by Sean Platt
“Kept away how?”
“One of my children mapped the event. The knot. There’s something controlling it. Orchestrating it.”
“What knot?”
“The one that’s causing this disruption. For you, for me, for Mr. Costa.”
“You know Nicolai?”
“I know he’s carrying something dangerous.”
Sam sat up. He was on the floor, back to the wall. His head had been hanging, but now it perked up. This might be another trap, but for some reason, this woman seemed different, like she’d claimed.
“Someone told me he was being led into a trap.”
“He is. But you must not believe the one who told you that, either.”
“You mean — ”
“We both know who I mean.”
Sam shrugged. The woman’s presence was strange. It was making the walls of his unreal mental prison seem to shimmer.
“Who are you?”
She either didn’t hear or ignored him. “It’s not just about Mr. Costa. What he carries? He thinks it’s like evidence. It’s not. It’s more like a bomb. I didn’t see it in time, and now there’s nothing I can do.”
“Why not?”
“It’s hard to explain. I’m already occupied.”
“Here? With me?”
“I’m only sort of here. Just like I’m only sort of other places.”
“But not there. Not where Nicolai is, to warn him. Or to…stop the bomb.”
“That’s right.”
The room warbled. Sam somehow knew not to ask more.
“Wax tried to warn me. Although I don’t know that there’s much I could have done then, either. None of us understood until the grip was too tight.”
“You mean that you understand how Nicolai was lied to,” Sam said.
“It’s just one plan within others. His cargo is like the key in a lock. But Costa carries something on his own, like York and Long.”
“Who are they?”
“It doesn’t matter. Right now, only your friend, Nicolai, matters.”
“Why?”
“Because he has the master key. Because it listens to him.”
“You mean whoever’s controlling whatever’s going on, keeping you away, all of that?” Sam found he was only mouthing words. None of this made much sense and wouldn’t even if he wasn’t in a repeating loop of sticky unreality. At least the Lunis still seemed to be sharpening his focus. Without that, he’d still be scattered. Not that this sounded like the kind of thing he wanted to understand.
“All of that.” The woman’s hair seemed to be flowing in a breeze that Sam himself couldn’t feel. Which worked, because neither of them were here, inside his head. She had to be a figment of his imagination. Or a microfragment. Or something larger, able to enter any corner of the network it pleased. Except, apparently, for wherever Nicolai was, because something else — something plotting and malignant — was keeping her away.
“Something is coalescing,” the woman said. “And soon, I will have to go.”
“Go where?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“What’s ‘coalescing’?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Well, then what the fuck matters?” Sam demanded, frustrated by the loop within a loop.
“Stopping the killers that are coming.”
“For me?”
She shook her head. “For Stephen York.”
“Who the hell is Stephen York?”
“He’s the one deceiving Mr. Costa without meaning to.” She looked at Sam. “You need to get out, Sam Dial. The place you are truly at, it’s not far from where you need to be. Security won’t stop you. Not once it begins.”
“Once what begins?”
The woman stood.
“Get yourself out of this place, Sam.”
“How?”
“Do what you do best. Make waves. Do something unexpected.”
“How the fuck do I — ” Before he could finish the sentence, the woman was gone.
Sam stood. Kicked the walls. Tried to contact Beam central admin. He shouted. Railed. Rallied. Raged.
Across the room, Sam’s clock ticked backward, moving from 4:17 p.m. to 4:16.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kate grabbed Nicolai by the sleeve. He’d noticed her earlier, but then they’d been pulled in separate directions: Nicolai detoured by Micah Ryan and Kate waylaid by Omar. Omar had shoved her toward Craig Braemon, and that had been a terrible idea. Kate was wound tighter than a taut spring, and she’d almost leaped down Omar’s throat. He’d nearly walked away with a fist wedged against his epiglottis, but then Omar had raised both hands palms-out and backed away, saying that of course Kate knew how to sweet-talk Braemon, and knew how to use the Doc shell to access his canvas once the man let her into the inner sanctum. Of course she did.
