Jenna had started attending their meetings when they realized that they were in need of better note-taking skills, something not high on the Horatius Group's list of priorities for their genetically engineered soldiers. She sat nervously next to Remus, with her uncle on the other side, looking slightly uncomfortable.
The door opened, and Rachel stepped in with Marius close behind.
Apollo glared at the two. They might have made peace, but now he was forced to watch them play grab ass whenever they had the chance. He could only hope they kept their heads in the game during the meeting.
He fought down a twinge of guilt. He'd been obsessed with Rachel's guilt, and he'd been wrong. Without her, a lot of them would be dead. The thought did temper his anger a bit.
"Right," Titus said, giving them all a stern look. "Let's get this started."
The room grew quiet as everyone settled their attention on Titus. Each meeting seemed to grow in size. It wouldn't be long before they could hardly all fit in. Not that Apollo cared. Might as well bring in the whole damn compound at this rate. What was the point of secrecy if nearly everyone knew about their plans?
"Let's keep this short today," Titus went on. "First, let's start with how the scans are going."
Rachel stood and looked around the room. Her long brown hair and bright green eyes reflected the mid-day sun.
"Everyone has been accounted for," she said. "Not everyone was chipped, which we can only guess is because the Horatius Group was interrupted too soon into the process."
"What does that mean?" Major Carter asked.
She turned to look down the table at him, and Apollo drummed his fingers on the table impatiently. This meeting was already starting to piss him off.
"We hope it means that the programs weren't fully operational. We have to believe that to be the case since the placement of these devices could have caused quite a bit of damage."
"Or they were just waiting for the right opportunity," Apollo mumbled.
Several heads turned toward him, including that of the doctor.
"True," she said. The corner of her mouth twitched, a sure sign that she was about to rip him a new one. "They were complicated implantations, which made removal difficult, to say the least. There is always the chance that said devices could be used against us, and anyone carrying them could be a tool of the enemy."
His hand involuntarily went to the corner of his eye and rubbed a little in irritation. Just below the skin, he could feel the hard ridge. He glared at Rachel. She knew exactly what she was saying and that it would piss him off.
"And what's being done about these potential threats?" Sol chimed in, likely more to break up the pending fight than anything else.
Rachel held his eyes for a moment before turning to the blond-haired hybrid.
"We're trying to work that out," she sighed. "Paige has a few ideas, but I'd like to hold off on a decision before we explore all options."
"Any news on her coming full time with us?" Titus asked, the hopeful sound hard to miss.
Apollo snorted. Just the mention of the new outsider pissed him off more. It was just another person he had to watch like a hawk. The nurse seemed to check out, but she was so resistant to joining them. That was twice as suspicious in his book.
Titus frowned at him from the end of the table and then turned back to Rachel.
"Paige is a tough one," Rachel said and gave a wry smile. "But she'll come around. She is great with the men and has been very understanding about the sensitivity the chips have caused."
Her pointed stare at him was hard to miss, and his lips curled in agitation.
"We'll trust whatever decision you come up with on the chips and leave the recruitment of the nurse in your hands. As always, you've been a far greater ally than anyone could have anticipated."
Rachel nodded and took her place next to Marius. Unlike with her usually tough manner, bright red stained her cheeks.
Apollo had to look away. It had been like this for weeks now. Everyone kissing her ass like she was the new Messiah. Though there may have been a part of him that respected that she had risked herself to get information, they all had at some point. That made her their equal, and that was about all the ground he was willing to give her. That level of respect was more than he gave most.
"The security tech is coming in today," Titus said to the group. "Apollo is taking point on this."
No one seemed too surprised. Sol was busy managing repairing the walls and securing the front gate. Their new gate would be in any day, and they would finally have some assurance that no one was going to come crashing in again.