“Don’t you yell at them. They didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Guys…”

“What?!” they both screamed at Nam.

“There’s someone coming…” They pointed behind Derrick, into the thick green between them and the road.

It was too late to reach the gun. There were two bodies dressed head to toe in black running through the trees and headed directly for them.

The first one crashed into the clearing and grabbed the gun where it lay against a rock. The second jumped over a log and landed beside Nam, grabbing them around the shoulders and holding a hunting knife to their neck.

“Everybody calm down.” It was a woman’s voice. “Just calm down. No sudden moves.”

The person with the gun kept it down, pointed toward the ground. Derrick thought about making a grab for it, but they sensed it and lifted the rifle in his direction. “Easy now, big guy. Easy.” Another female.

“Who are you?” the first one asked, knife still millimeters from Nam’s skin.

“No one. We’re no one,” Rose answered.

“If you’re no one, what are you doing this close to the institute?” She didn’t sound angry. Stressed, out of breath, maybe, but there was no anger in her voice.

Rose looked from one to the other, trying to find the words to stay safe, trying to find a way to keep the mission alive. She couldn’t find an angle. She was tired and hungry and out of ideas. “We’ve come for someone.”

Derrick’s eyes got big. “Rose, what the—”

“Real stupid,” the shorter one said, still pointing the gun at Derrick.

“I know,” he answered. “Real stupid.”

“You need to get out of here now.”

Rose was confused. “What?”

“Go on, get out of here. Walk back the way you came. There’s no way you’re getting in, never mind getting back out.” She relaxed her grip on Nam and pushed them away. “Now.”

The knife wielder pulled off her balaclava, revealing a pleasant face and close rows of box braids. Her eyes were friendly, but she still held the knife out at chest level. “Listen, you gotta go. It’s not a good plan. You’ll just get taken in, and not in any way you want.”

Rose had never seen a Black Recruiter before. Even now, with weapons drawn and a standoff underway, the medicine of seeing someone who resembled her was fortifying. “Who exactly are you?”

“Nurses. Allies,” the one with the gun said, pulling down her bandana. “And we’re telling you to get lost before the Recruiters head this way. It’s hard to know when a new patrol’s being sent out. They keep it random.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Derrick said, reaching for the gun. After a nod between the women, she handed it over. “Let’s go.”

Nam picked up their bag and slung it over a shoulder.

“I’m not leaving.” Rose stiffened her legs as if she were planting herself in the earth.

“Jesus, Rose.” Derrick was exasperated now. “Come on. You heard them. It’s impossible. Let’s just head back to camp.”