"They are not human," Rider said.

  "They are," Boone said. "At least, they started that way."

  Logan crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. "I think you had better explain."

  "There's not much time," Boone said before turning to me. "You remember what I said about the team? I didn't want this assignment to happen. I didn't like that it was happening."

  "I remember," I said. "It was experimental, right?"

  "Yeah. The military wanted better soldiers, and some parts of the government didn't want to rely on the Lost," Boone said.

  "So they decided to take the Lost and put them into humans," Logan said, his voice full of disgust.

  "The Lost weren't hurt, at least that I know of, but yeah, that's the gist of it. They studied the DNA of a bunch of species and... experimented," Boone said. It looked as though he was having a hard time looking Logan in the eye, but he was doing it all the same.

  I clutched my stomach, feeling ill by what I was hearing. "How long has this been going on?"

  "The study began ages ago, the experiments... a few years."

  "And your team is the best of the research?" Logan asked.

  "They're the only ones that survived while retaining their humanity and sanity." It appeared to be costing Boone a lot to say this.

  "At least that you’re sure of," Logan spat.

  Looking at the elf, I noticed his face growing slightly angular.

  "That's why I need your help. I need someone from the outside to watch them."

  Something clicked for me. "Not just anyone. You needed us."

  "Yes. Your skills together can help evaluate the situation." Boone looked me in the eye. "And I can trust you. A Reader might be the best judge of character we can get."

  "And the rest of us?" Vincent asked in a tight voice.

  "We don't know what all they can do," Boone said. "The group studying them thinks they’re aware of everything, but I've seen things that the researchers never expected and don't believe. It doesn't help that the team denies anything new I bring up."

  "And if they can do things you don't know about?" Logan said.

  "It doesn't matter what they can do," Boone said. "They can keep that to themselves, for all I care. But—"

  Rider held up his hand again and cut Boone off.

  "It's gone again," Rider said after a minute ticked by.

  Boone turned in his seat as though he could see through the walls to the hanger. "Let's get down to business. While what we've discussed is important, what we really need to focus on is the nightmare. The most critical thing here is the nightmare."

  Logan cleared his throat. When Boone turned to him, Logan tapped the points of his ears and pointed toward the wall.

  Boone held up his hands, but shook his head. He didn't seem sure, but it looked like he was concerned that his team was doing something.

  "Do you know what a nightmare is?" I asked.

  "What we're in now," Vincent muttered.

  "No one has any real information," Boone said. "It's only a theory at this time. The only recorded events that involved nightmares are cave paintings and similar. The situation we have here is that an entire village is gone. Some disappeared, but most of them are dead. I'll save you the details, but it wasn't a pretty sight."

  "What made you think it was a nightmare?" I asked.

  Boone opened a drawer and grabbed a folder. He flipped through a few pages. When he found what he was looking for, he slid the photo across the desk to Logan.

  I leaned in. It was a crude drawing of a four-legged creature with several long lines—tails, maybe—trailing behind it.

  "This is a cave drawing?" I asked.

  "Yes and no." Boone slid another picture over. "This photo is of the cave drawing found hundreds of years ago. The other one is new and discovered a few days ago."

  "What's the story floating for the village?" Logan asked.

  "The government is keeping a lid on it," Boone said.

  Logan tapped his fingers on the desk and studied Boone. "We don't hear much about villages these days. Where exactly are we going?"

  "We fly out in less than an hour. Our destination is in South America," Boone said.

  "Awful big place," Logan said.

  I could tell he was fishing for more information.

  "That's true. And something they have a lot of is dense, unpopulated rainforest and jungles."

  "What's the difference between rainforests and jungles?" If Boone's team had been in the room with us, I probably wouldn't have asked, but I was among friends.

  "Rainforests are easier to navigate," Boone said. "Jungles usually live inside rainforests. If a tree falls or something happens to them, then more light reaches the ground. More light means denser vegetation."

  I wrinkled my nose up, already knowing I wasn't going to like this mission. "So, we're trekking through the woods. Again."

  Boone grinned. "We know a little more about what to expect here, and we'll have supplies."

  Remembering our last time together in a forest I couldn't help but mirror his smile. "That's a plus."

  "Any wildlife we should know about?" Vincent asked.

  "The usual," Boone said. "No known Lost in the area, but we need to keep an eye out all the same."

  Asking what 'the usual' was would have been a smart move, but I decided that I really didn't want to know. At least not when there was still a chance of backing out.

  "Gear?" Vincent asked.

  "Once we have you outfitted, we'll go over to the hanger to review everything we'll be carrying," Boone said.

  "Anything else we need to know before we head out?" Logan asked.

  Boone seemed to hesitate, but then plunged forward. "This thing is dangerous. If we can capture it, we will." He looked from me to Rider. "But going in, you have to understand that it might not be an option. We still have to neutralize the situation."

  Logan looked about as pleased about ‘the situation’ as I did. Glancing at Rider, he seemed more confused than anything else.

  "We are going to try to capture, though, right?" I said.

  "If we can reasonably do so," Boone said.

