by Gini Koch
Reader shook his head. “Let’s be honest. ACE has two people who he cares about more than any others—Kitty and Paul. Add Abigail, Naomi, and Serene, and, I’d guess, Jamie, and you have the main humans ACE is attached to. Radiating out, Michael and Brian have been in space, so ACE cares about them and all the other astronauts, past, present, and future. The rest of us, the closer we are to those sets of people, the more ACE cares. Ergo, if ACE is nervous, the threat is centered somewhere around those spheres of influence.” He grinned. “Not saying ACE doesn’t love all his penguins, but he has his favorites.”
“When did ACE get nervous, Paul?”
“Been growing steadily for the past hour or so.”
“About the time Jeffrey and Kitty decided to come to the Embassy.” White looked thoughtful.
“Gladys said the security checks were run and the Elves had put all the stuff in we’d need. From what little we looked at, that seems done.”
Michael pulled out his phone. “Gladys, odd question. Yeah, I know, shocker, right? Did anyone who did the Security or Operations set up at the Embassy mention any feelings of dread or fear? Yes, I’m serious. Yeah, actually. I think all of us who are here. Twenty or so. Huddled in Jeff and Kitty’s bedroom. Yeah, true, huddled is probably an exaggeration. Okay, thanks.” He looked at me. “She’s checking with the agents who were here and running another scan.”
Jeff came and sat on the bed with me. I snuggled up against him. “You think it’s like with my delivery?” I asked him quietly. “Where Jamie’s making it happen because I was scared?”
“Maybe, but . . . I don’t think so.” Jeff looked uncomfortable. “I’m picking something up—not from anyone in here, but something else. I don’t know what it is.”
Michael started talking again. “Really? Huh, interesting. No, I think there’re enough of us over here. Yes, good idea. Yes, please. Thanks.” He hung up. “No one felt anything. Routine personnel transfer. It was pointed out that there were no personal belongings to remove, but we already knew that. Gladys offered to send over more Security, but I don’t see the point. She’s going to keep active scans going on the Embassy.”
“So what do we do? I ask because I’m both tired as hell and freaked out of my mind.”
“I don’t want anyone going off alone.” Chuckie didn’t sound frightened, but I could pick up that he was as uncomfortable as the rest of us. He settled down on the floor and leaned his back against the wall. “So, what do we know?”
“Not much. You know, since everyone’s here, want to discuss how Amy’s stepmom was at our wedding with, I’m pretty sure, Ronaldo Al Dejahl?”
“I’d rather figure out what’s going on right now,” Jeff said.
Tim cocked his head at me. “You thinking it’s related?”
“Not sure.” I looked at Walter and took a deep breath. “Walt, we’re going to be discussing what . . . happened to Wayne. One of his older brothers,” I explained for the others. I saw Chuckie tense and realized he hadn’t known—either that Walter was related to Wayne and William or that Wayne had been one of the agents murdered.
Walter nodded. “I’m guessing from your expression it wasn’t pleasant.”
“No,” Tim said quietly. “It wasn’t. If you don’t want to be here while we discuss it, I know everyone will understand.”
Walter shook his head. “I think I need to know. And,” he added with a weak smile, “I don’t really want to be somewhere else in this building right now.”
“Yeah, ain’t it the truth?” I took another deep breath. “Tim, Amy, Michael—you want to share the horrific things that were done to our four agents? And by whom? And, possibly most importantly, where?”
“I’ll do it,” Tim said. “You two chime in with anything I miss.” Amy and Michael nodded. They didn’t look eager to join in, not that I could blame them. “The only saving grace was the agents died fast. But they weren’t killed in a conventional manner—no guns, knives, or blunt instruments. They were . . . tortured. But it didn’t kill them. They were all alive after it. It seemed over, like they were going to stop and either move on to torture the rest of us or go play with something else. But then, one by one, they dropped.”
“Lethal injection?”
“No. I’m not sure how they died, just that they did. Mister Gaultier was by each one of them, then they went down. One minute alive, the next dead.”
