The van rolled on for about fifteen minutes. Jason clutched at his stomach as every second tied a small knot inside him and stole another oxygen atom from each breath. A faint image of Satara glared down at him from the white roof of the van and he closed his eyes.

She's gonna kill me. She's gonna kill me. She's gonna –

“Everyone awake?” asked Lala, peering out through the tiny window up at the front.

“Just about,” said Judy as she laughed along with Pam.

He caught Melissa's eyes a second before she looked away. How long had she been watching me?

“We're going to stop in five minutes to get Sinja aboard.” Lala's gaze found him. “Do you mind pulling back the covers for him?”

“Sure.” Jason tried to stand and held onto the sides of the van as he failed.

“Might want to wait until we've actually stopped though, sugar.” She laughed at him.

“Right.” He sat back down and tried to breathe the colour away from his face.

He thought Melissa stifled a giggle but didn't look to confirm it. Tara definitely would've shaken her head at me too. Not long after, the camper van slowed to a stop with a slight bump. Muted voices reached them through the metal walls and Jason dragged back the duvet on the lower bunk right before the side door opened. Lala protected Sinastar's head from the top of the doorway as Dee carried him in on his back. Together they placed him safely on the bed and tucked the duvet around him as if he were a child.

“I couldn't see any surface wounds,” said Dee as he backed out of the van. “Ken can check him over once we get back.”

“Okay. Did you tell Tasha already?” Lala smiled as if she were waiting to watch an episode of her favourite TV series.

“She knows. Rob's going to head back to the house now.” He turned to the rest of them. “We'll probably take about half an hour to get there. I'm sure Lala's already told you about the snacks. If you need the toilet, we can stop once on the way.”

“That should be fine,” said Judy after she met each of their eyes in turn.

“Good.” He glanced at Lala again. “If I missed anything, you know what to do.”

“Stop pretending you make mistakes,” she said. “Sinja's the only one who can pull that off and still look cute.”

“I stopped listening after you said mistakes.” He closed the door before she could say anything else.

“Don't mind Dee too much,” said Lala. She settled down in the corner opposite Jason. “He gets shy sometimes.”

I don't think shy is the right word …

“Are you two –?” Melissa smiled.

He'd caught her with the same knowing expression whenever he spoke to Satara for longer than five seconds.

“Maybe in his dreams, baby.” The older woman smiled. “How about you and Mister Hottie here?”

The blonde girl shook her head. “No, we're –”

“We only met yesterday,” he said shortly.

“Aaaah. I thought you were staring at Sinja a bit too much anyway.” Lala winked at him. “I've got to warn you though, boi. You've got a lot of competition –”

Satara's previous jibes sat at the back of his mind like itchy patches just out of reach and he fought to keep the scowl off his face. Why does everyone think I fancy Sin?

“Dee mentioned someone called Ken,” said Judy. “Is he a doctor?”

“No, but he can work most of our machines better than we can,” she replied. “If there's anything wrong on the inside, I'm sure he'll find it. If not, one of our medics can have a look at him.”

Judy's green eyes slid in Jason's direction, silently consulting him. You can't tell them about zai. If they know already, they can tell us first. We've already let too many people see it without Sin knowing.

“I know you probably can't tell us much,” she continued as if she had heard his thoughts aloud. “But what does your agency do? And how did you meet Spy?”

“Hmm, how do we tell you what you want to know without telling you anything we shouldn't?” Lala reached into a cabinet above the bunk beds and retrieved a bag of cheese and onion flavoured Walkers crisps. “Do any of you want some?”

“D'you have prawn cocktail?” asked Melissa.

“Let me check.” Lala dragged out a multipack and rummaged through it. “Here you go.”

She held out the pink packet but it was just out of reach. Jason bridged the gap and passed it to Melissa without a second thought.

“Oh.” Her underlying anger faltered around her manners. “Thanks.”

“No worries.” I'll say sorry once we're get to that place and no one else is staring. I don't need Lala buying popcorn to watch us.

“We check out weird cases and support people who can't handle their situation properly.” Lala laughed at an apparent inside joke and pulled a face at them.

“Support them how?”

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

“That's the part I can't tell you, babes.” She shrugged with a smile. “I'm sure you'll get an idea once we get back to base.”

Base? Are they part of the army? Jason's heart sank to his stomach and started to beat fast again. Did Sin work for them? Why would he work for the military when he's not even from here?

