The Gender Fall (The Gender Game #5)

“We’d have a better chance finding them with Mr. Croft,” said a woman I didn’t recognize. Her hair was blond and braided around the top of her head in a long, thick rope. “My brother was taken twelve years ago, and, from what I’ve been able to piece together, Mr. Croft and his team have done more to try and help our boys in the past three months than I have been able to do for all that time. I remember his training program for the boys… back in the Facility… I finally thought we were going to get them back…” Her voice trailed off in emotion, and the woman next to her patted her on the shoulder, while around the room I could hear noises of acknowledgement. And anger.

Thomas had been right—these people had recently lost their boys again. Finally, the blond woman continued, “That was the first time I saw some progress with our boys. And I think that, while our goals aren’t exactly identical to Mr. Croft’s, they do run along similar lines. Mr. Croft’s fight extends to all citizens, while we are only invested in our families. Perhaps we need to re-examine that.”

Erin gave the other woman a considering look and then sighed, shaking her head.

I couldn’t help but jump in at that point, circling back to what she’d first said. “So the Matrians… they really have control of the boys again?” I didn’t bother to hide the frustration that coursed through me at the thought. It sounded like a nightmare. I knew everyone in the room was on the same page about that.

Grimacing, Erin looked at Lynne, who met my gaze and sighed, the expression on her face mirroring what I guessed my own must be. “Shortly after Desmond threw you and everyone out of the airlock, we had to exercise an emergency evacuation.” She spat the words out distastefully. “Desmond radioed to tell us she’d just found out the Matrian wardens were closing in. There was no time to free all the boys, so… she ordered us to leave them behind, promising that if we had found them once, we would find them again.”

“I argued against it,” retorted Meera, folding her arms across her chest. “I wanted to stay and fight for them. We all did, but Desmond… she was just as reasonable and practical as ever, telling us we needed to maintain our Liberator anonymity. She told us we would get caught if we tried to move the boys and care for them in the evacuation—that even their absence would be noted.” She met my gaze and shook her head. “It all makes so much sense now. We played right into her hands, didn’t we?” Her voice was bitter, seething.

I wasn’t going repeat a fact she already knew and hated. “Do you think they are still at the Facility?” I asked instead.

“Perhaps,” responded Lynne, leaning back in her chair. “But to be honest, it’s unlikely. If she had time to clear them out, she would’ve… And destroyed the facility for good measure, no doubt. Just in case any of us were tempted to go back in a desperate attempt to see our boys.”

“That’s Desmond for you,” Amber chimed in, dropping into an unoccupied chair. “When she carries out a plan, she follows it through.” She paused and squared her shoulders. “Look, when Violet and Viggo first told me about what was happening, I was honestly like ‘so what?’ To me, as a Patrian-born female, the only thing I could think of was that this war hadn’t come soon enough. Most of you know my story… You know what my father did. I had every reason to hate him and any other Patrian male. But, after everything, after working with Viggo and Violet, I realized not everyone is like that. They genuinely care, and what’s more, they taught me working together makes us stronger than being apart. I urge you to consider this proposal. They care about the boys too, and it’s one of our highest priorities to get them free.”

“Those goals are intertwined,” Owen added, taking a step toward the conference table. “Getting them free will help us stop this war—and on the other hand, stopping this war will help us keep the boys from being used as human weapons. It helps, either way. So working with us might be the best way forward. We can help each other in more ways as well. Once we push the Matrians out of Patrus, we can focus our goals exclusively on Desmond, and by extension, Elena. She’s the real monster here—she’s the one who wants to use the boys, boys like my brother, like soldiers in her army. We are going to need all the help we can get in taking them down.”

“You know, we are in a unique position to cause some harm,” said Meera thoughtfully, giving Erin a cautious look. “We could spy on Desmond for them. Use the information we receive from her to help them coordinate plans of attack. Anyone who doesn’t want to go out and actively join the war effort could still—” She paused, letting the venom of her words sink in. “—get some payback… Start up some lies of our own.”

Erin squinted at Meera, considering her, and then gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. “That might be something,” she said after a beat. “It would certainly make me feel better, after she took our boys away from us, right out from under our noses.” She turned to me and arched an eyebrow. “What exactly do you want from us? What would you need, were we to consider doing this?”

“Dr. Tierney,” I replied automatically. “For Quinn, Henrik, and Violet… and anybody else who gets hurt out in the field, which seems more and more likely. She can also help us take care of Solomon,” I said, directing the point at Meera. “Medical equipment, and a few operatives to help with training and general operations until we can get our own people trained up. Also, any information you can get on Desmond would be incredibly helpful.”

“Well, to be honest, Desmond has been less than forthcoming with us recently,” said Lynne. “But there are a few people she’s set to tap at any time. If we can get them on board, we might be able to figure out what she’s up to. But their safety comes first. If she wants them to plant a bomb somewhere, we have to let them plant the bomb. She can’t have any hint that we are working against her. None.”

I nodded. “I understand. But… is that a yes?”

The others at the table looked around at each other for a moment, and then Meera nodded. “You have our support, Mr. Croft. But let’s be clear. We’re getting something out of this deal, too. We want any and all information on the boys, as you encounter it. That is non-negotiable. They become top priority when you find them. Is that clear?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said solemnly, nodding my head.

“Then we have a deal.”





11





Viggo