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Kimmy looked at it with surprise, but then briefly shook it and gave her name.

“Is there a safe spot where we can leave the horses for now?” Kimmy asked.

“Sure,” Ayanna replied, gesturing for us to follow.

She led us through the camp, which was much bigger than I expected. Dozens of standing tents were placed in rows throughout the site, and it was full of people working, talking, and lounging. Some wore full military gear like the Delta’s soldiers, while others were dressed in normal clothes, but all of them wore the black armbands with the white rose painted on them. All were openly armed. Fire pits were scattered through the camp, with various people preparing food. At the far end, a tall tree stood, a rickety-looking wooden platform balanced between the branches, with two men posted as lookouts.

What surprised me most, though, was the couple of solar panels attached to a portable generator they had running in a separate fenced-off area, with electrical cables running from it into various tents. They had power…and that was a pretty big game-changer. Near the back, there was a large, grassy open lot, I was just as surprised to see two military trucks parked there. A few bored-looking soldiers stood guard.

“Your animals will be safe here,” Ayanna said, nodding at one of the guards, who nodded back. “We should go to the command tent.”

Bella and Ghost had already started grazing on the tall grass, so we followed Ayanna back towards the centre of the camp. The command tent was the largest one, and many of the thick black electric cables led there.

Kimmy shot me a doubtful look, and I knew what she was asking: you still sure about this? The answer was no, but at least the White Rose had more resources than I’d expected. Maybe we really could help each other.

The command tent was full of computers, all lit up with information and monitoring systems, arranged in a half-circle around a chair. I had no idea what any of them did, but a small, wiry woman with square glasses and greying hair sat watching them all, a crease between her brows. She introduced herself as Gizzi, but otherwise ignored us. I could only assume Ayanna had told her she’d be hosting a couple Wastelanders.

“So,” Ayanna said, gesturing for us to sit with her in some chairs set off to the side, “who is it you’re looking for, and why do you think the Delta has them? As far as I know, we’re not in the habit of abducting Wastelanders. They’re forbidden inside the walls.”

“We’d noticed,” I said, unable to keep sarcasm out of my voice. “But if it helps, my wife’s not a Wastelander.”

Ayanna’s eyebrows shot up. “Your wife?”

“Her name’s Claire,” Kimmy piped up. “Slim build, tall. Long red hair. She used to live in a compound called the Cave until maybe a year and a half ago. Since then, she’s lived with us.”

“We know they have her,” I continued, my tone darkening, “because Delta soldiers attacked us and stole her away when she and I were on our honeymoon. Two weeks ago.”

Whatever response I expected, it wasn’t a long, deafening silence. Gizzi’s head had popped up from her screen, and she and Ayanna were both staring at us with wide eyes. The air was suddenly thick with tension.

“What?” I finally demanded. “You know where she is?”

Ayanna and Gizzi exchanged a look, as though they couldn’t believe what I was asking.

“I’ll be damned,” Gizzi said with a harsh laugh. “After all this time, she’s a real fucking person?”

Ayanna shot her another look, but this one was annoyed. Meanwhile, I was caught between total confusion and desperation to know what they meant. They obviously knew who she was, even if I didn’t grasp how.

“Help me understand,” Ayanna said, looking from me to Kimmy. “You say that this Claire is your wife, and that she came from the Cave. How did she escape the Order?”

“Her sister, who’s in with them, helped her,” I answered. “Guilt, I guess. I found her a few days later, and we took her in.”

“So, she’s been in the Wasteland this entire time? Up until two weeks ago?”

I frowned. “Yeah. What’s your point?”

Ayanna sighed and nodded at Gizzi, who tapped at a few keys on one of the computers. Instantly, a nearby projector flicked on, and an image appeared on the tent wall. I immediately recognized it as a picture of Claire, but she looked…different. Her red hair was swept up into a fancy updo that I’d never seen on her before, and she wore a long, flowing gown that I knew for a fact she didn’t own. Weirder still, she was standing at a podium, wearing a smile that somehow didn’t look like hers. There was a small crowd watching her, all looking at her like she was some sort of miracle.

“This her?” Ayanna asked flatly.

I frowned. Dread was churning in my gut. The picture was clearly my wife, yet I knew in my bones that it wasn’t. Something wasn’t right.

“It looks like her,” Kimmy said slowly, looking as shellshocked as I felt, “but it can’t be.”

“Great,” Gizzi said sarcastically. “So, they just stole the image of a real person instead of making her up wholesale. Much better.”

I couldn’t stand it anymore.

“What the hell is going on here?” I demanded, my heart beating in my ears. “How do you have this photo of Claire? Can you help us get inside the Delta or not?”