September 21st, 2063. Region 6 of the American desert, New Mexico, North American Province, 7:55 am local time.

“Almost there, ma’am,” the driver said. “Ten minutes.”

“Please keep your head down,” Carmen added. “And keep that cap on.”

El arched an eyebrow. Carmen had been part of her security detail for years, and they usually had a very cordial relationship. El had rarely seen her this gruff.

“My head’s down,” El replied after deciding to let it pass.

She knew she was pushing Carmen and her team to their limits. They had vehemently opposed coming out here. The desert was a place filled with natural danger, and crossing the border into global coalition territory added all sorts of risks.

El adjusted the baseball cap on her head. “What’s the status?”

“They’re still refusing to come out,” Carmen said through clenched teeth. “And we need to leave the area in 90 minutes. Or now.”

El met Carmen’s gaze in the rearview mirror. The distress in the bodyguard’s eyes was evident. El was tempted to reassure her and tell her that she would be fine, but this wasn’t just about her. Everyone here was putting their lives at risk.

And for what? El’s cheeks burned as she she started to think things through. Every order she had given in the last few hours had been a selfish one. She had tried to convince herself that she was doing the right thing for everyone, but that only worked for a few minutes.

“Any signs of global coalition backup troops?” El asked.

Carmen shook her head. “Nothing. But they could send armed drones, and we wouldn’t be able to hide from them.”

El nodded gravely. “I assume they won’t attack us as long as we are near their people. The risk of collateral damage would be too great.”

“That’s a big assumption to make,” Carmen replied, again harsher than usual.

For a moment, El’s temper flared. She had never had an authoritative style. Still, she found it challenging to be openly and repeatedly questioned by the people who served to protect her. She didn’t owe them an explanation for the decisions she made.

“Yes, you do,” a voice in her head said. “You owe them.”

Officially, El had told everyone that this situation was too delicate to not handle herself. A high-ranking officer of the Global Coalition had become stranded at the border of the Fireblue territory for unknown reasons. That had never happened before.

To make matters worse, the officer had been flagged as a person of high interest. Any information about her had to be reported directly to the President. To her. That was because Michelle Becker had attempted to destroy the Fireblue Republic before.

A couple of years ago, Becker had orchestrated a cyber attack on the Global Coalition networks, taking out all sorts of critical infrastructure for days. She had then tried to blame the rebels so she could attack them.

But the plan had failed. El and Louise had worked together to prevent a war, but it had been a costly battle. El had lost her best friend, her credibility as President, at least until she had won reelection. And… she had almost lost Louise.

Louise was the best thing that had ever happened to El. She had never loved anyone as much as she loved Louise. After almost losing Louise, she had sworn to herself that she would treasure her every day. But she hadn’t.

El had needed the shock of tonight’s developments to see what she had been doing. When her security team woke her up because Michelle Becker was on her way to Fireblue Territory, El had thought of her relationship with Louise first.

How would Louise respond if she knew that her ex, a woman who had influenced much of her character and had known Louise for much longer than El had, was back? Would Louise become curious about her? Would she want to see her?

Louise had never given any indication that she still loved Michelle, but El was suspicious. She knew how much Michelle had meant to Louise and how long Louise had pined for her. Surely that kind of love, or attachment, didn’t disappear completely?

So yes, El wanted Michelle Becker to turn around and head back to her violent and controlling world for more than one reason. That’s why she had insisted on immediately heading for the desert, much against everyone’s advice.

El didn’t trust anyone else with the delicate conversations that would be needed to scare Becker away. The officer had a twisted kind of logic. If she was here, she was here to cause harm, and El believed she was the only person who could stop her.

Now, hours later, El was more aware of how irrational her decision had been. But she was here now, dragging her security team into the situation, and she still hoped it would turn out to be the right decision.

“Three minutes,” the driver said.

El met Carmen’s gaze in the rearview mirror again. She nodded and pulled her cap down, her way of signalling that she was ready. Carmen shook her head and looked away.

“I want everyone back in their cars,” El said. “I’m the only one going out there.”

She raised her hand before Carmen could protest.

“This can only work if Becker sees that I am alone,” El said.

Carmen’s lips became a thin white line.

“If there’s any sign of trouble,” El continued, “Have everyone leave the scene immediately.”

“You know we can’t leave you behind,” Carmen sighed.

“I know,” El sighed too. “But try to limit your exposure, okay?”

“A little late for that,” Carmen said sarcastically.

El had reached her limit with Carmen’s resistance. “Enough, Carmen,” she snapped. “I understand that you don’t like this situation, but we’re already here, and I’m going through with this, whether you approve of it or not.”

“Understood, boss,” Carmen replied, raising her hands in a conciliatory gesture. “I apologize.” Her tone sounded sincere.

“It’s fine,” El said, even though it wasn’t.