Page 47 of Protected By the Convicts
He harrumphed at that. Ignore her. . . as if that were possible!
“If I falsify the trials and Dresden finds out, he’ll punish me, maybe the entire unit,” Vaughn added. “Either way, I’m putting someone at risk and I’d rather it be the miners and not all of you.”
Hannah stopped short. “Those miners are innocent, Vaughn. You can’t harm them like that intentionally.”
“Innocent?” Ky’Li asked.
“Notinnocent. None of us is innocent, except Ren, and maybe a handful of others The Company used as scapegoats to cover up its failures, but that doesn’t mean they deserve to be used as lab rats.”
“Agreed.”
“What if—” Vaughn began, but Sersie cut him off this time.
“I don’t like it either, Vaughn, but risk or not, sometimes we have to make a stand. Dresden wants the trials designed to determine what levels cause death. Are you ready to kill men who are signing up with the promise that no harm will come to them? Are you ready to kill for Dresden?”
Vaughn ground to a halt.
Ky’Li could imagine the doctor’s thoughts at that moment. Vaughn didn’t feel he deserved to be a part of this unit. He’d said as much on numerous occasions. That monster Dresden had put Vaughn in a horrible position.
When Hannah squeezed Ky’Li’s arm to gain his attention, Ky’Li nodded to Vaughn. “Go,” he mouthed quietly to her.
Hannah stood in front of Vaughn, who stared over her, down the trail. “Look at me,” she ordered. “If you do this, Vaughn, it will destroy you.”
“Maybe.”
“Refuse or fake the trials, but don’t give in to him,” she persisted.
“And what if he finds out and punishes our unit? I won’t risk you.”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to share. We all are.”
Vaughn’s gaze moved from man to man.
“Promise me, Vaughn. Please.”
Vaughn cupped her cheek. “I’ll find a way, Hannah.”
“Good,” Ren said. “Now that that’s settled, can we get this fucking ceremony over with?” Ren took three large steps to land in front of Hannah. He pulled her in for a kiss. “I swore,” he explained when he finished the long kiss.
“Yes, you did,” she said, grinning.
“Enough,” Ky’Li said, grabbing hold of her hand again. “You three, onto that plank.”
“What plank. . .” Sersie spotted the board spanning the mud pit. “That little stick?”
“It’s as wide as your feet.”
“Just go,” Ren said, shoving him forward. Ren went next, followed by Vaughn. The three moved slowly as the board bounced from their weight.
“Now what?” Ren asked.
“We wait,” Ky’Li answered.
“For what?”
“If I tell you, then the ceremony fails.”
Twenty minutes later, Ky’Li disappeared into the brush for several minutes. He came back with a handful of ottus berries. He placed one in his make-shift slingshot and aimed at the three men.
