Rui stared stonily out the window at the streetlights zooming by. She knew the argument. Hybrid Revenants didn’t look like monsters; they looked human, just like Ash and her. They spoke and behaved like humans too—until their weapons emerged from their spines and they attacked you.
Normies didn’t have high enough levels of spiritual energy to be trained to see Revenants, let alone Hybrids, so it meant that the Hybrids would present only as fellow humans to them and nothing more. And if normies knew such creatures existed, fear and suspicion would permeate society. Out of paranoia, people would be hypervigilant. Neighbor would turn on neighbor, parent against child. There would be panic in the streets, a destabilization of society.
This was the Guild’s thinking, and as much as Rui hated to admit, there was merit in it. Still, was lying to the public the best answer? Couldn’t the Guild handle the revelations in a systematic manner? Couldn’t they teach normies other ways of identifying a Hybrid and how to safeguard themselves? And when things settled, wouldn’t the world be a wiser, safer place? That would be the ideal situation. But ideals weren’t reality.
The rest of the car ride passed in silence. Ash seemed preoccupied with his own thoughts, and Rui made no effort to engage.
The lights on the Barracks’ perimeter were lit when they arrived, but the rest of the compound was dark. Rui had never been here before. The cluster of beige and white buildings didn’t look particularly impressive, but she’d heard that this facility contained a Simulator that was more sophisticated than the Academy’s.
Ash killed the engine. “What you’re about to see is highly classified. Only a handful of us are aware of it. The Guild Council hasn’t been informed yet.”
“What makes me so special?”
“I want to have a clearer picture of things before I send in my report,” he said. “You were in the tunnels at Outram that day, and you’ve encountered several Hybrids. Perhaps you’ll have some additional insight.”
“If you say so.”
“I see you’re intent on being difficult tonight, Cadet Lin.”
Rui shrugged. “Not any more than usual.”
“I need a coffee,” Ash groaned. He got out of the car, throwing a furtive glance around. “Leave your weapons. Come on—and be quiet.”
Unsure what to expect, Rui followed him to the small nondescript building at the edge of the compound.
“Step ten paces to my left,” he instructed, tapping his access card on a panel by the doors. A red light flashed briefly over his face and body. If Rui had been next to him, the light would’ve reached her too. Ash wanted to keep her presence at the Barracks under wraps.
The panel beeped.
Captain Song Lan Xi. Welcome, said a disembodied robotic voice.
The doors slid open.
The empty lobby had a sterile look and smell that reminded Rui of a hospital, and the temperature seemed like it was being kept deliberately low.
She rubbed her hands together for warmth. “Where are we?”
“Some of our research is conducted here.” It was such anAshkind of answer. Not exactly secretive, but thin on helpful details.
They went past the elevators to the back where the cargo elevator was. Instead of taking it, Ash shouldered the stairwell door and gestured with his hand:After you.
Rui descended until he indicated for her to stop at a landing. They were about three stories below ground level. Freezer-temperature air buffeted her face when Ash opened the door, and there was a strong chemical odor.
“Is this a morgue? What kind of research are we talking about?” Rui asked as they went down the corridor.
“The supernatural kind mostly.” Ash stopped in front of a metal door, turning to face her. “Revenants scatter into smoke when they’re vanquished, but Hybrids are different, since they’re created when the Blight infects alivinghuman. There’s a body that turns into an ash-like substance when they die, as you may have observed, and we’ve been studying that substance. Tonight we found something else.”
He tapped his access card and opened the heavy door.
The room looked like an operating theater in a mundane hospital, but two things stood out: the array of medical instruments and colored glass jars that gave off a magical aura, and the young woman smoking in the corner. She was wearing a white lab coat over a black turtleneck sweaterdress and boots that went up to her knees. Her hair was in a long, thick braid tied high on her head, and her lips were stained a dark plum. A pair of oversized round spectacles with blue-tinted lenses perched precariously on her narrow nose.
“There you are,” she said, perking up. “I was wondering how much longer I had to wait.”
Ash gave her a teasing look. “Are you even allowed to smoke in here?”
“My lab, my rules. Besides, this is overtime.” She glanced at his empty hands and made a clucking sound with her tongue. “If you were going to keep a girl waiting in the basement with this dreadful thing, you could’ve at least brought a drink.”
Ash waved vaguely in Rui’s direction. “I had to go get this one. Besides, the night’s still young.”
