Again, no one said anything, and the teams moved away from each other into the woods.

"What are we going to do?" Quess asked eagerly.

"Not get shot." Kate smiled.

Quess nodded, gripping her paintball gun tightly with both hands.

Kaitlyn ran an a.n.a.lysis on her friend, noting the bead of sweat at her hairline and the pinch between her brows. "You're nervous."

Quess laughed. "Don't do that!"

"Don't be nervous." Kaitlyn grinned. "Either way, if we win or lose, this will be fun. Let's go."

"I have to say, it's pretty awesome how bada.s.s you are," Quess muttered as they moved forward.

Kaitlyn didn't respond, but at times like this, she almost enjoyed her new body.

With the new team configuration, the second session lasted more than twice as long, twenty-one minutes, but the outcome was the same. Lucas's team lost a member to an early engagement with Mr. Harrington's team before they broke contact and sprinted away, but after that, Kaitlyn made short work of the other two teams.

Instead of running, this time Kaitlyn moved silently forward through the brush with Quess positioned about one meter to her right rear. Every minute they would stop, crouch, and Kaitlyn would take in the sights, sounds, and smells around her, updating her internal tactical "map" and changing direction or the speed of their movement.

She was crouched at the top of a hill, listening when she heard the crack of a branch in the distance. Kaitlyn motioned for Quess to lay p.r.o.ne behind a tree and cover her. Studying the most likely avenue of approach, Kaitlyn maintained her crouch and waited.

After only a few minutes, she saw the first member of Harrington's team, Terry, cross perpendicular to her position about forty meters away. Not wanting to squander her chance to take out the entire team at once, Kaitlyn waited until she had all three members identified and tracked, then in rapid succession, she shot each one in the chest. Engagement time: three seconds. She heard a few slang words mumbled as they made their way off the playing grounds.

She repeated the same tactic with Lucas's team, again waiting until the three remaining members were in sight. Right before she fired, a brief thought flashed through her mind: I wonder if Lucas will be upset that I shot him?

Lucas looked up and grinned shaking his head.

Kaitlyn returned the private smile, before she moved onto the next target.

Once everyone was back at the start point, Harrington wrapped up the game. "While I enjoyed that immensely, it's time I get back to the lab. I don't think I'm alone in not wanting to be shot by Kaitlyn anymore?"

Several of the guards looked over at Kaitlyn, nodding in agreement as they murmured their admiration.

Harrington surprised Kaitlyn by draping his arm around her shoulder. "I couldn't be more proud. You are simply incredible."

She wasn't sure why they were so impressed. She was programmed to be this way.

Chapter Seventeen.

"Where are we going?" Kaitlyn whispered as they crept past another cl.u.s.ter of brick buildings obscured by darkness.

Quess smiled mysteriously. "You'll seea"

Kaitlyn had never been to this side of the compound and couldn't help but wonder what Quess was up to. The young girl had pulled her from her room after dinner and acted like they were stealth bombers sneaking through the compound as they ducked behind walls as employees pa.s.sed, unaware.

Tomorrow was the big day. Kaitlyn's *unveiling,' as Harrington liked to call it. As much as she enjoyed spending time with Quess, she was really hoping to see Lucas alone.

Now, outside in the cold, dark evening, they flitted beneath the orange circles of lamplight, Quess encouraging Kaitlyn to move faster.

"Why are we in such a hurry?" Kaitlyn said with a chuckle.

Quess skidded to a stop, gazing up at a large brick building with no visible windows and ignored the question.

"This way." Quess grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door.

Kaitlyn did a scan of the outside of the building: All clear. The door screeched against the concrete, and then they were inside.

Inside, it appeared to be a large, dimly lit warehouse. Aisles and aisles of metal shelving were filled with food and other supplies, but a thermal scan proved they were alone.

What in the world is Quess up to now?

They zigzagged through the aisles toward the back of the building where a Jeep was parked at the open loading dock, parked halfway into the building. Lucas jumped out of the vehicle and swung the back door open.

Just the sight of him caused a flush to spread across her face as her body temperature climbed several degrees.

"Get in. We don't have much time."

Without hesitation, Kaitlyn climbed into the back of the Jeep. Lucas covered her body with a soft blanket. Kate lifted the blanket and peered out.

"What about Quess?"

Quess looked down into the back of the jeep. "I'm just an accomplice this time. Stay safe, Kaitlyn."

Kate nodded and pulled the blanket back over her head.

"Be still. We just have to make it through the guard gate. If we get caught let me take the blame, don't harm the guard." The back door clicked into place and moments later, the engine came to life and they rolled slowly down the road. Kaitlyn's senses were on high alert, listening for any sign of danger.

Seven minutes later, the Jeep stopped. She could hear the window roll down. "Hey, Matt. Long day?"

"The usual. We've been doing random checks of vehicles. Lucky you, you've been flagged. Step out for a minute, will you Lucas?"

"Since when?" Lucas asked.

"Started this morning. Hop out, will you?

""Look, it's been a long day, man. I just want to get home," Lucas said smoothly.

Kaitlyn's breathing remained steady, and her mind raced to figure out the best course of action.

"Out of the car, Lucas."

The door opened, and there was a thump as Lucas dropped to the ground. "Ridiculous," he muttered under his breath.

"Pop the hood," the guard barked, all business.

Kaitlyn heard the thump as the hood opened, and a moment later, Lucas muttered, "Satisfied?"

Kaitlyn tensed, expecting the guard to demand that Lucas open the back door. She had been warned not to harm the guard, so her computer kicked into gear, searching for an alternative.

"Not yet." The hood slammed shut. "Open the back, and then I'll do a quick sweep underneath."

