Sidra’s lips twisted. It fecking mattered to her.
About to press the activation pad, she hesitated. This type of behavior, ignoring her orders to act as a scout only, earned her a lot of desk time. Def Logan, Triad Commander and second only to Triad’s senior executive Control, wanted her in solitary, and had threatened her with that if she stepped out of line again. This was just the excuse he needed. She had no doubt he would follow through with his threat.
At times, his hatred seemed to run neck and neck with his desire for her. A double-edged sword. Yet, she knew the hatred wasn’t just for her refusal to follow orders. Okay, most of it was. The other part, well, that was for the whole Control-likes-you-better-than-me issue. She’d been Control’s first choice for Commander. And when she’d turned it down, Def had been chosen. She was sure it didn’t help that everyone she worked with knew Control hadn’t chosen Def. He’d won by default. Difficult to accept under the best circumstances. For a man who believed women had only one purpose, the realization was impossible to swallow.
Her inability to keep her smart-ass comments to herself when he was around didn’t better their relationship. Def could foam at the mouth all he wanted. Threats aside, no way was she leaving the children at the mercy of the strike team.
Sidra noted the position of the drones then keyed the hologram switch on her wristband. She could easily handle the three, but why work up a sweat when she didn’t have to? After spinning the dial on the holo emitter fastened to her waist belt, she punched in a code on her wristband, hoping this latest invention worked as she was told it would.
Usually there was time to test Triad’s gadgets. Not for this mission. She’d barely had the chance to shower after the last assignment before leaving on this one. So, here she was, stuck with a new piece of equipment that might or might not work.
The hologram, a fairly recent tech toy from the Triad brain guys, projected a holo image across the gray interior of the storage bay. The drones froze for a moment, and then grabbed their weapons. The holo figure fired a few realistically fake shots, then turned and ran. Two of the drones followed while the third stayed near the cage.
She couldn’t blame them for their response. Even she had a hard time believing the other figure was only an image. Sidra shook her head. Hmm, two out of two. Another piece of equipment the Triad scientists developed actually worked as intended.
At least their record was higher than Intel.
She crept forward, her ninja-like slippers gliding silently over the concrete. The specially designed footwear provided stealth, protection and surface stability.
The drone guarding the cage craned his neck and peered into the semi-darkness where his partners had disappeared. She grinned. She really liked going up against androids.
Human-shaped, if not exactly human, the drones were constructed of metal, plastic and some sort of neural networking frame. Only possessing rudimentary skills, what they lacked in mental ability was a non-issue when in hand-to-hand combat. She loved being able to test her skills against drones. The android’s focus was so intense on what his teammates did, her presence went undetected.
Slipping into the shadows surrounding the cage and its whimpering occupants, she moved closer. She hated the damn Dealers with every atom of her body. These children belonged with someone who loved them, not stuck in a dirty holding facility waiting to become someone’s laborer or worse–someone’s sex toy.
She knew what that felt like. The waiting. The wondering. Because she knew, she freed any children she found. Didn’t matter what her orders were. Didn’t matter if she ended up in solitary. Didn’t matter if she suspected Def had set this up just so he could force her to disobey. When there were children, she’d let them go.
She glanced at the children and her gaze locked on a young girl, her hair stringy with dirt and sweat. Not much more than ten, the girl’s brown eyes held betrayal and loss. The stark expression was a mirror image of the haunted look that had been on Sidra’s face before Norah Rainwater found and saved her.
Sidra lifted a finger to her lips. She curled her other hand into a fist as her fingers itched with the need to comfort. The little girl shrank back, fear tightening her thin lips. Wide brown eyes stared into hers for a moment, then her mouth dipped and lines formed between her brows. The girl lifted a scrawny arm, brushing her fingers against her own cheek.
Realization smacked Sidra like a hammer. Shred it, she wore a mask. Of course, the children would be frightened. She unsnapped the collar and pulled the edge of the mask up and over her head. She tossed the covering onto a nearby box, and then faced the children again.
“Better?” she whispered.
A slight nod. Fear drained from the brown gaze, hope taking its place. Sidra smiled. “I think it’s time to get you out of here,” she continued, her tone low.
She wrapped her fingers around the cage handle. “It’s going to be all…” Her words trailed off as the little girl let out a tiny gasp and looked upward. Sidra jerked her head in the same direction.
A thick rod honed in on her face. She swore and bent backward. The metal bar missed by inches before slamming into the steel cage with a loud clank. A couple of the children screamed.
Shred it! Focus!
Calling herself all kinds of stupid for being taken off guard, she reversed, her feet sliding on the cement floor as the drone advanced. He held the rod high in a menacing gesture. She widened her stance and when he neared, she pivoted and in a swift, smooth movement, side-kicked with her right leg. The drone’s arm blocked the blow.
Dancing on the tip of her toes, she spun and lashed out with her left arm. She quickly ended with an elbow to the drone’s head. The shock of the blow shot electric tingles up her arm. The strike did more damage to the drone. His knees buckled, and he crumpled to the ground.
Out cold.
Sidra smirked. Despite the tingling in her arm, that felt good. For all that drones were lousy attempts at artificial intelligence–mass-produced, lacking independent thought and action–they could kick butt. Usually stealth worked against them.
Unless, of course, they caught her unprepared, which was what had nearly happened.
What a fecking foolish way to behave. If it hadn’t been for the little girl’s warning, Sidra would be the one on the floor. Then who would take care of the children?
Satisfaction faded as she heard soft whispers. Time was short. The other drones would return soon. She whirled and advanced on the cage. Shred Def, the Triad and their orders, she had to free the children.
The laser knife made short work of the lock. The cage door snapped open with a faint squeal, marking the rust covered hinges. She winced. If her luck held, the absent drones would still be, well, absent. She pulled open the door. At first, the children didn’t move. They stared at her, all of their eyes shadowed with betrayal and fear.
It often seemed unbelievable slavery still existed. It did. If anything, the slave trade thrived. With the variety of recreational drugs and gambling halls, too many citizens sold their own children to fund their filthy habits. Sure, kidnapping happened. That was one thing. Selling one’s own children into slavery was the depths of depravity. There shouldn’t be enough credits to justify such a moneymaking scheme.
These children were much too young. She’d been much too young, too, but it didn’t matter. Way before their time, these children would have their innocence torn from them. Just like she had.
Pain skipped through her chest and she embraced the reminder for a moment then shook off the past. She focused on the children. Still none moved.
“Come on,” she whispered. “Before the other drones come back.”
The little girl with the brown hair pushed through the group and came to the entrance. Sidra held out her hand. With only slight hesitation, the