Eventually, after what felt like a lifetime of waiting, they heard a soft banging on the lounge door.

Kayla rushed over, but paused as her sudden chill ran up her spine. She had to be absolutely certain.

“Rose’s call sign…?” she said through the door, and raised her pistol.

There was a short pause, then “Bunny,” came the muffled response.

Kayla threw the door open, and sagged with relief as she saw the familiar Rangers waiting out in the hall. When Thandi walked in, Kayla threw her arms around her and squeezed with all the strength she had left.

“Ow, careful!” Thandi complained. “I got hit. Lord have mercy, what happened to you?”

“Paid my idiot tax. I cannot explain how goddamned happy I am to see you.”

“Me too,” Thandi said with a smile, then she scowled. “But stop cursing.”

“How was it in the valley?”

“A little hairy, but the squad took care of me.”

Kayla did her best to explain what had happened to the Tiger teams, and her confrontation with Rayker, though she struggled to talk sense as she blinked back tears.

“Why didn’t you contact anyone?” Ash demanded.

“I didn’t get any radio signal until you girls came inside. I uh… couldn’t figure how to patch into the Raider’s signal boosters,” she said, and blushed at her failure.

Ash cursed. “No, you can’t—I just realized. They use a different protocol to our suits. I cannot believe nobody thought about that in the planning room.”

Kayla nodded meekly, relieved that she didn’t have another addition to her list of mistakes.

Ash, meanwhile, was all business. She strode over to Weslan. “Are you with the research team? Are you all in this area?” she demanded.

Weslan nodded.

“Okay, get them all assembled, we’re getting you out.”

“Wait—” he stammered “who are you all?”

Ash gave him a look. “The people with guns telling you what to do,” she said impatiently.

Kayla exchanged an alarmed look with Thandi.

Weslan rushed away to knock on the doors, and slowly the young scientists emerged, staring wide eyed at the filthy, bloody-soaked, and armed women who had occupied their lounge.

“Kalya, listen, things are bad up there,” Thandi said somberly. “Just as we came in here, we heard a dropship had been shot down.”

“Which dropship?” Kayla asked, as a stab of dread reminded her that Christie had been assigned to a ship orbiting the battlefield.

“I don’t know. The task force is dealing with it.”

Ash had been communicating their situation to Lieutenant Akane, but turned back to them. “Yeah Vipers, they are dealing with it,” she said sternly. “All our problems are contained in this room right here. Don’t get distracted by things we cannot affect.”

“I saw where they have the machines,” Kayla said, “And Weslan here, uh… he knows how the drones work.”

“Not interested,” Ash said. “We have a solid attainable objective before us. Valenti’s squad is holding down our exit route. We should escort these civilians out through the tunnels, and then we can evac them.”

“How?” Thandi objected. “They cleared the airspace completely.”

“Our company is holding a main line of resistance. So, we can walk the civilians out through the mountains.”

“That’s more dangerous than you think,” Kayla argued. “They don’t have anything more than jeans, sneakers, and jackets to wear. It’s seriously cold outside your suit.”

“Well, that’s a risk we will have to take, because that is our job right now,” Ash insisted.

“And just leave the Task Force to fight it out?” Kayla demanded, incredulously.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“That is their job,” Ash said, though she didn’t seem enthusiastic about the idea.

“What about the crew of the dropship?”

Ash just shrugged. “Listen, I’m a lance-corporal and you are a private, so stop arguing, and do as you’re told.”

“Aren’t you forgetting the Commander’s Intent?” Kayla insisted, describing the general guidance all Rangers were expected to use their initiative to follow. “Destroy or disable the Jotnar device? We won’t get a better chance to do that.”

Ash walked right up to Kayla and stared her down. “When I want the opinion of an FNG, I will give it to you,” she snapped.

“I’m pretty sure,” Kayla shot back, cold fury in her eyes, “that Ranger doctrine does not require me to obey an order that I believe to be contradictory to the mission.”

Ash snorted. “Oh yeah, hot shot Kayla Barnes! Hangs around with the big girls for a week and thinks she knows everything. You have an attitude problem, and I can see the consequences of it all over your body.”

Kayla stared right back, unblinking. “I’m not your squad member today,” she said calmly. “I am a Tiger call-sign, and if you leave, I will figure this out on my own.”

“Screw you!” Ash yelled.

“Ash, you need to settle down right now,” Ray said, as her eyes flicked between the two Rangers. “You’re about to give away our position.”

“Yeah—yeah, got it,” Ash muttered, her cheeks going red.