Sinastar's face had a little more colour to it and every breathe seemed to fill more of his chest. Are they gonna see the bullet holes on the scan? They might start asking questions before he wakes up, before we find Tara and I can't tell them truth unless they already know about zai. But how else am I supposed explain why he's not dead already?

The crunch of crisps filled the silence in between their conversations. As promised, they stopped once at a service station and visited the bathroom in turns. Jason stayed in the camper van but peeked through the curtains. They were too far from the town. Satara would never be able find them on her own and the distance between them pressed down on his chest.

You're safe, right? Saytarnia didn't find you, did she? Did she make you go with her? If not – The chill of the window pane reached his forehead through the curtain twisted around his fingers. – why didn't you tell us anything before you left?

<><><><><>

He jerked awake as the van stopped and bounced off Lala's shoulder.

“Easy, sugar.” She nudged him. Her eyes were now a vibrant hazel instead of dark brown. “We only just met and you're a little too fresh for an ace like me.”

“Damn it.” He rubbed his eyes with a grin. Melissa's mouth was a thin line as she looked away from him. I need to say sorry before she burns a hole in my head. “Where are we?”

“Home sweet home,” said Lala. “For us agents, at least.”

She removed the duvet from Sinastar before Dee opened the side door. Petrol, rubber, and metal assailed his nostrils and he stood up without meaning to.

“Dem's getting the stretcher,” said Dee, who was now clean shaven with short hair instead of dreadlocks. Were they all disguised? “You can take them in now.”

“Okay.” Lala exited the camper van and beckoned then with a wave. “Let's go, babes.”

“What about Sin?” Jason hesitated beside bunk bed.

“I'll stay with Spy,” said Judy at the same time.

“We're taking him to the infirmary,” said Dee.

“We'll go with him.” She stepped out of the van

Jason followed her alongside Melissa and Pam and turned in a full circle to take in the semi illuminated depot. “Whoa …”

Several black and forest green trucks with open backs lined the walls at the far end, separated by various vans without number plates, all the way to a huge shutter that rolled down to seal them off from the rest of the world. Quad bikes and motorcycles were parked at seemingly random intervals along the opposite wall. Old fire assembly point posters hung off the walls and several pillars that split the large space up into sections.

“Sure but I'm going to need you to answer a few questions first, ma'am.” The mildly cheerful courier persona vanished completely. Dee looked and sounded like a drill sergeant despite his Ikea outfit. “What's your name and what exactly is your relationship with Sinja?”

“I'm Dr Judy Delgado and Sp-Sinja's my patient.” Despite the upward tilt of her chin, Judy raked a hand through her hair the same way she had on the clinic rooftop.

“Is he sick?” Dee glanced at the van and folded his arms behind him.

“He's – I'm a licenced therapist.”

“Therapist?” Lala's tone matched her incredulous grin but not the solemnity in her gaze it shifted to their leader.

“He came to you for therapy?” His eyebrows lowered.

He's not buying it. Nausea trickled into Jason's stomach as if the questions were directed at him. Even though it's the truth.

Judy hesitated. “He did but I can't tell you any more than that without –”

“– breaching his confidentiality. You don't need to explain that to us.” Dee raised a hand and looked at Pam and Melissa. “What about these two?”

“Melissa's one of my patients too,” said Judy. “Pam's her mum and my friend. They let us hide with them after Spy was attacked.”

“Attacked?” His eyes narrowed. “By who?”

“I – I don't know.” She looked away from his face. “They ambushed us in my clinic.”

Tara was right. She really did have something to do with it. Jason stepped back, closer to the van, and rubbed his bare arms. Lala took out her mobile as soon as Dee looked her way and tapped at the screen before holding it out to him.

“The police are all over it already,” she said.

“We're going to need someone over there.” He barely muffled a groan. “Where's Co-Jo?”

“I don't know if he's back yet but I'll give him a call.” Lala wandered several steps away and placed the phone to her ear.

“We got attacked before.” Jason gulped as they all looked at him. “When we were were on our way here. I don't know if it's the same people but I think they might be.”

“Okay. We can talk about that later.” Dee's gaze flitted to Judy before he peered around back end of the van. “What's taking him so long? He's only supposed to get the stretcher.”

“He got ambushed by a wild combat instructor,” muttered a man with a long brown ponytail as he guided the stretcher around the other end of the camper van without scratching it.

