The metal table vibrated with a dull, sickening thud. Strider gripped the back of the prisoner’s head and forced his face into the cold steel.

  "I will not ask my question again."

  He leaned close, and his voice was a low rumble that carried more weight than a shout.

  "Speak."

  Outside the observation glass, Leik flinched. She crossed her arms and looked at the floor.

  "He is being too rough. The man is already battered."

  Kingham stood beside her. He leaned on his cane and watched the scene with hard, calculating eyes.

  "He is not breaking bones, Leik. He is testing the water. Strider wants to force the man to get angry. He wants him to show his true colors. If this stranger is a Force user, he would definitely retaliate against such humiliation. A Sage does not let a common Galvanizer handle him like livestock."

  Inside the room, the prisoner did not explode with telekinetic fury. He did not shatter the walls with his mind.

  The prisoner lifted his head slowly. Blood bubbled from his nostrils, and he blew it out onto the table with a wet snort. He looked up at Strider with eyes that held fear, not power.

  "Alright. Alright! I'll talk."

  He winced and shifted in his chair, though the zip-ties kept his posture rigid.

  "My name is Reiner Klitz. I'm nobody special. Just a lowly Galvanizer guard from the Zinc Citadel. I was assigned to convoy protection detail. We were safeguarding important cargo set for transport to Cloud 9."

  Strider remained motionless. His hand hovered near his pistol.

  "Go on."

  Reiner took a shaky breath.

  "We were on our way across the flats. The route was supposed to be clear. But then we were attacked by a Train."

  Strider narrowed his eyes.

  "A Train?"

  "Yes. A Class 4 Ruster variant. It has many long, segmented parts attached in a line. It travels very fast across the sands, like a serpent made of locomotives."

  Reiner shuddered, and the fear in his voice sounded genuine.

  "That thing was formidable. Despite all our firepower and the protective Adamantine shell of the trucks, we were being dismantled. It moved too fast for the turrets. So we decided to split up. We thought the Train couldn't get us all if we went in separate directions."

  He looked down at his bruised chest.

  "But it separated its body. The segments detached and chased us down individually. My rover was knocked off a cliff. It rolled down several dunes before crashing into that scrap pile. We were pretty shaken up, but we were alive."

  He paused and licked his dry lips.

  "But then came the unexpected assault. A pack of Ruster mutts—Decayers. They tore through the damaged door and took out my comrades before we could properly get our bearings. I quickly hid in the back compartment. I must have lost consciousness from the concussion. When I woke up, I found myself here."

  He looked around the stark, concrete room.

  "Where is this place? Is it your Biome?"

  Strider slammed his hand on the table again.

  BAM.

  "I am the one asking the questions."

  Strider stepped back and paced the small room. He mulled over Reiner’s story.

  'If what he said is true, then that means he isn't a Force user. No Sage would be done in so easily by a pack of mutts, unless they are quite incompetent. We can rule out the possibility of this man being a Force user. But that doesn't mean he isn't dangerous.'

  He stopped and fixed Reiner with a stare.

  "Where did you say that convoy was headed? What is Cloud 9?"

  Reiner blinked. A flicker of surprise crossed his face.

  'Hmm? These people don't know about Cloud 9? That means they don't know about the Umbrella Civilization. These gutter rats have no idea what they've gotten themselves into by stealing the cargo. This just might be the opportunity I needed to secure a spot in Umbrella.'

  He composed his features into a helpful expression.

  "Cloud 9 is a settlement above ground. It is sort of a Biome, but it's more of a large trading hub. Goods are procured there and then later shipped to Biomes that placed certain orders. It is quite the operation they have. They possess the manpower and tech to keep the Rusters at bay."

  Reiner leaned forward as much as his bonds allowed.

  "If you are interested, I can share its location with you. Just let me borrow your PCT (Portable Computer Terminal). I can upload the coordinates and…"

  "I am not an idiot."

  Strider cut him off sharply.

  "Why would I give you access to a PCT? So you can contact your comrades and give away our Biome's location?"

