“Not an issue since they were taken first,” Aries stated, and Grayson could have smacked himself. Like, duh, it should have been obvious.
“Is it wise to even have the subways running, given they’re in the tunnels?”
“No, but I don’t have a contact with the local transit authority. I fear it will take a large-scale massacre before they’d even contemplate shutting down the underground trains.”
“Not being able to speak to those in charge directly seems back-ass backwards. How can you protect people if you can’t even warn them?”
“By doing so in different subtle manners. Aquarius has been planting memes and posting on various social media sites, pretending to be someone living in Toronto, who’s seen the monsters firsthand, telling them to stay away from any kind of holes in the ground lest the aliens get them.”
“The latter seems like a good idea, especially if he is using many bot accounts to spread and share the message, but I have to ask, why memes? How are jokes supposed to help?”
“Let me show you.” Aries had a tablet on his desk, and he swiped his finger across it a few times before flipping it around. “Scroll left.”
The first image showed an alien being lit up by a flamethrower saying,The only way to kill monsters.The next, a cartoon of someone sitting by their toilet with a shotgun captioned,Ready to fire a load.Another of a house on fire saying,I saw an alien. I think it’s gone now.
“I’m surprised at the one advocating shooting them. Won’t that create chunks that will turn into new aliens?”
“Yes, however, Toronto has a hotline to report any sightings and attacks. Those tips will allow either the warriors or the military to move in and cleanse the mess.”
“The military knows to torch them?”
Aries nodded. “Once I informed my inside man, he got those studying the aliens to realize they could regenerate unless burned to ash.”
“Given the military has more soldiers than we have warriors, why not tell your inside guy to have them sweep the sewers?” Grayson kind of felt like an ass telling Aries how to do his job, but the man seemed interested in hearing what he had to say.
“Already been tried, and it didn’t go well.” Aries grimaced. “They entered a narrow tunnel that forced them to move single file. The aliens must have been tracking them because they swarmed, front and back, and took them out one by one.”
“None of them thought to shoot?”
“Would you shoot if your friend or work partner was in front of you?” Aries countered.
“Guess that means no soldiers in the sewers anymore.”
“No. According to my contact, they’re arguing over what to do next, with some wanting to gas the whole system, which would be dangerous for civilians, while others want to bomb it, which would lead to major infrastructure issues.”
“I think the inability to flush a toilet isn’t as bad as aliens popping out to eat your face,” was his dry reply.
“Because you’re thinking in the short term. Less-than-sanitary situations lead to disease that can run rampant. You’d be trading one kind of death for another.”
“You know, when you first told me I’d be a warrior fighting evil in the world, I imagined being sent to the woods to hack some kind of rampaging animal to death. I’m realizing it’s a lot more complex than that.”
“To be fair, usually it is as simple as you stated. This situation is unlike anything we’ve ever encountered, which is why any leverage we can achieve is important. With that said, you should get the water and asteroid to Leila so she can get to work onthem. Once you drop them off, head to the training room. Time for your next lesson.”
Guess spending time with Leila would have to wait. Bummer.
CHAPTER 16
The hot showerdid much to revive Leila, easing muscles taut from the stressful events by the lake. The woolen pants and sweater waiting when she emerged cuddled like a blanket. As for the hot beverage waiting courtesy of Tower? It must have had caffeine or some kind of pick-me-upper because, after downing it, energy filled her.
She exited her apartment just as Grayson arrived, sample case in one hand, meteor in the other.
“Good timing,” she stated with a smile.
“I could say the same.”
“Are you sticking around to look pretty while I work?” She couldn’t have said where the light banter emerged from. Blame the kiss for softening her.
His grin and chuckle sent a shiver through her. “I wish. Boss man wants me to go get my ass whooped under the guise of a lesson.”
