Standish turned around and retraced his steps down the block. As he walked, he felt a surge of pleasure. The information was better than he could’ve imagined.
Standish had met Reed many years ago. And although he didn’t know the man very well, he’d always considered Reed exceptionally tough. But in the end, Reed was just another fool, one with a soft spot for a woman.
It was a simple flaw, a common flaw.
A pitiful flaw.
But most importantly, it was a flaw that could be easily exploited. And when the time was right, Standish intended to exploit it to its fullest advantage.
Dance, puppet. Dance.
Chapter 12
“You’re late.”
Beverly’s annoyed tone cut through the pouring rain like a machete through overgrown thicket. I stopped next to a tall black beam. Two cubes were stacked on top of it, one colored green and the other displaying the MTA’s logo. “How late?”
“Does it matter?”
“Of course it matters.”
“You were supposed to be here an hour ago.”
I feigned surprise. “Really? And here I thought I was early.”
She looked at me from underneath the hood of a black windbreaker, her angry violet eyes like a pair of lights in the dark. “Let’s get one thing straight. You don’t like me and I don’t like you. But we’re stuck with each other. This will go a lot faster if we put our differences aside.”
I looked down. A short staircase plunged into the ground and ended at a thick metal grating. Beyond that grating lay the 51st — 53rd Street station complex. From there, we could access multiple sets of subway tracks, including the IRT Lexington Avenue Line.
I looked back at Beverly. “You’ve got the keys. Lead the way.”
As she passed by me, I studied her. True to her chameleon ways, she’d changed outfits yet again. Underneath her unzipped windbreaker, she wore a form-fitting black tank top that wound its way around her curvy body. Olive jeans poured down her legs. Matching boots rose up to meet them, creating an almost seamless fit. Combined with a small over-the-shoulder pack, she looked every bit the fearless adventurer.
I just hoped she could live up to the image.
I followed her down the stairs. At the bottom, she unlocked the gate, and ushered me into the station. As she relocked it, I took my holster and sheath out of my satchel and donned them. Then I pulled out a large flashlight and turned it on. The tiled walls lining the entranceway lit up with a soft glow.
Slowly, I led Beverly down another set of stairs and onto the main landing of the complex. It was quiet and still. I found it almost peaceful, in fact. But the moisture-laden air and irregular creaks and groans coming from all directions kept me on edge.
“How far down are we?” Beverly asked. “Twenty feet?”
“More like twenty-five feet.”
“I was close.”
I shrugged. “If you say so.”
“Why are we here anyway? Shouldn’t we start at Grand Central and work our way south?”
“Kolen and Adcock entered the system north of Grand Central. By starting here, we should be able to retrace the vast majority of their path.”
She unlocked one of the tall metal turnstiles and pushed her way through it onto the platform. Turning around, she pointed her flashlight at me. “What’s taking so long?”
The beam smacked me right in the face. I shielded my eyes. “The fact that I can’t see anything isn’t helping matters.”
She swung the beam toward the ground. As I pushed my way through the turnstile, I saw her lips purse into a sly smile.
This is going to be a long night.
A very long night.
I pointed my beam to the south. It shot down the long, cavernous tunnel before yielding to darkness. Steeling myself, I leapt onto the track bed. Something small and furry yelped and slipped off into a crack. Reaching up, I offered Beverly a hand. Ignoring it, she jumped onto the bed next to me, landing lightly on her feet.
I turned to look at her. “Follow me and walk single file. And whatever you do, don’t touch that.”
She followed my beam to the third rail. “Jack told me that the workers turned off the electricity after the lockout.”
“Okay, go ahead and touch it then. But before you do, you should know that six hundred and twenty-five volts run through that rail when it’s in operation. That’s more than enough to push a lethal current of a couple thousand amps through your body. In other words, if Chase was wrong, you’ll die before you even know what hit you.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “What if the rain gets down here?”
“Don’t know for sure,” I replied. “But if you see puddles collected around the third rail, steer clear of them.”
“I don’t like it. I don’t mean the third rail either. It’s something else. Something just doesn’t feel right.”
I knew what she meant. For some reason, it felt like someone was watching us. It was just a feeling, of course, but that didn’t make it any less unsettling. “That’s your nerves talking. Give them time. They’ll get used to it.”
I began walking south, leading us past the Grand Central Terminal platforms. I moved slowly and cautiously, taking time to examine my surroundings. My initial unease began to slip away, replaced by a sense of fascination.
Most people found subway tunnels uniform and boring, mere carbon copies of each other. But to me, every inch of every tunnel was unique. There was something about the cramped isolation of the underground world that heightened my senses. Sights, sounds, smells, touches, and even tastes differed wildly from one tunnel to the next.
We walked past the 33rd Street station and ventured deeper into the tunnel. Every second I spent in the confined area took my mind further from civilization and more into my surroundings. The subway system was like a mystical, forgotten world. I felt a little like an explorer penetrating a series of unknown connected caves, filled with giant metal monsters, ancient ruins, and lost treasure.
At the same time, the lack of subway trains and other people created an eerie sense of desolation. And although I was confident that I could find Kolen and Adcock, I couldn’t escape the thought that something terrible had happened to them.
We strode through three more stations all the way to Union Square. Then, we turned around and retraced our steps. Although I hadn’t expected to find anything on the first pass, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed at my failure.
I knew one thing for certain.
Kolen and Adcock didn’t vanish into thin air.
So where the hell were they?
PART II
THE COLONY
Chapter 13
“I lied to you.”
Mary Kantz gave Peter Dask a suspicious look. “Oh?”
“There’s an ulterior motive for this walk. I wanted to get you alone.”
A pit formed in Mary’s stomach. Peter was taller than her. Bigger too. She couldn’t fight him off, especially not by herself. “I hope you’re not thinking…”
“No, it’s not that,” he replied. “Not at all. I just needed to talk to you about something. Something important.”
“So talk.”
“I’m planning a coup.”
Mary shook her head. “That’s not funny. If Ghost heard about this…”
“I’m sick of Ghost. He’s a stubborn old bastard whose time has passed.”
“You’re serious aren’t you?”