Page 35 of Ace

He’d slowed to a jog. She continued at his side. “Yeah, I’m great.” He calmed his breathing, kept a steady pace. “Where you been?”

She laughed. “Sleeping. It’s like three AM where I’m from.”

“I forgot about that.”

She shook her head. “How are you never affected by time zones? Or jet lag?”

“I just sleep when I can. My body doesn’t care what time it is.”

“Must be nice.”

His legs shuddered beneath him, but he tried to pretend like it was the chill. “What’s on the agenda today?”

“I’m busy already.” Her voice was flat, her lips pressed together.

“Is that a good thing?”

She sighed. “Yeah. I guess. I…” She glanced at him and looked away. “It feels like I’m stepping back into the world just the way we left it.”

He was trying to read her. “And that’s not what you want?”

She looked away. “I guess that’s what I want. Yes. Of course it is. It’s great. I really must be tired. Today should be successful. Your dad is stopping by, and the team has a list of new locations we can send our agents…” Her voice trailed off.

“And you’re not excited about all of that?”

“I am. I said I am. What are you doing today?”

She was really pushing him away from that topic.

“I thought I’d make some phone calls to all our teams, check on Ivy and the guys and catch up on the situation. I feel like I don’t have a firm enough grasp on the international ramifications and the history behind this takeover in the Pacific.”

“You worried about being on the wrong side?”

“No. No way. I stand with the Alliance. But I wonder at our strategy, their strategy really. I wonder if we can advise differently when we know more.”

“That’s wise. But not everyone is spouting off useful information. It’s important to note, no matter what anyone says, that there are real lives at stake, real people on the ground, usually in bamboo huts, who are suffering.”

He watched her start to fume, half impressed, half fearful.

“People need to take half a second to consider that, no matter what policies are broken or whose feet we step on, a single life saved is worth more than a thousand feelings hurt.” She started running faster.

His body screamed in protest as he tried to keep up.

But she was getting more and more angry, and her feet were moving right along with her. “If no one is talking about the children, the hungry, the beautiful citizens who aren’t pointing guns at anyone, then someone needs to start. Because they’re the real story here. They’re why we should be doing anything at all. Have you given that some thought in all your trainings?” Her eyes were on fire, her face flushed.

And Dex knew she wasn’t really talking to him, but then again, she was. And how much of this attack was some kind of judgement on his choice to create Top flight instead of work with her?

“What are you saying? That our efforts aren’t helping people?” He tried to slow, to get her to match his pace, but she pushed harder. He bit back a groan. “Because I guarantee that every country or region we train to better protect themselves has one thing in mind: how to help their citizens.”

She shook her head. “But we need more than that. That’s not enough. We need to train up other countries sure, but really what we need is to feed them, house them, educate them.”

“Well, it won’t help them one bit if they eat breakfast at eight and get shot down by enemy fire at nine.’

“Really, Dex. That’s terrible. These are real people.”

“Of course they are. I’m not being callous. I’m being real. You talk about food and clothing. I’m telling you some of these people would get swallowed if it weren’t for Top Flight.”

“And imagine if the countries just spent that money on building their infrastructure and feeding their people.”

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