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mission for the Resistance. But I recognized the light on Pace’s face. I’d seen my dad look at my mom with that brightness that said, The person standing in front of me could change my life.
    As Pace spoke now, here in this dingy cavern, it was clear that his easiness had been lost with Ty. He caught me watching him, and I half smiled. He seemed to understand what I was thinking and lowered his head slightly.
    After Pace finished his update, Vi stood up and began assigning every member of Indy’s team to one of our existing crew. I imagined how I must look, gazing at Vi the same way Pace had looked at Ty all those years ago. I couldn’t help it.
    “Someone to show them around, help them on watch, you know, orient them to our life here,” she said.
    And what a crazy-lame life we live inside this blasted cavern. I didn’t say it out loud, but Vi cut me a hard look anyway.
    After Vi sat, Saffediene got to her feet. “Gunner and I have assembled new two-person traveling teams for assignments in the Midwestern Region. You’ll leave tonight.” She listed off partnerships, and I glanced at her when she read my name with Gunn’s.
    Another trip to another unknown city. Half of me rejoiced. The other half died a bit more.
    Before Saffediene finished her assignments, Jag burst into the cavern with Gunn two steps behind him.
    “Cancel everything,” Jag commanded. “Hightower has Thane, and we need to rescue him before eleven tomorrow morning.”

Jag
    5 . “I need you with Vi,” I said for the third time. The meeting had broken up, and I’d gone from room to room giving assignments. Zenn had followed me back here to my quarters, breathing reasons he couldn’t go to Freedom.
    “You’ve been assigned to protect Vi,” I said again. “You should be happy about that.”
    Zenn stood in front of me, his mouth a thin line of disapproval. I didn’t get his hating-me thing. It’s not my fault he defected, left Vi alone so she had to break rules to meet him, or that she got thrown into my prison cell.
    I could’ve done without Zenn defecting. Everyone couldhave. But I’ve never been sorry for Vi’s rule breaking or that I had to “endure” jail time with her.
    “We have an appointment in Harvest,” Zenn said—for the third time.
    “Stop trying to get out of going on this mission,” I said, fighting back my voice power. “You want to play the hero, just admit it. Right now I need my hero in Freedom, to rescue Thane.” I stripped off my filthy shirt and replaced it with a less filthy one.
    “This has nothing to do with heroics.”
    “And,” I continued, almost yelling, “everyone knows you’re in love with Vi, and I’m assigning you to protect her.”
    His jaw tightened; his fists flexed. A bolt of satisfaction sang at the back of my throat. “It’s what we both want,” I said, stepping closer. He blocked the doorway of my bedroom, and I had forty thousand things to get ready for the mission.
    “I can’t go back there,” Zenn said, his gaze dropping to the floor. The muscles worked in his neck. “You don’t know what Director Hightower’s like.”
    “Trust me,” I said, “I do.” Zenn had no idea what my life was like. Where I’d been for those eight months while he and Vi fell in love all over again. No one did.
    That’s how I liked it. Removing myself from everyoneand everything helped me keep people out. That way I could do what needed to be done for the Resistance.
    No emotional attachments. That’s why I didn’t try too hard to explain anything to Indy and then brought her brother, Irvine, with me on the mission into the Goodgrounds. She didn’t understand that, sometimes, being the leader of the Resistance required me to make difficult decisions. It was better to be completely detached from everyone.
    “Except for Vi.” Zenn didn’t have to say it, but he did. The pain in his voice was poorly masked. He hadn’t even tried. Sure, he was in my head, which annoyed me, but he was