He wished he had asked Maria more questions.

Behind him his door sounded. He knew it was Petra arriving for their daily meeting. She was unhappy with him. Though she hadn’t said anything outright, it was clear from her manner that she knew he was not being completely forthcoming. It was difficult to see her struggling with the planning of Section A. None of her family was on the evacuation list.

“Come in,” Dwayne called out.

The door opened and he pivoted about to greet Petra.

Instead, Commandant Pierce stood in the doorway.

“Sir?”

“I need you to accompany me to the SWD headquarters,” she said, her beautiful face impassive. “There’s been an incident.”

* * *

Maria scanned their location in the valley again and was satisfied to see that there was no significant migration of the remaining Inferi Scourge hordes. Being able to utilize the carrier’s equipment was a godsend in these circumstances. Every night Omondi was demanding higher and higher kill numbers. Maybe it was just her imagination, but she was beginning to feel tired.

Of course, over the last few days she had started to feel a lot of things that had been absent since the SWD had made her Boon. Denman was scanning everyone on a daily basis. So far Maria was the only one that was dreaming and showing any noticeable differences. Perhaps it was her imagination, but the strange numbness that had encompassed her since her transformation felt like it was fading.

Dr. Curran was not very obliging with any hypothesis she had as to what was occurring. Denman cursed his basic field kit and wished he could be assisting her. Maria just wanted to know what was happening. Would they end up Anomalies, or worse? And was there a cure?

“Cormier, it looks like we have a clear path for five miles. Once we hit the five mile marker, come to a stop. We’ll have to deal with that cluster on foot,” Maria said.

“Yes, sir,” Cormier answered and swung the carrier onto the cleared road.

The chatter behind her was muted. They had already been working for most of the day. They were all mentally and emotionally exhausted. With so much of the valley clear, they just wanted to finish their mission and go home. With the end so tangible, so close, it made the days seem longer. They had already been working for ten hours, but had another twelve hours before they faded from the world.

Maria wondered if she would dream again.

Her wristlet chimed. It was a call from Chief Defender Omondi. It requested a secure connection. Maria tugged her helmet out from beneath her console and slipped it on. She quickly patched the call through to her helmet’s feed. Omondi’s face appeared on her visor, battered, torn, and flecked with blood.

“Vanguard Martinez, I need you to immediately re-route your squad toward the hydroelectric station. We’re presently pinned down and need backup immediately.”

Her fingers dashed across the screen on her console, quickly scanning for a clear path to the hydroelectric station. Omondi’s squad had done a good job clearing the way. Only a few patches remained, but they wouldn’t be able to drive all the way to the station without risk of being overrun. There was still a large horde to contend with that was located near Omondi’s location. The carrier would definitely rouse them. She quickly did the calculations on how long it would take to reach the station.

The scan of the hydroelectric station didn’t reveal a concentration of Scourge as she feared. “Sir, where are you?”

“We’re trapped. We’re under siege by some…” Omondi frowned deeply.

“Sir?”

“Those talking Scrags…” he said with some reluctance. “Like the ones that attacked Jameson and you.”

“Anomalies,” Maria breathed.

“Is that what you’re calling them?” Omondi sighed wearily, rubbing his brow. “There were a lot more than we anticipated. They’re also armed. Projectile weapons. Handmade. Our bolt weapons are useless against them unless you bludgeon them.” He laughed bitterly.

“You went there looking for them?”

“I’m not supposed to be telling you any of this, Martinez. In fact, I was told to stay put until I hear back from the SWD, but we’re not going to make it if they break through the doors. They’re deranged. Insane. They don’t just bite to infect, they fucking eat you.” Omondi shook his head in disbelief. “I’m down to five squad members, including myself. I’ve been ordered to stay put. By the time they decide how to rescue us, it may be too late. Come get us.”

“Understood, sir.”

Omondi rubbed his face, smearing the blood across his features. “Vanguard…tell your squad what is going on. Don’t let them come in here blind. And arm them.”