“Christopher, I know you saw this, what was it like inside their bodies, did you check?”
He shook his head. “I was watching, but not for internal changes.”
“Then they dissected them, in front of us.” Tim kept his tone very level. Walter’s fists and jaw clenched, but he didn’t react otherwise. “We weren’t in a medical facility. I think we were in one of Gaultier’s warehouses.”
“Why in the world would they do that?” Chuckie sounded like the wheels were turning but getting nothing. “It makes no sense whatsoever. As we discovered during our vacation to the French prison, Cooper and his gang have been doing tests on A-C hybrids certainly longer than I’ve been in the C.I.A., and possibly longer than Kitty’s mother’s been in antiterrorism.”
“Cooper wasn’t much older than us, midthirties, maybe. My mom’s been in antiterrorism a lot longer than that.”
Chuckie shrugged. “I’m sure Cooper wasn’t the ultimate brains behind this.”
“Reynolds is right,” Jeff said quietly. “From what they were saying, this has been going on for decades.”
Chuckie nodded. “But regardless, there’s not a logical reason to do it where they did, and less to do it in front of the three of you. None of you have A-C talents; none of you have been injected with Surcenthumain. Even if they believed Martini or White was trying to track the hybrids and so using horror as the draw, what was the damn point? Torturing one of you physically would draw any empath faster than performing a vivisection.”
“We know they were dead, right?”
Everyone looked at me. “They dropped down on the floor and stopped breathing and moving,” Tim said.
Christopher nodded. “I saw them die.”
I hated where I was going with this, particularly since Walter was right here. I realized I couldn’t say what I needed to in front of him. Then I looked around and realized I couldn’t say it in front of anyone. Well, almost anyone. I got off the bed. “I want most everyone to stay up here. Chuckie and I are going to go look for something.” Jeff started to protest. “Stop. Really, stop.” I said. “I want you to stay with Jamie. I want everyone else to stay here for a wide variety of reasons.”
“Put some clothes on,” Jeff growled.
I shook my head. “No. It won’t matter, okay? We need to go now.”
Chuckie stood up. “Yeah. But, Kitty? Take your purse.” I could tell by his expression he was making the same assumptions I was.
I managed a chuckle. “Good idea.” I kissed Jeff. “Stay here, I mean it. You’ll know if I need you. And I need you to keep the others away from us.” I kissed Jamie. “I want you blocking her, Jeff, you and Christopher both. I don’t know what you’ll have to do, but I don’t want her seeing anything Chuckie and I are doing, seeing, or experiencing.”
Jeff nodded, his face pale. “Why only Reynolds?”
“Because I’m too chicken to go alone.”
CHAPTER 77
I CHECKED THE CLOSET. The Elves had provided slippers. They thought of everything. Put them on, went out, even though I didn’t want to. Chuckie closed the bedroom door behind us, took my hand, and we went into the hallway.
“You know your husband’s wondering if this is just an elaborate ruse for us to have sex under his nose.”
I managed a laugh. “Yeah, but I think he’s more freaked out than anything else.”
“You want to tell me why you don’t want the others, any of them, to know? I’m clear on why you don’t want your newest recruit involved.” He sighed. “Wayne was the empathic brother from the other day, right?”
�
��Yes. William’s still alive—he’s married with a baby on the way, and Tim sent him to Florida.”
“Thank God. Wish he’d sent Wayne, too.” Chuckie cleared his throat. Yeah, there was a lot of that going around. “Why don’t you want the others clued in?”
“The agents are trying to reach me. Honestly, I think Wayne, specifically, is trying to reach me. And while I knew him, I didn’t know him too long. And I didn’t know the others—they won’t be my brother, my second cousin twice removed, someone I christened or married, someone I counseled, someone I may have done medical on or trained with, someone I’ve known my whole life, or someone I led into their horrific not-quite-death.”
“Why, do you think? I mean, I know you think they’re still alive.”
