Chapter 20

MAD WOKE TO the woolen ceiling of her tent, the familiar comfort of her cot underneath her. She blinked once, two times, and yawned. The last thing she remembered was climbing to the top of a snow rise and thennothing. She started to rise and winced as her body protested with a fierce soreness.

Gritting her teeth, Mad stood up on wobbly feet. She gingerly stepped outside and shielded her eyes as the white glare of Frigidum struggled to blind her. Most of the squad was already up and about, examining weapons and starting breakfast (at least she thought it was breakfast) cook fires.

They turned to look at Mad as she walked past all of them through the camp. She ignored them, though she was aware of the squad's sudden interest and became curious.

"Hey," she called to Gil, who was warming his hands over a small fire. "What happened?"

"You collapsed, sir," he said. "We had to set up camp so you could rest."

Mad felt a pang of guilt and embarrassment. She had delayed the whole squad's progress (and probably the entire Revolution force's) by being unable to put one foot in front of the other.

"All right," she said. "We should break camp soon. We've lost enough time already."

"I don't think that's a good idea, sir," said Gil. "Cobb's in no shape to travel."

"And why is that?"

"Well, he's the one who carried you back to your tent, sir. He's exhausted. Collapsed right after and still hasn't woken up."

Mad's embarrassment increased twofold. Not only had she passed out, but she had forced Cobb carry her to her tent in front of all her soldiers. She bit her tongue to keep from swearing aloud.

"Is there a problem, sir?" Gil asked.

"No," Mad replied. "Carry on."

She turned briskly and made a beeline for Cobb's tent. If they weren't going anywhere for a while, she at least wanted some time to thank him for pulling her out of the snow.

Cobb was on his cot, his eyes closed, his things piled behind his head. Mad sat down on the tent's floor beside him, watching his chest rise and fall.

Mad rubbed her eyes and turned her gaze over to the two rifles that rested on Cobb's pack. She didn't know why he carried both, but she supposed he had his reasons. She picked up the Sovereignty sniper rifle and examined the eagle on its side, the oppressive look in its painted eyes staring blankly into space.

With a quick look at the still-sleeping Cobb, Mad reached into his bag and searched for the red can of spray paint every member of the squad carried to mark off camping perimeters. When she found it, she gave it a few good shakes.

Carefully positioning the rifle on the floor, Mad drew a large, red R over the eagle. The paint bled a little, and Mad couldn't help but smile as the drops ran over the eagle, further marring its blue complexion. She put away the paint and stood up to leave. Cobb had earned a little extra sleep.

"Sir?"

Mad turned. Though Cobb still lay in his cot, his eyes were open. "Hello, Cobb. Did you have a good rest?"

"Yes, sir," he said, propping himself up with his elbows. "Did you?"

Mad smiled. "Good one, Cobb."

"Thank you, sir. Is there something you need?"

"Yeah. I wanted to thank you for carrying me back to my tent." Mad pretended not to notice when his cheeks bloomed red.

"You're welcome, sir. It was only because I was the closest to you at the time."

"Regardless, thank you. Oh, and I hope you don't mind, but I fixed your rifle."

She showed him the red R in place of the eagle.

"Thank you, sir. I was meaning to do something like that."

"No problem, Cobb. We're even. Get some more rest. We move out first thing tomorrow."

"I look forward to it, sir."

Mad chuckled. "I doubt that very much, Cobb."

"Well, I get to see you, don't I?" Cobb said, visibly biting down on his tongue. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't meanª"

"No," Mad, said as she rose. "It's fine. See you tomorrow."

She strode from the tent, trying and failing to hide her smile.