Moon was in the process of standing, brushing the dirt from her knees and preparing to walk the remaining path to the fortress, when the air around her began to vibrate.

The high-pitched whine of jet engines cut through the silence. Moon looked up, squinting against the unclear sky, as several figures in gleaming robotic suits dropped from the clouds like falling stars. They didn’t land with a thud; they touched down with a heavy, metallic clank that shook the ground beneath her boots.

Without a word, two of the suits knelt over Vexi. Their mechanical hands, surprisingly delicate, began scanning his blue face.

Moon’s heart skipped a beat. The fortress guards? They must be here for me. Time to put on a pitiful act, she thought.

She didn’t miss a beat. She squeezed her eyes shut until they watered and let out a piercing, ragged cry that would have won an award in any old-world theater.

"Oh, thank the stars! Please! You have to help him!" she cried, throwing herself toward them. "We found some root tubers.... I told him not to eat them, I told him they looked strange, but he was so hungry! He just grabbed it and....oh, Vexi, don’t leave me! Why didn’t you listen to me? I told you that they seemed off."

Deep down, she was chanting a different prayer, please be dead. Please be dead. God in heaven, don’t let that heart ever beat again.

"Quiet," a voice boomed from Trey. He didn’t even look at her; his sensors were locked on the dying young man.

"He is like family to me!" Moon sobbed, her voice cracking perfectly. "I tried to make him vomit; I tried everything! Is he going to be okay? Please tell me that brave young man is okay!"

The guards tried not to laugh at her fake act. When had she tried to help the young man vomit? She had watched coldly as his face turned blue and his body became stiff. This woman was a seasoned liar.

Dr. Zhu ignored the dramatics. She pulled a reddix pill from a compartment and shoved it down Vexi’s throat. She opened a small medical box, took a syringe and light blue medicine vial out. The liquid in the vial went into the syringe, and then Vexi’s shoulder.

Moon’s eyes widened. "What is that?"

"Something that will neutralize the poison and save his life. Isn’t he your friend, why do you look more angry than worried?" Trey asked

"What are you talking about? Of course I am worried about my friend. I just don’t think you should be shooting anything into his body without his permission." Moon answered bravely, but she felt a surge of genuine panic now. If Vexi woke up, he’d talk.

Why the hell couldn’t these guards mind their own business? They had just one job: take her into the fortress. When she was in charge of the base, these idiots would be the first to go. She thought, with a sneer.

Trey scoffed, "I know a guilty face when I see one. What are you hiding?"

"You!" Moon snapped, pointing a trembling finger at Trey. "Do you even know who you are talking to? I am not some common apocalypse rat. I am the sister of the woman who owns that fortress! You will show me respect or there will be consequences."

Trey’s helmet tilted slightly. Behind the visor, he pinched his lips together, his jaw working hard to keep the words in. He had seen the drone feed. He had heard her laughter. The urge to swat her like a fly was nearly overwhelming. With all the enemies this woman had in the base, she should not have been making threats. "You think you are something special...huh. Have you seen your face? Do you know what is waiting..."

Private Hetty, Trey’s partner on patrols stepped forward and tapped his armored arm. It was a gentle, grounding gesture, a silent "not yet, man, keep it together."

Trey nodded. "I know..I know. She is just so infuriating."

Dr. Zhu stayed silent for a long moment, her hand on Vexi’s cold neck. Finally, she let out a long, heavy sigh and pulled her hand away. She looked at the team and shook her head slowly.

"We were too late," Zhu said softly. "The toxins hit his nervous system before we even got here. He’s gone."

Moon froze. She let out one last, shaky "Nooooo," and buried her face in her hands. Behind her palms, the corners of her mouth twitched upward. A subtle, cruel smile danced on her lips. The witness was dead and silent; she would start afresh here. Not even the pain from her wounds could take away that joy.

She looked up, wiped a fake tear, and tossed her hair back. "Well," she sighed, her voice returning to its usual cold, arrogant pitch. "At least he isn’t suffering. Now, if you’re finished playing doctor with a corpse, I’d like to go home. My sister is probably worried sick, and I desperately need a real doctor and a bath."

Trey stared at her through the HUD of his helmet. The coldness of her transition from grieving woman to arrogant socialite made his blood boil.

"Of course everyone is waiting to welcome you ma’am. Your identity will need to be confirmed first, of course. We have had many people turning up here and claiming to be relatives of our boss." Trey informed her, his voice sounding like grinding gravel.

"Obviously," Moon scoffed. "Check all you want. And I expect maximum comfort after my identity is proven."

"I’ll give you a lift," Trey said.

Before Moon could reply, Trey stepped forward. He didn’t offer a hand. He reached out and grabbed her by the back of her waistband and the collar of her jacket, lifting her off the ground like a bag of smelly trash.

"Hey! Put me down! This is assault! I’ll have your head for...."

WHOOSH!

Trey’s thrusters ignited with a deafening roar. Moon didn’t get a comfortable seat. She got the fright of her life as she was suddenly yanked five hundred feet into the air, dangling face-down over the ground.

"Hold your breath, ma’am,’" Trey muttered into the comms, ignoring her screams as he tilted his boots and soared toward the high stone walls of Fortress Four. "It’s a long way down, and I’ve got a very shaky grip today, you might fall."

After they left, Dr. Zhu gestured to the rest. "The kid is still breathing, carry him inside. If he survives tonight, he will live."

Hetty smiled. "Looks like he caught a lucky break."

When they made it inside the Kingsbridge gate, Moon looked around with predatory excitement. She was in the wall. Safety at last!

She saw Hadrian standing by a car and immediately ran toward him. "Hadrian! You sent them for me? Where is Sunshine? Where is my sweet sister? I’ve missed her so much. I have so much to tell her!" She turned and sneered at Trey. Her eyes promised revenge.