“We still have to check it out,” Kee argued. “It’s too much of a coincidence to ignore.”
“I don’t disagree,” Lexi said. “But I don’t want you to be heartbroken if all we find is dust and rats. Temper your expectations.”
Kee grinned at her. “You know I won’t.”
Lexi’s sigh covered a grin of her own. “I know.”
“Assuming we don’t want to get permission from the empress to enter from the palace side, how do we get in?” I asked.
Nilo and Lexi both pointed at the same corner of the building. Nilo gestured for Lexi to explain. “There is an access ladder here,” she said, “but it wasn’t meant to be the main entry. The landing is twelve meters down. Our best bet will be to skip the ladder entirely and fast rope in.”
I squinted at the blueprint, trying to see what they saw. “Where’s the door? I would’ve noticed an unexplained door, but there wasn’t one. It’s just a room full of old equipment.”
Lexi pointed at a tiny squiggle on the blueprint. “The hatch is in the floor. If you didn’t notice it, then it must be controlled remotely. This blueprint doesn’t include a wiring diagram, but Kee and I can find the control.”
I rubbed my eyes and tried to think of all the things that could go wrong. “If the bunker is supposed to be an emergency shelter for the palace, then the monitoring station will likely be under surveillance. We need to figure out how and where so whoever is downstairs—if anyone—doesn’t know we’re coming.”
“I’m on it,” Kee said. “Though if it’s truly an emergency shelter, then it may be a closed system. In that case, I’ll need to be nearby to figure it out.”
“I can take you,” Varro said, speaking for the first time. The weapons specialist seemed content to remain in the background, observing everyone around him, and I got the impression that he saw more than he let on.
And it did not escape my notice that he volunteered every time it involved spending time with Kee. I wasn’t sure if he was still trying to make up for his terrible first impression or if he had an entirely different motivation, but Kee smiled at him. “Thank you.”
Eli grimaced. “I just love attacking an unknown number of soldiers in a fortified underground bunker,” he said. “It really livens up my day.”
“At least we have a telekinetic on our side this time,” Anja said with a grin. “They’ll run away from us.”
I didn’t exactly share her optimism, but I hoped she was right. “Do we have everything we need, or do we need to make a trip to Starlight?”
“Going to your ship is not a good idea,” Torran murmured. “Chira will get you whatever you need, and it would be best if you wore Valovian armor.”
“We’ll need the armor soon, then, so we have time to get used to it,” Eli said. He glanced out the window at the dark sky. “It’s already after midday, so tonight will be cutting it close, even if Kee and Lexi can get us in.”
“Not tonight,” I said. I held up a hand to ward off the protests. “You know I don’t want a child to suffer for any longer than necessary, but if we go in half-cocked, then we’re more likely to run into problems. We’ll plan for tomorrow night when most of the guards will be asleep. That gives us a day and a half to come up with a solid plan, do some training together, and get used to the armor. If Lexi and Kee can’t find a way in, then we’ll reevaluate tomorrow afternoon. Objections?”
No one objected.
“Okay, Kee and Lexi, you’re on access. Figure out a way to get us in without being seen. Take Varro with you if you need to be on-site.”
“I’ll go with them,” Nilo said. The charming grin was back, filled with mischief. “I know a thing or two about getting into a building unseen.”
Lexi rolled her eyes but didn’t object.
I turned to Eli and Anja. “Work with Chira to get us the weapons and armor we’re going to need.” When they nodded, I moved to Havil. “Gather medical supplies. I know you can heal, but if you are hurt or overtaxed, then we’ll have to triage injuries ourselves, so we’ll need bandages, medicine, and trauma kits.”
He dipped his head. “I will have everything ready in an hour.”
“Torran and I will do some initial planning, then we’ll talk everything through once you all are done with your individual pieces. Sound good?” Everyone nodded. “Then let’s get to it. Good luck. Be careful.”
Torran and I retreated to his office so we could talk without interrupting Lexi and Kee, who were trying to find a remote way into the underground bunker. We pulled the blueprint up on the wall display, and I stared at the little squiggle that was going to be our entrance point.
I was kind of with Eli on this one—attacking an unknown number of fortified enemies wasn’t my favorite thing. I wanted to save the kid, but not at the expense of my team.
“I don’t suppose you have a whole squad of telekinetics who would like to take this mission?” I asked.
Torran grimaced. “No. There are a few in the imperial guard, but alerting them isn’t the best idea for obvious reasons.”
I paced, too antsy to sit still. There were too many unknowns, and I wasn’t sure any of them would be resolved by tomorrow night. “This is such a bad idea,” I mumbled to myself.
Torran stopped me with a hand on my arm. He waited until I met his eyes. “You don’t have to go,” he said. “You and your team can remain here.”
I sighed. “We have to go. Now it’s about more than a missing child. I don’t have much of a voice with the FHP, but I will do everything I can to prevent another war.”
“And if it is the FHP?”
“Then I’ll go public. Normal citizens don’t want another war. We still haven’t recovered from the last one. If I can sway public opinion, then it might be enough.”
“And what will the FHP do?”
My smile was grim. “They’ll try to silence me, of course.”
“They’ll hunt you,” Torran said. “You won’t be safe.”
I nodded once, sharply. If it came to that, I’d have to send my parents into hiding—my parents, who’d lived in the same house for forty years. It would break their hearts, but they would understand. They knew the cost of war.
We all did.
I smiled at him, trying to lighten the mood. “So make sure you fulfill your debt before it comes to that, okay?” I turned to the displayed blueprint before he could respond. “Now, let’s see if you live up to your reputation, General. How do we get in safely?”
Torran’s gaze lingered on my face for a long moment before he reluctantly turned to the display. “The entrance is designed to be easy to defend, so we need to get past it before they know we’re there. That means speed and stealth. Your team will need to allow my team to mentally shield them at least until we’re inside.”
I remembered the cool press of Torran’s mind against my own in the parking garage. Then I remembered what had happened next. My cheeks heated. A peek at Torran revealed that his gaze was fixed on me, a hungry expression on his face.