Having no desire to get close to Cadence and doubting that Erik would leave without finishing his beer, I found the lobby restrooms. When I was finished, I returned to find the two still engrossed in conversation. Irritated, I wound my way to the bar.
“Hey,” I said, placing my hand possessively on Erik’s arm. Even as I did it, I felt petty, but I didn’t like how chummy he was with Cadence.
“Hey to you, too,” he replied, a smile lighting up his entire face. The tension I’d felt building in my muscles all evening eased as I basked in the warmth of his affection. Erik slipped his free arm around my waist, kissing the top of my head softly.
“Hello, Cadence,” I said politely, acknowledging the slightly older girl. Her scrunched features hardened when she turned her attention away from Erik and fixed me in her beady black eyes.
“Talia, it’s so nice the Director let you accompany him. I’m sure you’ve just been itching to get off school grounds,” she replied, sneering.
“Oh, I’m not accompanying Mac,” I shot back, trying to keep the animosity in my voice to a minimum. “I’ve actually been assigned to help administer the aptitude tests.” Erik’s arm tightened around my waist when he felt my temper begin to flare.
“Really?” Cadence raised her pencil thin eyebrows skyward. “I wasn’t aware Medical had cleared you for active duty.”
“Medical hasn’t, but Mac thought my abilities would be extremely helpful for the testing.” I tried to keep my voice even as I spoke, but couldn’t quash the urge to rise to the challenge in hers.
Since our first encounter, Cadence had been hostile. Not that I was exactly Susie Sunshine, either. I hated the joy my failure elicited in her and used every opportunity to remind her that, no matter what had happened, I was still the Director of the Agency’s favorite, that he still treated me like a daughter, and that I had connections and status in our world that she would never be privy too.
Sure, I knew that it was childish, but the satisfaction it gave me, no matter how small, was worth it. And, honestly, the events of the past year had cooled my relationship with Mac significantly, but he and I were the only ones who knew that. Our private conversations were often strained and combative. Yet in public, I worked hard to maintain the status quo and never let on that we were constantly at odds or that I’d come to doubt that I knew him as well as I thought. While I was confident that Mac was aware my trust in him was fading, he never gave any outward indication, either in public or private.
“It was nice to see you again, Cadence,” Erik said, offering her a gleaming white smile and effectively putting an end to our less than friendly exchange.
“You, too, Erik.” She returned his smile easily. I was shocked that she could proffer positive emotions toward another human being, seeing as she was always so frigid to me. “Maybe I’ll take you up on the offer to help me train for my tryout next month.”
“What?!?!?” I demanded mentally, rounding on Erik. “She’s been granted another tryout for the Hunters? And you offered to help her train?”
“Definitely,” Erik agreed, rubbing my back to calm the anger growing heavy inside of me. “You know where to find me.” With that, Erik steered me away from Cadence Choi before I could say something aloud that I might regret later. He led me through the elaborately decorated foyer of the Hamilton Hotel, through the double glass doors that marked the entranceway, and out on to the deserted sidewalk that ran along Fourteenth Street.
Four armed Agency men dressed in black and gray fatigues stood alert in front of the hotel’s entrance. Each Operative carried a large black automatic weapon against his chest. Four sets of dark, intense eyes snapped in our direction.
“Erik, what’s up?” The shortest of the four guards called, his large coffee colored face breaking into a huge grin.
“Desmond? How are you?” Erik called back, surprised.
“Doing well, man. Got pulled off guard duty at Tramblewood to come down here. The city’s been crazy since they caught that chick spy,” Desmond responded, shaking his head.
I stiffened at his reference to Penny, promptly forgetting all about Cadence.
“Yeah, I bet,” Erik said neutrally, pulling me closer to his side. “What’s the deal with the curfew?” The normally lively city streets were empty, devoid of the usual teenagers and twenty-somethings that frequented the downtown bars.
