This is bad.

“Search the house,” Chris commands.

Manny pushes his way into the living room.

“Arlene?” he calls. “Arlene?”

We search the kitchen, the bedrooms, the dining room –even the basement. There is no sign of life. “Commander?” Derek appears at the front door.

“Well?” Chris says.

“You need to see this.”

Dread seizes me. Those five words never hold a positive meaning.

Never.

Chris and I walk outside, following Derek around the edge of the house. Manny is with us. The stench of death is sickening. In the backyard, near the stables, the bodies of five dead dogs are laid in a straight line. I cover my mouth to keep from gagging. Dried blood is splattered on the sidewalk. Flies buzz around the carcasses. Chris places his hand on my shoulder.

I pray to God that Arlene’s body isn’t here, too.

“She’s not here,” Derek says, looking at Manny. “There’s no sign of her.”

“Doesn’t mean she’s not dead, too,” Uriah mutters.

“She might have escaped,” Manny states. His skin is ashen — the first time I have ever seen him so upset. “I know Arlene. She would have found a way to get out.”

“Who did this?” Vera asks, taking a disgusted step back from the dead dogs. “Mercenaries? Omega?”

“This was meant to look like a gang did this,” Manny says. He points to graffiti on the far wall of the back patio.

“But they didn’t.” Chris gives my shoulder a squeeze. “They didn’t take anything. They didn’t loot the property. What they broke inside the house was a result of some kind of a fight. Maybe Arlene had friends with her when it happened. They fought back.”

“Do you know where Arlene might have gone?” I ask.

“No idea,” Manny replies. “But I don’t care, as long as she’s alive.”

“In the meantime, what do we do with these horses?” Vera asks.

“Our vehicles are still hidden here,” Derek reports to Chris. “Well hidden. Whoever attacked here completely missed them.”

“Thank God,” I say. “But yeah. The horses. What do we do with them?”

“We leave them here,” Derek says. “We’ve got to get back to the National Guard. We don’t have a choice.”

“They’ll die uncared for.”

“No, they won’t,” Manny interjects. “There’s plenty of water and grazing land around here to keep them comfortable.”

I lower myself into a crouch on the ground, resting my arms on my knees. The stables haven’t been touched, and it looks as if most of the property is still intact. It could have been worse…I suppose.

“This house is a vital part of our communication with the Underground,” Manny points out. “We can’t leave it abandoned.”

“So what? We leave someone behind to take care of the horses?”

“Until the Underground can replace them, yes.”

“Who wants to volunteer?”

Silence. Yeah. That’s what I thought. Nobody.

“I will.”

I don’t know this man. He is one of the twelve officers we rescued from the Holding Center in Los Angeles. He’s unshaven — maybe forty years old. His eyes are bloodshot. He looks weary.

“One man and thirty horses isn’t going to be enough,” I say.

“How about twelve men?” He gestures to the officers around them. “We’ve been rotting in the Holding Center for almost six months, Commander Hart. We’ll be glad to do anything the militia needs us to do until they can send a replacement team.”

“You’re officers, though,” Vera says. “Valuable.”

“Doesn’t matter. We’re all on the same level now.”

“There’s a nice hidden stash of heavy weaponry on the property,” Manny says suddenly, stroking his jaw. “You boys would have everything you need to hold down the fort.”

I glance at Chris. I can see that he is considering it.

“The Underground would have someone to replace you in about a week,” Chris says. “Can you survive that long?”

“We will do our best, sir.”

“Hey, guys!” Andrew bursts out of the house. He’s holding a radio set and speakers. He sets it on the table. I turn away from the stench of the dead dogs. “You’re not going to believe this.”

“What?”

“I found Arlene’s radio. It was in her bedroom, hidden.” He pauses and turns the volume up. There’s a steady sheet of static before a short burst of dialogue:

“Safe District, this is Hammer Point.” A man’s voice. Everyone holds their breath, staring.

“Roger that, Hammer Point,” Andrew replies, talking into the receiver. “Repeat.”

“Yes, sir,” the voice answers. “I repeat: San Diego District is now under Mexican control. They have taken the city. Omega is pulling back into Los Angeles. The Pacific Northwest Alliance has gained a foothold in Northern California, including San Francisco. Rebel forces are converging in Sacramento. I repeat, Sacramento.”

“Sacramento?” I whisper.

“Pacific Northwest Alliance?” Uriah says.

“What’s the RV point in Sacramento?” Andrew asks.

“You’ll be given that information at a later time,” the voice says.

“A later time?” I echo.

“Thank you, Hammer Point,” Andrew says. “Over and out.”

I look at Chris.

“Who’s Hammer Point?” I ask.

“Underground radio in Los Angeles,” Alexander answers for him. “The Way House where we stayed on the way into the city.”

“So this Pacific Northwest Alliance is attacking Omega up north, Mexico is attacking from the south, and the National Guard is defending the central valley,” Vera states. “God, I hope Mexico and Canada are on our side.”

“He said rebel forces were massing in Sacramento,” Uriah says. “What does that mean?”

“It means things just got a lot more serious,” Chris replies. “Omega’s push on the west coast has stalled, and somebody’s finally got enough sense to unite the militia forces in Sacramento.”

“What about—”

I’m cut off by the radio.

“Safe District, this is Halo Four.” The voice is female.

Manny jumps up and grabs the radio.

“Arlene,” he breathes. “This is Safe District.”

“I heard you call in from Safe District and I knew it had to be you,” she replies. There is relief in her voice — and in Manny’s.

“What happened to you?” he asks.

“Mercenaries,” she replies. “They attacked about four days after you left. I escaped and now I’m at Halo Point with some of my people, waiting for orders.”

“Where’s Halo Point?” Vera whispers.

“It’s a Way House in the central valley,” Andrew explains. “One of many.”

“We’ve got the situation under control here,” Manny answers. And then he grins.

“Operation Angel Pursuit was a success,” he says.

“Thank God,” Arlene laughs. “Tell Alpha One that we’re happy to have him back. I’ll pass the news along. The militias will be thrilled.”

The ghost of a smile plays across Chris’s lips.

Manny explains our situation to Arlene. The color slowly returns to his face, and I realize how incredibly relieved he is that Arlene is alive. It makes me curious…

I share a glance with Chris.

Everything is changing, I think. The game has shifted again.

“Get the horses into the stables,” Chris commands. “Gather your gear and transfer everything to the vehicles. Armor up, guns up. We’re heading home.”

Manny continues to talk with Arlene for a while. Chris takes me aside in the house and asks, “What’s Manny’s relationship with Arlene?”

“He won’t tell me.” I shrug. “Either he’s in love with her or they’re just really good friends.”

“Huh.” Chris plays with the ends of my hair. “Cassie, if Mexico and this Pacific Northwest Alliance are fighting Omega, that means we could actually stand a chance of winning this war.”

“I won’t believe it until I see it,” I say. “But it’s a nice thought.”

“Ah, ever the eternal optimist.”

“I’m being realistic. Omega’s got a million soldiers and chemical weapons,” I say. “Who’s to say that they won’t just get a nuclear bomb and kill us all?”

“Because something must be stopping them.” He knits his brow. “The threat of retaliation, possibly.”