it is you, then I'm well and truly screwed anyway. I have to trust someone."
"True," she said, reaching down to take my hand. "I'm glad you chose to trust me, though."
"We've been in this together since the beginning, and you've saved my ass more than once," I said, giving her a wink. "Plus, you're teaching me to fight. I want to stay on your good side."
"Wanting to sleep with me has nothing to do with it then," she said with a laugh. Her smile faded a little when she spoke again. "You know who the most likely spy is, you just don't want to say it."
"I can't believe Kali would do that. I just...can't," I said. My eye twitched, just a little. That damned ringing.
"You can't let emotion cloud your judgement," she said, giving a sigh as she released my hand. "I don't want to believe it either, but we don't know what the grey men did to her when they changed her eyes. Who knows what they planted in her head? She might not even know she's doing it."
"Maybe," I said, rising to my feet and beginning to pace. "I'm not willing to convict her, though. Not yet. We need to learn more before we jump to any conclusions. She's the most obvious spy, but that doesn't mean it's her."
"So what do you intend to do?" Jillian asked.
"Let's gather the others and tell them we're going to meet with Osiris," I said, thinking out loud again. "We can assume that the information will make it back to the grey men, and this time we'll use that. While they're setting up to hit us at that meeting, we'll attack Dick's facility."
"So you don't want to tell the others about this raid?" Jillian asked. Her tone made it clear she thought that was a mistake.
"You and I should be able to handle this," I said, firming my lips. "I don't want to risk including anyone else. This is too important. After we deal with the FTL transmitter, then we can focus on figuring out who the spy is. In the meantime, we watch and wait."
"All right," she said, nodding. "I'll back your play here, even though I'm not sure I agree with it."
"I appreciate it." I stopped pacing. "Do you really not hear that ringing?"
"No," she said, looking at me blankly. "Do you want me to bring you some pain reliever?"
I shook my head. "No, don't worry about it. Let's get over to the mothership and prep for the raid."
Chapter 20- Raid
"So you want us to wait here while you meet with that snake?" Summers asked, eyes narrowing. It was the first time I'd seen any of her former fire. "I really think you should take us with you. Osiris can't be trusted."
"I never said I trusted him," I gave back, pausing as I neared the shuttle. "But he's requested a face-to-face, and he asked me to come alone. I got him to agree to bring Jillian. If things go south, she'll teleport us out."
I wasn't comfortable lying, or even sure that I could pull it off. Summers' gaze was searching, but she eventually nodded. "All right, we'll wait here. But I don't like it."
"I don't like it either, but I'm with David on this one," Marcus called. He was standing near Janaki and Kali, near the sparring ring I'd created. We'd been taking turns using it in recent weeks, though Marcus and Jillian were still the undisputed masters. The rest of us were just students. Marcus approached us, toweling off sweat. "Usir--Osiris, I guess--is as stubborn as they come. I'm surprised he agreed to let Jillian come. I don't think David's in danger, because the old bastard needs him. Odds are good he's just posturing. David can bring whatever info Osiris has back here, and if anything goes wrong, I'm confident Jillian can get him out."
"We'll be careful," Jillian said, lacing up her shoes. "We'll also be back as soon as we can."
"So where is the meeting taking place?" Summers asked.
I eyed Jillian significantly, and she raised her eyebrows. Maybe we were being paranoid, but it was exactly the kind of question a spy might ask.
"We'll be meeting at their San Francisco office," I answered, avoiding Summers' gaze. I wasn't a
"True," she said, reaching down to take my hand. "I'm glad you chose to trust me, though."
"We've been in this together since the beginning, and you've saved my ass more than once," I said, giving her a wink. "Plus, you're teaching me to fight. I want to stay on your good side."
"Wanting to sleep with me has nothing to do with it then," she said with a laugh. Her smile faded a little when she spoke again. "You know who the most likely spy is, you just don't want to say it."
"I can't believe Kali would do that. I just...can't," I said. My eye twitched, just a little. That damned ringing.
"You can't let emotion cloud your judgement," she said, giving a sigh as she released my hand. "I don't want to believe it either, but we don't know what the grey men did to her when they changed her eyes. Who knows what they planted in her head? She might not even know she's doing it."
"Maybe," I said, rising to my feet and beginning to pace. "I'm not willing to convict her, though. Not yet. We need to learn more before we jump to any conclusions. She's the most obvious spy, but that doesn't mean it's her."
"So what do you intend to do?" Jillian asked.
"Let's gather the others and tell them we're going to meet with Osiris," I said, thinking out loud again. "We can assume that the information will make it back to the grey men, and this time we'll use that. While they're setting up to hit us at that meeting, we'll attack Dick's facility."
"So you don't want to tell the others about this raid?" Jillian asked. Her tone made it clear she thought that was a mistake.
"You and I should be able to handle this," I said, firming my lips. "I don't want to risk including anyone else. This is too important. After we deal with the FTL transmitter, then we can focus on figuring out who the spy is. In the meantime, we watch and wait."
"All right," she said, nodding. "I'll back your play here, even though I'm not sure I agree with it."
"I appreciate it." I stopped pacing. "Do you really not hear that ringing?"
"No," she said, looking at me blankly. "Do you want me to bring you some pain reliever?"
I shook my head. "No, don't worry about it. Let's get over to the mothership and prep for the raid."
Chapter 20- Raid
"So you want us to wait here while you meet with that snake?" Summers asked, eyes narrowing. It was the first time I'd seen any of her former fire. "I really think you should take us with you. Osiris can't be trusted."
"I never said I trusted him," I gave back, pausing as I neared the shuttle. "But he's requested a face-to-face, and he asked me to come alone. I got him to agree to bring Jillian. If things go south, she'll teleport us out."
I wasn't comfortable lying, or even sure that I could pull it off. Summers' gaze was searching, but she eventually nodded. "All right, we'll wait here. But I don't like it."
"I don't like it either, but I'm with David on this one," Marcus called. He was standing near Janaki and Kali, near the sparring ring I'd created. We'd been taking turns using it in recent weeks, though Marcus and Jillian were still the undisputed masters. The rest of us were just students. Marcus approached us, toweling off sweat. "Usir--Osiris, I guess--is as stubborn as they come. I'm surprised he agreed to let Jillian come. I don't think David's in danger, because the old bastard needs him. Odds are good he's just posturing. David can bring whatever info Osiris has back here, and if anything goes wrong, I'm confident Jillian can get him out."
"We'll be careful," Jillian said, lacing up her shoes. "We'll also be back as soon as we can."
"So where is the meeting taking place?" Summers asked.
I eyed Jillian significantly, and she raised her eyebrows. Maybe we were being paranoid, but it was exactly the kind of question a spy might ask.
"We'll be meeting at their San Francisco office," I answered, avoiding Summers' gaze. I wasn't a
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