“My bad,” said a woman with sculpted arms from the other side of the wheeled stretcher. “You gonna bring him out or should I?”

Jason tried to pull down the sleeves of his T-shirt unsuccessfully. They should have a gym here, right?

“We should let her,” said Lala as she came off the phone, bumping her forearm against the other woman's shoulder. “It's been years –”

“Just hold the stretcher properly,” growled Dee. He snapped his fingers at Jason. “You can give me a hand.”

What if I don't wanna? Their attention poked his back as he followed the agent and helped him retrieve Sinastar from the bunk bed. Wow, this is really starting to get annoying now. Pam and Melissa joined in wordlessly, supporting Sinastar's body until he was on the stretcher.

“Jeez,” murmured their driver, blinking faster than before.

“My thoughts exactly,” said the woman with black hair. Her grip tightened around the side rails. “What happened?”

“Someone ambushed him.” Dee's gaze slid towards Judy. “I haven't found out exactly who yet.”

The newcomer's vivid blue eyes followed the movement. “Who's the new chicky?”

“His therapist,” said Judy.

“Therapist?” She looked the other woman up and down with a dismissive snicker, then turned to Jason. “Okay. Are those your kids?”

“Melissa's my daughter,” said Pam with a tight smile. “I'm Pam.”

“And you're here because –?”

Damn, she's got no chill. Jason swallowed. It'd probably be a bad idea to ask what she does on arm day.

“They're here for debriefing, Tasha.” Dee gestured at him. “The red head's with Sinja.”

Aaah, so she's Tasha. He didn't bother reminding the older man that he had a name in case they both looked at him at the same time.

“What?” She turned to their leader with a barely suppressed frown and he suddenly wanted to apologise. “Why?”

“I'll explain later.” Dee waved at Lala before she could ask anything else. “What did Co-Jo say?”

“He's heading there now.” Lala rubbed her arms, bared by her white T-shirt. “Let's go inside, Dee. It's cold out here.”

“Stop pretending you can feel it through all that insulation.” Tasha tucked the thin sheet around Sinastar's body with a wan smile.

“Oh my god, gurl, it's muscle.” groaned Lala. “How many times do I have to tell you?”

But she placed a hand over the other woman's on the side rail before they steered the stretcher back around the van and towards a doorway on the other side.

Judy followed at once and before long they were all walking down a corridor with soft terracotta walls and no windows. Small security cameras were wedged against the ceiling at regular intervals as if to keep an eye on the doors that lined the corridor.

Despite the constant feeling of being watched, it was considerably warmer inside and Jason suppressed a shiver as he realised how cold it had been in the depot. Dee led the way with the driver half a step behind. The latter placed a hand beside the pillow under Sinastar's head and occasionally glanced back as if he doubted he was awake. Lala and Tasha pushed the stretcher whilst Pam and Judy walked close behind, leaving him at the back with Melissa.

“Hey.” He waited until she looked at him. “You okay?”

Her gaze roved his face before she shrugged. “Yeah. I guess.”

“Cool.” He cleared his throat. “Uh, about earlier, I was just –”

It would have probably been easier to stop and apologise. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about the rest of them listening in. But the thought of facing her was about as inviting as being asked to step on a plug. She didn't say anything but the muted twinkle in her eyes lightened the words he needed to say.

“– I'm sorry for being a bad word.”

“Which bad word?” She twirled the end of her plait around one hand and hid a grin behind it.

“I can't tell you. Your mum'll kick my butt.”

“Not everyone's out to hurt you, you know?” She pulled a face. “I can't believe I just said that. Forget it. I won't tell if you won't.”

“Are you asking me to talk dir-?” The others stopped up ahead in front of a door marked as infirmary one and he gulped the rest of the question.

“Nope.” Melissa smiled slyly at him but looked away as he stared at her. “I still haven't bought you that Coke yet.”

Did she just –? He chuckled and it didn't sound like a rake being dragged across concrete.

“Where's your boy, Tasha?” asked Dee a second before the door opened. “I thought I said to have him –”

“– Everything's ready, captain,” said the boy in the doorway with a slight, highly missable bow.

He flicked the hair back from his light grey eyes as he straightened up, revealing his apparently signature fake smile. Shock lifted an accusing finger on Jason's behalf and pushed the words out of his mouth.

“What the –? What're you doing here?”