For what seemed like the tenth time, I strode past the Grand Central platform, taking time to examine both the local and express tracks. My nerves tingled and every now and then, I’d check over my shoulder to make sure that we weren’t being followed. I wasn’t the paranoid type, but a little extra caution seemed in order. Assuming that Ghost told me the truth, seven people had recently vanished from the colony, two within the last few hours. Adding in Kolen and Adcock, that number rose to nine.
Nine disappearances.
All within the same general area.
It was too much of a coincidence to ignore. And unfortunately, only one explanation seemed to fit the facts. An explanation that chilled me to the bone.
Someone killed them.
All of them.
And that someone was most likely nearby.
“What happened back there?” Beverly asked.
“What do you mean?”
“During the fight with that psycho, your face turned purple and you looked like you were in pain. I thought you were going to pass out.”
“You must’ve been seeing things.”
“Are you sure? I’ve seen that sort of reaction before, back in my military days. The doctors call it post-traumatic —”
“Leave it alone.”
“But I —”
“I said leave it alone.”
“You don’t like me very much do you?”
I glanced toward her. Her hands rested defiantly on her cocked hips. Her nose was set, tilted slightly in the air. Her eyes, locked upon mine, blazed with intensity. She looked cool and calm, yet incensed at the same time.
“Did it really take you this long to figure that out?” I asked.
“Everything I did to you, I did under orders.”
“Oh, that makes it much better.”
“Anyway, Tasers are perfectly acceptable non-lethal weapons. Police officers use them all the time.”
“My favorite part was when the electricity actually entered my body. I love foaming at the mouth.”
“You weren’t in any danger.”
My gaze hardened. “That’s easy for you to say. You weren’t the one getting Tasered.”
“You’re overreacting. I had orders not to harm you under any circumstances. You were perfectly safe.”
I snorted. “That’s comforting. Let me ask you this…what if your orders were the opposite? What if Chase told you to shoot me?”
“He wouldn’t do that.”
“But what if he did?”
“He wouldn’t.”
Her answer didn’t reassure me, not by a long shot. But I decided to let it go. It occurred to me that a little bonding might be in order. So far, our collaboration had proven contentious. And with a possible killer stalking the tunnels, the last thing I needed was a hostile partner.
I cleared my throat. “You said you were in the military?”
Her face, framed in a shifting pattern of multi-colored shadows, contorted. “My dad was in the navy so I was a brat pretty much since birth. While the other girls played dress-up, I read books on military strategy and tactics. I memorized everything I could find on the greats. Sun Tzu. Hannibal. Alexander. Patton. Eventually, I went to West Point and then served in the Marine Corps for a couple of years.”
“How’d you get involved with ShadowFire?”
“I met Jack while serving in Baghdad. I was disillusioned with the Marine Corps. He was recruiting new personnel. It didn’t take him long to sell me on a career with his company.”
“Is he a good boss?”
“He’s a brilliant boss, decades ahead of his time.”
I nodded. “Okay, your turn. What do you want to know about me?”
“I know more than enough about you already.”
“Is that so?”
“Your given name is Cyclone Reed,” she replied. “But you prefer to be called Cy for some reason. You were born in this city and lived here pretty much your entire life. Your dad died in rather horrific fashion when you were little and your mom never remarried. When…”
For the next minute, she proceeded to peel off facts about my life as if I were some kind of onion. It was startling, disturbing even. Clearly, my life was an open book.
Even worse, she’d memorized every word of it.
Patiently, I listened for a little longer. But when she started to reel off names of former flings, I had to draw the line.
Raising a hand, I stopped her in mid-sentence. “That’s plenty. I never thought I’d say this but I’m bored with myself. Is this what you do all day? Sit around and memorize people’s files?”
“Sometimes. But files only take you so far. If you truly want to know a person, you have to walk in their shoes, spend time with them, study their reactions.”
“Is that why you’re here? To gather intelligence on me?”
She laughed. “Not at all. You heard Jack. I’m here to help, nothing more, nothing less.”
I thought about responding but returned my attention to the tunnel instead. I could banter with Beverly later. For the time being, I needed to focus my attention on tracking down Peter and Mary. The trail was hot but it wouldn’t stay that way for long. Not with water flooding into the tunnel.
Beverly walked ahead of me, her gaze and flashlight beam firmly attached to the tunnel walls. Although she continued to rub me the wrong way, I was beginning to appreciate her presence.
As she passed farther into the tunnel, her light dimmed. I felt strangely protective of her.
If something happened…
If the killer appeared…
I didn’t want to think about that.
Something splashed. My arm swept to the side, casting light on the opposite wall. Nothing. My imagination was playing tricks on me.
“Cy, come look at this!”
I broke into a run, covering fifty yards in less than eight seconds. Not exactly world-class time, but considering the environment, not half-bad either.
I slid to a stop, splashing water onto her boots. “What?”
Silently, she pointed at the ground.
I knelt down and took a closer look. At first, I didn’t see anything of interest. Other than a pile of debris, the lower half of the wall appeared no different than any other section.
Then my flashlight beam skipped over some rotten wood and rusty broken tools. It looked like there was something behind them. Something dark. Gently, I brushed the debris aside.
A hole appeared before my eyes.
It was large but well covered by garbage and slime. Its jagged, yet smooth edges indicated that tools hadn’t carved it. Rather, it looked like time and pressure were to blame.
Bending over, I saw a partially submerged passage lying behind the hole. It appeared to curve up and to the right and I guessed that it was a natural fissure in the bedrock.
Carefully, I examined the area just inside the passage. It didn’t take long for my light to catch a red smear. I brought my eyes right up to the mark and studied it. From up close, it looked more like a splatter than a smear.
I breathed in, inhaling the scent. It smelled sour yet sweet. I also detected a hint of copper. There was no mistaking it.
“It’s blood,” I said. “Pretty fresh too.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
Beverly frowned. “We should get to the surface and find some help.”
“Screw that.”
“I don’t know what’s going on around here, but it seems pretty clear that people are dying. I’m not going to allow you to risk your life.”
“That’s not your decision to make.”
“It’s protocol to —”
I slammed the side of my fist against the wall. “Screw your protocol. Kolen was a friend. And I’ll be damned if I leave this place without finding him.”