CHAPTER FIVE

NOT MUCH FOR CONVERSATION, THE TWINS LEAD us through the twisting corridors of the subbasement. Soon we’re outside the conference room. Malcolm arrives at the same time from a different hallway and waves to us. The twins dart inside, probably worried about being late, while the Goode men and I linger outside.

Malcolm puts a gentle hand on my shoulder. “How you holding up, Six?”

I manage a smile. “I’m hanging in there.” I glance at Sam, and the smile doesn’t seem so forced anymore. “Your son’s helping me keep it together.”

Sam blushes and turns away from his dad a bit. Malcolm pats him on the back.

“Good, good,” he says. “In times like these, we need to lean on each other.”

“How’s Marina?” I ask Malcolm. The last I saw of her, he was wheeling her into the cabin on a gurney.

“The medics say her vitals are strong, and she woke up a little while ago to take some food,” Malcolm replies. “John healed her, yes, but when the damage is that severe, you don’t want to rush anything. She’s resting.”

“Six was asking about Lawson,” Sam says to his dad, lowering his voice. He looks at me. “My dad was with Walker’s people at Ashwood until they all had to evacuate. Then you were . . . where was it?”

“Liberty Base. I met the president,” Malcolm says with an amused smile. “He told me he was a big fan of my papers on intergalactic communication. Quite the skilled bullshitter.”

“The president, is he here now?” I ask.

“No, I left Liberty Base in a hurry to reconnect with you guys, but the last I heard they were going to keep Jackson moving. Safer that way.”

“On the run,” I say. “Yeah. Been there.”

“One interesting fact I picked up . . .” Malcolm lowers his voice, even though we’re alone out here. “The president’s daughter, Melanie, she’s one of you.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “Get out. When does she report for duty?”

Malcolm’s smile tightens. “I don’t think that’s going to happen. But at least it means we’ve got the president on our side.”

“And Lawson reports directly to him . . .” Sam brings his dad back to what we were originally talking about.

“Ah, right. Well, he’s a difficult man to read,” Malcolm says thoughtfully. “Seems like a straight shooter, although the ruthlessly pragmatic type. A bit old-school, as they say. At the very least, we all want the same thing.”

“Yeah, dead Mogs,” I reply, and nod towards the conference room. “Let’s see what he has to say.”

By the time we walk in, most of our group is already seated around a long, oval table. John sits at one end, slouching a little. Lexa sits next to him, the two deep in a hushed conversation. Lexa holds something out for John to inspect, and I recognize it as one of the cloaking devices we recovered in Mexico. That’s our key to getting through the shields that surround every Mog warship.

John’s gaze flicks in my direction when I enter, and I practically freeze. He nods to me, though, and once I nod back, immediately returns to his conversation with Lexa. I guess we’re staying focused on the task at hand and grieving later.

Good.

Nine sits on John’s other side, and next to him is Ella. Her eyes haven’t stopped glowing, which is drawing a lot of stares from the military personnel clustered in the room. As we take seats by them, Nine leans over to Ella.

“So, Lite-Brite, is this like a permanent thing now or can you turn it off?”

I study Ella for a reaction. I’m happy to see a small and embarrassed smile cross her face. The girl used to have such a crush on Nine, and his complaining about her perpetual light show seems to get through. So there’s still a little bit of the old Ella in there. Before responding to Nine, Ella concentrates, and the cobalt energy sparking around her chills out a little.

“Better?” she asks him.

“Just remind me to keep sunglasses handy when you’re around,” Nine replies.

Ella smiles, this time more easily, and leans in Nine’s direction.

“Six.” Sam nudges me. “This is Daniela. We met her in New York.”

Across the table from me sits the lean girl with braided hair who I noticed first in Ella’s dream meeting and then again last night. She waves awkwardly, looking more than a little uncomfortable to be sitting in this room.

“Good to meet you,” I say. “Sam said you’ve already developed a Legacy besides telekinesis.”