Darman arrived, but the rumble of their voices woke her. She dressed quickly, anxious to see what the director thought of the recording.
Darman didn’t seem surprised by the sequence of events and assured them it wouldn’t be a problem. “If anything, the sexual nature of the preshow will attract that many more viewers. Our hope is for this to go viral, so the more titillating the better.”
“We prepared interview segments beforehand,” Grayson explained. “All I have to do is edit them in. I can have it ready by tomorrow.”
“That’s wonderful. Sheila left the infirmary this morning, so our excuse is wearing thin.”
“What happens now?” Sasha asked. “How do you avoid a backlash from DOMA?”
“General Hidaka will be out for blood as soon as this hits the public. I’ll have to disappear before he realizes what we’ve done.” Darman shrugged, but Sasha didn’t buy his nonchalance. This was his life’s work, the culmination of decades of dedication.
“That’s not an option.” She crossed her arms over her chest and widened her stance. “You’re the only ally the morphs have. It would be devastating to their cause if they lost you and your connections.”
“She’s right.” Grayson stepped up beside her and slipped his arm around her waist. “This can’t lead back to you. We’re the ones who have to disappear.”
Darman shook his head, conflict clear in his dark eyes. “There’s nowhere for morphs to hide outside the colonies. DNA screenings are done on a routine basis.”
“So we won’t leave the colony,” Grayson countered. “We’ll join the rebels. Dyauna has been after me for years.”
Sasha didn’t like the sound of that. “The rebels can have our allegiance, but Dyauna is shit out of luck!”
The men laughed and Grayson hugged her close against his side. “Dyauna suspected you were my mate before I was ready to consider the possibility. She’s no threat to you. I promise.”
Embarrassed by her jealous reaction, she changed the subject. “Have the leopards found Izak?”
“Dyauna swears they’re still looking for him, but I think it’s more likely they’ve taken care of the problem and he will never be found.” Darman didn’t sound upset by the outcome.
“Good for her.” The vehemence in her tone made the men smile. “I saw what he did to Sheila. He deserved to die.”
Darman patted Grayson on the back. “She’s already thinking like a cat.”
“We have to keep our plans clean and simple,” Grayson said. “I’ll finish editing the file and then deactivate everything but the workstation. When you arrive with our food tomorrow, we’ll be gone. No explanation, no drama.”
“I’ll take care of the workstation after I retrieve the file, and then I can honestly tell Hidaka I came to lift the quarantine and you were gone.”
“Hidaka will still be suspicious as hell,” Sasha predicted.
“No doubt, but what he suspects and what he can prove are two different things.” A touch of amusement lightened Darman’s tone. Apparently it took more than the military to intimidate him. “If DOMA had the power to make me disappear, they would have used it a long time ago. Too many people with very deep pockets rely on my work.”
Grayson paused, worry creasing his brow. “Are you sure you can trust your contacts? I’ll make sure there is nothing in the file that incriminates you, but this nameless distributor worries me.”
“I trust them implicitly. There is nothing for you to worry about, but things are going to get damn uncomfortable for DOMA as soon as this story starts spreading.”
“Then it’s settled. We’ll head out just before dawn and you take it from there.” Grayson released Sasha long enough to hug his grandfather. The affection they shared was obvious and poignant.
Sasha offered Darman her hand, but he pulled her in for a quick hug as well. “You’re family now. Take care of this rascal for me.”
“You can count on it.”
After
Darman didn’t seem surprised by the sequence of events and assured them it wouldn’t be a problem. “If anything, the sexual nature of the preshow will attract that many more viewers. Our hope is for this to go viral, so the more titillating the better.”
“We prepared interview segments beforehand,” Grayson explained. “All I have to do is edit them in. I can have it ready by tomorrow.”
“That’s wonderful. Sheila left the infirmary this morning, so our excuse is wearing thin.”
“What happens now?” Sasha asked. “How do you avoid a backlash from DOMA?”
“General Hidaka will be out for blood as soon as this hits the public. I’ll have to disappear before he realizes what we’ve done.” Darman shrugged, but Sasha didn’t buy his nonchalance. This was his life’s work, the culmination of decades of dedication.
“That’s not an option.” She crossed her arms over her chest and widened her stance. “You’re the only ally the morphs have. It would be devastating to their cause if they lost you and your connections.”
“She’s right.” Grayson stepped up beside her and slipped his arm around her waist. “This can’t lead back to you. We’re the ones who have to disappear.”
Darman shook his head, conflict clear in his dark eyes. “There’s nowhere for morphs to hide outside the colonies. DNA screenings are done on a routine basis.”
“So we won’t leave the colony,” Grayson countered. “We’ll join the rebels. Dyauna has been after me for years.”
Sasha didn’t like the sound of that. “The rebels can have our allegiance, but Dyauna is shit out of luck!”
The men laughed and Grayson hugged her close against his side. “Dyauna suspected you were my mate before I was ready to consider the possibility. She’s no threat to you. I promise.”
Embarrassed by her jealous reaction, she changed the subject. “Have the leopards found Izak?”
“Dyauna swears they’re still looking for him, but I think it’s more likely they’ve taken care of the problem and he will never be found.” Darman didn’t sound upset by the outcome.
“Good for her.” The vehemence in her tone made the men smile. “I saw what he did to Sheila. He deserved to die.”
Darman patted Grayson on the back. “She’s already thinking like a cat.”
“We have to keep our plans clean and simple,” Grayson said. “I’ll finish editing the file and then deactivate everything but the workstation. When you arrive with our food tomorrow, we’ll be gone. No explanation, no drama.”
“I’ll take care of the workstation after I retrieve the file, and then I can honestly tell Hidaka I came to lift the quarantine and you were gone.”
“Hidaka will still be suspicious as hell,” Sasha predicted.
“No doubt, but what he suspects and what he can prove are two different things.” A touch of amusement lightened Darman’s tone. Apparently it took more than the military to intimidate him. “If DOMA had the power to make me disappear, they would have used it a long time ago. Too many people with very deep pockets rely on my work.”
Grayson paused, worry creasing his brow. “Are you sure you can trust your contacts? I’ll make sure there is nothing in the file that incriminates you, but this nameless distributor worries me.”
“I trust them implicitly. There is nothing for you to worry about, but things are going to get damn uncomfortable for DOMA as soon as this story starts spreading.”
“Then it’s settled. We’ll head out just before dawn and you take it from there.” Grayson released Sasha long enough to hug his grandfather. The affection they shared was obvious and poignant.
Sasha offered Darman her hand, but he pulled her in for a quick hug as well. “You’re family now. Take care of this rascal for me.”
“You can count on it.”
After
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