“Which would still have been cut off if I hadn’t fought off the vampires that attacked.” Honestly, I didn’t care; they’d either realize I hadn’t done anything wrong or they wouldn’t. Nothing I could say at this point was going to do anything to diminish the suspicion on me.
“True,” she said. “I don’t believe you’re the one I’m looking for. But forgive me if I don’t release you quite yet.”
“I’ll take it under consideration,” I said, and turned to stretch my legs out on my cot, laying back down. “After all, I’ve got plenty of time to consider here. Not much else to do, but plenty of that.”
She hesitated. “Would you like an e-reader? Something to help pass the time?”
“No,” I said. “I don’t really like to read anymore. I spent most of my childhood with nothing to do but read. And this is hardly the first time I’ve had to find something to do while locked in a metal enclosure for a few days.”
She blanched at that one, and turned away. She took a couple robotic steps toward the door, then turned back. I heard it unlock for her, then swing open. “If you change your mind, just say so.” She waited for me to respond, and when one wasn’t forthcoming, she walked out, and the door shut behind her.
“I won’t,” I said to the empty room.
Chapter 18
The door opened again later that evening, and I thought maybe it was going to be dinner. I was wrong. I’d grown weary of the patterns of squares, of making different ones with my mind, of singing in my head (I was going to be damned if I gave them something to video behind the glass) and doing a few of the other things I did to pass time, and was ready for a visit again. Something, anything. When the door opened I hoped it would be Zack, oddly. Or Reed. It was neither.
“Come with me,” Parks said, his gray hair hanging loose around his shoulders as always. He reminded me of Kris Kristofferson. Gruff, to the point, and then he stepped aside and left the door open.
I was sitting on my cot, and I stared at the open door for a minute after he vanished out of sight. I took a breath, sighed, then stood and followed. What else was I going to do?
When I reached the hall I saw he had already walked down it quite a ways. He didn’t look back as he turned a corner, and I jogged to keep up with him. He moved pretty fast for an older guy, like the wolves he could so aptly channel gave him the ability to move faster as a man. I almost caught him by the time he reached the stairs, which were behind a heavy door. He didn’t even hold it open for me, but I drew even with him by the time he reached the second landing. By the time we reached the fourth floor, I realized he was using his meta speed to outpace at a walk what most humans could do at a run. It would have been rude, I thought, if I had been a human trying to keep up with him.
We emerged not far from Ariadne and Old Man Winter’s office. I could see through the windows that day was nearly done, that darkness had started to fall, giving me an idea of what time it was. There was still a light on in Ariadne’s office and I entered in to find the members of M-Squad arrayed in an informal circle, with Ariadne at her desk. Eve was behind her at the window, staring out, Clary was bunched up in a seat that was way too small for him (every seat was way too small for him), Parks was standing at the door, gesturing for me to enter with an outstretched arm, and Bastian was leaned against the desk, his legs at a forty-five degree angle and his arms crossed. Reed was there, too, sitting in the other chair. He made to stand up, offering me his chair, but I waved him to sit down. “Why’s everybody crammed in here? It’s like a telephone-booth stuffing contest.” When Ariadne gave me a blank look, I went on. “I dunno, they used to do it in the fifties or something, see how many people they can cram into a phone booth. If you’d like you could try it in my cell—”
“There she is,” a voice came from the phone, and it caused me to freeze. “Mouthy as ever.”
I looked down, and it took a moment before my mind made the full leap. “Mom?” I asked, truly uncertain.
“None other,” she said, her voice echoing over the speaker. “I heard a rumor that they’re keeping you imprisoned.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m starting to feel really at home here.”
I could almost hear her teeth grind on the other end of the phone, but she didn’t let me have it, surprisingly. Ariadne spoke up. “You wanted to speak with her, here she is.”
“Plainly,” my mother said. “So here’s the thing. I have some blond dead weight that might be of interest to you – not much weight, I’ll grant you, poor skinny thing – and not literally dead, either – yet – but if you want her back, I’ll trade her for Sienna.”
“Your daughter’s not a hostage,” Ariadne said, bristling.
“No, but she is a prisoner,” my mother retorted, “which is why I’m proposing a prisoner exchange. Unless you’d like to argue that she’s been free to come and go as she pleases while you’ve got her set up in the basement of your headquarters, feeding her one meal all day—”
Ariadne reached out and pressed a button to mute the microphone. “How does she know this?” Her face was contorted with rage.
“She was here,” Bastian said. “She could have rigged our internal cameras. Or she could have a spy on the inside.” He turned his gaze to Reed, who was still standing beside the empty chair, and who returned Bastian’s look with a virulent glare.
“Hellloo?” my mother’s voice came. “Is anyone still there? You could save the debate on how I know all this until after I get off the phone. That would be the courteous thing to do.”
Ariadne stabbed down at the button, unmuting the phone. “Yes, we’re here. Just so I understand, you suggest we trade Sienna for Kat?”
“You’re not too bright, are you, Red?” my mother replied. “I bet Erich just loves dealing with that. Yes, that’s what I’m suggesting. Do you think that you could handle so basic a transaction?”
Ariadne chewed on that for a moment. “Where do you want to meet? A public place—”
“Heavens, no,” my mother said cheerfully. “I know where you are. Why don’t we just meet on the lawn outside your headquarters building in three hours.”
“Three hours?” Ariadne said. “Why—”
“Don’t interrupt,” my mother chided her. “Three hours. You can have your M-Squad there if you’d like, but all out where I can see them. If you try and capture me afterward, it’ll end poorly for everyone involved.”
“Are you threatening my people?” Ariadne asked, and I could see the irritation blanketing her.
“Yes. Keep up, will you? We’re making a trade, on your turf, but my terms. So don’t screw it up.” There was a click on the other end of the phone and she was gone, followed by a dial tone.
“Get security on the perimeter,” Ariadne said, and I could tell by the twist of her face she was steaming. “If she comes at us through any direction but the front gate, I want to know about it. Focus on the perimeter, double patrols, whatever you have to do; just don’t…let her slip through.”
“We should abandon the perimeter,” Parks said and I watched as every head in the room swiveled to him. “It’s a waste of resources. We need to protect the vital areas, like the dorms, headquarters and the labs. We only have so much force to go around and if we piss it away watching the fences, it weakens us. There aren’t that many metas that could stop Sierra Nealon; she’s too smart to come at this in a way we’d expect. She’s got something else brewing and we won’t be ready until it’s too late if we spread out.”