She hoped so. Daniella pushed out of the chair and rose, turning back to give him her full attention as a seed of devilry bloomed.

  “We should head inside. The heads of the armed services will be here soon, and we need to be ready to meet with them and begin formulating a plan.” She brushed off her khaki pants and snagged his hand, pulling him closer, and grinning at the small sound of surprise that he gave. “But there’s time for a kiss.”

  Swooping in, Daniella pressed her mouth to his, inhaling the musky taste of him—the hot, firm heat of his kiss. Before it could turn wild, she tugged away.

  “That should see us through until we retire.” With a small laugh, she skated around him and went inside.

  * * * *

  The men in full military regalia sat opposite Daniella, taciturn but steady as they unfurled the map. “This, Madam Senator, is the most likely location of their base.”

  General Armand DuSaint embodied the spirit of the army. Jonah had served under him during the border skirmishes before DuSaint had taken on the role of Chief of the Army. It seemed surreal that he now found himself a peer or equal to the man before him.

  General DuSaint thudded a blunt finger onto a site near the old school. “It’s an abandoned pharmaceuticals lab. We received some intelligence about it in the week leading up to the coup.”

  Unease slithered through Jonah’s gut. “What kind of intelligence?”

  “Strangely, not the kind I think you’re expecting. It caught our attention due to the number of children in the carpark, pitching tents. Initially, we thought some youth organizations had made arrangements until we got the news they were seen up at dawn, forming up and entering the building. One of my men is a long-distance runner. He was scouting out new locations to run and just happened upon it. He raised the concern, and I sent a couple of operatives out to take a look. Yin had privately contacted me with details of your team, senator, and their task.”

  Daniella peered over the map. “You’re sure?”

  He grunted and shrugged. “Nothing in war is sure, senator. But we need to look closer at the location, see what’s there and what opportunities might come for taking down their base.”

  “General, if I may? Senator?” The grizzled man in the corner, Admiral Daffyd Clwyn, stood and pored over the map. “While there is a case for bolstering the army’s defenses, I feel that it should be recognized that the docks are also at risk. In consultation with Fleet Admiral Constantine, we’ll move all vessels into deeper water. The naval bases are well-fortified, but we believe further urgent fortification is wise.”

  Daniella bit her lip as she gazed at the naval officer. “I’m not sure we have the resources. Jonah? What are your thoughts?”

  He scratched his head, uncomfortable with this level of responsibility. It had never been his intention to be setting the direction of government and offering military advice.

  “With all due respect, senator, I hardly think McDowell is in the position to—”

  “General, while you might be the most senior officer in the army, Jonah is the one with the most knowledge on the subject of the warrior children. His people have been the ones who collected the intelligence that saved my life and many others. His team followed through on the activities of this threat. They worked out the children were behind the bombing of the hospital, and he now heads my task force, dealing with the investigation of the plot against the government. That is why I trust his expertise and knowledge.” Red flags brightened her cheeks, and her eyes sparkled as she made her reason clear to the men in the room.

  Embarrassment washed through him like a burning hot wave. “Uh, senator, I agree with the admiral. We should also actively take steps to secure our other military bases. I’m not so sure it’s beyond the realm of possibility that they’ve trained these children to run the ships and planes and cause us greater issues.” He shrugged, then turned back to the general. “I think that, at this stage, we need more information before we can assemble strike forces. We don’t know how many bases or children there are. While Colvert was undoubtedly using the in vitro clinic as a front, we don’t know that there weren’t more. It’s one of the many aspects I want to investigate, but we’re spread too thinly at this point, in terms of manpower.”

  The general harrumphed at his answer, and the admiral peered again at the map. “If we take the force out into deep water and form a flotilla, it would make it hard for anyone to ambush us and take our ships. We can keep a single force at the main base, and that’s the one we reinforce.” He tapped the port at Weir Point. “It’s next to the Air Force and Space Base. We pool resources. Move our land-based people there.”

  Daniella chewed her lip. “How many can you call up to help reinforce the base, Admiral?”

  “If I move the ships to full complement, I can spare three thousand or thereabouts for the base. Then we take down the fencing between the other bases. Erect another corridor or two for access. Mine the surrounding areas, so we only have minimal incursion points.”

  Land mines. Antiquated yet still effective barriers. Jonah knew Daniella wouldn’t be comfortable with that, but it made sense to protect the base and those within it. Increase the defensibility meant they’d get more returning soldiers. It increased the chances of survival of their people, including the civilians who now called this place home. However, it brought with it other unintended side issues—how to house and feed so many soldiers and their families. He’d work on that issue later though.

  “We add to that, set up a further perimeter. Surface-to-air armaments and machine artillery within the base proper and increase the watch. It’s doable, but it will require extensive scheduling and organization.” Jonah swiped a hand over his forehead as he gazed at the map.

  Daniella tottered to the chair, her gaze on the table. “I wish it hadn’t come to this. Get it in place as quickly as you can. I want an update in the morning, gentleman. I want to be assured our people will have the best chance to strike when the opportunity arises.”

  The general and admiral both read the dismissal in her words and saluted then left the room.

