Winter Halo

by Keri Arthur

  Or was that no longer true?

  The future wasn’t a fixed item; it was constantly being altered by the decisions and actions we made. It was more than possible that, after recent events, I no longer played a major part in finding those kids. It was even possible that they might now never be found.

  But even if the future had altered, and one or even both of those possibilities were true, it wouldn’t stop me. And it certainly wouldn’t stop Nuri from using me. She might have professed a liking for me, but she’d also shown a steely determination to do whatever it took to get the job done. And if that meant risking the lives of her soldiers, then risk them she would.

  As Jonas disappeared into the bright sunshine, I stepped back into the shadows and sat cross-legged on the ground underneath a somewhat battle-scarred old oak. I needed to be wearing Sharran’s form when I went into Winter Halo, but there was no possibility of body-shifting until I least gained some strength back.

  “Cat, can you go back to the museum and get the pack with my change of clothes in it? Bear, could you keep watch?”

  As Cat zoomed off and Bear began to prowl around the area, I closed my eyes and called to the healing state. It took a while, but I eventually slipped into it. The sun had well and truly begun its descent into nightfall by the time I climbed back out. I stretched carefully, and was relieved when there was no responding pain. The scars on my hand hadn’t fully disappeared, but would be easy enough to conceal when I body-shifted.

  I resumed Sharran’s shape, then stripped off the remains of my clothes and scrubbed the dried blood from my skin as best I could. After donning fresh clothes, I threw the pack over my shoulder, then, as several pods pulled into the station, quickly joined the throng rushing toward the drawbridge and the safety it offered against the oncoming night.

  Once I neared Sharran’s apartment, I pulled a sun shield around my body and climbed back in through the window. As Bear and Cat did a quick scoot around to check out what my neighbors had been up to during the day, I grabbed a shower and half wished I was back at my other alter ego’s apartment, where there was more water than air in the mix.

  After donning one of Sharran’s tunics, I grabbed the pack she usually carried, stuffed a few protein bars into it, then headed out, the two ghosts happily updating me on who was doing what within the building. There were no such things as secrets when there were ghosts around—not that the people within Sharran’s building appeared to have much in the way of secrets.

  As I approached Winter Halo’s main entrance, the security guards once again stepped forward, forcing me to halt.

  The older of the two produced a scanner and, after I’d run my left wrist across it, checked the screen and nodded. At first glance, nothing appeared to have changed in the foyer since our rescue of the two children. But as I threw my pack into the plastic tub to be scanned, I noted there were a lot more guards in the section past the secondary scanner, and all of them were heavily armed. I walked through the scanner, collected my bag, then threw it over my shoulder and headed toward the elevator. Two guards immediately stepped forward, blocking my way and forcing me to stop. Cat and Bear pressed close, their energy fiery against my skin, ready to attack the guards and protect me. It’s okay. This is all part of the plan. I hoped.

  “Sharran Westar?” one of the guards said, voice brusque.

  I didn’t have to fake the sudden rush of trepidation. Despite my assurances to the ghosts, I was well aware this might be the first signal that I was in deep trouble. “Yes. Why?”

  “You need to come with us. Now.”

  “But why? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Just follow me, please.”

  He swung around and marched toward the elevator. After a brief hesitation, I followed. Neither of these two was armed and surely they would be if they suspected I was anyone other than Sharran.

  But that didn’t stop the tension curling through me. Didn’t stop the hope that Rhea hadn’t abandoned me. That my plans to destroy Sal’s body weren’t over before they’d even begun.

  I guess I’d know soon enough.

  Chapter 13

  “What’s going on?” I repeated as the elevator doors closed behind the three of us. “What have I done?”

  “Nothing,” the first man said. “You’re being promoted.”

  Relief stirred, but it didn’t ease the tension. If anything, it did the exact opposite. One part of our plan had worked; now I just had to hope I was taken to the same floor as the rest of the women and that I could actively do something once I was up there.

  “If I’m being promoted, why the escort? I can’t remember it happening when any of the other ladies were moved into positions upstairs.”

  “No,” the guard said. “But new security procedures have been enacted overnight.”

  Because of our raid, perhaps? But even so, it was odd that an employee who’d been working here for a while—someone whom they intended to dissect—would come under the umbrella of any security upgrade. Were they simply ensuring that there were no mistakes, and that I went precisely where I was supposed to go?

  Or did they, perhaps, suspect I wasn’t Sharran?

  The elevator doors opened and I was marched into the personnel department. The older woman who’d tended to me after the attack looked up as we entered, and something close to sympathy crossed her face. It quickly disappeared as she gathered up a scanner, then rose and walked toward us.

  “You’re feeling better, I hope?” She stopped on the other side of the counter and started flicking through the scanner’s screens.

  “Yes, thanks.”

  “Good, good.” Her voice was absent. “I’m sure these gentlemen have informed you that you’re being promoted. I just need you to sign off from your current position and then they’ll take you upstairs.”

  “I don’t suppose you know why this is happening?” It was a question Sharran probably would have asked. “I mean, I’ve haven’t been here as long as some of the other guards.”