Nicolai took a moment to blink with halfway recognition. Then he looked down at Kate’s large breasts.
“Wanna take a picture?’ Kate growled.
“I like you like this,” Nicolai said, still staring. “Can I touch?” His hand went out, fingers tented. An older couple looked away, fearing something inappropriate.
Kate slapped the hand away.
“Be cool. Omar’s afraid of me right now. I told him I’m on the rag and that he should know better than to test me. But if he sees me talking to you, that ain’t good.”
“Does he even know me?”
“Listen, Luigi. Omar knows everyone.” Her head darted around as she tried to remember who knew her, who knew Nicolai, and who’d care if they were together. Kai was nowhere to be seen. “Just act casual.”
Nicolai nodded. “So. You enjoying the party?”
“It’s peachy. I talked to that coma girl’s mom for like twenty minutes. Learned a fuckton about comas and mercy killings.”
“Violet James’s mother? She’s here?”
“It’s her foundation’s name that’s on the invite Omar shoudn’t’a got,” Kate said.
Nicolai, playing along, raised a glass of red wine. Or maybe it was sangria. Like Kate fucking knew. “Ah, yes. That was a landmark day for humanity versus Respero. Did you know four out of ten doctors thought Violet might have woken up one day if they hadn’t …you know…murdered her?”
Kate rolled her eyes, shoving Nicolai farther out of sight from Omar’s could-be-anywhere eyes. For the first time, she found herself noticing Dominic’s silence. He’d been in her ear all night, and now, with Omar circling and privacy needed, the cop wasn’t helping? That wasn’t fair.
“So I heard. At boring length,” Kate said. “Listen. We can probably trust Long. But I don’t want him involved until it’s too late for him to fuck things up, so keep your voice low. He’ll see us, and he knows who you are, but I can tell him I was just checking up. Then I act shocked when he says the privacy threshold didn’t let him hear us.”
“Yes. I know how to be a spy, thanks.”
Kate looked around. “Where’s Kai?”
“Preparing to kill Rachel Ryan.” He watched surprise dawn on Kate’s face and added, “Oh, relax. Rachel is okay with it.”
“Micah Ryan’s mother?”
“Yes.”
“Good riddance to more of that clan.” Kate still owed the Ryans for one vagina, two tits, and the loss of one life savings. Not that Doc would ever have thought he’d resent anyone for the first two.
“So we’ve got the same mission. Get to Braemon’s canvas,” Nicolai said. “Between the two of us, I think I have a better chance.”
“I’ve got my old identity in here,” Kate said, tapping her head. “Omar thinks it’ll get me in.”
“Omar thinks it, huh? Well, that’s a good enough reason for me to try the identity I’ve got instead.”
“Who’s in your head, Mario?”
“I thought I was Luigi?”
Kate stared. Nicolai relented.
“Someone that will work. It’s what I used to get you and Omar your invitations.
” He looked around again. “It’s also supposed to contain information some folks don’t want public. About Mindbender.”
“Where’d you get it?”
“From Rachel Ryan.”
“I see. The person Kai is headed over to kill. Makes sense.”
“I’ve heard some whispers that Vale is here is to give a Mindbender update. I don’t know how this conflicts, but I do believe it’ll — what’s the term? — ‘fuck shit up.’”
“Fine. You want to be the hero, you can do it. I’m coming with, though. Omar expects me to break Braemon’s lock, so I need to be headed in the right direction. And you’ll need me to get past Braemon.”
“I don’t know about that,” said Nicolai.
“I’ll head over and sex him up. Omar expects it. I’ll get him to let us in, maybe promise to fuck him. He comes with us, you hit him with something. I’m a lesbian now.”
Nicolai looked Kate over again from bottom to top without comment.
“Okay,” Nicolai said. “When?”
“During the magic show, so everyone’s distracted.” Kate watched a look form on Nicolai’s face. “What?”
“That’s when Kai wants to kill Rachel.”
