starting up on the second floor. Alex and Siegel went to see what it was. A crowd had gathered by the Cuthbert Street door.
Alex pushed through the gathered guerrillas. Elvin stood by the door, a frightened look on his face.
"Somebody's out there," he said. "Somebody who wants to get in."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Alex pointed the Ingram at the door. "Open it."
Riquelme opened the door. A lone figure stood silhouetted on the fire escape, the moonlight at her back. She stepped inside.
Nobody spoke.
The door slammed behind Jo. She looked around her and said, "Flash is dead."
Alex wasn't sure how long he stared at her. Gradually, the realization came that he was gaping. This couldn't be. He had seen her violated by a colloid. She couldn't be standing here talking to him like this. This just wasn't right.
"I couldn't help him," Jo said. "I managed to get to the hideout. I stayed there until I was sure nobody was around, and then I came back. The long way around."
"Is that all that happened, Jo?" Siegel asked.
She turned to the older woman. "What do you mean?"
Siegel said nothing. She seemed to go off on one of her schizoid fits again, perhaps set off by this inexplicable incident. She wandered off into the armory's shadows without speaking.
"Jo," Riquelme said, stepping toward her and extending his palms. "What Siegel meant . . . "
"Take her gun!" Alex ordered, cutting him short. He pointed the Ingram directly at Jo. "Elvin, take it!"
Elvin looked frightened and confused, but he did as he was told.
"What do you think you're doing, Alex?" Jo directed a withering glance at Alex.
"I'm making sure you're not armed," Alex said. "You see, I followed you tonight."
Jo showed nothing. Her cold stare transfixed Alex, made him feel weak. "Why did you follow us? Did you think we weren't up to the job? You could have gone yourself, you know."
"I just had a hunch," Alex said.
"A hunch?" Jo snarled.
"I saw you." In spite of the chill, he was sweating. "In the hideout. In our bed."
She didn't even blink. "After they got Flash, I ran into the hideout, sure. I thought they might not find me in the dark, so I hid on our mattress behind the curtain. If you saw me, why didn't you say something, Alex? What's wrong with you?"
He felt the others' doubts as if they were palpable, as she twisted things around. But he had to think about what he was doing. What had he really seen behind that curtain an hour ago? Only the kerosene lamp had lit the scene, and even that light had been obstructed by the curtain. Was it possible that he had only imagined the colloid there?
"No, it won't work, Jo. I know what you are." But there must have been some doubt, some hesitation in his voice. She gave no ground.
"Alex, are you going to let our personal problems stand in the way of your leadership? You've been acting so distant lately. I thought it was because you were planning the raid, but this . . . "
The words came out of him, slowly, deliberately: "I saw a colloid crawl inside you."
"What?" But her defiant tone didn't work. The guerrillas could take no chances. "Who ever heard of an infected person getting up and coming home, talking to people like I'm doing?"
"It must be a new stage. They've been studying the human body, analyzing their victims." It was Siegel, trying to come to grips with this new problem, and with her madness at the same time. "They've learned how to manipulate the entire organism."
"Prove it," Jo snapped.
"We don't have to, Jo. We know Alex well enough to believe he saw something."
"Take her into that room," Alex pointed at an office across the hall. "I want an armed guard with her at all times."
"Have you lost your goddamned mind?" Jo shouted. But she followed her captors without a struggle. As soon as she was under lock and key, Alex said. "I know what I saw."
Siegel nodded. "They've got her, all right. I can sense it, too." She gestured for him to follow her. "Come, Alex."
He was grateful for this, even if
Alex pushed through the gathered guerrillas. Elvin stood by the door, a frightened look on his face.
"Somebody's out there," he said. "Somebody who wants to get in."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Alex pointed the Ingram at the door. "Open it."
Riquelme opened the door. A lone figure stood silhouetted on the fire escape, the moonlight at her back. She stepped inside.
Nobody spoke.
The door slammed behind Jo. She looked around her and said, "Flash is dead."
Alex wasn't sure how long he stared at her. Gradually, the realization came that he was gaping. This couldn't be. He had seen her violated by a colloid. She couldn't be standing here talking to him like this. This just wasn't right.
"I couldn't help him," Jo said. "I managed to get to the hideout. I stayed there until I was sure nobody was around, and then I came back. The long way around."
"Is that all that happened, Jo?" Siegel asked.
She turned to the older woman. "What do you mean?"
Siegel said nothing. She seemed to go off on one of her schizoid fits again, perhaps set off by this inexplicable incident. She wandered off into the armory's shadows without speaking.
"Jo," Riquelme said, stepping toward her and extending his palms. "What Siegel meant . . . "
"Take her gun!" Alex ordered, cutting him short. He pointed the Ingram directly at Jo. "Elvin, take it!"
Elvin looked frightened and confused, but he did as he was told.
"What do you think you're doing, Alex?" Jo directed a withering glance at Alex.
"I'm making sure you're not armed," Alex said. "You see, I followed you tonight."
Jo showed nothing. Her cold stare transfixed Alex, made him feel weak. "Why did you follow us? Did you think we weren't up to the job? You could have gone yourself, you know."
"I just had a hunch," Alex said.
"A hunch?" Jo snarled.
"I saw you." In spite of the chill, he was sweating. "In the hideout. In our bed."
She didn't even blink. "After they got Flash, I ran into the hideout, sure. I thought they might not find me in the dark, so I hid on our mattress behind the curtain. If you saw me, why didn't you say something, Alex? What's wrong with you?"
He felt the others' doubts as if they were palpable, as she twisted things around. But he had to think about what he was doing. What had he really seen behind that curtain an hour ago? Only the kerosene lamp had lit the scene, and even that light had been obstructed by the curtain. Was it possible that he had only imagined the colloid there?
"No, it won't work, Jo. I know what you are." But there must have been some doubt, some hesitation in his voice. She gave no ground.
"Alex, are you going to let our personal problems stand in the way of your leadership? You've been acting so distant lately. I thought it was because you were planning the raid, but this . . . "
The words came out of him, slowly, deliberately: "I saw a colloid crawl inside you."
"What?" But her defiant tone didn't work. The guerrillas could take no chances. "Who ever heard of an infected person getting up and coming home, talking to people like I'm doing?"
"It must be a new stage. They've been studying the human body, analyzing their victims." It was Siegel, trying to come to grips with this new problem, and with her madness at the same time. "They've learned how to manipulate the entire organism."
"Prove it," Jo snapped.
"We don't have to, Jo. We know Alex well enough to believe he saw something."
"Take her into that room," Alex pointed at an office across the hall. "I want an armed guard with her at all times."
"Have you lost your goddamned mind?" Jo shouted. But she followed her captors without a struggle. As soon as she was under lock and key, Alex said. "I know what I saw."
Siegel nodded. "They've got her, all right. I can sense it, too." She gestured for him to follow her. "Come, Alex."
He was grateful for this, even if
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