  “I’m afraid I just process the orders, dear. Sign here, please.” She pointed to a line, then handed me the screen.

  Just for a moment, I froze. I had no idea what Sharran’s signature looked like. I’d never thought it would be necessary to learn.

  “Hurry up,” one of the guards growled. “We ain’t got all day.”

  I hastily scrawled Sharran’s name, and must have got close enough to the real thing, because the screen beeped in approval. The woman grunted and gave me a smile that held little in the way of sincerity. “Good luck with the new position.”

  You’re going to need it. She might not have said those words, but they seemed to hover in the air between us. It made me wonder how much she knew about the events on the upper floor, or if it was simply awareness that those who ventured up there were never seen again.

  I was led back into the elevator. As the doors began to close, one of the guards ran his RFID chip over the security scanner, then growled, “Twenty-nine.”

  That’s the floor where they’re dissecting people, Cat said.

  Yes. I watched the floor numbers flash by and tried to keep a lid on the tension twisting my stomach into knots.

  I do not think it would be a good idea for you to get dissected, Bear said.

  I couldn’t help the slight smile that tugged my lips. With that, I wholeheartedly agree.

  Then what is the plan?

  I don’t know yet, Bear. We’ll have to play it by ear once we’re up there.

  Which was a dangerous ploy, but our only option right now. I could probably take the two guards out, but I doubted I’d get much farther than this elevator; there were cameras in the ceiling, and undoubtedly men or women behind them, watching our every move. This place would become my tomb the minute we reached the twenty-ninth floor.

  The elevator came to a smooth halt and the doors silently
opened. The hallway beyond was bright and sterile, and the air devoid of any scents or sounds. There were no signs on the pristine walls, nothing to indicate where we were or what might be going on beyond the corridor’s walls. I knew, but only because my ghosts had previously investigated.

  But there was also absolutely no place to go beyond the door at the far end. It reminded me of the races livestock were herded into before they were either transported or killed.

  The first guard stepped out of the elevator, but I didn’t immediately follow. Not until the second guard gave me a light nudge.

  “What is this place?” My tone was hushed but seemed extraordinarily loud in the calm, cool hallway. “I thought we were going to another personnel section?”

  “We have to go through processing first,” the man behind me said. “I’m afraid everyone has to be screened and sanitized before proceeding into the main work areas.”

  Our footsteps echoed as we walked down the hall, a sound as sharp as my pulse rate. “Sanitized? What does that involve?”

  “Nothing more than stripping, going through a purification chamber, and getting an injection.”

  Which would undoubtedly render me unconscious. I clenched my fists against the sudden urge to knock these two out and run. Running would be pointless. Besides, I had to keep playing the game until I was alone; only then could I risk tracking down Sal’s body. Though how I was going to destroy it, I wasn’t entirely sure.

  The front guard paused, ran his RFID chip across the scanner to the left of the door, and then, when it opened, continued on. The next corridor was shorter, and this time the murmur of conversation could be heard.

  We entered a small room that held little more than a desk and a chair. The tall, dusky-skinned woman who’d been standing near the desk swung around as we entered, affording me a brief glimpse of male features before the comm unit went dark. The face wasn’t one I recognized, and relief shot through me. I’d half expected it to be Rath Winter. That it wasn’t hopefully meant they didn’t suspect Sharran to be anything more than another test subject; Winter would hardly lead me into the heart of his organization accompanied only by two unarmed men if in any way he suspected otherwise.

  The woman gave me a wide, friendly smile. I guess it was supposed to put me at ease, but it did the opposite.

  “Sharran, so glad you made it here.” She stuck out her hand. “Janice Harvey. I’ll be your coordinator until you’re fully settled in.”

  I somewhat reluctantly shook her hand. Her grip was firm, but not overly so. “No one’s actually told me what the new job entails. I was just escorted up here.”

  “Ah yes, sorry about that, but there’s been a few problems and we’ve had to employ strict security conditions for the immediate future. No one goes anywhere without an escort.”

  “So that’s what I’m going to be doing? Escorting and guarding people.”

  “Of course.” She flashed a smile that seemed totally genuine but had the hairs along the back of my neck rising. “Now, if you’ll just come this way?”

  She’s as fake as the guise you’re wearing, Cat commented as I followed the woman. Are you sure you don’t want us to cause a little mayhem?

  Not yet. We’ll save it for later.

  You may be unconscious later, Bear pointed out.

  In which case, I’ll need you to keep me safe while I recover from whatever drug they give me.

  Presuming I could recover, of course. After that incident in the tenth-floor foyer, it was entirely possible I’d be affected as badly as everyone else.

  The next room held the purification chamber and a comfortable-looking chair. The woman stopped and looked past me. “Gentlemen, please wait outside. Sharran, can you strip? You can place your clothes in the small chute behind you. We’ll get them sanitized and then return them to you.”

  Or not, as was more likely the case, given what they were doing to everyone they brought up here. I undressed, then tossed the tunic into the chute. The air in the room was cool, and goose bumps prickled my skin. I rubbed my arms lightly as the woman activated the chamber.