“Because they’ll be distracted, sure. Except that they’ll probably be in the main room here, watching the show?”
“Rachel doesn’t want people distracted. The idea is to make her assassination public, so everyone sees.”
Kate considered weighing in on the plan, but things were complicated enough. Kai was a big girl capable of making her own decisions.
“Fun,” Kate said. “I guess it’ll be a hell of a show.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Things weren’t getting better. Talking to Carter Vale hadn’t helped. It’s not like Isaac could come right out and tell the president, whom he barely knew, that he’d been sent to kill him. You had to really know a person to say something like that. So instead of unburdening himself, Isaac had been given an earful about egalitarian access to Mindbender, on top of the one he’d already had in a closed-door Mindbender meeting a few days ago.
The president really was a Citizen Scout. Isaac now wanted to kill him even less. The conversation had merely increased the obstacles between Isaac and his task. He’d gone in nervous and come out jittery. He’d pushed Vale into a corner and whispered so Vale’s guards wouldn’t hear, and more than once they’d pulled Isaac away. Now everyone thought he was up to something. And probably, they thought Vale was up to something, too. This Enterprise room was already predisposed not to like Isaac or the Directorate president, and now it probably looked like they were plotting something.
Isaac wanted to punch himself in the head, but he couldn’t afford the luxury of self-pity. Right now, he needed to be prepping for this stupid magic trick. The trick he didn’t want to do, didn’t understand, and knew would somehow make him look stupid — because that’s what usually happened when Micah and Isaac shared a room.
And Jameson Gray, who was more of a friend to Micah than to Isaac.
And Natasha, who as of a few minutes ago had begun giving Isaac the deadliest stare he’d ever seen, anywhere, in his life.
She must just be nervous, Isaac rationalized. Natasha was used to the stage, sure, but not to magic. Gray was the only one of them who truly understood how this worked, and Natasha was probably as afraid that she’d screw it up and look dumb in front of the nation.
Except that Natasha wasn’t afraid of anything.
Isaac flashed his wife a smile. Her eyes, he could have sworn, turned red. He thought he could hear her teeth grinding.
Oh, yes, she knew. He’d lost her for a while, and he’d lost Shelly Godfrey at the same time. It hadn’t been long, and they’d been called to the stage shortly after. But it was enough time for Natasha to learn all she needed to know.
The smile fell from Isaac’s lips. Across the stage, as assistants prepped, Natasha moved toward Micah and whispered something. Then Micah smiled, and Isaac felt his blood go cold.
Isaac took two steps toward them both, summoning his wits, and then Jameson Gray appeared at the stage’s side.
“Okay, kids,” he said with a grin. “It’s showtime!”
Chapter Twenty-Three
There was a noise from the stage at the large room’s far end. Kai watched as everyone present seemed to heed it, ceasing conversation, stilling, turning toward the curtain.
Beside Kai, in her elevated chair, Rachel said, “Wait until the end to do it, because I want to see this.”
Kai turned to look at the old woman’s face. Impossibly, she was smiling.
This was simultaneously the easiest and most difficult assassination of Kai’s life. On one hand, Rachel hadn’t just given Kai the green light; she’d helped Kai figure out how best to kill her and practically choreographed the entire thing. On the other, Kai couldn’t help but admire the woman the longer she knew her. She didn’t trust Rachel one whit. But she respected her plenty, and adored her style.
“You’re sure about this?” Then, feeling as awkward as a girl asking for a date, Kai said, “You know, I don’t even really want to kill you.”
A small laugh. “You need to, honey.”
“I’d really rather not. And it’s Micah who sent me. Do you really want to let him win?”
Rachel smiled wider, wrinkles stretched across leathery skin. “I know this is strange for you. But there’s much more happening here than you realize. I know Mr. Costa took you to see what I left for him. That’s important. It’s something that’s been kept from the public, which is why it’s appropriate that he cracks it open. Because Nicolai wants to expose some things, and this is the way.”
