More Than Imagined

Chapter 19

A certain amount of time had passed. Too little to be productive, too much to return to the base empty-handed. She knew what they were all thinking. They were wondering if she was furious about the destruction of the hideout. They were certain she would not accept their failure to acquire the target. The target she so painstakingly worked—strategized—for them to be in direct contact with.

She wondered if they would man up and admit to their inadequacy—their inability to do the only thing they're good for. Kidnapping was a man's job, after all. Because all men did was take, so snatching up that little Imaginary should have been child's play for them. And yet here they were, disappointing her. Disappointing the entire Mare uprising.

I should dispose of them. She cracked the ache out of her fingers, digit by digit. Force them to rip into each other until there's no one left to give me some pitiful excuse.

"We weren't able to secure the target," one of the low-level Mares confirmed, body stiffening as he awaited some form of punishment.

There it is.

"And why is that?" she asked, voice as sweet as ever. Too sweet to mean anything good.

Her tone drove goosebumps up and down her subordinate's arms. They stood frozen, like toy soldiers corroded by rain, unwilling to utter even one more word. The air-crackling snap of each knuckle caused them to hold their tongues for a long moment.

"They were stronger than anticipated," Delta answered, voice wavering slightly. Slight enough for her to consider sparing him. She had always liked him more than the other newcomers, anyway.

"Are you suggesting that my calculations were incorrect? That I gave you false information, leading you into a battle I was certain you couldn't win?"

A sharp intake of breath echoed over the plush, leather chair she was comfortably positioned in. Its back was turned, so she did not have to look at their undoubtedly pleading eyes. She hated beggars. But she hated being left unanswered even more, so she kicked the rubber sole of her shoe to the ground, the sound jolting an answer from Delta's lips.

"No, of course not, ma'am."

She laughed, light and lilting. Hearing those younger than her acknowledge her authority was music to her ears.

"Well, if you were, you would be partially correct." She swiveled her seat to face the two of them, sharp eyes taking in the tension seeping from their posture as she admitted this. Who said they could relax?

"Does this mean we haven't displeased you, ma'am?" the other one asked. She could not bother to remember his name.

He was the newest recruit from the enclaves deeper in the Fringe. The only place that Imaginary infestation hadn't spread to yet. But she knew they would come sniffing around there soon enough—itching to wipe her kind off the face of the earth just because some freaks with science told them to. All parasites destroy the host if not dealt with in a timely manner, which was why she had to dispose of them now, so they didn't get the chance to feed off of the limbs of her community any longer. But first, she had to dispel this pesky notion that failure was acceptable within her ranks. Those who fought for her cause, her people's cause, should only return home in one of two ways: victorious or dead.

"Am I displeased?" She asked, feigning ignorance.

"Yes. If you weren't intending for us to capture the target, then we must have completed whatever your true intentions were, correct?" the nameless Mare asked for clarification.

She sighed, tilting her chin into the cradle of her hands, "I suppose you have." God, look at him daring to smile—daring to feel at ease in her presence as if he had done something right. Only Delta seemed to have any capacity for respect, his face devoid of any emotion. He understood the value in not speaking unless spoken to.

"You've discovered the location of the real dreamcatcher, haven't you?" she asked, nodding at the slip of paper in Delta's hand.

"Yes, an informant revealed that it was moved to an old base a few hours west of here before the mishap in the hideout," Delta reported, stepping up to her desk to hand over the coordinates given to him.

You can never have too many eyes on the inside, she thought, taking the coordinates from his hand and skimming over them. One would expect Techromancers to be keeping a tighter lid on things, but arrogance did breed ignorance.

"Thank you, this information is the key to us getting our hands on everything we need to free ourselves and destroy those Apex dwellers," she confirmed, smiling brightly at Delta. He nodded his head, backing into the line with the other Mare.

"We are glad to be of service, ma'am," The nameless one said, suddenly proud of something he had no hand in achieving. She rose from her chair, stalking over to the broad-shouldered men. She walked nearer to the newest recruit's ear, ignoring the stupid blush on his cheeks at her proximity.

"And exactly what service have you been to me?" She yelled into his ear, causing him to wince away, but her nails dug into the meat of his shoulder, holding him in place. "It seems to me that Delta is the only one who was of any use yesterday. He was the one who retrieved the coordinates, did he not?"

Her subordinate gave an affirmative nod.

"I didn't mean to speak out of turn, ma'am," the recruit said, the words trembling off of those regretful little lips.

"He says as he speaks out of turn yet again," she sneered but backed away from his ear to face him with a smile.

"Listen, you're new, I get it. We were all new once, so you may not understand the ins and outs of things around here."

He nodded, throat bobbing around what she could only imagine was his fear rising in bile form. The sight warmed her heart.

"What is your manifestation again?" she asked.

"Its-I, I can produce a small static burst that seizes up the body of anyone I touch for about two minutes," he stammered.

Utterly replaceable. Sometimes the universe really is on my side. She broke eye contact with him to address Delta. "You are free to leave. Excellent work either bringing me back something useful."

The soldier in front of her took a sharp breath as Delta moved out of the room.

"Now you, my errant little Mare, will have to face the consequences of your actions," she said as the light of her manifestation overcame any other object illuminating the room.

As Delta exited the premises, escorted out by the agonized sounds of a dying Mare and the electrifying intensity of the static frying his mission mate to a crisp.