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  He leaned down until his face was inches from Reiner’s.

  "If Cloud 9 is as protected as you say, then they must have some serious Galvanizers. And since they are a prominent trading hub, they must have measures in place to ensure their customers' goods are shipped or reimbursed if a problem arises. The cargo the convoys were transporting was very precious."

  Strider straightened up.

  "Was all the convoy transporting the same goods? Were there W-H2O cans in those other trucks as well?"

  Reiner felt a spike of annoyance.

  'This bastard is getting greedy.'

  He answered carefully.

  "Yes. The other trucks were also transporting W-H2O, along with Adamantine shards. Some bigshots were supposed to get these valuables. However, that Train put the entire operation awry. I don't even know if there are other survivors or if their cargo has already been compromised."

  Strider crossed his arms.

  "What happens when Cloud 9 finds out that the cargo has been compromised?"

  Reiner’s heart skipped a beat.

  'Oh, is he worried that they might send someone to hunt for the missing cargo? Clever rat. But I should put his mind at ease so he lowers his guard.'

  "In the event a cargo has been compromised, Cloud 9 will send out units to investigate. If they find that the convoy was attacked by Rusters, then they'll salvage what they can and return to base. The base would then have to compensate their customers. It’s just a business loss."

  He specifically excluded the part where, if the convoy was robbed by humans, they would send forth elite forces to retrieve the cargo and annihilate the thieves.

  As he thought about the slaughter that would visit this miserable hole, a smirk slipped onto his face. It was faint, a mere twitch of the lips.

  Strider caught it instantly.

  "Why are you smiling?"

  Reiner dropped the smile. His face went slack with panic.

  "I... I was just thinking about my family."

  He switched tactics. He made his voice tremble.

  "Please, look at me. I'm just a lowly soldier who was trying to feed his family back home. These parts of the world are quite rough. You have to have your wits about you to survive. Now that the convoy has been compromised, word must have reached my family. They are worried sick about me."

  Tears welled up in his eyes. It was a masterful performance.

  "I beg you. Consider sparing my life. I have told you everything I know. I am willing to do anything to earn your trust. You can keep me locked up for the time being if you are still wary of me. I understand. Your worry is valid. You can't easily trust a stranger's word in these times, especially when you have people to protect. But I promise, I am a good guy."

  Strider did not respond immediately. He stared at the crying man. He pondered the story.

  Outside the room, the group watched the performance.

  Kingham rubbed his chin.

  'He cries too easily for a man who survived a Train attack. But desperation breaks everyone differently.'

  Leik frowned.

  'He speaks of family, but his eyes... they didn't warm up when he mentioned them. They stayed cold.'

  Inside, Strider finished his assessment. He walked to the door, then stopped. He turned back to Reiner.

  "I have one last question."

  He let the silence stretch.

  "Are you a Sage?"

  Reiner blinked, genuinely surprised by the bluntness of the question. It took him a minute to process the archaic term.

  'He wants to know if I am a threat to his little kingdom.'

  Reiner shook his head vigorously.

  "No! I am not a Sage. I couldn't use the Force to save my life. If I could, those Rusters wouldn't have gotten the best of me. I would have torn that Train apart."

  Strider nodded slowly.

  "That is it for now."

  He opened the door.

  "I will have someone bring over a bowl of soup for you to drink. It isn't much, but it should stave off your hunger for the time being."

  Reiner bowed his head.

  "Thank you. Thank you so much."

  Strider stepped out and the heavy steel door clanged shut. The lock engaged with a solid thud.

  Reiner Klitz sat alone in the silence. The pitiful expression vanished from his face as if he had wiped off a mask. He stared at the door with contempt.

  'Soup. The meal provided by these sewer rats will be far beneath my tastes. But I will eat it. I will survive.'

  He shifted his position. He moved his hands behind his back where the zip-ties cut into his wrists.

  'Before I die from eating dirty sludge, I will get out of here. And I will earn my ticket into the Umbrella Civilization.'

