“It does make sense,” Marjorane said. “Especially the barely trained recruits. They slow down the squad and become fodder for higher casualty rates.”
Sami sucked in a breath. Her hands pressed so hard on the table the color faded to a light brown.
“Let’s see what it says on the bead.” Rick got up from the table and took the bead over to a reader. Josh hung back, letting Marjorane pass him so he stand next to Sami. He touched her elbow. She nodded to him, a formal clipped gesture but her hand covered his and squeezed tight.
Rick triggered the bead. A text display hovered over the surface. Looking a little grainy, Josh thought. This equipment needed a good overhaul.
Formation and regular meeting of the Coalition of Councils set for September 13. Agenda items follow: Item for vote – Dissolution of Individual City Squads, presenter, Councilman Malcolm Bennett. Addendum materials to follow, including Memorandum of Understanding between City Councils and Representatives of IH.
The location and time scrolled along the bottom then began to repeat until Rick shut it off.
“Unbelievable,” he said.
“We’ve got to stop them,” Sami said. “With the evidence of the manipulation of the virus we can show that Elliott is not negotiating in good faith.”
“Maybe, or they’ll try to pass it off as Elliott’s attempts to find a cure for the virus,” Rick said.
“Then we take them Lucy and show them her cure.”
“If they’ll let any of you through,” Josh said. “Lucy’s still infected, remember? That’ll show up on any bioscan to get into the city where the meeting is. They won’t ask any questions if she shows as infected. ‘Immediate termination,’ remember?”
“I can figure out a way to fool those scanners,” Sami said. “I’ll need the Sister to help me.”
“We’ll have to have passes to get into this meeting,” Rick said. “I’m sure it’s going to be top level.”
“I can find a way to mock up some passes,” Marjorane said.
“I can help with that,” Josh said.
Rick gave a slow nod. His mouth twitched at the sides. Josh touched the buttons of his own shirt, raising his eyebrows. Rick’s fingers moved up. His lip twitching stopped.
“I’ll talk to Lucy,” he said. “She’ll need time to pull everything together. I want a status report in an hour.”
They split up. Marjorane and Josh heading back to the communications room. A trace of a smile crossed Sami’s lip as she watched them leave then she nodded to Rick before heading out. His hand lifted in a half wave but he didn’t feel the need to say anything. This time there was nothing more that needed to be said. For a while anyway.
Lucy sat bent over her microscope when Rick entered the lab. He knocked on the doorframe to get her attention. As she glanced up, her fluttering hands jostled a pile of glass slides and tilted but didn’t fall. Her body remained hunched as she regarded him.
“We’ve had word that Elliott will be presenting at a Council Coalition about his work. We need to prove he’s lying when he says he’s got a cure.”
Lucy nodded, her head making jerky movements. “I can pull together some cultures of my cure but I won’t have any analysis done on his work. It’s too soon, not nearly enough time.” Her voice rose at the end.
Rick recognized her fear and anxiety. He raised his hands to slow her down. “That’s okay. We don’t need any analysis right now. We can take one or two of the kids, some of Elliott’s serums, some of yours and you can explain to them.”
Instead of being relieved she looked more upset. She pushed back from the table, this time knocking the slides so they sprayed across the table top. She backed away, shaking her head.
“No, no, I can’t go.”
“Lucy...”
“No!” Her voice rose to a shout of panic. Her hands lifted as if to ward him off. Rick, who had taken a few steps forward, stopped. Her head kept shaking from side to side.
“Lucy, we need you to come.” Rick kept his voice low and even. “No one else can explain your work the way you can. No one understands it as well. If we had a few weeks, Sister or Sami could learn it but we don’t have that time.”
“No, I’m not going. I’m NOT!”
“We will both go.” Peter’s quiet voice cut through her shriek. Rick turned. The young man was leaning against the doorframe. Exhaustion drooped his shoulders and even his hair hung limp over his head.