“I could put in a request for weaponry from The Bastion,” Maria ventured. “Surely they won’t be opposed to us rescuing you.”

“Vanguard, they’re saving all the remaining ammunition for their big finish. They’re not going to waste it on us.” Omondi’s dark eyes flashed with barely-contained anger.

Maria peered past the image of Omondi projected on her helmet visor to her console. She knew he was right. Ammunition was a scarce resource. Though Omondi wasn’t saying it directly, she understood precisely what he was saying.

They were expendable.

“We’re on our way,” Maria said at last.

Omondi nodded his head and cut the transmission.

Tugging off her helmet, Maria spun her chair around to face the squad. As she suspected, their attention was already focused on her. Cruz looked especially worried, her hands clutching her bolt weapon tightly. It saddened Maria to realize that at this point the squad expected the worst after what had happened to Jameson.

“We’re heading in to rescue the Chief Defender and the other squad. They’re pinned down in the hydroelectric station. We need to get there quickly, but unfortunately I don’t believe we can take the carrier all the way there.”

“I don’t understand,” McKinney said, confusion on his face. “Who has them pinned down?”

Out of the corner of her eye, Maria caught Denman’s sharp look in her direction. Words caught on her tongue briefly as she considered the potential fallout of what she was about to do, yet what did it matter anymore. The SWD had betrayed them all by not disclosing vital information. They were all at risk as long as the modified ISPV was in their system. She was a soldier of the Constabulary and sworn to protect The Bastion at all costs. The Anomalies were a danger to The Bastion. They had to be stopped. Waiting around for the SWD to get their heads out of their asses was going to get the rest of the squad killed.

Stepping forward, she crossed her arms over her chest, took a deep breath, and told her squad the truth.

* * *

The area surrounding the carrier was a mess. Items retrieved from the Inferi Scourge dead lay scattered in heaps. After burning the bodies, the squad had left the containers filled with the salvaged goods stacked in heaps to be recovered at a later time. Maria had Cormier drive to each pile along their route to the hydroelectric station so the squad could rifle through them for any potential weapons.

“More knives,” McKinney said with a sour look, handing them to Maria.

The containers were the ones filled in the first days of the valley clearing. Maria didn’t recall there being anything more exciting than a few hunting knives. There was an old gun with no bullets on one body, but that was all.

“What did you expect?” Holm rolled her eyes and kept digging.

“We’re wasting time,” Denman decided as he kicked over a container.

Maria shaded her eyes as she looked toward The Bastion and the heavy crowd of Scourge gathered at the base of its walls. The last estimate of Scourge destroyed since they entered the valley had been over three million. Now they were down to hundreds of thousands gathered around the city perimeter. The end was near, but not close enough.

“We’re up against projectile weapons. We can’t wear our helmets until we’re past the Scrags, so we’re vulnerable any way you look at it.” Maria handed Denman a dagger and slid the other one into a sheath on her arm. It had a rusty blade, but she didn’t care. It might help at some point.

Cormier jumped out of the carrier and ran over to them. “I think I figured out how to get to the station without going on foot and wasting time.”

“Let’s hear it.” Maria followed Cormier back to the vehicle as the squad finished up rummaging through the containers.

“We’ll have to make a first pass by the hydroelectric station by skirting around the horde that is located just before it. We need to pull them behind us. They’ll definitely pursue us.” Cormier leaped into the carrier and led Maria over to the navigational computer tucked in beside the driver’s seat. “Once they’re following us, we’ll head over here at full speed.” She pointed to an outcropping of rocks that bordered the foothills.

“You’re thinking about looping around that formation and heading back, aren’t you?”

“Absolutely. That passage used to be part of a major supply line that encircled the valley. If the scans are correct, the road isn’t that bad off. We can pull them into the area between those rocks and the base of the mountain, then kick up some speed and head around the formation, doubling back. If we have enough speed on us, they’re not going to see where we went. The road splits off in three directions from that point. Back to the hydroelectric station, another to The Bastion, and a third to the far side of the valley.”