“When Paul was in that airless chamber, he wasn’t moving and his hearts were barely beating. And Al Dejahl told me he could make me brain dead but still impregnate me, and I could have plenty of babies that way because of the medical advances Gaultier had made. I’m betting they did the vivisection right then because they needed to, due to the process or whatever it is the new Doctor Mengele created.”
We were in the elevator. “What floor?”
“Basement.”
“Why there? Everyone goes in and out of there. And there’s no elevator stop for the basement.”
“So we go to the first floor and walk down.” I sighed. “A-Cs are weird, Chuckie. Martini Manor has the gate entry in the basement, too. I assume it’s somewhat for camouflage. But the few other gate areas I’ve landed at were all empty, just the gate and the room. No idea why, but potentially to make room if a lot of folks had to fling themselves through quickly.”
“The basement here looks like a human basement. It’s packed with junk.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet it is.” The doors opened, and I took Chuckie’s hand again as we stepped out. “I know I’m going to be sick. I just want you prepared.” We walked down the hall and toward the stairs.
“I’ve seen it.”
“Yeah, and I don’t need the drinking to excess rant. I don’t drink anything now.” Flipped on the lights, started downstairs.
“I’d have thought after barfing your guts out, doing a variation of the Dance of a Thousand Veils on the bar, and then passing out, you’d have never wanted to drink again.”
“Dude, it was one freaking frat party, okay?”
“You’d have been gang-raped if I hadn’t been there.”
“Which was why I took you with me, if you’d care to recall.” We reached the bottom and stepped into the basement.
“Yeah. As I recall, we got into a huge fight about me going with you, and I was only along because I threatened to call your mother. Are there lights in here, do you think?”
I squinted. “I can see in the dark now. But all A-Cs can, so maybe not. I forgot what a narc you were when we were younger.”
“Wonderful. I’m not enhanced, so I can’t see a thing. And I did it for your own protection.” He sounded hurt.
I squeezed his hand. “I know, I’m just teasing you. Sort of. You did end up in the appropriate line of work, I guess.”
“Yeah, tell me that later, once you see what they did to my apartment.”
Squeezed his hand harder. “I’m just so thankful you were with us, not there.”
“Me too. Let’s find a light switch or a flashlight. I don’t want to see what we’re going to find, but I’d rather see it than feel it, if you catch my drift.”
My cell rang. I dug around in my purse. “Jeff, what’s up?”
“Lights are behind the gate.” He sounded annoyed.
“Thanks. You’re supposed to be blocking this from Jamie.”
“Wow, news flash, I can do that and talk to you at the same time. Realize I’m not as awesome as Reynolds is, but I sometimes make do.”
“You know, did we not just have the jealousy chat? Again?”
He sighed. “Yes. You’re holding his hand.”
“Because I’m freaked out and would like not only Jamie, but you and all the others to not know what we’re doing. Not, I obviously must add, because Chuckie and I are going to have sex in the icky, creepy basement just so we can earn the title of World’s Stupidest Clandestine Lovers but so, in fact, we can discover the horror and keep it from the rest of you. Feel free to continue to piss me off, however, and I may consider kissing him just to prove your ridiculous jealousy concerns are valid. I mean, you so clearly want to be right and all.”
“I’m willing,” Chuckie said, loudly enough that I knew Jeff could hear it.
He was quiet for a moment. “You’re really expecting this to be beyond God-awful, aren’t you?” His voice was very gentle and also low.
“Yes. Well beyond.”
“Okay, baby, I’ll do my best. Tell Reynolds to keep his paws off you.”
“Yeah, he and I have that one memorized, Jeff.”
“Be careful.”
“We will.” Hung up and looked around behind the gate. “Good grief, they’re not all tall. Chuckie, I’m going to lead you to the light switch. I can’t reach it.” I put his hand on the wall, but the lights didn’t go on. “Um, dude? Why are we still in total darkness?”
“I haven’t flipped the switch yet. Who would put a light switch up this high?” he asked slowly.
