Rebel Heart

Her eyes strayed to the Horsemen on the table. The quiet voice of her instincts was at a shout. No matter what was going on, she had to protect the keys capable of destroying the world. Lana reached into her bag and pulled out her personal vault. She opened it and stacked the keys in it.

"Elise to command."

Lana jerked, afraid she'd been caught, before she realized Elise was calling over the command center's channels. She leaned forward and slapped the pad, and Elise's grim face lit up the central screen. She was heavily armed, sweating, and outside the compound.

"I'm here, Elise."

"Heya," Elise said, flashing a quick smile. "We need access to the emerops due west. Sending coords."

"You're that far out?" Lana asked in surprise. Her gaze flickered to the screen beneath her fingertips, and she typed the alarm disarm codes.

"We need a place to hide for a bit."

"Why?"

"Let's say, this isn't what we expected."

"It's open. What isn't what you expected, Elise?" Lana asked impatiently, standing. She made her way to the desk before the central screen and leaned against it.

"It's chaos. We left the compound and got ambushed by people we mistook for refugees." Elise gave a few hand signals to her detail. "You have medical supplies in the depot?"

"Yes. I'll arm its perimeter as soon as you're in."

"Thanks. I'll check in later. Elise out."

"Wait, Elise, can't you tell me what's going on out there?"

Elise hesitated then said, "Frankly, I don't know. We can't figure out who we're fighting. I swear I saw PMF fighting alongside us earlier against the guys who attacked us. I gotta go, Lana."

Frowning, Lana remained before the screen even as the blond woman disappeared. Both Elise and the Guardian were grim about the world outside the compound, and neither explained exactly why. Elise's news of the PMF fighting alongside her forces wasn't something Lana expected to hear. She crossed her arms, considering.

Just one of the missing keypads was enough to cripple half the country. If well placed, it could wipe out the government. She returned to the communications station.

"This is command center calling for Colonel Larry Jessup," she said.

"Savannah station, Lieutenant Huss. Wait one, ma'am."

She returned to her chair, eyes straying to the screen displaying the timeline of the nuke attacks that had plummeted the eastern part of the country into chaos.