  The whole thing didn't sit well with me. I turned in my seat to see Vincent. His face was set in a mask of indifference, but this close, I could see from the slightest downturn of the mouth that he was concerned.

  Whether the concern was about killing the creature or something else was impossible for me to know.

  "We don't want to see anyone get hurt," Boone said. "That's our priority."

  I gritted my teeth and didn't say anything.

  "We have some clothes for you, Vincent," Boone said, standing up. "Logan and Rider, can you show him what we have?"

  We all filed out of the office and my partners disappeared into the men’s locker room.

  "Are you going to be okay with this?" Boone asked.

  I didn't hold back. "Of course we want to keep everyone safe, but being ready to kill the nightmare seems like the wrong attitude to have going in."

  "It's realistic, though. I just wanted to make sure you knew about the possibilities."

  "Aren't you concerned about the others?" I asked, gesturing toward the locker room.

  "Logan's been the lead enough to know it's an option. Rider is the one I'm worried about. Not only is he new to this, but he's Lost, like Logan."

  I crossed my arms. "And Vincent."

  "I know what his job was before he joined your team."

  That took the wind out of my sails. It's true; Vincent was an agency-sanctioned assassin. He was probably often brought in on cases where there was only one way they could turn out.

  "My team,” Boone said. “What's happening isn't their fault. I know you've got my back and your partners have yours. The nightmare is our main objective and your partners—all of them—will greatly enhance our chances at successfully bringing it back alive."

  "Will it be under military jurisdiction or AIR once we take it in?" Logan asked.

  I hadn't even noticed that the elf had slipped out of the locker room.

  "Both. We're working together on this," Boone said.

  "Are we?" Logan leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms. "Were we working together when your team was assembled?"

  Boone hesitated once again. "Not in the beginning, but I'm afraid at the end, it was a group effort."

  "So if we capture this poor creature, is its future going to be used to better advance the project of a perfect soldier?" Logan asked.

  "Not if I can help it," Boone said. "I've made some connections in AIR to raise concerns about this experiment."

  "That's how the changeling found out about you, isn't it?" I asked.

  "It seems likely," Boone said.

  Rider and Vincent stepped out of the locker room. It was strange and a little surreal to see us all dressed alike.

  "Let's get moving," Boone said. "We've got a plane to catch."

  Boone led the way, unlocking doors at what seemed like every turn. It felt a little odd to have Vincent by my side again. He was close enough to reach out and touch, but he still seemed to be holding himself at a distance.

  Why did he have to hesitate when he saw me?

  It didn't help that I couldn't tell if I wanted to stay away to refrain from yelling at him—I was still pissed off he’d barely tried to reach out—or if I wanted to keep my distance so I wouldn't throw my arms around him and kiss him in front of everyone, including a bunch of new team members.

  Yet, even though I thought of those as my choices, I couldn't help but walk next to him. It was a small comfort and warmed my heart.

  Besides, he looked good in a uniform.

  The hanger appeared bigger when we stepped inside. It was also hotter. The temperature had risen and this place didn't seem to have any sort of climate control.

  Then again, it seemed like the next few days would be the same. Best to get used to it now.

  The thought made me realize that I had no idea how long we'd be gone. I picked up my pace to walk next to Boone. Even without the Path open, I could feel Vincent's frustration at the change.

  "You never mentioned how long you expected this to take," I said.

  "I thought your boss filled you in," Boone said.

  "Yes, but she only mentioned the possibility of weeks and months."

  "Yeah, I guess that's pretty standard because of the paperwork. It shouldn't take more than a week or two. At least that's the hope."

  "Crap. Gran is going to kill me."

  Boone grinned. "She have big plans?"

  "No, but she didn't want me to come at all."

  Boone slowed his pace, looking troubled. "Did she say why?"

  He knew my grandmother, but he had heard even more than what he had witnessed in person and knew she was never wrong about what she said. "She didn't predict any dire catastrophes, if that's what you mean. She seemed to be having a hard time figuring out why she didn’t want me here."

  "We'll be on communications blackout for at least a week. Maybe you should give her a call before we leave. After we go through the supplies, that is. You'll want to know what you have."

  "Thanks," I said, smiling at him. It was strange that we hadn't known each other for much longer than a month. He already knew my family and me and accepted us the way we were. The trait was rare, even in our line of work where we dealt with the strange and unusual on a regular basis.

  Boone led us to a long table where Davis stood. There was a bag laid out for each of us.

  "Since we aren't strictly military, we took a note out of your team’s playbook," Boone said. "Cassie mentioned the supplies you all normally carry while out in the field. Since they're lightweight and they'll work well in the environment we'll be in, we've added a few other items."

  While Boone went down the list of items included, I couldn't help but notice that Davis didn't look happy. It made me wonder if she had been the one that had started the strange Path we saw in Boone's office.

  Davis packed a bag as Boone went over the items. Food, water, first-aid kits, clothes, extra socks, toiletries, sunscreen, sunglasses, and—my favorite—the hammocks, were all reviewed and stowed.

