Emma: Part Three by Lolita Lopez

stated. “You have a week to make your decision.”
    Max figured that was the best they were going to get.
    “General Gage…sir?” Emma uncertainly addressed the SICO officer.
    “Yes?” His hard expression had relaxed as he stared down at her. Max suspected there might be a soft streak to the hard-ass general, and something about Emma evoked it.
    “May I keep my radio? I mean, it’s not complete or functional yet, but it will be soon. I don’t want to run afoul of any rules.”
    Gage glanced at Max. “The wavelength scramblers have been removed?”
    Max winced as Emma’s attention snapped back to him. When Emma had come home from quarantine, he had been more interested in introducing her to their new home and reconnecting with her. Then chaos had struck and all thoughts of telling her about his duty to report her interference with communications had fled.
    “Yes,” Max confirmed. “They were pulled three days ago.”
    Next to him, Emma hid her true reaction to that news well. The corners of her mouth barely twitched. When she got him alone, she would let him have it. Of that, Max was absolutely sure.
    “Emma, you may use your new radio whenever and however you would like. We will be monitoring your communications.”
    Accepting the terms, she nodded and murmured her thanks. Tugging on Emma’s hand, he led her out of the room, down the hall and out of Building Twelve. More than once, he had to remind himself to slow down so he wasn’t dragging her along behind him. Her shorter legs couldn’t keep pace with his longer ones.
    Once they cleared the last checkpoint for the jail, he glanced down at her and gave her hand a squeeze. She smiled up at him, her expression a mixture of relief and fear. The knowledge that she was afraid hit him like a punch to the gut.
    I don’t know how to protect her. It was a difficult thing to admit, but it was true. Despite his wide network of friends and contacts and all the many, many favors owed to him, no one would stand against Gage and the rest of the SICO unit. Once Gage made it known that Emma had Zed antibodies in her blood, all those old friendships and loyalties and debts owed would vanish. It would be everyone for themselves.
    “Is this where you work?” Emma’s gentle voice interrupted his troubled thoughts.
    Snapped back to reality, he glanced at their surroundings and realized he’d brought Emma to his command post. Strictly speaking, she wasn’t allowed to be here.
    Strictly speaking, he didn’t give a shit today.
    “Yes.” He guided her into his office and closed the door behind her. For added measure, he locked it. Taking hold of her shoulders, he gently pushed her back against the door and searched her face. “Are you okay?” He looked her over, taking in her arms and legs and searching for any sign of a bruise or scratch. “Did they hurt you?”
    “I’m fine. They were actually very nice to me.” She swallowed and shrugged. “I guess that’s because I have something they want.”
    “Do you believe them, Emma? Is it possible that your grandmother really was bitten while pregnant? That your mother was bitten while pregnant and died?” He touched her arm where the scar was hidden beneath fabric. “You really don’t remember if your father or your grandfather cut you?”
    “I don’t.” She rubbed her forehead. “Maybe…maybe it was so traumatic I blocked it out?”
    “That happens sometimes. I’ve seen soldiers who blackout and can’t remember anything they’ve done.” He considered a second possibility. “Or maybe you were drugged. Your family had a hell of a stockpile of weapons and medicine. They could have given you something to knock you out so you wouldn’t remember anything.” He didn’t want to imagine the horror that her father and grandfather had witnessed or the terrible decisions they must have had to make if her mother had been bitten while pregnant. “You said there were stories about your grandmother. Do you know of