Huddled with Will at the cabin kitchen table, Terra spoke through her viewer. "Hex, is it safe to talk now?"

"Yeah, go ahead, Terra. I was meaning to call you, anyway."

"Will is with me. We have a few more questions."

Will spoke up. "Hi, Hex."

"Will, I take it you are the advantage that Terra spoke about in this crazy scheme of hers?"

Terra responded. "He is. With him, we can take down the Talent based security in the palace."

"Damn," Hex exclaimed. "Then it goes from no way in hell to maybe it might work. What do you need from me?"

Will said, "From the diagrams you sent us — thanks, by the way — it looks like the electronic surveillance systems are shielded. Would an EMP take them down?"

"Probably not, unless the pulse was very powerful and very close. To shut them down, someone would need to hook into one of the monitor nodes and hack it."

"What do we need to do that?"

"Me."

Terra's eyebrows shot up. "Hex, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying you will need me," Hex answered, "and I'm offering. Walt wants to help, too. I, umm, acquired the Uprising war plans, and Walt and I looked them over. It's not good. We're gonna get whipped. Our fearless leader Senn is getting delusions of grandeur."

Will and Terra both dropped their jaws and gazed at each other. Terra eventually answered. "Hex, we would love to have your help, and Walt's! But how will the Council react?"

"Not good, I presume. So, we just plan to not show up for work." Hex let out a puff of air. "We're not going to make a big scene like you did."

"That would be wise. Still, be careful. We'll follow up later. Thank you so much, Hex."

Terra disconnected the call and gazed at Will. Smiling, she wrapped her arms around him. "Our chances just got better."

*****

Operational planning continued over the next six weeks. Joseph's contacts provided a wealth of information about palace activities and security protocols. The Library even had a person embedded within the walls that filled in missing details. Neige set up a crude mockup of the palace for training near his home base in the town of Holme.

Terra weaned Anna, slowly transitioning to bottle feeding and letting Ginny take over periodically. She would have preferred to do this later, but circumstances forced the timing. Both parents felt a twinge of sadness with each bottle, reminders that soon they would leave their daughter behind.

At the agreed time, a car pulled up at Ginny's house. Neige stepped out, clutching his sleepy daughter. Kori's face turned down as she walked up to the front porch, holding her husband's arm and leaning into him. She shared a tearful embrace with Terra, each knowing that soon they would part with someone they loved.

Early the next morning, Will sat out on the porch to watch one more sunrise with his daughter. Terra joined them, resting her head against his shoulder as color painted the eastern sky. A tear slid down her cheek as she took Anna into her arms while Will wrapped his arm around them both, his eyes blurring. Neither Will nor Terra voiced the fear that hovered in their minds, that if things went wrong, they might not see Anna again.

Terra whispered to her daughter. "My sweet little Anna. Know that your mommy and daddy love you always."

A shudder overtook Terra as a morbid thought crossed her mind. If I die, Anna would not even remember me.

Neige walked out on to the porch with one arm holding his daughter and the other wrapped around his wife. He hugged Mora and set her down, then took Kori into his arms and kissed her.

Ginny came out and embraced both Will and Terra. "Come back to us."

Will handed Anna to Ginny. Terra choked back a sob when Anna's lowered lip quivered as she reached out toward her parents.

They drove off in a somber mood.

Other than some discussion of finer points of the upcoming operation, the long road trip mostly passed in silence. They passed several Dynasty security checkpoints along the way, but between the fake identifications and Will's ability to mask Terra's aura, they passed through easily.

Late the next day, they arrived at the makeshift training center near Holme. Hex and Walt greeted them, having arrived several days before. Pushing emotions aside, Will and Terra girded themselves for the mission ahead.

Neige introduced twelve of his most trusted soldiers, ten men, including Haze and Thorne, and two women. The calm determination on each of their faces gave Terra a renewed feeling of confidence.

The next morning, training began at sunrise. The group gathered around Neige in an organized semicircle. Terra leaned against her husband for support as she struggled to keep heavy eyelids open.

Will smirked as he turned to his disheveled wife. "A bit early for you, isn't it?"

She grumbled, "Tell me about it..."

"Cut the chatter!" The brusqueness of Neige's growl caused both of them to jump and Terra's eyes shot fully open.

Fire blazed in Neige's eyes as he scanned the group. "For the next ten days, we train. Because my life might depend on your performance, I expect perfection." His eyes next focused on Hex and Walt, then moved on to Will and Terra. Will gulped and tightened his grip on Terra's hand as the glare continued. "Some of you are new here. Let me just say that you will not like it."

Neige was indeed a strict taskmaster, worthy of the boot camp drill sergeant stereotype. Tempers did flare sometimes, but everyone respected his tactical wisdom and realized the life-or-death importance of being prepared.

Neige acted particularly harsh toward Will, who had the least combat experience of the insertion team, but was perhaps also the most vital to success. Many nights, Terra soothed an ego normally difficult to bruise. Ultimately, Will came to respect Neige's tough guidance, and the repetitive exercises reduced apprehension in both him and Terra. Although all risk scenarios could not be envisioned, the clarity of mind from the repetition made them more adaptable, which increased their odds of success.

Four days before the planned assault, the team boarded a bus to travel to Capital City. Using credentials provided by Joseph, they posed as construction workers for a Library project. The security checkpoints became more frequent and intrusive as they neared the city. Terra made it a point to always sit close to Will so that he would block her aura. He also provided cover for the weapons cache hidden under the false floor by interfering with Talent based probes.

Joseph greeted them at the Library warehouse, which sat near the palace walls, separated by a wide park. Neige, Terra, Will, and he gathered to review the distraction plans. A march planned early in the afternoon to protest the Dynasty taxes and military conscription would draw attention away from the assault. Joseph arranged that more radical and outspoken elements were specifically invited to make it as noisy as possible. Walt would join Joseph at the protest, use his Talent to enhance the distraction, and then protect the protesters in case the Dynasty used excessive force against them.

On the morning of the assault, just before sunrise, the whole team sat around a table for their pre-mission ritual. Neige pulled out his bottle of old Cognac and poured it into a row of shot glasses before him, emptying at the last glass. After passing them around, everyone raised their glasses.

Gone was Neige's tough drill sergeant persona, replaced by an uncharacteristically warm expression. He made the toast. "Thank you, friends. It is my honor that you fight at my side. No mission before has been more important than this one. We are ready." He thrust his glass upward. "To success!"

Glasses tipped back in unison. Terra squeezed Will's hand as the fine liquor warmed her insides, feeling like confidence itself.

We are ready.