Kaitlyn listened as their foot steps echoing on the concrete. The door swung open. Stillness settled over her. Through the blanket, she saw a flashlight swoop over her.

"How long are they going to do this nonsense?" Lucas asked, distracting the guard.

"Who knows. They said it would be random." The door slammed shut.

"Can I go now?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, man. See you tomorrow. Just following orders."

"I hear you. It's just annoying. I've been here twelve hours and ready to call it a night." Lucas shut his door and started the engine.

"Take it easy," the guard yelled as the Jeep rolled forward.

Close call. Kaitlyn let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. She was jostled when they rolled over a speed b.u.mp. Lucas had put himself at risk for her. What did this mean? Was she really escaping? Her body revved up at the prospect.

They drove for a short while before Kaitlyn felt the vehicle's gears shift and begin to slow. They came to a stop, and the back door swung open.

Kaitlyn launched herself at Lucas, her arms wrapping around his neck. "I can't believe you got me off the compound."

His face seemed paler than usual. "We got lucky. Of all the days to do a stupid vehicle check. If it had been anyone other than me, he would have gone over the Jeep with a fine-toothed comb." He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"What now? Where are we going to go?"

Lucas's face fell, and his shoulders slumped. "It's not like that, Kate. We're not leaving forever. They'd hunt us down, and I'd go to prison, and then they would probably shut down your system."

"Oh." Kaitlyn stepped away from him, suddenly sad. This wasn't an escape; she would be going back to the compound. She would be sold as a top secret super soldier. She focused on the fact that she was alone with Lucas, and that would have to be enough for now. And he thought she was worth losing his job over. That alone spoke volumes.

"Why did you do this? You could lose your job or worse."

"I wanted to spend some time alone with you. Tomorrow, you might be leaving for good." He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Reluctantly, he pulled away. "You're worth the risk."

"Won't they realize we're off the property?"

"We'll only have a couple of hours. If anyone checks the tapes, they'll see you leave with Quess, and they'll expect you've been with her the whole time. I also put a glitch in your GPS to make it appear as if you haven't left."

Kaitlyn thought about this information. She could knock Lucas out and take off, leaving the compound for good. But as soon as he put the GPS back online they would be able to find her. Lucas would lose his job, and potentially worse.

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his warm lips once more. "Thank you. Where are we going?"

"We can't go too far away, I'm afraid."

"I don't care, as long as I'm with you."

Lucas grabbed her hand and led her over to the pa.s.senger side. She slid into the front seat. Once Lucas was in the driver side, he placed his hand on Kaitlyn's lap. His warm hand against her cool skin sent shivers through her. Being around him made her feel like a woman, not a thing. Her body responded to his touch in ways that sent her mind spinning. She never wanted to leave his side.

They drove five miles, then Lucas flicked on his blinker and turned down a narrow, unpaved side road. The area was remotea"not a house in sight. The Jeep was surrounded on all sides by towering trees. It seemed like all she saw was trees.

"I come here sometimes," he said, "to think."

Kaitlyn tilted her head to the side. "You have a place you go to think?" she asked, bewildered.

Lucas squeezed her hand. "It's relaxing. You'll see."

He continued driving. The road got narrower and steeper. The sun had set long ago, and the sky was pitch dark this deep in the woods. Finally, Lucas pulled the Jeep to a halt at the top of what appeared to be a ledge. He left the lights on and hurried around to open her door, but Kaitlyn had already climbed out.

"One minute. I have to grab something from the back."

He returned with the blanket in his arms. Antic.i.p.ation coursed through Kaitlyn's body.

"I'm sorry I can't take you out on a proper date, but time is limited and the compound is away from civilization. It takes ages to anywhere. I was going to pack a picnic, but I remembered you don't need to eat. So I thought we could just look at the stars, and get to know each other better."

"Ages? It can't really be that far for civilization?"

Lucas laughed. "Slight exaggeration on my part."

Kaitlyn glanced up at the sky and saw white sparkles in the darkness. Crickets chirped in the distance. She could hear the steady rush of water somewhere close by. Her mind flashed with potential rivers, narrowing down the location.

Lucas spread the blanket on the ground.

Hesitantly, Kaitlyn closed the distance between them. Lucas's hands slid down her arms and pulled her close, her body molding against his as if they were made for each other. Kaitlyn slid her hand under his shirt and spread her fingers across his back. Heat radiated off him, and his breathing increased. She smiled to herself, knowing she had caused the reaction. His lips brushed hers lightly, and an urgency spread through her body. She couldn't get close enough.

Breaking free from the kiss, Kaitlyn pulled him down onto the blanket. Lucas kissed her again, their legs tangled together. He broke the kiss, rolling to the side so they were facing each other. His hand gently trailed down her face, her arm, and her thigh. Her body felt like it was on fire.

Kaitlyn pushed up his shirt and ran her hands over his chest. It was hard and warm. She couldn't believe this was happening. It was like a dream come true. His lips trailed down her neck, causing her to gasp with pleasure. How could he have such an effect on her? It was mind-boggling. She closed her eyes and let the feeling take over.

His heart pounded, and it was music to her ears. Kaitlyn pulled away and lifted off her shirt, giving only a pa.s.sing worry to the teal plastic on her skin. Lucas groaned, his heated eyes racing over her chest. Kate fumbled with the b.u.t.ton on his pants, and Lucas grabbed her hand.

"Kate, are you sure?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean? Of course I'm sure. This is what men and women do. Just like in the movies."

Lucas sat up abruptly and yanked his shirt down. "Kate, this isn't right. I shouldn't have let it get this far."

"I don't understand."

"I'm taking advantage of you. You don't even comprehend what's going on. What a relationship entails. h.e.l.l, we don't even know if you're a virgin."