Lucy’s hands moved from her mouth, touched her stomach and then fell to her sides. “Both?”
“Yes, we’ll both go.” Peter took a shuffling step inside. Rick wasn’t sure it was a good idea seeing how fragile the man looked but a glance at Lucy told him she wouldn’t even think of going without Peter. Her fearful expression had shifted to one of intensity. Rick sensed something going on in the subtext, something he couldn’t quite catch. For the first time, he realized that Peter’s loyalty might have shifted away from The Night Killers and toward this strange woman. The thought made Rick a little uneasy. He was so used to thinking of Peter as one of them, unquestionable. But things had changed since Peter’s infection. He’d never be a full squad member again. Enough of the residual of the infection was still in his system for any DNA scan to pick it up and Rick wondered just what that really meant. How cured was either Peter or Lucy? Was there a way for the virus to reemerge within them in time?
He didn’t want to think it and he kept his expression neutral when Peter glanced back at him. With Peter’s changing psychic abilities, how much could Rick even hide his thoughts? Damn, he hated thinking this way but he had to consider all the angles, all the possibilities. Peter and Lucy might not be all that safe after all. He couldn’t even begin to think about explaining it to Josh.
Something about Peter’s stiff posture alerted Rick. He gestured toward the door in order to distract Peter.
“Are you sure you’re well enough to travel?”
“I’m well enough,” Peter said. “We should get ready to go. We’ve got a case to make to the councils, to everyone.”
“I want the Sister to look at you first. She okays it, then you can travel.”
The frown on Peter’s face indicated he wasn’t happy with Rick’s stipulation. He shrugged. “As you wish.”
Rick nodded. “Good.” He turned toward the door.
“We’ll make our case even to you, Rick.”
Rick kept moving and didn’t look back. Dammit.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“I think that does it,” Sami said. “What do you think, Sister?”
The old woman bent over the display, magnifying it. Sami sat back , fiddling with one of her braids. Excess energy made her edgy. She wanted to stand up and pace around the room but suppressed the urge. She knew she was pushing past her own considerable endurance. She didn’t like doing it but it couldn’t be helped. This was why squad members were augmented; you never knew how long you’d need to keep fighting vampires.
But it had its toll; how many years had she’d burned off her life in this job? It was worth it, or had been before Michael died. Now she just wanted to finish this and get back to the city, back to Gran. Build a regular life with Rick.
“I’m not sure the masking will hold up to a full DNA sweep.” The Sister reset the display to normal. “We need more of the perimeters to be sure. We only get one shot at this.”
Sami rubbed her temples with her index fingers. “How do we get that?”
The nun shrugged. “I was hoping you had an idea.”
“Great.” Sami fiddled with the compad. She’d already gone through the whole thing, looking for more information on the security breakdown. As usual there was little on the device. Cities were very careful about letting their individual protocols be breached.
“Maybe we can contact Telson and get more information from him,” she said.
“Maybe,” the Sister said. “But if they’re watching him as closely as Marjorane suggested, we could be putting him in danger.”
“We need another angle,” she said.
“I think we need another set of eyes.” The Sister jumped off her chair. “And I know where to get them.” She smiled and waved at Sami as she headed out of the room.
For a moment, Sami almost called her back, then stopped. The nun was a smart lady. If she had an idea it would be worth waiting for. Sami just had to be a little patient, something that was becoming more challenging as her fatigue wore on.
A shadow in the doorway caught her eye. Was the Sister returning already? But the shadow coalesced into the image of the little girl, Katey. She stood in the doorway, staring at Sami. The Sister had been getting the children settled; did the girl want her?
“The Sister’s not here right now,” Sami said.
“I know.” Katey stepped into the room. She moved with a smoothed sureness that reminded Sami of the vampires. The woman suppressed a shudder. This child was infected but was she a full vampire? So much more testing needed to be done, so many things and all of them at once. Being unclear about them made bringing the children down into the lab incredibly dangerous but they couldn’t just leave them outside or with the vampires. Sami sighed. She hated the greyness suggested by the children; she preferred evil be pure black.
