Cynetic Wolf
A GIRL

The rest of the hike was easy, nothing but the shadowy landscape until the sun rose, shedding light on the mysterious, black-and-white world. I pinged Nim. We’d be there soon.

Fifteen minutes later, we reached the small clearing. A group huddled on the far side around a roaring campfire, five pitched green tents to one side; the predetermined signal everything was clear.

“Commander Nim!” I shouted as we headed over.

Two figures emerged and walked toward us.

We stopped halfway from the trees’ edge and waited.

The fellow to the left was short and built, boulder shoulders and ruthless arms straining his compact frame. He had the close crop of old war films, camouflaged fatigues, and a rifle over his shoulder, hunting knife at his side. Must be Nim.

His companion, a female of average height and obvious canine ancestry had a friendly face and a wild, fiery glint in her eyes. Dressed in fatigues, she favored a blaster at the hip and wore a bloodstained cap

“I’m Nim.” She offered a hand. “This is my Lieutenant, Don. “We’re glad you made it.” She eyed us. “We’ve been briefed by Agtha and know the plan, but wanted to hear it from you before we finalize the team.”

“Good.” I covered the basics, but left out the reason for the kidnapping. The fewer people that knew, the better.

“Where are they holed up?” Lars asked when I was done.

“Bout three-k’s east of here,” Don replied. “Three-quarters of a kilometer from the original server ping.”

“By the way, why’d you choose that, of all places?” Nim remarked. “Tactically it isn’t great.”

“I know the area. It’s a long story.” I didn’t want to elaborate.

“No worries,” Don said. “Our boys can handle it.”

“How many? And how many do we have?” I added on second thought, scanning the camp.

“At least fifty or more,” Nim said. “We’ve got eleven.”

Dang.

“And there’s probably more than one group,” Don added. “At least that’s how I’d do it.”

“Fifty?” Ashlo whistled. “Fifty?”

“Have you searched for other groups?” Lars asked.

“Yes and no,” replied Nim. “We did the best we could, but we didn’t want to alert them either.”

“Let’s assume there’s more than one.” I looked at Nim and Don. “If you were the DNS, how would you run this op? Lars, anything to add?”

“Three teams,” the soldiers said without hesitation. “Corner ’em with a triangle and surround ’em if doable. If not, have more than enough bodies to cover the perimeter and take out the target. VTOLs for backup.”

Lars agreed.

“So it’s simple,” I said. “Divide and conquer.”

Nim’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean? If anything, the situation is reversed.”

I shook my head. “We’re outgunned and have to win through misdirection. If they’re three-quarters of a kilometer from the initial site, odds are, the other two teams are too, but on opposite sides. You said a triangle?”

They nodded.

“We need to separate ’em, spoof three locations at once and isolate each group further. We only need to replace Thorn, grab him, and make a clean getaway.”

“How does ten-to-one odds help us?” Don said flatly.

“You hunt?” I asked.

He looked lost.

“Ever chase something farther than you should, something you knew you’d never catch but you’d committed so much you didn’t want to give up?”

Don nodded, brow furrowing.

“We do the same here, spread ’em thinner by pinging locations that are close to, but separate enough, from one another. They go from fifty to twenty-five to twelve, etc… as they split each time. It’ll be chaos as each subunit splinters off, chasing an invisible enemy. And they’ll be motivated by huge rewards and promotions.”

Don was nodding, Lars and Nim as well.

I played out what I’d been thinking as we dissected the plan, covering our bases and getaway. We’d go at dawn.

Out of the corner of my eye, Zedda crumpled, and my heart jumped. I rushed over but Nim beat me there.

Ashlo, Lars, and Don turned to the treeline, drawing blasters.

“What happened?” Ashlo yelled.

Shit. “I don’t know.” She had to be okay.

Nim checked her pulse. “She’s breathing.”

I grabbed Zedda’s hand too and couldn’t let go. “I think she fainted. Probably the blow to the head.”

“What happened?” Nim asked.

I told her.

“We need to get her back to camp!” The commander sprang into action, and we hightailed it across the clearing, past bewildered, fatigue-clad rebels polishing weapons by the campfire.

“In here.” Nim pulled aside a drab green curtain to reveal a well-stocked med tent.

In seconds, she slid a few flimsy white drawers out before replaceing what she was looking for. Pouring several gelatinous pills, she grabbed a bowl, a small spoon and crushed the golden capsules, stirring them into a goopy, rancid liquid that smelled like rotting fish guts.

“Have her take this.” She handed me the bowl. “Her brain’s seventy percent fat, these will help blunt the swelling. The six to twelve hours after head trauma are critical to prevent brain damage.”

Brain damage? “Are you sure?”

“Do it now! We don’t have time.”

I opened Zedda’s mouth and worked the bowl into a pourable position as Nim hooked an IV drip into Zedda’s arm.

This seemed all wrong. What if this made it worse? “You’ve done this before?” I asked.

“Yeah. I’m a doctor actually. Have to pay bills somehow.” She popped the transparent bag onto a metal hook and twisted the plastic knob. “I’m giving her some vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to kickstart her system. These will help.”

Despite my cybernetics, my hands shook. Nim must have noticed.

“It’s nothing that could hurt her,” she added. “It’ll help her recover faster, maybe a full recovery.”

Only maybe? “How long?”

“Depends on her. I’m sorry, can’t say. There’s a chance she doesn’t recover.” She winced. “We’ll do the best we can.”

She might not...

“I know what you’re thinking, Raek,” she said. “We can’t call off this mission, not for a girl, even if she’s special to you.”

How’d she know?

“It’s obvious the way you look at her, kid,” Nim added. “But we have more important things at stake.”

“Damn it!” She was right. I slammed my fist on the table to mask the burning pain inside. “We go at dawn.”

“One of my best men will be here with her,” Nim said, but I was already halfway out the flap.