Page 74 of Challenged

I hate that I once sounded like that to Liv.

“Why does some science tier bitch think she stands a chance of stopping this bottom tier girl from taking whatever the fuck she wants?” I say, trying to look menacing.

Having spoken to Liv and the others, I don’t think bottom tier girls are any better at fighting than any other tier. But they do have a reputation, and that’s all Dawes will know. Sure enough, her hands pause on the keyboard as I move round.

“Get the fuck out of my chair,” I tell her.

She does.

I sit down, my heart almost stopping when I see she’s almost all the way through troubleshooting the network connection. Just as I’m about to click to cancel it, a warning message pops up.

No connectivity. Satellites out of range. Estimated time until next in range: 36 days.

Relief lifts my chest, a full breath of air entering my lungs for the first time since I saw that the radio tower was still working.

“Hoping to send a message home?” I say.

She jumps. Clearly assumed I couldn’t read. “It’s not working.”

“I know. Figured that out already. Just didn’t think to troubleshoot it at the time. Your satellites are out of range for another month. Unfortunately for you, I’m going to personally see to it that this place is burned to the fucking ground long before then.”

I’m expecting devastation, but she’s too science tier for that. Just scoffs and looks at me accusingly.

“You’re not bottom tier.”

“Did they tell you that’s what all the ‘specimens’ were? Did it make you feel better about what you were planning to do to them?”

She doesn’t answer, but I can see her eyeing me. I glare at her, let all my most feral rage into the expression.

“I could still take you.”

I don’t think she doubts me, but Deborah chooses that moment to come bursting through the door, as out of breath as I was a few moments ago. Her eyes land on Dawes and she pales, but she turns back to me.

“Angie, the radio tower.”

“Had power, I saw. Don’t worry, messages still can’t be sent right now.”

Her whole body sags with relief, but even limp like that, she’s still all height and muscle and power. Dawes watches her warily. I see the moment Deborah notices she’s there, her body going stiff, her expression tightening. I’m not sure how much the paleness of her skin is leftover panic, how much is in response to Dawes’ presence, but I say the first thing that comes into my head to get Dawes’ attention on me. To give Deborah a moment to breathe and gather herself.

“When did they freeze you, Dawes?”

Dawes’ expression is all twisted as she turns back to me.

“I don’t see why what happened to me is of any interest to you.”

Her tone is sharp enough to cut. A little too sharp. I stand up, put my hands on my hips as I face her.

“I’m interested because I have a theory about why the team here left. I was feeling pretty confident in it before today, but something knocked that confidence. I really need to know that I’m right, and you could maybe help me with that. But the thing is, now I’m just more interested in why you’re being so defensive about answering what I thought was a simple, innocuous question.”

“I don’t know when they froze me. According to the others, it was nineteen years ago, but how am I supposed to know if that’s true?”

“How much time has elapsed since doesn’t affect what month of what year you were frozen, so how about you stop avoiding the question and answer me?”

She looks at me, looks to the door. Deborah is still standing in it, but she’s risen to her full height, now, her military bearing back in force. I see Dawes’ throat bob as she gulps.

“July,” she says. “They froze me in July.”

I give her my best smile. “No they fucking didn’t.”

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