep breath, she looked at the girl’s uninjured face.

  She was pretty, but her eyes were still dull. If she walked away from this without severe mental trauma… well… there was no use hoping for what would never happen.

  “Wa-ter?” she gasped, still unable to speak clearly.

  “Right here,” Jenkins said, opening his faceplate and handing over a canteen. He hated being unable to do anything and was glad for the chance to help however he could. “Drink slowly. Who did this to you?”

  The girl took the offered beverage and drank deeply, completely ignoring the advice to take it slow. Several moments and an empty flask later, she focused her gaze on Thea, staunchly refusing to meet the Possessor’s gaze.

  “A man. I never saw more than an outline… he never turned on the light,” she whispered, rolling to her side and pulling her knees to her chest, “I only ever got flashes when the door opened, but I know he was human.”

  “What is your name? When were you born?” Thea asked, trying her best to focus on finishing what little triage she could remember.

  “Evee… No. My name is Evelyn. My friends, they called me Evee,” she replied, breaking into a fit of coughs. “I don’t know the rest. Are we getting away from here? From… him?”

  Responding to the coughing fit the same as she would any other illness, Thea used her power to push Light back into the freshly healed woman. As much as she wished to help more, the young Phantom just didn’t have the talent or knowledge to remove a curse as nebulous as Asthma.

  “Good job Evee. We can figure the rest out together in a little while. Can you stand? We need to get out of here. This is still a hostile zone.”

  “Ok,” she answered simply, but Thea could tell the knowledge of being in what was basically a war zone terrified her.

  As well, it should.

  She pulled herself to her feet and turned to Jenkins. “She’s coming with us. Did they find any others?”

  “I’ve been right here with you,” he replied, “I honestly don’t –”

  “Three,” Dave interrupted, “But they are all well past saving. I’m honestly surprised she was in good enough shape for you to bring back.”

  “It was close, but I’m confident Evee will make a full recovery in time.”

  “I’m sorry, miss Evee, but I must’ve left my manners on the ship,” he said, tipping an imaginary hat, “But we got no time to wait around here for you to get better. We’ve gotta move.”

  Dave walked to the bed and helped the dirty woman to her feet. With a surprising amount of care, he gently wrapped a sheet around her shoulders in a poor attempt to give her something to wear. He could tell she was scared and tired, but unfortunately, finishing the mission came first, and comfort came long after.

  He could apologize when they were all safe.