In the wake of Penny’s sentencing, riots broke out all over the nation. Many citizens had even protested her execution. The discord people felt towards the government, and the Agency in particular, reached an all-time high. Apparently, traitor or not, the majority of the population had reservations about executing a teenage girl. I knew that Mac feared there would be trouble during the aptitude testing.
Mac hadn’t explained the state of the nation to me prior to our departure from school. In the weeks since Penny’s sentencing, he’d become visibly more stressed. He began taking daily work trips into Washington and other key cities throughout the country. When he returned at night, he looked every one of his fifty years. Since Mac was less than forthcoming, I probed Donavon for details. He had been the one to tell me about the riots and extended curfews.
For as long as I could remember, I’d respected Mac and understood that his position came with some hard decision making. However, learning of his intention to keep the mandatory curfews in effect until further notice made me question his judgment. Imposing such restrictions on people’s freedom was extreme. The regulations wouldn’t alleviate the dissonance. They would only make it worse.
“The Director wants to maintain the curfew in all testing cities for the duration of the exams,” Desmond was telling Erik. “People have been losing faith in the Agency ever since they learned we let a spy infiltrate our organization. And then there are the conservatives that think the Mandatory Testing Act should be abolished. They protest every year anyway.”
“Bummer. We were hoping to get a drink before bed,” Erik answered shaking his head regretfully. Were we? I’d figured that Erik had led me outside because it was the fastest way to get me away from Cadence.
“Well, the Director wasn’t really clear, but I don’t think the curfew applies to Toxic Operatives, although all the bars are closed already.”
Desmond shrugged his massive shoulders as if to say “sorry.”
“Eh, no big deal. But it would still be cool if we took a walk, right? Get a little fresh air. Talia and I were hoping for some alone time.” Erik pitched his voice lower, making it more suggestive as though he was sharing a secret only for Desmond’s ears. The compulsion behind his words was clear to me, yet I doubted that Desmond or the others noticed.
I wanted to roll my eyes. As desperate as I was for alone time with Erik, I doubted that he was manipulating the guards just so we could have a midnight tryst. But I followed his lead anyway, cuddling closer to his side. I glanced up at Erik with pure adoration. When our eyes met, he had to contain a snicker and I guessed that my attempt to sell the story wasn’t going as well as I thought.
Desmond turned his full attention to me as if noticing my presence for the first time since our arrival on the sidewalk. His caramel eyes lit up with recognition. “Natalia Lyons,” he muttered, extending a mammoth-sized hand to me. Hesitantly, I returned the gesture, losing my small palm in his embrace. “You’re something of a legend out at Tramblewood.” He shook my hand vigorously, causing my entire body to vibrate. “Everyone’s so impressed with the way you caught that traitor. They say you were able to infiltrate her mind, which is crazy because the best psychic interrogators worked on her right up until they plunged that needle in her arm and none of them could get through.”
My head began to spin and hot tears burned the backs of my eyes at his graphic description of Penny’s execution. I hastily pulled my hand free from his grip, stumbling slightly as my legs became weak. Erik kept a firm hold on my waist, urging me to stand upright. Once again, I leaned heavily into him for support, but this time I wasn’t pretending.
The thought of Penny dying made me nauseous and this man’s jubilant attitude only made the sickness that much worse.
Desmond gave Erik a knowing smile, the equivalent of a mental high five. I could feel Erik’s muscles go taut and I knew that friend or not, Desmond was treading on thin ice. Erik might have started the joke by insinuating we were sneaking off to get naked, but he didn’t like the way Desmond was leering at me or how upset his words made me. Erik’s overprotective nature both thrilled and irritated me. I could stand up for myself. I struggled against Erik’s grip, straightening my spine and steeling my nerves against any further assaults. They didn’t come. Desmond returned his full attention to Erik.
“Go ahead, man. I’m sure no one will care. Just don’t be gone too long and be sure to identify yourselves if you encounter any guards. They’ve been given clearance to shoot first and ask questions later, if you know what I mean.” Desmond gave us a pointed look.
