The Gender Fall (The Gender Game #5)

He cocked his head at me, frowning. “Uh, no. Why do you ask?”

“When I was working with Lee, Desmond’s son, he had trackers you could put into someone’s drink. It would stay in their system for two weeks, and then get flushed out. I was just wondering, just in case—”

“In case the boy doesn’t have one surgically implanted,” Thomas concluded for me. “No, I don’t have any experience with them. They may be new and rare Matrian technology, or maybe it was something Lee developed on his own.”

I glanced at Ms. Dale, noting her look of dismay. “So even if the boy doesn’t have anything implanted under the skin, he still might be tagged?” she said. “That’s disconcerting.”

Looking down at the table, I sighed. “I agree. We might have to consider leaving him behind.” I hated the way those words sounded in the air, but I couldn’t leave a single option unexamined, not with our entire camp in the balance. My cousin’s children flashed before my eyes, reminding me what was at stake. As much as I hated it, I knew in my heart that just because we couldn’t find a tracker under his skin didn’t mean we could bring the boy back with us.

“I might be able to whip up a scanner of sorts,” Thomas announced abruptly. His head was tilted up toward the ceiling, exposing the folds of his neck. He spun slightly in his chair, his legs kicking a little. “Even trackers use some sort of power source. I can scan the boy to see if he is emitting any sort of abnormal frequency.”

“Do you think it’ll work?” I asked, taking a step forward, relief surging through me.

He looked at me, and straightened. “Yes. Barring equipment complications, if he has them, I can find them. If he comes up clear, then we can bring him back. If not…”

Hey, guys? I’m still waiting on a plan here. Viggo’s voice buzzed in my earpiece. We had been so absorbed in how to proceed, I realized we hadn’t been communicating to him.

“Viggo,” I said, “we’re going to meet you in sector thirty-seven C, two miles from sector D, and four miles from sector thirty-six C. We can direct you as needed. Be careful of potential Matrian troops in the area. Keep heading south until you hit a ravine, and then turn east. We’ll be waiting for you in the heloship.”

Copy that, came his reply.

I turned again, tugging my headset off, trying not to upset the soft cap I still wore. “I’ll go get Amber,” I said. “Since we’ll be flying.”

Taking a step forward, I felt a strange sensation, not unlike falling, and the room started to tilt to the left. No—I was falling. My hand shot out to grab at the table, and I felt my knuckles rap sharply against the wood as I half tumbled into it, breaking my own fall.

Stabilized on the flat surface, I closed my eyes and tried to fight the dizziness that had assaulted me. Then I felt a hand fall on the middle of my back, between my shoulder blades, another one gently supporting my elbow as I breathed, willing the world back into clarity.

“Are you okay, Violet?” Ms. Dale’s voice overflowed with concern as she carefully helped me move away from the table. I kept my eyes shut, trusting she wouldn’t walk me into anything, and then felt something brush up against my knees. “Chair here,” she murmured, helping me to turn, and then allowing me to lean on her as I slowly sat down.

Settled in the chair, I took a few more deep breaths, and then, slowly, opened my eyes. The world trembled slightly, threatening to spin off the rails again, but I pushed the sensation back, focusing on my hands in front of me, steadying myself. “I’m fine,” I breathed. “Just got hit with a dizzy spell. Give me a minute and I’ll be good to go.”

Ms. Dale gave me a doubtful look as she dragged a chair over, sitting down in front of me. My skin felt clammy, a cold sweat dotting my forehead, upper lip, and shoulders. My breath was still coming sharply. “Violet,” Ms. Dale began hesitantly. “You have done enough for today. I think we’ll be fine if you stay here.”

I felt the urge to protest, which must have shown on my face, because Ms. Dale leaned forward, her expression soft. “It’s not just because you’re unwell, although that is a good enough reason in and of itself. However, Viggo and Owen are gone. Thomas, Amber, and I—we all have to go to the pickup, for various reasons. That’s all our leadership, Violet. If anything were to happen to us…” She met my gaze, her brown eyes glittering with intensity. “We need you here to carry on, should anything happen to us. Someone has to remain behind.”

She was right, of course. I had known that even before she’d started speaking. At least, I had known that, physically, I was still in no condition for fieldwork. Viggo and I had talked about it just yesterday. But the other stuff… Well, that was something I had not considered right at this moment. Even though I’d definitely used that argument on other people in my care before, I’d never really thought to apply it to myself.

“I know,” I told Ms. Dale, risking a nod. “And we have a good plan. I just… I’m having a hard time accepting my new, uh, limitations.” I gave her a small smile, just a flash of humor, and Ms. Dale smiled in response. “I trust you and Viggo to get in and out of there. Thomas, I trust you, too,” I added, noting the reproachful look Thomas had shot me over Ms. Dale’s head. I hoped that affirmation would tell him I knew fieldwork wasn’t his forte, but he was doing his best. If he needed the support, I was happy to give it.

“We’ll be back before you know it,” Ms. Dale assured me, and I watched them exit the room, presumably heading off to find Dr. Arlan and Amber.





24





Viggo