  She sighed heavily. “I don’t know, Jonah. I mean, our position is weak without the intelligence. We need to defend the most strategic locations and ensure we have the resources, food, and medical access, but how the hell do we do that when we’re boxing at shadows? We need more information. We need it quickly.”

  He nodded his agreement. Right now, things looked increasingly grim.

  * * * *

  Daniella lay in the dark, mulling over the consequences of the decisions she’d made. Jonah lay on his side, asleep, and for a moment she wondered how that could be.

  Her nerves were taut, stretched like an elastic band about to snap. She could call it all off. Surrender herself, but that wasn’t a choice. Too many had already returned, families swarming through the gates.

  The men who’d taken on the role of gate security had increased the checks, ensuring only those who were supposed to be there were granted access. Professor Venos would arrive tomorrow with a small group of handpicked medical staff who’d survived the explosion at the hospital, and their families. Michael, Clarissa, and their captives had already transferred in, with the secured accommodation under immense scrutiny.

  All these lives in her hands. “How do I do it, Yin? How do I live up to the responsibilities? Make sure my decisions are the best ones for everyone?”

  No answer was forthcoming. She hadn’t expected one.

  The dim glow of the clock above the foot of the bed showed two AM. With a sigh, she snuggled down in the bed, determined to get some rest. Tomorrow would be another busy day.

  It took a long time to descend into sleep.

  Chapter 18

  Jonah ran his gaze over the staffing models, read the health report on the children in the cells, and worried. They’d have to do something soon. Something visible to draw out the combatants.

  In the last two weeks, there’d only been a minor skirmish. Everyone was tense and on edge. It felt like a grinder chewed at his brain.

  The door opened, and Michael entered. “Why is Daniella meeting with LV-1 again? When we spoke a few days ago, she said she’d refrain from going to the secure zone.”

  Jonah frowned, puzzled by his friend’s comment. She’d been going to a training session, then meeting via holo-link with the other senators. “I… I don’t know, Mike. I mean, it’s not like she’s telling me everything she does. There was supposed to be a training session.”

  Michael dragged his fingers through his hair. “I can’t make her stay away, Jonah. David isn’t here at the moment, and you’re about the only one she’ll listen to.”

  Jonah barked a laugh at that. “Listen to me? She’s the leader of the Free Republic movement. I’m merely a pen pusher and—”

  “Garbage! She’s in love with you. Every time you’re in the same room, her face kind of lights up. Clarissa reckons she’s gone, and so do I.”

  His stomach contracted, the hard, painful knot in his belly—the one he’d been carrying since the first day on the base—trying to squeeze its way up his esophagus. “I don’t have time to talk about this. I’ve read through the files you prepared on the children. I don’t understand some of the things you’re talking about but—”

  Before he could speak further, a massive boom reverberated. The building shook, glass chinking and tinkling, files sliding to the floor.

  Jonah was up, pushing away from the desk as the sound echoed once more, a sonic style boom. Knowledge flared. “They’re attempting to break into the base.” He wrenched the door open. People moved swiftly, an attitude of banked anxiety wafted on the air.

  “We’re under attack, sir!” A young, dark-haired aide, probably only nineteen, trotted up to him.

  “Find the senator. Get her sequestered and contact the base commander. I want teams on the kids. No one gets near them. No one gets them out.” He ground out the words and reached for his sidearm. “Michael, get back to your office. Lock it down, along with Clarissa. You’re both targets. I can’t afford to lose you as either a medic or anything else.”

  Spinning on his heel, Jonah headed to the end of the building, where the protective armor was stored. He’d go out there and—

  “Sir? We need you here. You’re the only one who knows the full extent of the situation.” McNally loomed before him, where she’d been handing out the protective suits. “We lose you, and so much knowledge will be gone. All the planning you’ve done. The contacts you’ve got. We can’t afford to lose you.” The words hammered into him like a physical blow.

  “I need to—”

  “With all due respect, Jonah. You’re needed here more. We’re going to move you into the building with the senator. This is the first attack they’ve made on the base. We aren’t sure the extent of their force. Right now, we’re calling up everyone we can spare.”

  General DuSaint turned the corner and peered at both of them. “You think you should be out there. Yes?”

  Jonah seethed and nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  The older man shook his head. “You’d be wrong, because right now, we need you where you’re safe and able to help with the defensive efforts. Hell, they’re sending me back too.” The general screwed his face up as if he’d been sucking lemons. “We still need protective suiting.”

  “I’d agree. McNally?”

  She wordlessly handed the general and himself a suit as the aide sped toward him.

  “Sir, I have a vehicle waiting for you and the general. We’ll take you to a secured location on the base, where the senator awaits you. She’s getting ready to do a vid-cast. Says it might help to throw the combatants off.”

  “If she weren’t a senator, I’d probably see if we couldn’t train her as a strategist,” muttered DuSaint.

  Another thud followed a boom. The building rattled as if the foundations were compromised. “I need my backup data unit,” Jonah said.

  Moving quickly, legs pumping, he ran to his office, then pulled up short at the sight of a gaping hole in the wall. The desk lay in ruins, the data backup missing in the debris.

