Raider shook himself, sending droplets flying before rubbing his face and head to sluice off any excess. "How many?"
"Four outside the room. At least half a dozen patrolling the halls on the same level."
"Looks like they learned from last time and aren't planning to take any chances." Raider glanced at Kira. "This is going to be tricky."
"It always is," Kira said, feeling grim.
Raider set a hand on his hip as he rubbed the back of his neck. "How are we going to get in without laying a finger on the guards?"
"I'm still working on that."
It wasn't going to be easy. That was for sure.
"Making that promise to Harlow was a mistake," Raider said flatly. "By any means necessary. Did you forget?"
The verbal jab made Kira catch her breath. Her primus stirred.
Kira suppressed it, taking a deep breath and then another. Raider was on edge, she reasoned. It made him say things he didn't necessarily mean.
"I will do everything I have to, to see Elena and Jin safe. Same as you. You know that," Kira said with a forced calm.
Stubbornness lingered in Raider's expression. The same bullheadedness that made him an exemplary soldier was a weakness in times like these. When he was wrong but refused to admit it.
"There is a very small chance the emperor forgives us for abducting his prisoner if we manage to bring Elena and Jin home. That goes out the window if his people are hurt in the process."
In this sense, Torvald was easy to understand. He'd be willing to overlook certain things if the end result was in his interest. Given Jin's status as his son, she was going to operate under the assumption that he desired Jin's wellbeing.
However, if his people were harmed because of her actions, he'd have her head.
"You know what we're up against now. Elena needs somewhere safe to return. Roake and Harlow are her best bet for a future that doesn't involve hiding."
Raider's gaze dropped as his shoulders slumped in a surrender that tore at Kira's heart.
She stepped forward, wrapping her hand around his neck and pressing her forehead against his. "You and me. We're going to get them back."
Not just Elena and Jin. Elise too.
"Our family. We don't give up until they're by our side again."
Kira pretended not to see the glossy sheen in his eyes as she drew back, grateful when he afforded her the same courtesy.
"Then I guess we should figure out how to break a general out of a locked, impenetrable room," Raider said with a halfhearted smile that let her know he was on board.
"Is anyone guarding the room above where the general is being kept?" Kira asked Blue.
"Let me see."
"You want to try to go in from above," Raider guessed.
Kira nodded. "If you can't go through, go around. Isn't that what Himoto taught us?"
Though, the admiral probably hadn't meant for his advice to be used in quite this way.
"One problem—how are you going to get through? The floors are reinforced. They're at least three feet thick. They'd hear if we used explosives or tried to cut our way in."
True.
Kira glanced in the direction of the curtain wall. "Too bad we already used Blue's device."
"Actually—" Blue trailed off.
"Don't leave us in suspense, Blue," Raider ordered.
"Kira's suggestion isn't entirely without merit."
Raider frowned. "I thought those were the only rods."
"Okay. Don't be mad, Kira," Blue started.
Why was it that whenever Blue used that statement it always preceded something that was definitely going to make Kira upset?
"I maybe made a few modifications to Jin's spawn."
The low rumble that issued from Kira's throat had caution spreading across Raider's face. His gaze moved from her face to her hands, noting the shadow of violet symbols.
"Easy," Raider warned.
Kira struggled to contain her anger, the thought of Blue damaging Jin’s spawn almost too much to manage.
"They're okay. Obviously," Blue rushed to add. "I was very careful in my modifications. I would have passed it by Jin, but he didn't answer any of my calls. Given what we were up to tonight, I thought it best to act and ask for permission later."
"You made the right choice," Kira forced herself to say.
It was growing increasingly difficult to separate the cache of Jin's spawn from Jin himself in her mind. A part of her viewing them as an extension of her friend.
Except they weren't Jin. And never would be.
"You sure?" Blue asked, sounding uncertain.
She probably didn't understand why Kira was so upset. To her, the spawn were an intriguing puzzle her friend had made for her to play with. She didn't realize that they and the J1N drone that had once housed Jin's soul were all Kira had left of him at the moment.
"Uh huh," Kira said in a stilted voice. She pinched the bridge of her nose, suppressing the tide of emotion threatening to sweep her away. "The modifications you made. They'll get us in?"
"The theory works the same. Though the window they create will be much smaller."
Raider squeezed Kira's arm in support before focusing on the conversation. "Big enough for a person to drop through?"
"In theory."
"It could work," Raider said with a glance at Kira.
"Alright," she agreed. "Where do you need us to go?"
They followed Blue's directions into the bowels of the Hold, descending several levels until they were on the floor above where they suspected Aeron was being held.
"This is the place," Raider said after they slipped into the room Blue had identified. He cast a probing glance at the bare walls and floor. "Does it seem a bit odd to you that this place was left unguarded. Careless, don't you think?"
Kira did.
The entire journey felt too easy. Their path suspiciously free of obstacles. Except that one patrol in the beginning and another on a different level, they hadn't encountered any problems.
"Think it's a trap?" Raider asked, his line of thought mirroring Kira's.
"We'll find out soon enough. Blue, how much longer?"
"Not long. They're close."
"Why aren't they already here?" Raider griped.
"Well, excuse me for not being perfect," Blue retorted. "You know, this isn't as easy as it looks. Jin's spawn aren't exactly user friendly."
Raider rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, enough with the complaining. Just get here."
"Doing my best," Blue sang.
While the two argued, Kira moved to keep a look out. She eased open the door they'd used to enter and peered through the crack.
Adrenaline jolted through her at the sight of a group of oshota in the matte black of the emperor making their way down the hallway. A few split off to check the empty rooms they passed.
As quietly as she'd opened it, Kira shut the door again.
"What is it?" Raider asked, seeing her expression.
"It looks like the Tuann aren't as careless as we thought. There's a patrol making their way toward us as we speak."
"Inquisitors?"
Kira shook her head. "I'm pretty sure they belong to the emperor."
"How long?" he asked.
Kira backed away from the door. "Seconds."
"Blue, this would be a really good time to come through for us," Raider snarled, joining Kira.
"Almost there."
Raider and Kira looked at each other.