“What can I do for you, Katey?” she said.
The child shrugged. She turned away from Sami and wandered around the room. Her small fingers trailed along the edges of the tables and across the walls as if she was sensing something through the tips. It made Sami think of sonar. Was the child broadcasting something and feeling it come back to her? Did they have psychic abilities like Peter? Too many unanswered questions.
A smile seeped across the girl’s face as she looked back over her shoulder at Sami. Had she somehow sensed Sami’s thoughts or even read them completely? Go away, Sami thought. I want you to go away.
Katey gave no sign that she’d heard this direct unspoken command. She continued stepping along the edge of the outer wall, trailing her hand along beside her.
Sami opened her mouth to speak again but the Sister’s return interrupted her.
“I found that other pair of eyes,” she announced.
Mitchell trailed in behind her. His own fatigue etched deep lines around his mouth and at his eyes. Like the rest of them, he needed more than an hour’s rest and he wasn’t even augmented. Sami felt sorry for him but they could use his help.
“Can you look at what we’ve got so far?” she said to the general. “We’re trying to find a masking agent to hide Lucy’s infection from the scanners.”
“Whatever I can do,” Mitchell said as he moved toward the table with the microscope.
Katey stood in his way and as he came forward she stayed in his path, staring at him with intensity.
“Katey, we need to get some work done,” Sami said.
The child didn’t move or make any sign of acknowledgment. Mitchell stopped right in front of her and reached out one hand to touch her shoulder. She hissed and jumped back. Pressing herself against the wall, she glared at him, her lips pulled back from her teeth in a snarl. Were her canines getting sharper, Sami thought. Her hand touched the stake at her belt.
Katey noticed the movement. She straightened, edging along the wall away from Mitchell. Once in line with the door, she made a dash for it and disappeared down the hall.
“I don’t like them wandering around,” Sami said. “We don’t know how the infection will continue to affect them.”
“First things first,” the Sister said.
“Right,” Mitchell said. “Let’s take a look at what you’ve got for the scanners.” He sat in front of the microscope and peered in. After a moment, he sat back, rubbing his temples. Lines around his face became more pronounced as he squinted.
“I can see what you’re trying to do but I don’t think you’ve got the time to perfect it or test it,” he said. “I think you’re going about it the wrong way. You won’t be able to fool the scan’s biological capabilities.”
Sami’s shoulders drooped. She’d thought as much. “What else can we do? We’ve got to find a way to get Lucy in without triggering the alarm.”
“You can’t fool the scanner,” Mitchell said, “but you can interrupt the signaling sequence with the proper authorization.”
Hope flickered inside Sami but she couldn’t quite trust it yet. “What do you mean?”
“I mean we can divert the signal to our own receiver, bypassing their security controls.”
“Do we need a receiver?” the Sister said.
Mitchell nodded. “Their computer will want a verification of receipt. That will be easy to supply.”
“Can you create the diversion?” Sami said.
“I’ll need the fastest computer here,” Mitchell said. “I can mock something up for one person in about half an hour or an hour.”
“Make it for three.” Rick’s voice sounded from the doorway. “Sister, can I borrow you for a moment?”
“Sure.” The Sister skirted the table and moved to the doorway. Rick led her into the hall. Sami noticed how the stiffness in the Sister’s movements; Sami wasn’t the only one feeling the strain. Mitchell’s grimace highlighted that fact.
“Come on, I’ll hook you up to one of the computers in the admin section,” Sami said.
Mitchell nodded. With a grunt, he stood up from the lab table and followed her out into the hall. His shoes shuffled on the worn tile as she led him to the admin section. Although some of the lights were burned out, others shone bright and new, recently replaced. Dust still gathered in the folds between things although it looked like someone had started cleaning. They just hadn’t progressed very far. Sami found a clean desktop and punched in a connection to the main computer. The display sprang to life. She moved out of the way to let the general sit down.
