Page 364 of Immune

Ellis doesn't even blink. “The spooky wall ghoul also understands preventable blood loss. Just throwing that out there. For anyone, you know, bleeding.”

Then she gives Dakota a pointed look that goes ignored.

Hale scoffs. “This is naive.”

Dakota turns back to him. “No. Naive was thinking the woman you sold would come home quiet.”

Oh, that one lands beautifully. I could fucking kiss her for it.

Later. When she’s not concussed, drugged, bleeding, and actively scaring the piss out of a courtyard full of people into rediscovering morals. What a queen.

Valeria looks at Dakota with a clear face. “What do you want done with him?”

Hale stiffens. “You can’t be serious. She’s compromised.”

“She’s the victim of your crime,” Valeria snaps coldly, choosing her side without having to utter the words. “And the person you tried to remove from this compound without explicit orders, sound reasoning, or consideration for her free will.”

“I did what command required.”

“Don’t make me laugh,” Dakota says through a tired scoff. “You did what control required. Step off that pedestal you’ve placed yourself on.”

She swallows hard then. Her face is too pale and she wobbles only slightly, but she doesn’t stop. She won’t, not until she’s good and ready.

“You don’t get to command anymore. You don’t get keys. You don’t get radios. You don’t get access to Omegas, Betas, Alphas, medical, gates, research, patrol routes, or anyone too scared to tell you no.”

Valeria nods. “Done.”

Hale’s face drains.

Dakota looks past him to the senior officers and council members under the awning.

“And if any of you helped him, covered for him, agreed with him, or looked the other way because his scary little speeches made theft sound like just a side hazard, then you get the same treatment.”

The courtyard goes so quiet even the wind seems to pause like it’s awkwardly waiting for the right moment to pass by an argument it wasn’t invited to avoid.

One council member pales.

Interesting.

Valeria notices.

Even more interesting.

Dakota keeps going. “You and anyone who helped you stand trial in front of the compound. Not a closed room. Not command handling its own betrayal in private, where no one else can hear it. Everyone here can listen to what you did. Everyone hears why. Then they can decide whether or not you rot in a cell, get exiled, or get handed to the families of everyone Vector took.”

The courtyard erupts then.

Voices.

Fury.

Fear.

Names.

Someone starts crying.

Someone else shouts that their sister disappeared two months ago near the quarry.