Page 117 of Victorious

In the end, he was the only member of his team who made it back.

“Noah,” said Dr. Gray, disembodied in his ear.

The soldier’s eyes slid open, and the war zone disappeared, replaced by the inside of a van. Two agents—Kline and Weaver—sat across from him, another one on either side, their visors down, their faces hidden. Not that their faces mattered anymore, now that they’d been converted.

The van turned off the interstate, the hum of the tires changing with the road.

Gabriel kept talking. “You’re approaching the site. No matter what happens, I want the girl alive.”

Noah bobbed his head, even though the doctor wasn’t there. “And the others?”

A pause. Then, “Do your best to minimize the casualties.”

He heard what he needed—permission. “Understood.”

As the van pulled off the road, and came to a stop, the other agents came to life, moving with quick, efficient motions, less thought than muscle memory. Dr. Gray had explained to him the difference, how the ordinary humans he brought back retained their skills, but not their selves. Whereas the EOs, like him, remained whole. They also struggled—briefly—against the doctor’s hold. But that was only because they didn’t understand. Not like Noah did.

Rios had put up some resistance, but he knew, if things had turned out differently, she would have been with them.

As he stepped down out of the van he saw the motel sign glowing in the distance. Dr. Gray spoke again inside his ear. “And Noah?”

“Sir?”

“I’m sending reinforcements.”

Noah tensed. He knew what Gabriel meant. Knew, before he saw the second van idling. Knew, before the back door of the other van swung open and the other EO stepped down, dressed in EON field gear, like he was one of them.

Noah bristled at the sight of Eli Ever, heat kindling inside his chest.

He didn’t trust the other EO, and if Noah had learned anything during his black ops years, it was that you had to trust your brothers in the field. And he couldn’t shake the knowledge that, unlike Noah, Eli had never chosen to be a part of the program.

Eli had devoted his entire life to exterminating EOs. Before and after he was caught. And the last time he’d been let out of his cell to hunt one down, he’d defied his orders and escaped.

He was a liability. A problem.

Noah turned back to his own van.

“Is this a good idea?” he asked, just loud enough for Dr. Gray to hear.

It was one thing to keep Eli as a patient. Another, to let him out. Especially since he’d continued to resist the doctor’s hold.

“He can be controlled,” said Gabriel, as if he knew the shape of Noah’s thoughts. “Eli has a skill set. One that makes him an asset to the program, beyond his role as patient. You had a chance to prove yourself. Consider this his.”

“The difference, sir,” said Noah, “is that I already served EON.”

“And now you both serve me,” countered Dr. Gray, a note of warning in his voice.

There were moments—albeit rare—when Noah disagreed with Gabriel. Those moments were the only times he felt the other man’s control. The only times he registered that his will was not his own.

If it was up to Noah, Eli would never have been resurrected.

If it was up to him—but it wasn’t. Dr. Gray had a vision. Noah’s job was to help him execute it. As the thought rolled through him, the tiny flame inside his chest flickered, and went out.

“Yes, sir,” he said.

In his ear, Gabriel let out a breath. “Your concerns are not unjustified. So, to be safe, make sure he’s armed with darts. Nothing lethal.”

Noah flipped back the latches on the weapons case. “In case he tries to shoot me in the back?”