“Thanks, Des. I really appreciate it. And no worries. If we see any guards, I’ll be sure to let them know who she is.” Erik inclined his head in my direction. “Being the Director’s pseudo daughter has a lot of clout.” His tone was jovial, but there was an underlying note of hostility. He seemed to be reminding Desmond and the other guards of my place in our world. My irritation deepened, but I stayed silent.
“Have fun, guys,” Desmond said, casting a conspiratorial look at his fellow Operatives.
“Thanks,” I muttered, keeping my eyes downcast to prevent him from seeing the pain and anger I was trying to hide.
Erik released my waist and grabbed my hand, practically dragging me away from the guards. We crossed the deserted city street in silence. An eerie calm blanketed the capitol city. There wasn’t even a single homeless person begging for money in sight. The tall glass buildings that littered downtown Washington, D.C. were dark and bereft of life. Even the apartment buildings were quiet. No vehicles flew down the ordinarily clogged streets. No hover cars whizzed overhead.
Walking down Fourteenth, we passed the Grass is Always Greener, a bar we’d been to on a night out when I was still a Pledge. There was no line of drunken city kids clamoring to get inside its doors. No loud music filtered through the non-soundproof walls to fill the night. Sadness washed over me. The city had been so much fun when we’d been there for Festivis the previous month, and now it was reduced to this. I hoped that after the aptitude testing was over, the city would return to its former glory.
Erik led me further down Fourteenth towards I Street. He picked up the pace slightly as we made a right onto I. I had so many questions for him that I didn’t know where to begin. So I started with the most obvious.
“Where are we going?” I wanted to know.
“You’ll see,” he sent back, glancing down at me with a broad smile. Knowing Erik, wherever we were going wasn’t likely somewhere we were allowed. Maybe he was taking me to some romantic location for quality alone time.
We continued down I Street for another couple of blocks, passing more darkened store fronts, empty bars, and deserted nightclubs. My short legs had to work hard to keep pace. As we approached the intersection of I and Fifteenth, I felt the dull hum of a human mind. Alarmed, I stopped in my tracks and squeezed Erik’s hand tightly. Fear made my heart thud painfully in my against my ribs as I recalled Desmond’s words, “They’ve been given clearance to shoot first and ask questions later.”
“It’s okay, Tals,” Erik said calmly. “I know the guards on duty tonight.” He smiled at me reassuringly.
“Do you know everyone?”
“I’m just a friendly guy. What can I say?”
My anxiety increased the closer we got to the source of the mental activity. I had all my energy focused on my mental talents, so I was surprised that I recognized the guard when we were still fairly far away. Normally, I was only able to expand my sense of sight when I consciously concentrated my energy.
The guard’s dark hair was just visible underneath the black helmet that he wore. His hazel eyes darted nervously from side-to-side, surveying his surroundings. His jaw was set in a hard line and irritation radiated off of his being.
The guard’s own senses were superior to any normal human’s, even to my own. He was a Morph, an Elite Level Morph no less. And at the same time that I’d recognized him, he’d recognized us and he didn’t appear pleased at our presence.
“Hey, Arden,” Erik called when we were still several feet away. Arden Greis, one of Donavon’s former Hunter teammates.
“Erik. I figured you’d changed your mind,” Arden responded uneasily. “Hey, Talia,” he added, offering me a small smile.
“Hi, Arden,” I said, now even more curious about what we were doing.
“That damned reception the Director made us go to ran longer than I expected,” Erik apologized.
“You won’t have much time down there,” Arden replied, his eyes shifting from me to the padlocked gate behind him. “There’s a train scheduled to come through in an hour, and it’s not just cargo. Not sure what’s on it, but we were told to be extra vigilant tonight.”
“An hour is plenty,” Erik answered, not phased in the least by Arden’s barely civil tone.