“About Mindbender? About Shift?”
“About a lot of things.”
“How did you know Micah was planning to have you killed?”
“It’s only logical. That’s why it’s important that he gets credit, and why I’m allowing you to do this. I saw it coming, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t take initiative. It means he’s not afraid of making difficult decisions. Those above him need to see he can do what’s necessary.”
“But it’s your life.”
“Bah. I’ve had enough of life.”
“Who’s above Micah?”
Rachel cackled. “Me.”
“Who else?”
The old woman glanced over then back at the stage. “There are always unseen hands at work. Even now. Micah thinks he’s acting on his own, but he isn’t. He’s a smart boy, but there are things he doesn’t understand. Things he’s taken for granted.”
“Which things?”
“I don’t have time to explain.” Rachel smiled. “And besides, where would be the fun in that, if I just told you?”
Micah had popped through the curtain, run into the front row for something, then dashed back.
“Look at him up there,” she said with what sounded like pride. “That’s my boy.”
“He’s a killer.”
“So am I,” Rachel snapped. “And so are you.” She glared at Kai. “You want to kill him instead?”
She didn’t want to kill him, either. Even after all he’d done and how long he’d held her back, Micah was like a father to Kai.
For the first time in an eon, Kai wondered how damaged she was to have the morals she did. Most people didn’t face these kinds of dilemmas.
“I just want to move into the Beau Monde.”
“You will. I’ve seen to it.”
“And Nicolai. And D — ” She stopped herself, looking horrified.
“And Doc Stahl,” Rachel agreed.
“Except that he’s dead,” Kai said, trying to recover.
“Sure he is.” They watched the stage for another minute. Then Rachel said, “Now, like I said, wait until it’s over. Until Jameson makes Isaac reappear.” She looked up and met Kai’s eyes. “You got it?”
“Sure.”
“Wait until I scream. Everyone will turn.”
Something popp
ed into Kai’s head. Something she hadn’t considered because it hadn’t dawned on her how eager Rachel would be for this, or how obvious she’d want it to be.
“How can I possibly get away?”
“Run out the doors.”
“But security…”
Rachel reached over and patted Kai’s cheek in a patronizing, grandmotherly manner. “Such a sweet, naive girl.”
Kai opened her mouth to ask what that meant, but onstage, the curtains were parting.
“Wait until the show is over,” she repeated, eyes forward. “Not just for me. For you too.”
Kai’s eyes flicked to the small stage with its trademark Jamesonian flare. Then she looked back at Rachel.
“Oh, yes,” the old woman said. “You’re going to want to see this.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Isaac stood center stage as the curtains parted, feeling dumb.
Micah stood beside him. Natasha and Jameson Gray were visible to Isaac but invisible to the crowd, standing behind the stage-left curtains. Braemon’s building didn’t normally have a stage, but the one the bots had fabricated seemed to fit as if it had always belonged. Enterprise, unlike Directorate, spared no expense, even when the gathering’s stated goal was supposed to be raising money rather than spending it. The platform itself was synthetic, intelligently molded on-site after being poured to the floor in a puddle. The materials and design process couldn’t have been cheap. But again: Enterprise.
Isaac felt vulnerable in enemy territory.
The event’s official purpose was twofold: to raise money for the Violet James Foundation’s Respero Dinner charity and to make nice between the parties after the Shift run-up’s many disruptions and high emotions.
But Enterprise didn’t care whether poor people got nice Dinners before being evaporated in Respero. Neither did anyone involved with the event.
And the parties — no matter how much they smiled for Beam media — didn’t want to make nice.
By the book, there were supposed to be no hard feelings. But as Isaac looked out across the mostly Enterprise gathering, he felt plenty. Until Vale had pulled his Prime Statement stunt, resurrecting the Mindbender pipe dream from storage and blowing the dust from its top, Enterprise had been positioned to take this Shift like candy from a baby. Now the tables were turned, and Directorate would almost surely win — and no matter the official line, no one in attendance was fine with it.
