followed suit. I didn’t know what would happen if I accidentally splashed water onto the third rail. Maybe nothing.
Maybe something.
Stooping down, I examined another section of concrete. I needed to squint to see every detail and it struck me that visibility had diminished within the tunnel. Seeing nothing, I stood up again.
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.
Maybe something.
Stooping down, I examined another section of concrete. I needed to squint to see every detail and it struck me that visibility had diminished within the tunnel. Seeing nothing, I stood up again.
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.
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