Forever Until Tomorrow (War Eternal Book 5) by M. R. Forbes

car.
    "Katherine," Yousefi said, once they were inside.
    "Don't talk to me," Katherine said, still fighting to keep her emotions in check. "Nothing you say is going to help or change anything. I know you're sorry. Everyone in this damn place is sorry. It doesn't change the facts or the truth."
    Yousefi was silent for a moment. "It just makes no sense," he said quietly.
    "No, it doesn't," she agreed.
    Mitchell. The name moved to the forefront of her thoughts and hung there like the carrot. Teasing her. Mocking her. Find Mitchell.
    She had two choices. She could accept her fate and hope for the best, or she could keep following the line of insanity all the way down the rabbit hole.
    She wasn't the kind of person to ever let anything else control her destiny. If she were being discharged, that meant there would be no orders to follow, and no one to tell her what she could or could not do.  
    If the UEA couldn't figure out the secrets of the AIT, she would.
    Mitchell.
    It all started there.

15

    Katherine stood at the window of the small apartment the UEA had set her up with, looking down at the street eight floors below. They had offered to send her anywhere in the world she wanted to go, but she had no idea where that would be. Instead, she was only a few miles away from Naval Station Norfolk, trying to convince herself that what she was about to do was a good idea.
    She held her AR glasses in hand, having already attached the neural-impulse receiver to the back of her neck. All she had to do was put them on and make the call.
    Much like General Petrov, she didn't want to do it. She also felt that she had to. There was nobody else she could turn to in a situation like this. Nobody else who would be able to help. Besides, how much trouble could he get in from his apartment in Soho?
    She put the glasses on, plugging the end of the receiver into the frame. She spoke out loud even though she didn't have to.
    "Call Michael," she said, clenching her jaw immediately after. She still had time to change her mind. Disconnect or make a different excuse.
    "Kathy?" the tired voice said.
    "Hi, Michael," she said. "I'm sorry to call you back so late. It's been a long day."
    There was a silent pause. He was probably clearing the sleep from his throat. "It's no problem. I completely understand. I was worried about you. I read about your discharge."
    He had called four times during the day to check on her. She hadn't been ready to talk to him then.  
    "Yeah. That's why I was calling."
    "Need someone to commiserate with? We can play a game of Fighter Squadron Xeno. It will help you take your mind off it."
    Kathy hesitated. This was her last chance to keep him out of it. To do this on her own.
    Except she couldn't do this on her own, and she knew it.
    "No. No games. Michael, I know what you read. It isn't what you think. Not at all."
    "What do you mean?"
    "I didn't ask for a discharge because of emotional trauma. You know that isn't me."
    "Hmm. Yeah, I thought that seemed strange, but who am I to judge? You don't have to be a super woman all the time. So what's going on?"
    "The UEA cut a deal with the AIT. They wanted me grounded in exchange for staying out of the way when the Dove launches."
    "Huh? You're saying the AIT, the terrorists, made one demand, and it was to get you off the ship?" He sounded as confused as she still was.
    "Yes."
    "And the UEA buckled to it?"
    "Yes."
    "What the hell, Kathy?"
    "I know."
    "And they kicked you out of the military for it? That's been your dream for as long as I've known you."
    "You don't need to rub salt in it. I know."
    "Sorry. So what are you going to do?"
    She had one more chance to stop herself and keep him out. She was going to be putting him in danger if he agreed to help, and it was the last thing she wanted to do. This wasn't about want. It wasn't even just about her spot on the Dove. The AIT's actions were chaotic, and that could only mean bad things for everybody.
    "I need to figure out what the