Janni’s console was unlocked, thanks to it having been yanked right from the owner’s hands, so finding the surveillance of the room where others from Raleigh’s native universe were waiting to drag her back was a matter of swiping to the right window.

Before Janni could recover and seek to snatch her console back, Raleigh fled the room and tapped the direction app to lead her, and she detected Misha following after her. She hoped he wouldn’t be stupid, but he had lost someone to processing. He had a right to whatever vengeance he could get, whether or not his girlfriend had been from Raleigh’s universe specifically.

The crowd was partying hard enough to be oblivious, but this club was also a brothel, and enough people had their wits about them to pull their less-aware friends and neighbors out of the way of the cyban and sec running along the second-floor walkway.

Captain Arnold and his half-team were far too close.

By the time she processed where she was in relation to the map, it was almost too late to avoid Willowick’s attempt to clothesline her or to dodge Linnea’s grab for an arm lock.

Almost too late.

Raleigh snapped into combat mode and defended the essentially civvie StretSec officer behind her.

“Cease!” snapped Captain Arnold.

She ignored the order and took advantage of Willowick’s poor footwork to break his ankle with a well-placed heel.

“Raleigh!”

“Sir, no sir,” she retorted.

A stunner discharged, knocking Linnea out of the running—but it would only work the once. The stunner’s frequency would’ve been detected by the others, for their enhancements to adapt.

Misha, weapon at ready to fire again, was glaring at Raleigh’s old captain.

The captain’s gaze swept the sec, but Captain Arnold kept himself behind Chipper and Cupcake, and he was poised to retreat to the bridge at the slightest provocation. (Who was left to guard it? Yanille and Pitch?)

Cyban unit policies meant Chip and Cup couldn’t be related, but they sure looked like brother and sister. They both wore their muscle and combat-readiness the exact same way.

“You’re what?” Captain Arnold asked Misha. “Local security? The woman’s an illegal alien that we’re seeking to return home.”

“Excuse me while I don’t care what universe you’re from,” he retorted. “All I see is an attempted kidnapping.”

“You think you can stop us?”

Misha’s smile showed teeth. “Don’t need to. Just have to delay you.”

“Stunner’s out. They have the frequency,” Raleigh alerted him. She was already slotted for processing. What was a little treason?

“Thanks.” He swapped stunner for baton…which he obviously wasn’t as skilled with. He caught her sidelong glance. “What?”

She grimaced and put out her hand for the weapon.

Misha scowled but looked from her to Chip and Cup—and thankfully passed her the baton and backed away. “I’ll see what’s keeping the bastard.”

They let him go. They had no reason to want him.

Captain Arnold’s attention turned to her, and he knew all too well that she wasn’t about to make the first move on Chipper and Cupcake. “Your service to us isn’t over, Raleigh.”

“You’re the ones who ditched me here, and I sure didn’t volunteer to get chopped into bits.” It was possible she had and the memory had been deleted, but that was highly unlikely. If she’d volunteered, all they would’ve had to do to summon her was restore a blocked memory, not send an extraction team.

Raleigh never would have volunteered for a suicide mission, anyway. She liked living too much.

“You owe us for your indenture.”

Yeah. As if she’d had any choice about that, either.

“Guilt trips? Really?” TamLin said from behind her.

Raleigh stepped aside a little, to give him room to maneuver.

TamLin was casual, relaxed, as he strolled up beside her. Wariness entered Cup’s eyes, but Captain Arnold didn’t even bother to hide a dismissive sneer.

“Your universe gets your cybans from…what?” TamLin asked, still unconcerned. “Orphanages? Make the children indebted to the state before they’re old enough to consent, then conscript suitable ones for the military? Or do you just jump straight to conscription?” He scrutinized Cup. “Ah, no universal conscription yet, but you’re already angling after primes. Interesting.”

“Your…friend…belongs to us.”

TamLin’s expression screamed unimpressed. “I didn’t buy that kind of bullshit when my mother insisted I had to replace her as a keeper because she’d ensured I was psycho enough to handle the job. Why the fuck would I buy it from you?”

Now Chip caught on that this particular ally of Raleigh’s warranted wariness. He was usually faster on the uptake than that.

“I’m not coming with you,” Raleigh said. “If you try to force it, I will defend myself, and I have friends who’ll help me.”

“She’s infected, too,” TamLin said casually, though his brow was furrowed. “You take her through that bridge, and all your networks will get scrambled six ways from Sunday.”

Raleigh blinked. What was Sunday?

Even TamLin seemed annoyed. “Fuck,” he muttered—then, louder: “If whatever shadow that idiom came from would please remove themselves from the premises, I’d appreciate it.”

There was a pause then a scurry as several civilians present took advantage of the lull to get far away from the altercation.

Then there was another pause, a longer one…

And Captain Arnold decided to be an idiot.