  "Let's talk weapons," Boone said. "You each have your sidearm and you’ll want at least two extra magazines. If you need more, talk to Tolman. Logan's taking the lead for your team. Two of you will be carrying live rifles and two will have tranq rifles. If you get paired off, make sure there’s one of each between the two of you. We expect Tolman to be our long-range man, but everyone should be prepared."

  The bag looked heavy. The only positive was the fact that it should get lighter every day.

  "Your knife is your last resort in combat, but you might need it in the jungle. Any questions?"

  Chapter Six

  Any questions? Only about a thousand. Sadly, all of my questions were something Boone couldn't answer. I glanced at Vincent. Maybe no one could answer some of them right now.

  "If you need to make any last calls, make them now," Boone said. "It might be your last chance for a while. Davis will show you where the closest phone is. Everyone else, grab a bag and follow me. We'll finish loading."

  Rider picked up his back and slung it over one arm, then grabbed mine and slung it over the other. Davis stared at him for a few moments before she seemed to remember herself.

  "This way," she said.

  Logan had pulled Vincent over to the side, but I caught Logan’s attention enough so that he knew I was following Davis.

  We walked quietly for a moment, and once again, I felt the need to break the silence. "Have you spent much time in the wilderness?"

  "More than I cared to." She spoke rather stiffly, and I couldn't help but think I had done something wrong. I wondered if she overheard what Boone had said about the team.

  "Do you have any calls to make?" I asked.

  "I made them earlier." After a few steps, she kept the conversation going. "Are you calling family?"

  "My grandmother. We didn't know we’d be gone so long without a phone."

  "It sounds like you're close to her." Davis's voice had lost some of the indifferent tone.

  "She lives with me. I just hope I catch her before she takes off on a trip with her friend. More importantly, I hope my mother isn't at the house feeding the... cat." Molly did remind me of a cat. "She'll be ticked off."

  Davis smiled. "Your mom sounds kind of like my parents. Is your dad the same?"

  "Step-dad. My dad died when I was little. Bob’s happy to let me do my own thing."

  "Sorry to hear about your dad."

  "I was too young to remember him. But I always had Gran there."

  "Here's the phone," Davis said. "I'll wait for you."

  "Thanks."

  Gran picked up quickly, and she didn't have to wait until she heard my voice to tell her it was me. "I knew I'd hear from you."

  "I'm glad I reached you before you left," I said.

  "I stalled Dee Dee so I could talk with you. I'm worried about this trip you're takin'. Do you know where you're goin'?"

  "Not really," I lied. "But I'm going to be out of contact for quite a while. I wanted to let you know so you wouldn't worry."

  "Sugar, it's way too late for that. How do I reach you?"

  "Um... you can't."

  "I know they have fancy phones that can reach anywhere. I've seen movies."

  "They might have one," I said, realizing that they almost had to have something. Otherwise, how could we update anyone on what we were doing? "But if there's a number that reaches it, I don't have it."

  Logan approached and started chatting with Davis. It wasn't long before she was smiling. Logan had that effect on people.

  "Well, I'm gonna need some way to call you," Gran said. "Your mother will pitch a fit if she knew you couldn't be reached."

  "How about Hank?" I suggested. "He'll know how to get me a message."

  "Are you sure?"

  "He's our handler. I think that's one of his job requirements. He'll help."

  "Well, if you're sure."

  "I'm positive. Listen, Gran, I'm going to have to let you go. Have fun on your trip. Love you."

  "Hold on! I have messages to pass on."

  "Oh, I thought we'd be too far away."

  "Well, it’s vague, but the big visions go farther. Tell Logan there's gonna be a time where his instinct is to run to find something to fight. He’ll know when it happens. Tell him under no uncertain terms that he has to stay with you."

  Frowning, I looked up at Logan, who watched me curiously. Davis had disappeared.

  "And I know he's listening, so I will do more than cut off his sugar supply if he doesn't."

  A small grin floated across Logan's face and he nodded.

  "He's got the message," I said.

  "Now, it doesn't take a psychic to know you and Vincent are havin' some sort of an issue."

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "I know the both of you. I've never seen two people so good at gettin' in your own way."

  I shot a quick glance at Logan to see if he was listening, but if he was, then he was smart enough to pretend that he didn't hear the conversation.

  "You need to make things right," Gran said. "You all have a strong connection and you're gonna need it."

  "I'll talk with him," I said

  "Good. You all stick together and be safe."

  "Thanks, Gran."

  "Everything okay?" Logan asked after I hung up.

  "It’s hard to say," I said. "She's not happy that she can't call me. I let her know she should call Hank if she really needs to get us a message."

  "I'm hoping it's just Margaret being worried and nothing more serious," Logan said.

  "Do you think that's what it is?"

  Logan seemed to think that over. "No, I don't. Be careful and keep an eye out. I'll be a few minutes. Tell 'em not to leave without me."

  I went back the way I came, over to the table. No one was around, which put me in mind of what Davis had said; 'stay with someone that has a key.' Well, it's not like there wasn't a big door standing open.

  Our stuff was gone, so I headed outside. Someone had to be out there, right?