Chapter 55

“I know. That prospect doesn’t thrill me, but we can’t have career

decisions control all aspects of our lives.”

“Guard is life, for many.”

“And for Kira?”

Kaen shook his head. “Kira will always find a way to have what she

wants. If that’s you, you’re a lucky man. And if she decides that you’re dirt

under her fingernails…” The colonel chuckled softly. “In that case, I

wouldn’t want to be you.”

“We’ll see what happens after this is over.”

“Indeed.”

They stood in silence for a minute, staring into the dark.

“We could use you in there,” Kaen said. “Once we have the access codes

from the director, you’d be an asset to help navigate the computer network

and retrieve the relevant information. No one on my team is particularly

versed in genetics or nanotech, so it’d be difficult to know what’s important.”

Leon hesitated. “Kira told me to stay here.”

“Once the all-clear is given, it’ll be perfectly safe.”