Fully equipped and carrying his pack, Amado left Kara's base with the siblings Eida and Daemon accompanying him. All they had to do was board the spaceship before them, and they could reach the outside world.
"Amado, where are you going?"
Amid heavy footsteps, Jigen approached. His calm words carried an oppressive weight.
Amado stopped. After collecting himself for a moment, he turned around and said evenly, "Victor is dead, and the organization's funding has dried up. To keep producing cyborgs capable of handling our current situation, I need to find new sponsors!"
Jigen said calmly, "Leave that sort of thing to the Outer Circle. Why do it yourself?"
Amado replied, "That would take too long. We can't afford any delays right now."
Jigen did not pursue the subject. Looking around, he asked, "Speaking of which, where has Delta... gone?"
Amado paused thoughtfully. "Her? She's probably hiding somewhere, sulking by herself. You know what she's like..."
Jigen narrowed his eyes. "You seem to be hiding something from me. Last night, she went out. Then she never came back."
Amado's heart lurched. Had Jigen set up a surveillance barrier around the base?
He hastily changed his story. "Here's what happened. She acted on her own, and something went wrong. Her drone core was stranded outside, so she couldn't return. I need to retrieve it. I only kept it from you because I didn't want you to worry..."
But Jigen said, "If she failed, she has no value left. There's no need to risk retrieving her."
Amado said, "Yes, that's true, but she knows far too much about the organization, including the spatial coordinates of our newest base. If that information is stolen, we'll be in danger."
Jigen gave a knowing smile. "I understand a little of your science, too. She's a