Mitchell grunted again as he settled into the chair before the display. Squinting, he began plugging away. The changing display reflected deep in the lines on his face. His hair looked even more grey and although it was buzz cut short, it looked disheveled.
They were all at the end of their rope, she thought. Let it be over soon, they all needed a break. As she watched Mitchell work, her mind drifted to a fantasy of how her life should have gone. Tenure at school, teaching classes, grading papers, leading discussion groups. All impossible now. The best they could hope for would be a small apartment underground, near Gran. But who was she kidding? They would be lucky to escape this situation without charges.
Still Rick must feel optimistic enough to propose or maybe it was just desperation. Fatigue burned within her so deep she wasn’t sure she cared about motive anyway. The light of hope he’d given her was just enough to keep her afloat above the despair and grief that threatened to swallow her. If only Michael hadn’t been so stupid, if only she’d forced him to quit, too many if onlys.
The stillness of the display caught her attention. Was Mitchell finished already? She faced him and noticed him staring at her. His mouth was open, his eyes unfocused. Was he all right? She started up from her chair and began to move around the desk.
“Sami,” a voice called from the doorway.
She turned. Trina stood just inside the room. Katey stood behind her, blocking the doorway. The older girl seemed only slightly less odd to Sami. She glanced at the woman once and then glared past her.
“What is it, Trina?” Sami said.
The girl kept staring past her. “We just came by.”
“Came by for what?” Fatigue gave her question more of a snap than she wanted but Sami didn’t correct it. She’d had almost enough of these kids.
“Came by to see you.” Trina stepped farther into the room. Her attention was still focused beyond Sami. Sami turned. Mitchell was back working, bent over the display typing as symbols and colors flickered their reflections over his face.
“I’m sorry
Trina, we’re working here,” Sami said.
“That’s okay. I’ll stay out of the way.” She moved to a chair that beside the wall and sat down. Her right hand flicked out. Katey left the doorway and retreated down the hall.
Sami ignored Trina. “How much longer, general?”
“I’m almost finished the first one,” he said. “Another fifteen or twenty minutes for the other two.”
“I’ll check in with Rick, let him know how it’s progressing and where we’re at with the passes. I’ll be back before you’re finished.” She turned toward the door. “Do you want to come, Trina?”
The girl shook her head. “I can stay here.”
Sami shrugged. “Fine.”
She found Rick waiting outside the lab room. “Mitchell is almost finished the diversions for the scanners,” she said.
“Great,” Rick said. “Josh and Marjorane finished the passes. They should hold up long enough to get us in the building. We need to decide which child to take along.”
The door slid open and the Sister stepped out. Rick straightened from his leaning against the wall.
“How is Peter?”
The Sister shrugged. “He says he’s all right. Brain scans show higher alpha wave activity and the fast MRI scan shows areas lit up that I don’t know anything about. We just don’t know enough at psychics to create a real average of normalcy for them. I can only say it’s different than other scans of him from before the attack.”
Rick frowned. “Do you think he should travel?”
“Damned if I know,” the Sister said. “He’s insistent about it though.”
“And Lucy won’t go without him,” Rick said.
“Sounds like there isn’t much choice,” Sami said.
A weak smile crossed Rick’s lips. “Why should today be any different? Let’s start getting packed up. We’re leaving before dark. As soon as one of those squads arrives, I want to hit the road. We need to be ready.”
Sami nodded. “I’m well past ready.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
The Black Shadows arrived at the lab mid afternoon. A small squad of only four men, they carried a full arsenal with a complete array of Kaminski shields and a portable generator. As Rick watched them unpack their truck, he felt a small surge of hope. Sure there was only four of them but with the Kaminski shields and generator, four could hold off almost tenfold their number. Maybe something was finally going their way.
The Night Killers Page 34