“Alright, just be sure to watch the time. This is a mighty big favor, and you know I can get in a lot of trouble for this.” Arden’s mind projected his reservations loud and clear.
“Let’s just go back,” I sent Erik.
“He’s just being dramatic, Tals. I promise we won’t get caught.”
“I don’t want him to get in trouble,” I urged, shifting my gaze to Arden, who was glancing suspiciously between me and Erik, aware that our mental conversation involved him.
“He owes me.”
Curiosity formed the question of what exactly had Arden indebted himself to Erik for in my mind before I decided that I’d probably rather not know.
“No worries, man. You know Talia and I can talk our way out of any situation.” He winked at Arden, but the older boy wasn’t mollified by Erik’s assurances. Although, admittedly, Erik did have a point. In the event we were caught sneaking around wherever it was that gate lead to, I could make sure whoever caught us didn’t recall the encounter long enough to make a report.
Reluctantly, Arden reached for the set of silver keys attached to his belt. He noiselessly turned the key in the large padlock and held the gate open, allowing Erik and I to pass through. Grabbing a flashlight strapped to his thigh, he handed it to Erik. “It’s really dark down there and since neither of you is a Morph, you’ll probably need this,” he said.
“Thanks,” Erik replied, taking the heavy metal object in his free hand.
“One hour, Kelley,” Arden hissed behind us. Erik waved dismissively.
Immediately inside of the metal gate was a metal staircase with two rubber handrails. An old-fashioned escalator, I realized. The stairway was so steep that it vanished halfway down.
“Erik, where do these stairs lead?” I demanded, trepidation making my voice high-pitched and frantic.
“To my favorite place in the city, Tals.”
Chapter Five
“These stairs lead to the metro, don’t they?” I demanded, tugging Erik’s hand with enough force to halt his steps temporarily.
“Sure do,” he sent back. Erik’s amused expression was barely visible in the darkened space.
The metro used to be the primary mass transportation system in D.C. But as hover technology became more prevalent, the ridership declined. After a cave-in at one of the stations killed several dozen people, the system shut down for good. The government decided the money needed to repair the damage to the metro would be better spent on expanding the more desirable Skyway. The deserted tunnels began to attract drug dealers, prostitutes, and others seeking a place to conduct illegal business. As a result, the government padlocked all of the entrances. Rumor had it that Toxic now used the metro cars and remaining tunnels to transport cargo to and from the city.
“What about the security came
ras?” I asked. Surely the Agency monitored the stations.
“There aren’t any.”
“What?!? Really? Are you sure?”
“Positive. A couple of my friends from school are metro guards. City kids pay top dollar for the guards to look the other way while they throw parties down here. I’ve even been to a couple.”
“Why would anyone want to go to a party down here?” I practically felt Erik roll his eyes as if the answer should have been obvious. Maybe to him it was, but I failed to see the appeal.
“Because the metro is mysterious. Forbidden. Some even say it’s haunted. Teenagers love anything illegal. I know I do,” Erik replied.
That was certainly true. Erik found any excuse to break the rules. I bet he thought sneaking around down here was a game.
“What about the train conductors?” I asked.
“There aren’t any. Trains are automatic.”
My eyes adjusted the farther we descended, the platform at the end of the escalator coming into view. A dank musty smell grew stronger with every step.
“If this is such a hot party spot, why haven’t you taken me down here before?” I asked suspiciously, trying to cover my growing unease. The place was already creeping me out, and we hadn’t even made it into the actual station yet.
“Not exactly the kind of place you take a girl you’re trying to impress. Besides, Henri would’ve killed me if I’d suggested it,” he sent back. Erik’s flashlight lit up a hole where the last step of the escalator was missing. He jumped the void and held out his hand to help me over.
The floor tiles were cracked or missing all together in several places. My dress flats slid across the damp surface as Erik led me past a row of ancient machines with yellowed lettering and splintered display screens.