I looked around some more. Found another switch, at a normal height, but had to let go of Chuckie to get to it. “Um . . . you know, this is why I brought you with me. Don’t turn that on yet.” Flipped the switch I could reach, lights came on, just like magic.
We took a look. Boxes and crates. Lots of them. Chuckie still hadn’t flipped the switch his hand was by. We both looked at it. “I don’t see anything. I feel it, but I don’t see it.”
“It’s cloaked. I can see it because I’m enhanced. Dude, this is going to suck in a really bad way, I think.”
He reached out and grabbed my hand again. “Okay, I want you to see if I’ve tripped something.”
I looked. “Can’t see anything. But I can’t tell, either. You’re Mister Covert Ops. I’m Megalomaniac Girl. Different skills.”
“Okay. If I die from turning this thing on, I just want to go on record that if you wanted to be stupid enough to go for it here just to prove your husband right, I’d honestly be willing.” He grinned. “Of course, I’m also willing to just pretend we did and torture him that way.”
“You’re as evil as my mom.”
“I did pick up some tips from her, yeah.” He took a deep breath. “You ready?”
“Born ready or some such. Flip it, big guy.”
He did. And the last thing I was expecting happened.
CHAPTER 78
OKAY, PERHAPS NOT the last thing. But it was up there on the list.
The floor moved down.
I managed not to scream, though I had Chuckie’s hand in a death grip.
He stepped away from the wall and looked around. “Interesting. Whole floor’s an elevator. But the gate’s stationary.” He didn’t sound freaked out at all. “This normal?”
“Not for A-Cs, at least, not that I’ve ever seen.”
He nodded. “Wonder how long it’s been here.”
“Uh, don’t these sorts of things have to be created as the building’s being built?”
“Not always. I mean, it’s easier, sure. But if you’ve got plenty of time, tons of money, and the will, there’s always a way.”
The floor was still moving. “Think there’s anything in the boxes?”
“Yeah, but not what we’re after. Assume it’s supplies. They have the boxes and crates in here so you can’t see the floor and wall aren’t butted up together. No one looks around behind the gate, and if they do, it’s for the light switch, which everyone other than us would know about.”
“This couldn’t have been here when Jeff and Christopher were kids. They’d have found it. They were here alone a lot and were inquisitive little boys with a healthy distrust of authority.”
“Huh, e
xplains Martini’s attitude toward authority other than his own now. However, doesn’t mean they couldn’t have missed this.”
I dug my phone out. “No service. Hope we don’t run into trouble.”
“I’m taking trouble as a given. You have a gun?”
“Nope, Jeff took it away. Do you?”
“Yeah, he can’t take mine away.”
We stopped moving. I estimated we were three stories down. “Um, now what?” I was expecting a door or something, but it looked like we were still in a basement, just one for storing the Jolly Green Giant. The lighting was dim since the lights were a long way away.
“Look for another switch or set of switches.”
“Here’s one.”
“Don’t!” Chuckie said at the exact moment I flipped it. We started moving up. He gave me a dirty look.
“Sorry.”
“Do you do things like that all the time?”
Considered lying, figured he’d know. “Yeah, pretty much.”
“And Martini somehow thinks it’s cute and doesn’t try to strangle you or just lock you up in your room where you can’t do any damage?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
Chuckie nodded. “I think you married the right guy.”
“Thanks, I think.”
Took time to think as we took the boring trip to the surface. If we were going to go exploring, which was a possibility, I didn’t want it to be just me and Chuckie, for a variety of reasons, all of them connected with keeping us alive. Considered who’d handle the horror the best. Probably the guy who’d been handling it for decades. “I think I want Richard to come with us. So it won’t be a waste that we’re going back upstairs.”
Chuckie gave me a long look. “I’m not buying that as a good enough excuse for, ah, your impetuous decision to flip a random switch in a danger situation.”
“But it works for me. Oooh, look, reception.” I dialed. “Mister White. Changed our minds. Would like you, and only you, to come along.”
“I’m ecstatic, Missus Martini. Jeffrey looks very pleased for some reason.”