Kayla drew a deep breath. She felt the situation was getting desperately beyond her control, and she couldn’t allow it. But short of leaping on Ash like she had Rayker—and she was becoming tempted— she didn’t know what else she was supposed to do.

Fortunately for her, Ray was calm and thoughtful, standing in the center of the room like she was at a bar deciding what to order.

“Look at it this way,” Ray said to Ash, in a measured tone. “With Valenti’s squad we have fifteen Vipers here, and it won’t require all of us to get the civilians out. We know the route is clear. Maybe we should hear Kayla out.”

Ash stared at her angrily, then looked away and shrugged. “Fine. Whatever”. She slouched into one of the sofas, and ripped off her helmet with a scowl on her face.

Kayla ushered Weslan into the center of the room, while the assembled Rangers took a knee or found a seat where they could.

“So, you were saying earlier,” Kayla began “that you can feed these things a directive that will pass through to all of the drones it meets?”

Weslan nodded. “Yes, sort of like ants—”

“Is that because you designed them that way?” Ash interrupted, the accusatory tone evident in her voice.

“Lance-Corporal Naaji, you can shut your mouth right now!” Kayla snapped.

Not a single Ranger spoke, as Ash looked away in anger.

“Keep going Weslan,” Kayla said, encouragingly.

“W-well yes, the um… control system can start with a single input if we select the right pheromone to apply…” his voice trailed off, and Kayla waited patiently.

He continued, “I was trying to create a system that could disable them all, that I could build in secretly. But I couldn’t finish it, and I don’t know if they found out and created some kind of protection. And yes, I am the designer. I am responsible for everything that is happening.” He put his head in his hands.

“Wes,” Kayla said as she placed a hand on his arm. “Whatever you did, I know that you were tricked, or had no choice—but that is a problem we will address tomorrow. Right now, I need you to tell me how this transformation process works so we can try and disable these things.”

Weslan explained how the chambers transformed people, and how Rayker had been programming the changes he had applied to animals into the chamber control system.

“But I have never used that control pad. I don’t know how it works,” he finished, hopelessly.

“If we can get you to that control pad, I know you can figure it out Wes—you’re the smartest guy I know.”

He shook his head slowly, then stopped. “I will try. But you will need a subj- you will need to put someone in there and transform them.”

“Should be some soldiers still around,” Kayla said, and glanced warily at Ash.

The acting squad leader blinked tired eyes, and sighed. “So now we need to capture a soldier and get to these chambers, which are presumably well guarded. What about the primary target—Rayker? You said she was very dangerous?”

“Nanite enhanced for sure, somehow,” Kayla said. “Way stronger than any of us.”

“We could try and distract her,” Thandi suggested.

“That is not a plan!” Ash groaned. “That is called half-assing it.”

Kayla thought for a moment. “It’s a really big hall, and it’s a mess with all the machinery in there.”

“So what?”

“What if one group initiates a firefight, while another uses the cover to sneak around the back, and get to the chambers unobserved?” Kayla continued. Even if they spot us, they’ll be hesitant to shoot back for fear of damaging the equipment. If we win the fight, we can carry out Weslan’s plan, but if things don’t go well, we should at least be in a position to destroy the whole system.”

Ash ran a hand over her face, wiping off some of the grime. She glanced at Ray, then shook her head.

“This isn’t our call,” she said. “This goes to Captain Aguilar.” She reached for her helmet. “Got a problem with that Barnes?”

“No, Lance-Corporal,” Kayla answered, as respectfully as she could manage.

They waited while Ash explained their situation and plan to their commander. The captain took a moment to process this information before replying.

“We are barely containing the situation out here,” she said, “so I can’t send anyone else down to you. Do you have what you need to pull this off?”

Ash hesitated. “I… would prefer to have more Vipers. I don’t know.”

Aguilar’s response came immediately “Lance-Corporal, you are closest to the problem. You need to decide.”

Ash stared grimly at Kayla before she responded. “We’re going to do it. It’s a risk, but one worth taking.”

“Give ‘em hell Viper—out,” Aguilar finished.

Ash signed off the call looking miserable, then radioed Valenti, who agreed to send two members from her squad to join them.

“Okay,” Ash said when she was ready, “So who’s going to be fighting, and who’s going to try and sneak up to this machine?”

Kayla saw the assembled Rangers and scientists watching her. She had a responsibility to everyone in the room and the valley.

“I’ll sneak,” she said firmly. “It’s kind of my thing.”

Ash looked at her skeptically, but Thandi quickly backed her up. “She’s not kidding Ash, Kayla can turn invisible when she wants to.”

“Fine. Come on then—let’s do a gear check and get ready to move.”