Page 59 of Obsession

There was one advantage to reaching rock bottom and having everything go wrong that possibly could. The list of possible catastrophes was much smaller, especially if Volten and Britta had managed to leave the simulation.

“They got out,” I whispered to myself. “Zav got them out, and Volt will come back for me.”

"Hey," a voice whispered from the next cell.

I ignored the sound, focusing instead on reassuring myself and imagining my best friend appearing at the end of the row of cells.

“Psssst. New guy, I'm talking to you."

I turned my head slowly, trying to make out the speaker in the dim light. “Me?”

“Youarethe newest one here.” Exasperation tinged his voice. “But I don’t think you’re one of us.”

Grek.I opted not to respond.

“You're not really a Drexian cadet, are you?"

I shifted away from him, hoping my uniform wasn’t the giveaway. "Of course, I am."

A quiet laugh. "No, you're not. But don't worry—I'll keep your secret, if you'll help me.”

Curiosity made it impossible for me not to ask. “Help you with what?”

He leaned closer, his face in profile. “My escape plan.”

I studied the shadowy figure in the next cell more carefully. I had specified almost every character that was in the simulation, taking as many names from academy records as possible. Was this one of the cadets I had chosen?

"I'm listening," I said quietly, pressing harder against my wound as another wave of pain washed through me.

What did I have to lose? I was already captured, injured, and running out of time. Whatever this cadet had planned, it had to be better than bleeding out in the dark.

Chapter

Forty-One

Morgan

The engine hummed beneath my boots as I reviewed the mission schematics on my device for the tenth time since we’d left the academy. The air was crisp and clean, the oxygen pumping in through the vents at the perfect temperature—for Drexians. I moved my legs up and down as a shiver went through me, and I wished I’d given in to my instinct to bring my giant wearable fleece blanket. It might not have been appropriate rescue mission attire, but I would have been warm.

“Ridiculous, my ass,” I muttered under my breath, wishing that I hadn’t swayed to popular opinion among my friends that a huge wearable fleece was an absurd item to pack.

I shifted in my safety restraints, trying not to think about the fact that our ship was hurtling through the frigid blackness of space. I was not the biggest fan of space travel. I preferred keeping my feet firmly on the ground where I could happily study star charts and battle plans without rocketing into the sky to put those plans into action.

Glancing around the sleek, black interior of the ship, I was reminded that we were running with a skeleton team. Ariana was our pilot and Commander Vyk was acting as her copilot and team leader, but Torq had stepped in for Kann, and I was the only one representing the School of Strategy.

And then there was Tivek.

I tilted my head to take in the Drexian who was also focusing hard on his device. The admiral's enigmatic adjunct had always intrigued me—there was something about him that suggested layers of complexity beneath his perfectly proper exterior. He was the admiral’s closest confidant. He had been the one to teach Fiona how to play Drexian cards so she could hold her own against Commander Vyk. And now he was part of the team to rescue Sasha, because it was his brother who had gone missing looking for her.

I studied his profile. He had a brother who was in Inferno Force? I added that to the growing list of things that didn’t make sense about the Drexian.

He straightened and turned his head, so I quickly whipped my own head back to my device. My cheeks warmed as I felt his gaze on me. Shit. I hated getting busted. I was an Assassin. I was supposed to be smoother than that.

Who was I kidding? Fiona was best at anything having to do with stealth.

“I wish you were here, Fi,” I said under my breath.

She and Jess had stayed behind. Fiona had classes to teach, and the admiral requested her help while Commander Vyk was away. Jess had stayed because she couldn’t bear the idea of leaving Britta stuck in the simulation without one of us there for her when she got out.

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