  “We need to get you out of here.” McNally grabbed his arm, the general ahead of them disappearing around the corner and out the far door.

  A compact utilitarian vehicle revved, and Jonah allowed the woman to push him in, then she clambered in beside the general.

  McNally slapped the side of the car. “Go!”

  * * * *

  Daniella’s stomach clenched in knots. Where was Jonah? Michael? She tracked back and forth as the female soldier watched her. The camera sat in position, ready for her to begin the transmission. The door opened with a squeak, and Jonah entered. She didn’t look for anyone else, just launched herself into his arms.

  “Oh God! Davies here says they’re attempting to get into the base? Do we have—”

  Someone cleared their throat, and she looked up to see the general. “Ma’am, it seems they are, and they aren’t. They got a single rocket off and hit Jonah’s office. Interesting that they knew exactly where that was. But they’ve begun retreating according to our people fortifying the fences. The initial attack didn’t work well. They hit the patch we’d already seeded with mines. Their losses are greater than ours. I don’t suppose…” He stopped and shook his head.

  “What, General?”

  “The girl, LV-1? Can she give us any information on how many…”

  Horror seeped into her marrow, freezing her. “You want me to use the child to gain—”

  “LV might have information that will allow us to make informed choices. Daniella, we really can’t afford to ignore that.” Jonah laid a gentle hand on her arm, and her vision tunneled. His darker skin stood out against her paler one.

  Differences.

  Opposites.

  “I… How can you ask that? She’s a child!” Daniella’s voice vibrated with barely suppressed emotion. Anger and revulsion warred inside her, each overlaying the other while the greasiness in her belly roiled.

  “Senator, she might be able to give us the information we can’t—” He spoke forcefully, face hard and eyes burning with intensity, and Daniella flinched.

  “If—that’s only an if at this stage, gentlemen—I want an assurance that she will not be used again.”

  Hot tears burned in her eyes as Jonah shook his head. “I can’t promise anything, senator. This is a war. We have to do things…”

  Shaking her head, Daniella shut him down. “Let me talk to her. Bring her here.”

  Jonah stared, then shrugged. “McNally? Escort LV up here. Remain on guard, and above all, protect the senator.” He marched to the door, wrenched it open, and turned back, burnt her with his searing gaze, then left the room.

  Her breath hitched as the general and McNally trotted after him. She’d gone toe-to-toe but hadn’t achieved anything positive. Instead, she had the nasty feeling that she’d damaged the tenuous strands of emotion between them.

  Her personal communicator blared. She frowned and lifted it, checked the ID, and growled her greeting. “What do you want, Gravely?”

  “Sadly, Gravely can no longer use this communicator. Such a shame. He was such a nice man before he made the deal. Know what I mean? Go on. Turn on the news line.” The voice dripped with false emotion, and the nausea she’d mostly held at bay struck her as the line disconnected.

  She stumbled to the viewer and engaged it, found the newscast, and slumped into her chair, horrified by the vision before her.

  “Yes, Gareth, it has been confirmed by sources within the assembly chambers that Senator Gravely was assassinated this morning. The massed army of Senator Daniella Villede are thought to be behind the action that resulted in a total loss of the building. Over forty staffers are presently unaccounted for.” Daniella’s image filled the screen as the voiceover continued.

  When her image disappeared, the camera panned to a man standing beside the pile of rubble who’d assumed a stern facial expression. “Jenna, there is widespread unrest in the capital today. People are worried about their safety. Since the assassination of Yin, and with the death of Gravely, many suggest it’s Senator Villede who is pulling strings. That she’s hiding out while she masses troops. Privately, others are talking about gangs of children roaming the streets. Sources within the political circles are also stating that…”

  The screen turned grainy. Then the test pattern overlaid the viewer. It lasted for around thirty seconds, then the newsroom and reader returned. She looked disheveled as if something had occurred and she’d run her fingers through her hair.

  “We apologize for the interruption. We have just received word from Prime Senator Delspar’s office.” She cleared her throat and shuffled in her chair. “This is an official communique from the office of Prime Senator Delspar. At approximately three o’clock today, Senator Daniella Villede enacted war on the peoples of this planet and the republic. She and her troops refused to lay down arms and to cease their hostilities peacefully. Any man, woman, or child offering assistance will be brought to trial on charges of treason. If found guilty, no clemency will be granted. The new republic will not tolerate any undermining of their laws or decisions. Long live the republic!”

  Daniella shut it off and slumped to the chair, hand over her mouth as she dry-heaved.

  The door opened wide, and LV stood there. Jonah took one look at her face and crashed in. “What’s happened? Daniella?”

  “He’s… He’s declared open war. Delspar has assassinated Gravely. Anyone they think involved in our actions is to be jailed and tried for treason. He means to clear any opposition at all. What do we do, Jonah?”

  The sensations and stresses she’d carefully banked over the last week crashed down on her, smothering her. She wanted to cry and scream, but the child stood there, watching with a weird, unblinking gaze.

  Jonah moved forward, crouched down beside Daniella, and enfolded her in his strong arms. The feeling of being cared for and home soothed some of the raggedness. She breathed slower, forcing her body to settle while soaking up the calm he emanated.