  “Right.” The fake smile flashed again as a soft hissing began inside the chamber. “Just step inside so we can clear your flesh of any contaminants—”

  “I did have a shower before I came to work today.” I knew it didn’t matter in highly sensitive areas such as labs, but Sharran might not have.

  Janice gave me a condescending sort of smile. “Yes, dear, but we have to be totally sure you didn’t pick anything up between your house and here. Even the smallest amount of contaminant in a sterile lab could ruin billions of dollars of research.”

  I planned to do a whole lot more than simply ruin their research, but I could hardly say that. I lowered my head slightly so that my hair hid my expression and walked into the chamber. Once the doors at either end had closed, jets of warm, slightly antiseptic-smelling steam hit my flesh. I drew in a clean breath of air, then held it as the slightly noxious gas reached face level. The jets continued to stream air on and around my body; then fans kicked in and the gas—and presumably any contaminants—was sucked out again. The door directly in front of me opened, so I stepped out and released the breath I’d been holding.

  Janice flashed me another of those insincere smiles. “Now, if you’ll just sit on the chair, I can give you the injection and you can be on your way.”

  I sat as requested and half smiled when I realized the cushion was heated. Nothing like a final piece of comfort for those you were intending to dissect.

  As Janice moved across to the sterilizer, I said, Cat, can you tell me the name of the drug she’s about to use?

  Cat followed the woman and after a moment said, It says Oxy45.

  Which was a synthetic opioid drug similar to morphine, but a thousand times stronger. In its purest form, as little as one drop could kill someone in a matter of minutes, but Oxy45 was mixed with several other drugs that countered the worst of its effects, rendering people unconscious within minutes without causing severe respiratory depression.

  It was also an older drug, which meant there was a good chance that I’d either be immune to it or, at the very least, be able to erase it from my system.

  I held out my arm and watched as Janice brought up a vein, then injected me. It felt like ice. I frowned and instantly began the process that would drop me into the healing state, but kept enough awareness to be able to move for at least a few more minutes.

  “Right,” she said, withdrawing the needle and spraying a sealer over the entry point. “That might initially feel a bit weird, but it won’t last. Just sit there for a few minutes so we can be sure there’s no side effects.”

  She glanced at her watch as she moved back to the sterilizer. The ice continued to slide through my veins, but there didn’t seem to be any immediate effect. I certainly wasn’t slipping into unconsciousness, although that didn’t mean the drug wouldn’t affect me. It might just mean it was going to take a bit longer. Cat, Bear, I’m going to close my eyes and chase the drug from my system. I’ll need you to be my eyes. Bring me back if anything untoward happens.

  Like the threat of dissection? Bear asked, amused.

  Definitely wake me before that. I love you both, but I’m not ready to join you in the afterlife just yet.

  Good, Cat said. Because it’d be boring if you were one of us.

  You’ve obviously forgotten the past hundred years. It’s only in the last couple of weeks that things have gotten exciting.

  Yes. Her mental tones were wistful. I will miss them all when they leave.

  So will I. So much so that I didn’t even want to think about it. Jonas might have said he wanted to pursue the attraction, but that didn’t mean he intended to stick around once he had done so. Cats were not by nature monogamous, even if those who lived in the cities tended to stick by the same one or two mates. But that, I suspe
cted, was more due to the lack of choice than any real desire to remain faithful to one person.

  Not that I wanted monogamy so much as company that was real rather than ghostly.

  I closed my eyes and dropped fully into the healing state. I could still hear, though, even if I couldn’t see. Not that it meant all that much; if Janice Harvey was moving about, then she was quieter than a ghost. Time seemed to stretch as I chased down the drug in my veins and carefully erased its coldness and its effects from my system.

  “Righto, gentlemen,” Harvey eventually said. “You can come retrieve your prize.”

  Had I not been in the trancelike healing state, the sudden sound of her voice in the void of silence would have made me jump. I pushed myself back to consciousness but kept my eyes firmly closed and my body loose. Relaxed.

  One of the men snorted. “She’s hardly a prize. She’s all skin and damn bone.”

  “But skin and bone that might well hold the remaining key. Dump her in cell six. I’ll inform lab two she’s in. And no playing, remember?”

  “I’ve got better taste than this.”

  Hands grabbed me, their grip bruising as they hauled me upright. With little ceremony, I was dragged out of the room.

  Bear? Where are we going?

  His energy whipped through me, creating the light connection that allowed me to see through his eyes. We continued on down the shorter corridor. The door at the end opened as we approached, revealing a T-intersection. Bear surged through the doorway and stopped in the middle of the T. To the left and the right were dozens of doors; each one, I suspected, would lead into a small laboratory.

  The dissection rooms are situated on the other side of the building, Cat said. That is where Sal is.

  And the holding cells?

  To the right.

  There were six in total. All of them were opened. All of them were empty.

  Do you want to find out what’s happened to the women, Cat? I knew deep down that they’d probably be in the dissection rooms, but part of me couldn’t help hoping I was wrong. That they were simply undergoing a final check of some sort, and were safe and whole. Saving them might not be a priority, but I would if I could. Having them in the cells rather than on tables gave them a better chance. But if they were on the tables . . .