anyone who might know if they were true?”
Emma gave it some thought. “Maybe the Alvarez family? Avery’s father is older than mine by ten or fifteen years. His father and mother were physicians from before the outbreak, properly trained and educated. They knew my grandparents.”
“Are either of Avery’s grandparents alive?”
“Her grandfather is.”
“Would he talk to us?”
“It’s not us I’m worried about,” Emma replied nervously. “What if the SICO team draws the same conclusion I just did? What if they go after them and arrest and interrogate them?”
“It’s a strong possibility.”
“I have to warn them!”
Max grasped her shoulders. “Emma, did you not hear what Gage said? They’re going to monitor your communications. He’s actively looking for a reason to take you. Don’t give him one! If you run off and warn your friends, he’ll have you picked up for sharing classified information. You’ll be taken away from Jack and me and tossed in a cell. They’ll drag you away to one of their black sites, and we might never see you again.”
“But my friends—”
“I know you care about your friends, Emma, but we are your family now. Me. Jack. You.” He tried to make her understand. “ Our family comes before anything else. The three of us are the priority now.”
She nodded eventually. “Max, it’s just…it’s a lot to take in, you know?”
“I know.” He brushed his knuckles along her cheek. “If Jack were here, he’d know exactly what to say to make you feel better.”
“You’re here, and I’m glad you’re here.” She leaned into his touch, seemingly unfazed by his grimy fingernails and dirty skin. Holding his gaze, she asked, “What do you want to say?”
“I want to tell you that I won’t let anyone hurt you. I want to tell you that I’ll keep you safe, even if it means I have to steal you away from here and disappear into the Outlands.”
“Max,” she said, her voice filled with awe. Had she doubted he would go that far? Clasping his wrist between her small hands, she murmured, “We would never be safe outside these fences. The places I might disappear to are hostile to cyborgs, and I won’t leave you or Jack behind.” Sighing, she added, “Even if we did find a community that would take us in, those SICO guys will just play dirty. All they’ll have to do is let it slip that I’m immune to the Zed virus. If they put a bounty on our heads, we wouldn’t last a day.”
“Probably,” he agreed, “but I’ll die before I let anyone put a hand on you.”
“No one is going to die.” She closed her eyes and pressed her cheek against his hand. “Somehow—some way—we’ll figure out a way to survive.”
Max desperately wanted that to be true, but he feared what would happen if SICO took her off the Outpost. Camp Victory was their home field, and he and Jack would be the outsiders there.
“So you took down my scramblers, huh?”
Max had the decency to look guilty. “I had to report the, Emma. They might have interfered with Outpost communications or put my men at risk.”
“What if you put my friends at risk? The Chain only works because people feel safe using the radio channels those scramblers protected.”
“I’m sorry, Emma. I had to prioritize on this one. You know that I would do anything for you—but I can’t put men like Jack in danger.”
She eyed him with disappointment, and it gutted him. After a moment that seemed to stretch for an eternity, she sighed. “I understand why you did it. I don’t like it, but I understand.”
“I didn’t like doing it. I really didn’t. I thought about keeping them out of my reports because you only barely mentioned them. Then I worried that if something happened in the future, you would be blamed. I couldn’t take that chance.”
She seemed to grasp that he needed her to absolve him of his sin. “We’re okay, Max. I’m annoyed with you, but I’m not angry.”
Very gently, Emma
Emma gave it some thought. “Maybe the Alvarez family? Avery’s father is older than mine by ten or fifteen years. His father and mother were physicians from before the outbreak, properly trained and educated. They knew my grandparents.”
“Are either of Avery’s grandparents alive?”
“Her grandfather is.”
“Would he talk to us?”
“It’s not us I’m worried about,” Emma replied nervously. “What if the SICO team draws the same conclusion I just did? What if they go after them and arrest and interrogate them?”
“It’s a strong possibility.”
“I have to warn them!”
Max grasped her shoulders. “Emma, did you not hear what Gage said? They’re going to monitor your communications. He’s actively looking for a reason to take you. Don’t give him one! If you run off and warn your friends, he’ll have you picked up for sharing classified information. You’ll be taken away from Jack and me and tossed in a cell. They’ll drag you away to one of their black sites, and we might never see you again.”
“But my friends—”
“I know you care about your friends, Emma, but we are your family now. Me. Jack. You.” He tried to make her understand. “ Our family comes before anything else. The three of us are the priority now.”
She nodded eventually. “Max, it’s just…it’s a lot to take in, you know?”
“I know.” He brushed his knuckles along her cheek. “If Jack were here, he’d know exactly what to say to make you feel better.”
“You’re here, and I’m glad you’re here.” She leaned into his touch, seemingly unfazed by his grimy fingernails and dirty skin. Holding his gaze, she asked, “What do you want to say?”
“I want to tell you that I won’t let anyone hurt you. I want to tell you that I’ll keep you safe, even if it means I have to steal you away from here and disappear into the Outlands.”
“Max,” she said, her voice filled with awe. Had she doubted he would go that far? Clasping his wrist between her small hands, she murmured, “We would never be safe outside these fences. The places I might disappear to are hostile to cyborgs, and I won’t leave you or Jack behind.” Sighing, she added, “Even if we did find a community that would take us in, those SICO guys will just play dirty. All they’ll have to do is let it slip that I’m immune to the Zed virus. If they put a bounty on our heads, we wouldn’t last a day.”
“Probably,” he agreed, “but I’ll die before I let anyone put a hand on you.”
“No one is going to die.” She closed her eyes and pressed her cheek against his hand. “Somehow—some way—we’ll figure out a way to survive.”
Max desperately wanted that to be true, but he feared what would happen if SICO took her off the Outpost. Camp Victory was their home field, and he and Jack would be the outsiders there.
“So you took down my scramblers, huh?”
Max had the decency to look guilty. “I had to report the, Emma. They might have interfered with Outpost communications or put my men at risk.”
“What if you put my friends at risk? The Chain only works because people feel safe using the radio channels those scramblers protected.”
“I’m sorry, Emma. I had to prioritize on this one. You know that I would do anything for you—but I can’t put men like Jack in danger.”
She eyed him with disappointment, and it gutted him. After a moment that seemed to stretch for an eternity, she sighed. “I understand why you did it. I don’t like it, but I understand.”
“I didn’t like doing it. I really didn’t. I thought about keeping them out of my reports because you only barely mentioned them. Then I worried that if something happened in the future, you would be blamed. I couldn’t take that chance.”
She seemed to grasp that he needed her to absolve him of his sin. “We’re okay, Max. I’m annoyed with you, but I’m not angry.”
Very gently, Emma
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