“I know how the Metro works,” Irving interrupted him.
Gabriel’s knuckles cracked with how hard he clenched them, but Blake held out his hand. This was Tommy’s fight; they were just spectators.
Tommy’s delicate upturned nose wrinkled. Blake had to fight back a grin. He loved bitchy Tommy.
“Power for the Metro comes from traction power substations spaced about one mile apart. Most of these stations are run by computers,butthey still have components for manual use.” He let that sink in. “Which means that as long as the rails are physically intact, we can use them.”
“But with what power?” Gabriel asked. “The EMP fried everything.”
Tommy nodded. “Right. But if the infrastructure is in place, we can use diesel generators to provide the power.”
“That would be enough?”
“Yes. Like I said, the substations are only a mile apart. We don’t have to power the whole city, just a single section.”
Irving steepled his fingers. “What about an arc flash?”
“What about it?” Tommy snapped. “We use it. It might blow the system, might turn the Off Formers into toxic sludge. Either way, it’s a win.”
The skeptical silence was quickly turning into contemplation. Irving’s brows were furrowed as Gabriel pulled the Metro map up.
“How do we get them into the Metro tunnels?” Blake asked.
“We don’t need to,” Tommy answered, spinning the map to face him. He followed one of the lines with his finger. “I can extend cabling from the third rail to the street above. All we’d need to do is lay a grounded circuit down on the street—broken third rail segments, copper busbars, or anything steel. Asphalt is an insulator, so as long as we clear the kill zone, it’ll be safe for humans.”
He held Irving’s eye. “Electricity isn’t picky. If we can move the charge, we can weaponize it.”
Gabriel winked at Blake. “Like a homemade taser.”
“A really fucking big one.”
“Size matters.”
“You would know.”
Tommy gagged. “As endearing as it is to see you’ve managed to dislodge the stick-up Blake’s ass, can you stop flirting in front of me?”
With a raised eyebrow, Blake leaned into Tommy’s face. “I will sit on his dick while maintaining uncomfortable levels of eye contact, so help me?—”
“Enough!” Irving threw his hands in the air. “All of you, out! Except you, Thomas. We have a lot to discuss.”
Bitchy Tommy turned into panicked Tommy the moment he realized Gabriel and Blake were leaving him behind. Blakeflipped him a middle-fingered salute as Gabriel dragged him out of the office.
The rain had let up, and the lobby was mostly empty. One of the books Blake lent Sara was missing, and he hoped she was holed up somewhere with it. Hopefully, somewhere far away from Victoria and Judd.
“Do you think it’s possible?” Gabriel asked, looking over his shoulder at Irving’s office.
“Doesn’t matter,” he said confidently. “Tommy has never let anyone down in his life, and he isn’t going to start now.”
And Blake believed it. He didn’t believe in very much, but he believed in Tommy.
Gabriel slung an arm around Blake’s shoulders and pulled him in, kissing his temple. Blake leaned into him, breathing in Gabriel’s damp scent.
Who were they to say what was possible? A year ago, he thought he was an unlovable straight man, and aliens were just another overmilked Hollywood cash cow. Now he was making meth in a motel parking lot, making love to a hot man, and planning the best way to weaponize the DC Metrorail to kill off a faction of extraterrestrials using Earth as a battleground.
Blake’s definition of ‘possible’ had changed.
Gravel crunched under his arms as Blake low crawled across a roof. His muscles ached, back screaming as he did his best to stay flat. He could feel grit smeared across his cheeks.