  He focused on his right hand. He pressed the tip of his thumb against the base of his index finger.

  Crack.

  He dislocated his thumb with a practiced, sickening pop. He didn't wince. He twisted the disjointed digit in a specific pattern.

  Click-hum.

  A hidden beacon, embedded deep within the bone, activated. A low-frequency signal began to pulse, invisible to the naked eye but screaming out to anyone with the right receiver.

  Reiner smirked internally while he let his head hang low, looking pitiful for the observers.

  ...

  Outside the holding block, Strider met up with the others. The hallway was quiet, save for the hum of the ventilation.

  "Well?" Kingham asked.

  Strider ran a hand through his hair.

  "His story holds together, mostly. A guard from Zinc Citadel. The convoy was hit by a Train Ruster, then mutts. It explains the wreckage."

  Harlan leaned against the wall.

  "And the cargo? Did he mention why they were hauling so much W-H2O?"

  "Trade goods. For a place called Cloud 9. A trading hub above ground."

  Leik raised an eyebrow.

  "Cloud 9? I've never heard of it."

  "Neither have I," Strider admitted. "But if they have Adamantine and pure water to trade, they are powerful. We need to be careful."

  Kingham tapped his cane on the floor before looking at Strider.

  “Did you leave behind any traces?”

  "We weren't as careful as we should have been. But we have the desert on our side. The Ruster mutts tore apart the Corroder and the wreckage. There is no trace of our fight. And since we are in the deep sands, the wind and dust should have already covered the shells we left behind and the camel tracks."

  Nicardo nodded.

  "Our Biome is far from the crash site. Even if they send a search party, they won't be able to locate our hidden base unless they grid-search the entire quadrant."

  Strider looked back at the steel door.

  "The only thing we have to worry about now is Reiner. He has a slyness about him. I don't buy the 'family man' act."

  Leik crossed her arms.

  "So what do we do with him?"

  Strider said firmly.

  "We keep him. For now, we can't set him free. If he knows where we are, he becomes a liability. We'll wait a few days until this whole thing blows over and the investigation, if there is one, is called off. Then we decide."

  The group nodded in agreement. The strategy was sound: silence and patience.

  Kingham spoke up.

  "Dismissed. Get some rest. Tomorrow we have work to do."

  The group separated. The hallway emptied as the Galvanizers headed to their bunks.

  Leik walked slowly. The adrenaline of the day had faded, leaving a heavy fatigue in her bones. She went to the family quarters and checked on the children. Sophie and Aidro were sound asleep, tangled in their blankets. She kissed their foreheads and climbed into the large bed she shared with Strider.

  She closed her eyes, but sleep did not come immediately.

  Minutes later, the door creaked open. Strider entered quietly. He shed his clothes and slipped under the rough wool blanket.

  He lay on his back and stared at the dark ceiling.

  Leik shifted and rested her head on his chest. Her ear pressed against the steady thump-thump of his heart.

  Strider started.

  "I thought you were asleep."

  "I was waiting for you."

  Strider wrapped his arm around her. His hand rested on her shoulder, his thumb tracing circles on her skin.

  "How did it go at the clinic? What did Dr. Thin say?"

  Leik sighed comfortably.

  "He said the baby is healthy. The heart rate is strong. No radiation, no mutation."

  Strider exhaled a long breath of relief.

  "That is good. That is very good."

  Leik continued, "But, he said I have inflammation. High cortisol. He wants me to rest. No more stress. No more raids."

  She lifted her head to look at him in the dim light.

  "He also wants me to drink the W-H2O more frequently. He thinks it can help keep the Rust away from the baby."

  Strider kissed her forehead.

  "Then you will drink it. I don't care what Kingham's decree is. You get the water."

  Leik smiled and lay back down.

  "I just need some rest, Strider. That's all."

  Strider rubbed her head gently.

  "Sleep now. We are safe. I'll watch over you."

  Leik closed her eyes, and the darkness of the room felt warm and protective, blissfully unaware of the silent signal pulsing from a cell three sectors away.