Page 25 of Jump or Fall
A mission.
Focus on the mission.
Chapter 10
Mara
The rusty door creaked open and they quickly backed away from each other. Silva entered first, followed by a young woman with a deep tan and short, platinum blonde hair. The hard line of her lips and pinched brows gave her a severe look.
Silva eyed Mara and Gordon, seated directly across from each other, but said nothing and moved straight into introductions. “Kimmie, this is Mara Tainan, Master Tailor at Hyperion. Mara, this is Kimmie Alphito, Squad Leader for Enforcer Division Eight.”
The Outskirts. No wonder she looked pissed.
Kimmie stood with her hands on her hips. Her bare arms were muscular and just as tan as her face. She looked Mara up and down, scrutinizing.
“I don’t know why you’re trying to peel my skin off with your eyes,” Mara said, “but you could just say something.”
Kimmie rolled her eyes and turned to Silva. “How do you know we can trust her? I’ve heard stories about Karena. She still raved about that asshole even after being dumped on the edge of Eight.”
Gordon studied Mara’s reaction carefully, maybe to see if there was any truth to the accusation.
Things were not off to a good start. “Don’t compare me to Karena. I don't enjoy being someone’s pet,” Mara replied coolly.
Kimmie cocked an eyebrow. “If you hate it all so much, why haven’t you killed yourself or tried to escape?”
“Getting involved with you people is picking one of those options.”
Kimmie opened her mouth to fire back, but Silva interjected. “Let’s all just calm down and have a discussion.”
Kimmie’s shoulders tensed, but she snapped her mouth shut and took a seat next to Gordon. He shifted away in his chair, creating a wide gap between them.
Silva scanned the room, ensuring the tension had eased up before continuing. “The mech is finished. They want to deploy it on Friday to patrol the edge of Eight. After last month’s arson and the loss of two enforcers, they don’t want to risk too many human patrols in the area. They won’t put one directly in Eight yet, given its size and the locals’ reputation for taking apart anything expensive.”
Kimmie ignored the apparent jab. “There are still twelve of us assigned to Eight, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they pull us back if that mech survives. A ten-footer won’t fit down most of the pathways, though, so they would need to invest in a smaller one. How’s everything for tomorrow’s mission?”
Gordon spoke next. “I’ve placed an EMP device on the corner of Tyre and Paragon. On the opposite side of the street is a blister box.”
They really were in this to cause destruction. A blister box contained an extremely volatile acidic compound—one that could cause severe burns, melt Araflex, and weaken armor plates, making them more vulnerable to bullets and blunt force.
“What time do you want Wells to set the fire?” Kimmie asked. “I already talked to Dax about subbing in Seven.”
Wells. Another name to add to the growing list.
“9:30. Fewer people around, and Division Seven has four Silvers on that shift. If you can somehow divert the others, that would be ideal.”
“I can try,” Kimmie said, “but there are a lot of newbies trying to prove something. Getting them away from the action won’t be easy.”
“Fair enough,” he replied.
The casual acceptance of collateral damage irked Mara, but she kept it to herself. She didn’t exactly have clean hands, considering she armored the very machine they were trying to dismantle.
Kimmie turned her attention to Mara. “Silva says the synth-minds are going out soon. That true?”
“Yes. I was able to delay the first round of deployments by a week, but Millon and Chief Dax picked Eight to go first.”
“Fuckin’ perfect,” she seethed. “They don’t have any Silvers in Eight’s squad now, so we’re the test subjects.”
Mara frowned, mulling over the concerns. There wasn’t much she could do about the rollout order, but maybe she could do something else.
