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Silently I scold myself—and my stupid ovaries, which definitely aren’t helping things. It’s literally his job to protect me, both due to his programming and biological urges, and the only reason I’m anything but annoyed that he’s trying to sideline me is that my core is still wet and aching for the release my father cheated me out of—something I definitely don’t want to dwell on right now.
“No. We need her help to find the others,” my father says without so much as a glance at the other alpha. “Proceed, soldier.”
A burst of anger fizzes through the bond hooked in my chest. I glance up at AX2, surprised, but his face is blank. I know his instincts to keep me safe are strong, but I’d never expected he’d beangryat being forced to take me into danger.
I know he’s capable of anger, of course. I’ve seen his fury before, during his training. But somehow I didn’t know he’d be capable of feeling angerforme, rather thanatme. I frown when the warmth from my belly spreads higher, stretching for my chest.
“Yes, sir.” AX2 pushes me behind him and holds out his hand to keep me at a distance. “Stay back.”
We proceed through the building, me sandwiched between AX2 at the front and my father bringing up the rear. There’s not a soul to be found.
By the time we make it down to the level that hosts my lab and the training facilities, every hair on my body stands on end. This place—since the day I started working here, it’s been my refuge. I’ve always felt comfortable,at home,here. My sanctuary, where everything was in order and I was in charge. Now, though? It feels like a tomb.
“Whereiseverybody?” I whisper. There’s no sign of fighting. Nothing is out of place, and no ominous blood smears mar the white walls. It’s like everyone simply picked up and… left.
AX2 holds up a hand, signaling for us to stop in front of a door leading into one of the old dorms. My father brushes past me to swipe his access card, and the door swings open to reveal three immaculately made bunk beds.
“No sign of them,” my father murmurs as AX2 steps through to investigate further.
So this is where he rehoused them. I pinch my lips as I take in the spartan quarters. It looks like somewhere you’d house your average soldiers.
With everything that’s happened to me since my father hijacked my AX project, I’m surprised to find I’m still capable of feeling frustrated at how he changed up their highly regulated schedule without any regard for my carefully crafted program.
“Do you have a way of tracking them?” my father asks, turning to me. “In your lab?”
I rub my temples. If I wasn’t so wound up from this morning, I would have thought of that myself. “I should be able to track their chips and call them back.”
“Lead the way, then.”
I don’t. The moment I head toward the exit, AX2 grabs my shoulder and pulls me back behind him so he can take up the front. I have a vague notion that I shouldn’t be allowing him to manhandle me, but I only feel embarrassing gratitude.
My lab is as silent as the rest of the building, though at least that’s expected. Apart from myself, only AX2—and occasionally Dr. Green—ever set foot in here.
I head straight for my computer and hastily type in the codes needed to access the AX soldiers’ chips.
“Anything?” my father asks.
“Yeah, they’re… It looks like they’re all together. In D.C. Somewhere in Brentwood. What on Earth…?”
I frown and tap the keys, switching into the status screen of AX6. In bold, red capital letters, the word DEPLOYED flashes next to his designation. When I flick to the other soldiers, the same word appears.
“Someone’s sent them on a mission.”
“Can you call them back?” my father asks.
“Are you sure we should?” I reply, confused. “It looks like Dr. Green’s the one who deployed them. But I can’t find anything about the mission in the logs.”
“Try,” my father says. He sounds entirely calm. I don’t know if it’s because he doesn’t quite understand how entirelyweirdthis is, or if it’s his authoritarian persona stepping through—always collected in the face of chaos.
I navigate to AX23’s status and tap the key that should bring up the option to abort mission. A window pops up: CONTROLS LOCKED.
“What the hell?” I mutter, hitting the enter key again. Nothing happens.
“Oh,” my father says as he leans over my shoulder to look at my screen. “Looks like the good Dr. Green isn’t entirely useless after all.”
“Hm?” Movement on the map displaying the AX soldiers’ location draws my attention. The four red dots seem to be shifting down a narrow street. But where to?
“He insisted he would be vital—even if he isn’t nearly as skilled as you are when it comes to the engineering aspects.‘Far easier to work with,’I believe he said.” My father chuckles and pats my shoulder. “I admit, the man has a point. I’m sure if we approached you first, we’d still be arguing about whether this was the right thing to do. Green was on board the moment he realized it’d be in his best interests. And it looks like he came through.”
