  DRAKE POV
  &quot;Wasn t expectin  t  see ya up an  at  em so soon,&quot; Commander Baryshnikov remarks to Sasha once his heavy steel office door clangs shut behind us. The office itself is nicely furnished, with a large antique desk, brown leather couches, and framed abstract art, but the lack of windows bothers me. I m sure it s for security reasons. But how far underground are we?
  &quot;I thought our plan requires me to be in optimal condition, Commander. I simply wanted to see how far in the future that might be,&quot; Sasha answers smoothly.
  &quot;I already told ya, you outrank me now. None o  this 'commander  nonsense.&quot;
  &quot;Old habits die hard. And we both know you re in charge here.&quot;
  &quot;Not so much that I could deny yer demand that Drake join us.&quot; Baryshnikov sends a cold glance my way. &quot;Care t  explain why ya invited him?&quot;
  &quot;I find it

  RIKA POV
  &quot;All right. All systems are go,&quot; I inform Samson as I step away from his office computer. I ve just finished upgrading the Commander s security system for all his electronic communications. Between the VPNs and the layers of encryption and required authentication, it would take a very skillful, determined hacker to listen in on the call we re about to make.
  &quot;Excellent,&quot; Samson replies. &quot;You ready, Drake?&quot;
  &quot;No,&quot; Drake admits. &quot;But if the tech s ready, we might as well get this over with.&quot;
  &quot;Best chance we got for gettin  Sasha outta HQ alive,&quot; Samson reminds him. We ve been over the plan multiple times, and Drake s eye roll indicates he doesn t think the repetition is necessary.
  &quot;Yeah. So you ve said. I m dialing.&quot; He s using the computer I ve secured to make a video call to his parents. I m a little

  ZOE POV
  &quot;Well, Miss Sukoshku, I d say you re all clear to get out of bed and start exploring the Underground,&quot; Sasha s main doctor declares, &quot;just so long as you don t do anything stupid.&quot;
  &quot;Thank you, Doctor,&quot; Sasha smiles. It s that pained half-smile that means she s violently conflicted inside, as she has been since she started being conscious for more than fifteen minutes at a time, a couple days ago. Nothing Rika or Drake or I have said to her seems to have made much of a difference, and I m damn worried about her.
  &quot;Doctor, would you mind giving us a list of activities you would define as stupid for someone in Sasha s condition?&quot; Rika inquires, professional and no-nonsense as ever.
  &quot;That won t be necessary, Doctor,&quot; Sasha argues. &quot;Just…do you think it s safe for me to do a bit of training? Not all out, but just to try a

DRAKE POV
  &quot;Wasn t expectin  t  see ya up an  at  em so soon,&quot; Commander Baryshnikov remarks to Sasha once his heavy steel office door clangs shut behind us. The office itself is nicely furnished, with a large antique desk, brown leather couches, and framed abstract art, but the lack of windows bothers me. I m sure it s for security reasons. But how far underground are we?
  &quot;I thought our plan requires me to be in optimal condition, Commander. I simply wanted to see how far in the future that might be,&quot; Sasha answers smoothly.
  &quot;I already told ya, you outrank me now. None o  this 'commander  nonsense.&quot;
  &quot;Old habits die hard. And we both know you re in charge here.&quot;
  &quot;Not so much that I could deny yer demand that Drake join us.&quot; Baryshnikov sends a cold glance my way. &quot;Care t  explain why ya invited him?&quot;
  &quot;I find it s always beneficial to bring fresh insights into a strategy meeting. And his commitment to seei

Chapter 48 Protection