By the time I'd showered, changed, and been debriefed by two unfamiliar rebels, it was dark.

Nobody commented on the bombing. Nobody seemed fazed in the slightest. It was somewhat disturbing.

Maybe they were used to it.

I shuddered. Or maybe they'd caused it.

I mean...I had been the sole survivor. This could have been some odd intimidation tactic. Still, I doubted they'd sacrifice that many people simply to scare me.

I now sat at a long dining table, June at the head of it. Nobody else was there. I was surprised they'd even let me out of my room. Apparently, they trusted me enough after I'd obediently returned to their doorstep instead of running away.

I mean, what did they expect? I couldn't go anywhere with Sardon's ID chip in my arm. It was really pointless to try escaping.

I'd thought about it though. Maybe I could bribe one of the engineer-surgeons who'd made me into Sardon to turn me back. Quite honestly, I wasn't sure that was even possible anymore. Plus, everyone here was here for a reason. They were far too passionate about their cause to care for a bit of money. Sadly.

I sipped another spoonful of warm broth. It was kind of gross. But it was also the only thing I had to eat. I'd had worse.

I glanced at June. She continued to stiffly drink her broth as if it were merely an action required of her. She didn't bother meeting my gaze. Just continued to look pissed.

I was starting to think that was just her face.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked sourly, still refusing to look at me.

"Nope. Nothing at all." I stirred my broth a bit, before eyeing her again. Mostly to piss her off.

I had to find my fun where I could get it.

"If you're wondering, I do have a gun in my belt, and I am not afraid to have one more dead body to deal with," she replied, sharply.

"I wasn't wondering," I responded, in nearly a whisper, before taking another sip of broth.

She finally looked at me, stared for a couple seconds, then went back to her broth.

"So, what's my next mission? I'm assuming I didn't fail today..."

"Other than getting two squadrons killed, no, you did not fail."

Okay, that was definitely not my fault.

"And I am not under authority to give you any more information."

I put my spoon in my bowl and leaned back in my chair. "Aren't I supposed to be your spy or something? How can I do that if I don't know what I'm doing?"

"And how can we trust you when you can easily sell any information to the highest bidder?"

"Well, I could only do that if I were allowed out of this crappy house," I retorted.

"First, this house isn't crappy, trust me. And second, it doesn't matter. You're now one of us. That makes you under our control."

I let out an exaggerated sigh. "Then why don't I just jump out a window and end it all? Seems like my only chance at freedom."

She gave me an exasperated look, like I'd just said the dumbest thing ever. "You're ridiculous. Just eat your broth and go to sleep like a normal spy. God."

I narrowed my eyes and finished my broth. "Somebody is gonna have to teach me how to do the spying thing. Just saying. Like...those books were quite fun," I emphasized the words sarcastically. "But I don't think I can just learn how to be a rich prick."

"Don't worry, you've already got half of it down." She gave me a sarcastic smile as she stood up with her broth bowl. Right before she left, she turned to me one last time. "Also, you do have a mission for tomorrow. Don't leave your room. I've left some books.

With that, she left as if she hadn't just condemned me to a prison for a day.

This would be a blast.