She opens a heavy metal door to reveal a hidden tunnel.
“These run underground throughout the campus,” she says. “We use them to get around in the winter.”
“Anything to be concerned about?”
“You mean like booby traps?”
“That’s a good start.”
“Not that I know of. But I’ll go first if it makes you feel better.”
She starts down the tunnel before I can stop her, and I have to hurry to catch up. Tanya moves with purpose, zigzagging this way and that before pausing in front of a door marked with a painted number.
“I think this is the right building,” she says.
We pop out into a different basement than the one we began in.
She says, “I tried to get myself assigned as his interrogator, but they wouldn’t allow it, not without knowing exactly what happened in the field.”
“It could be bad, that’s what you’re saying.”
She nods.
“Just show me where he is,” I say.
We walk around the corner, stopping at a door locked from the outside.
“In here,” she says.
I go first this time, hurrying to undo the latch and pull the door open.
I’m staring into a cold concrete cell, a chair bolted to the floor in the center of the room.
Howard is strapped to it.
At the sound of the door, his head snaps up, his expression defiant. It takes him a moment to realize it’s us.
“Holy crap,” he says. “It’s about time.”
I run toward him, undoing the leather bands around his chest.
“Did they hurt you?” I ask.
“Mostly my pride,” he says. He stretches, wincing in pain. “It looks like I’m the one in the torture chair this mission.”
“You know what they say: It’s not a real mission until someone’s in a torture chair.”
We both laugh.
“You two are nuts,” Tanya says.
“Inside joke,” Howard says.
I check his eyes and upper body. He’s been roughed up quite a bit, but he doesn’t appear to be gravely injured.
“I thought The Program was something cool,” he says. “But these are not nice people you work with.”
“I don’t work with them anymore.”
Tanya and I trade looks.
“What happened while I was locked up?” Howard says. “I heard alarms going off.”
“It’s a long story that will have to wait for later,” I say. “Right now you need to know there’s a whole campus of soldiers on alert above us. And Mother is leading them.”
“What about Mike?” Howard says with a shiver.
“He’s dead,” I say.
“Good. He was an asshole.”
“That’s what Tanya said.”
Tanya gives us a thumbs-up, then goes back to watching the hall.
Howard stands up, leaning on me to steady himself as I pat his arms and legs to restore blood flow.
“Did you find your father?” he says.
He must see something in my face, because he squeezes my shoulder.
I glance to the door. Tanya is watching and listening. I realize she doesn’t know what happened, either.
“My father is gone,” I say. “I’ll tell you both about it later.”
Tanya nods and redirects her attention out the door.
“All clear in the hallway,” she says. “But it might not be that way for long.”
“I’m going to get you guys out of here,” I say, “and then I’ll look for Mother.”
“Mother could be long gone by now,” Tanya says.
“I don’t think so,” I say.
“Why not?” Tanya says.
“Endgame. We haven’t had ours yet.”
“I’m not leaving without you,” Howard says.
“Me, either,” Tanya says. “We’re in this together, remember?”
Both of them have determined expressions on their faces.
Howard shrugs. “Looks like you’re stuck with us,” he says.
“I guess there are worse people to be stuck with,” I say.
They both smile.
“How will we find Mother?” Howard says.
“I’m pretty sure I know where she is,” I say.