We might be walking into a shitstorm.
Rosabelle does another visual sweep as we go, one thatI’ve begun to recognize as her search for cameras. I’ve already told her that the few security cameras have been obviously dismantled, but she has a hard time believing there isn’t more surveillance.
I never thought I’d agree with her on that.
“How stealthy are your stealth drones?” she whispers, studying the darkened sky as we make our approach. “I’m not sensing anything.”
“They’re fairly undetectable,” I say. “Their cloaking abilities were developed by alchemizing the DNA sequences responsible for activating invisibility. We built the mutated genetic codes directly into the machines.”
She stops and turns to face me, eyes wide with astonishment. “You can do things like that?”
“Well, we’re working on it.” I grimace. “Some of the drones are small enough to refine, but honestly, we thought we’d be further along with these kinds of things. We’re always diverting time and resources to keeping things afloat—constantly starting over. We’ve lost some of our best scientists to sudden, unexplained deaths.” I shoot her a look. “Entire laboratories with years of research have mysteriously gone up in flames overnight.”
“Spies,” she says.
“Yeah, but our labs are locked down—the security measures are serious. I don’t know how—”
“James,” she says, frowning. “When I sayspies, I’m not talking about strangers and new arrivals; I’m talking about people you already trust, people you’ve worked with for years. These are people you think you’ve already vetted,people with spouses and children, people you’ve shared meals with. People you think you’ve known your entire life.”
I stare at her, the weight of this hitting me like a sledgehammer. “You think our own scientists are sabotaging us?”
“Yes.”
“That—makes so much more sense.”
She sighs. “You’re not actually that naive,” she says to me. “Your biggest problem is you’re too optimistic.”
“You think that’s my biggest problem?” I raise my eyebrows at her. “Can I tell my brothers you said that?”
Her mouth curves into a smile and lingers, and it feels like possibly my greatest achievement.
I want this job. I’d be good at this job.
I want to take care of her. I can make her laugh. I could make her happy.
Hope diffuses inside my chest as she turns the handle, and I’m delusional enough, even now, to imagine a world beyond this moment. I’m already dreaming of the fragile hours and soft minutes we fight for; the quiet days and peaceful weeks so many of us are willing to die for.
Life, paid for in blood.
Adrenaline floods my body as Rosabelle crosses the threshold. I follow close behind, my eyes sharpening as we move from darkness to darkness. I scan the shadows as we advance, lifting my gun, listening for movement. The eerie quiet unsettles me.
Confuses me.
We haven’t made it more than a few feet into the building before I hear her scream.
41
James
Her terrifying cry cuts off almost immediately, even as the echo of her scream reverberates in my head.
Fear nearly shuts down my body.
Somehow I manage to move, reflexes propelling me, blind fury surging through my veins. I charge into the darkness, my heart beating frantically—
But I see no sign of Rosabelle.
There’s no sign of anyone.
