I bolted after Stanton, wrenched open the hidden door at the top of the dais he had retreated through and followed.

Every fiber in my being howled against leaving Valrea alone with that monster. But she was strong. Stronger than anyone had realized.

She’d asked me to save Vicki and let her finish it.

So I would.

The corridor opened into an empty room. Scattered chairs, a few workstations, all switched on, but nothing on the screens. And two doors leading away.

I spun, searching for clues. Both doors were slid open, both silent. Nothing on the ground, no tracks to guide me.

Then I caught the faintest scent.

Like Valrea’s, but not quite the full sweetness of narla fruit. Something close, something related.

Vicki.

The hunt was on again.

There were fewer guards than I had expected as I tore through the building, all distracted, even a few with their helmets pushed back. None seemed interested in challenging me.

Outside the scent was fainter, but still enough to follow. A crowd had gathered, gaping at the open sky. Murmurs swelled through the crowd, an angry restless sound. Abril and Caze’s campaign had watered the seeds of discontent that the General’s authoritarian rule had planted.

The destruction of the dome had forced them to flower. Time to get out of here, take back what I’d learned. Come back with the Pack, ready to strike.

As soon as we had Vicki.

I followed her scent, and realized where Stanton was heading. The landing pad. He was getting out, making a break for it.

Not a chance.

I put on a burst of speed until, through the crowd, I saw him, about to cross into the smooth, paved area.

Gripping the blaster, I considered cutting him at the knees. But even stopped, he could still kill the child out of spite before I reached him.

A clean headshot wasn’t possible, jostled by the crowd. And aiming for the torso, I risked hitting Vicki myself.

I broke through the crowd, saw the landing pad wasn’t quite as smooth as it had been. A few ships tilted crazily near the middle and the paving had cracked, broken.

Maybe we hadn’t been as careful with the explosives as we should have been.

Leaping over a torn section of hull, I drew closer, the pounding of my feet like drums in the still air.

Then he spun, wiggling the blaster in his hand, pressed hard into the soft underside of Vicki’s chin.

“I know all about you animals.” He spat, lip curled. “You wouldn't think twice about taking a shot. Probably wouldn't even phase you. But if you know what's good for this brat, you'll stay back.”

I snarled, but obeyed. For now.

He continued walking, turned slightly sideways. I stalked behind him, waiting for my chance. A lapse in his attention, a stumble on the newly uneven surface, the bag strapped over his shoulder to slip.

But he was focused, controlled, not a step out of place. At the side of a small grey runner he stopped, watched me with narrowed eyes.

“You continue to be a nuisance . You should have been found, executed as soon as you landed. That you weren’t discovered immediately shows how inefficient this whole place was.”

“Not one of the general’s faithful, then?” I shifted my weight, flexed the muscles in my calves.

“He was useful,” Stanton admitted. “And profitable.”

I glanced at the bag he’d taken from beside the medchamber. “Is that part of the profit?”

“Maybe.” He wouldn’t be drawn out.

“If you have it, what do you want with the kid?” I cajoled, anything to keep him talking. “By now the general's dead. His twisted obsession with his daughter should die with him.”

Stanton snorted, laughed. ”I don't give a damn about the girl. But I do care about insurance.”

He shifted Vicki’s slack body to key in the door code and I tensed, waiting for the opportunity, but he whipped back into position, before I could pounce.

“I told you, I know all about your kind. You're an abomination. Not even useful tools.”

“If you don’t care about her, take me with you instead. One hostage is as good as another, right?”

“You have to be joking. The only way I want one of your kind near me is strapped to a table, ready for dissection.”

My fists clenched, but I didn’t take the bait, give him the excuse to fire.

“And I know better than to leave one of you alive at my back.”

Not dumb. Because I’d rip his head from his neck, gladly.

“She’ll be coming out of it soon,” I snarled. “Are you really prepared for the care of a child? Even if you don’t care about her being happy or healthy, everywhere you go, people will notice her. Someone will ask. And we’ll hear about it.”

His eyes just narrowed further, and I barrelled on, talking. “You can’t keep her as insurance forever.”

“I don't need to.”

With strength surprising for his wiry frame he hurled Vicki towards the nose of the neighboring shuttle.

I sprang, snatching her from the air and tucking her against my gut as we somersaulted across the pad.

Though it had only taken a minute to save her, it was long enough for the bastard to get inside the runner and start the engines.

With no other options, I pressed Vicki over my shoulder and fired the blaster in one continuous stream at the small ship, hoping for a lucky hit, a weak spot in the hull, something.

But nothing happened. He must have hit the shields as soon as he entered. The engines whined and roared to life, and I took off running back the way we’d come. It was about to get hot, and there was nothing left to do.

At the edge of the pad I cradled Vicki and watched Stanton get away. We’d find him, follow him. Whatever he had planned, the Pack would stop it

Vicki turned and kicked in my arms as she began to wake up.

“I usually let them grow a little longer before decanting, but I’ll take her now, if you’d like.”

Doc’s head emerged from nowhere and I stepped back, startled. “How did you get out of the warehouse?”

“Got bored. Only so many explosives a woman can make in a day. Tianna is mostly healed, so there’s not much to do there either.” Doc sighed. “She woke up long enough to ask me to find her daughter. Not really the sort of errand I’m best at, but figured I might as well.”

A flicker, and a cloak landed at my feet. But I still couldn’t see the rest of her.

“Um. Doc?”

“Couldn’t find the daughter, all these young people kind of look alike to me. Besides, everyone was running around like the world was ending.”

Another cloak was added to the pile.

“Figured you’d be a part of that. And I know what you look like. When I saw you tearing off this way, I thought I’d wait for you.”

With a click and rustle, the stack of cloaks grew.

“Doc, how many of these did you put on?”

“Five. Odds against them failing all at once were pretty low, seemed worth it. But I wouldn’t recommend it for field work. They’re hot.”

I choked back a laugh. “I imagine they would be.”

She finally emerged, and held out her arms. “Alright. Give her to me.” Doc looked over the landing field. “I'll go pick out our ride so we can get the hell out of here.”

“Good plan. Want this?” I handed her the blaster.

“What would I do with that?” She patted her pocket . “Sweet of you to think of it, but don’t worry. I’m prepared.”

Whistling, she headed off between shuttles, chatting with the sleepy Vicki. “We don’t want this one, do we? It looks slow and boring. Let’s find a nice fast one, shall we?”

I backed away, try not to think about leaving Vicki with Doc. Valrea would kill me if anything happened, and with Doc the definition of ‘anything ‘was pretty wide.

Valrea.

Unable to resist the pull of my heart any longer, I took off at a sprint.

We’d won.

But if she’d been hurt, I would’ve lost it all.