trade. If he stayed at liberty because of
her actions, she’d never forgive herself. Never.
The next picture showed someone she knew. She’d helped this
boy escape an intolerable situation in New York. When he’d come into his Talent
at puberty, his parents had abandoned him. Packed up and moved. Until that
moment he’d thought he was their son but they’d adopted him, not knowing what
he was. On his own, he’d shape-shifted in public and nearly lost his life when
a crowd had mobbed him. Confused, he’d staggered about the streets and
eventually settled as a beggar, terrified when he shape-shifted every month.
Faye had discovered him and spirited him to what she thought was safety with
the help of Professor Nordheim, who’d promised to ensure the boy reached
safety. Friends in San Francisco, he’d said. Only she had to see this now.
Tears sprang to her eyes. Before this she had kept her
composure, but the sight of what they had done to this boy forced her into realization,
facing the horror she’d helped to cause. The boy had no life, none at all, and
she’d help to achieve it. But she had to be sure. “You have proof that the
professor is involved.” Her voice shook. She couldn’t believe it, her mind
chasing to catch up with the evidence before her eyes.
Andros covered her hand with his. She unclenched her fist
and let it lie passively, encompassed by his warmth. His sympathy gave her some
comfort, but not much. “Yes, of course you do. I’m sorry, I’m finding all this
difficult.”
The only sound in the room came when she turned pages. She
read it all, uncaring whether she kept them waiting or not. Looked at every
picture, every horrific scene. Then she saw the surveillance photographs of
Professor Nordheim.
She had to consider the possibility that the photos and files
were faked. It would have taken a lot of work, and for what purpose? For what
reason? To fool her? She didn’t think so. All they had to do was capture her,
restrain her until they’d taken the professor off the map as they said they’d
do now. Much easier than this. Especially considering her limited abilities in
the espionage arena.
She slumped, her head between her hands, willing the tears
back. “I’m sorry.”
Ann’s voice dropped into the still room. “He’s fooled a lot
of people. He spreads disinformation and he only captures the Talents who won’t
be missed right away. He has helped a couple, but only to maintain his cover.”
“I should have killed the fucker,” Nick Ivy said. Nobody
disagreed.
Ann continued, relentlessly exposing Harken Nordheim. “If
Talents are classed as nonhuman, the next step is to class them as animals.
Then the laboratories can take any they please. Harken’s efforts are all show,
noise without substance. It’s a cover.”
“It’s nonsense, that animal thing. It’ll never happen.”
Andros’ dismissal showed, for once, his extreme youth as a Talent. It happened,
and had for a long time.
Faye said what needed to be said. “Banning alcohol was
nonsense. So was allowing mortals to enslave each other. All we need to do is
not to do anything. Just let them do it, smiling our disbelief.” Like she’d
done.
Andros grunted. “In any case, someone has to stop this
lowlife. I’m in.”
“Yes. Me too,” Faye said.
Ann nodded and Faye suspected she’d expected nothing less.
Somehow it came as comfort to her wounded soul, that Ann had expected her to do
the right thing, to help redress the wrong she’d made, however unwittingly. “We’ve
had people in place at the university for months. None of them got as close as
you did to Professor Nordheim, Faye. You have the perfect cover. Andros, I’m
sending you back in with Faye to discover the rest, if there is any rest to
discover. But I want this nest of vipers cleaned out, completely gone. I want
Nordheim back and then, hopefully, that’s the end of that vat of poison. You go
in as you were today.”
Andros’ head went back
her actions, she’d never forgive herself. Never.
The next picture showed someone she knew. She’d helped this
boy escape an intolerable situation in New York. When he’d come into his Talent
at puberty, his parents had abandoned him. Packed up and moved. Until that
moment he’d thought he was their son but they’d adopted him, not knowing what
he was. On his own, he’d shape-shifted in public and nearly lost his life when
a crowd had mobbed him. Confused, he’d staggered about the streets and
eventually settled as a beggar, terrified when he shape-shifted every month.
Faye had discovered him and spirited him to what she thought was safety with
the help of Professor Nordheim, who’d promised to ensure the boy reached
safety. Friends in San Francisco, he’d said. Only she had to see this now.
Tears sprang to her eyes. Before this she had kept her
composure, but the sight of what they had done to this boy forced her into realization,
facing the horror she’d helped to cause. The boy had no life, none at all, and
she’d help to achieve it. But she had to be sure. “You have proof that the
professor is involved.” Her voice shook. She couldn’t believe it, her mind
chasing to catch up with the evidence before her eyes.
Andros covered her hand with his. She unclenched her fist
and let it lie passively, encompassed by his warmth. His sympathy gave her some
comfort, but not much. “Yes, of course you do. I’m sorry, I’m finding all this
difficult.”
The only sound in the room came when she turned pages. She
read it all, uncaring whether she kept them waiting or not. Looked at every
picture, every horrific scene. Then she saw the surveillance photographs of
Professor Nordheim.
She had to consider the possibility that the photos and files
were faked. It would have taken a lot of work, and for what purpose? For what
reason? To fool her? She didn’t think so. All they had to do was capture her,
restrain her until they’d taken the professor off the map as they said they’d
do now. Much easier than this. Especially considering her limited abilities in
the espionage arena.
She slumped, her head between her hands, willing the tears
back. “I’m sorry.”
Ann’s voice dropped into the still room. “He’s fooled a lot
of people. He spreads disinformation and he only captures the Talents who won’t
be missed right away. He has helped a couple, but only to maintain his cover.”
“I should have killed the fucker,” Nick Ivy said. Nobody
disagreed.
Ann continued, relentlessly exposing Harken Nordheim. “If
Talents are classed as nonhuman, the next step is to class them as animals.
Then the laboratories can take any they please. Harken’s efforts are all show,
noise without substance. It’s a cover.”
“It’s nonsense, that animal thing. It’ll never happen.”
Andros’ dismissal showed, for once, his extreme youth as a Talent. It happened,
and had for a long time.
Faye said what needed to be said. “Banning alcohol was
nonsense. So was allowing mortals to enslave each other. All we need to do is
not to do anything. Just let them do it, smiling our disbelief.” Like she’d
done.
Andros grunted. “In any case, someone has to stop this
lowlife. I’m in.”
“Yes. Me too,” Faye said.
Ann nodded and Faye suspected she’d expected nothing less.
Somehow it came as comfort to her wounded soul, that Ann had expected her to do
the right thing, to help redress the wrong she’d made, however unwittingly. “We’ve
had people in place at the university for months. None of them got as close as
you did to Professor Nordheim, Faye. You have the perfect cover. Andros, I’m
sending you back in with Faye to discover the rest, if there is any rest to
discover. But I want this nest of vipers cleaned out, completely gone. I want
Nordheim back and then, hopefully, that’s the end of that vat of poison. You go
in as you were today.”
Andros’ head went back
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