The world was illuminated. Lies and deceptions burnt away.
The North Operators benefited from the support of a capable illusionist, but Alistair being Alistair, the meditation was very effective.
Alistair charged down a hallway that was funhouse distorted, but he could see his opposition, and he knew which way to go, so that was workable. He opened fire as he moved.
Kevin Morales-North used his telekinesis as a crude barrier, but not before Alistair managed to drop two of the gunmen behind him.
Alistair emptied the gun and then tossed it aside.
His telepathic probes turned up a target.
Alistair launched a telepathic attack at a weak point in the shields of the North Operators.
Kevin sent waves of pure telekinesis down the hall, cracking the walls and buckling the floor beneath Alistair’s boots, but Alistair’s downloaded barrier simply absorbed the energy, and then offered it for reuse.
Alistair compressed the force down into a space perhaps the width of a meter, and then shaped it into something resembling a propeller. He spun it until it was an energetic blur and then sent it flying down the hall.
Kevin and Collette ducked.
Three of the North soldiers behind them weren’t so quick. One lost an arm. Two lost their heads.
Alistair hurled himself after the attack, as if he meant to leap over them. He stomped Kevin’s head into the floor instead, pulling a knife as he stepped over him.
Collette Higgins took an open stance, inviting him to make the first move.
Two of the men behind her took careful aim with their submachine guns.
Alistair grinned and stepped close to Collette, cutting off their shot.
She sprang at him, aiming for his throat with rigid fingers, and he dodged and feinted with his blade, then kicked her in the shin.
Collette leapt back at the last moment, and the kick only grazed her.
Taking a step to the right, she shifted her stance and feinted, forcing Alistair to circle the opposite way. She jabbed and threw leg kicks and checks, pushing him toward the wall and cutting off his angles.
She feinted toward his head, and then jumped back as he stepped away.
The gunmen saw their opportunity and opened fire.
They sprayed Collette and Kevin with bullets, while Alistair stood clear and laughed.
The Hegemony soldiers realized they had been deceived and stopped shooting, but the damage was done. Both Operators were left lying in the hallway, bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds.
Alistair took a step toward the gunmen and smiled as they opened fire.
He raised his hand as if to stop the bullets.
Shining Cloud.
The bullets were vaporized and the gunmen torn to pieces, rendered into a pile of unidentifiable body parts and liquid gore by microscopic blades.
Alistair checked on Kevin and Collette.
Both were alive, injured, and unhappy. Kevin had taken rounds in the right thigh and shoulder, while Collette had been grazed in the hand and shot through in the left foot.
“I went to a great deal of extra effort to make sure you survived,” Alistair said, kicking Collette viciously in the temple and knocking her unconscious. “Make sure you tell your daddy about that, okay? I want him to think carefully before he decides that he wants to get in my way next time.”
Alistair advanced on Kevin.
“I’ll kill you,” Kevin said, putting up his hands, though he could not stand. “Count on it.”
“Everyone says that,” Alistair said, smacking him in the head with a telekinetic bolt. “I’m frankly a little bored with hearing it.”
Kevin was dazed. Alistair hit him in the back of the neck, and he rolled to the ground and moaned.
“Close enough,” Alistair said, heading back for Gabriela. “What a waste of time.”
He froze when he heard the clatter of a gun being readied.
Six Hegemony soldiers were behind him, whole and intact, ready to fire.
Lucy Kent-Mehta stood beside him, a finger-gun pressed to his temple.
“I’m completely at a loss as to why you are here, Alistair,” she said pleasantly. “What on earth are you doing, raiding a North apport station?”
“Fucking hell, Lucy,” Alistair laughed. “You’ve gotten good since the Academy. I guess marrying into the Hegemony wasn’t a total waste. Mateo would be proud.”
“Thank you. You remain as impressive as you were in our school days.”
“How’s married life?”
“It suits me,” Lucy said, with a pert smile. “I enjoy being the Lady of a Great Family.”
“Yeah,” Alistair said. “I can see that. It’s been too long, you know. Nice to see you.”
“Likewise,” Lucy said. “I will regret killing you.”
“Not as much as I will. I’m amazed I couldn’t neutralize you.”
“A classic case of the specialist trumping the generalist. Do you wish to explain why you are doing the work of the Thule Cartel?”
“No,” Alistair said. “I don’t waste my time talking to dead people.”
“Such bravado!” Lucy said. “Nothing has changed in that regard, I see.”
The world inverted itself. Alistair dropped to his knees, so dizzy that he could hardly lift his head. His vision went briefly dark, and then was replaced by a disorienting barrage of irregular flashes of light, an atonal wailing filling his ears. His stomach turned and his chest tightened, his skin crawling with horrid, multi-legged things that bit and wriggled.
“If he moves from the floor, shoot him immediately,” Lucy said, her voice seeming to come from somewhere very distant. “I want a moment in his head.”
The illusionist was a specialized telepath, so her probe was clumsy and crude.
It hit Alistair like a brick to the side of the head. He sprawled out on the floor and vomited.
“That’s enough, don’t you think?” A younger female speaker suggested, her voice full of warm concern. “You don’t want to hurt him. He’s too valuable.”
Alistair’s vision returned somewhat, and he found himself lying on the floor, staring directly up Lucy’s surgically sculpted nose. She was nodding slowly, as if the speaker were gradually persuading her.
“He’s too valuable,” Lucy repeated thoughtfully. “Don’t shoot him.”
“That’s right! I knew you of all people would understand,” Gabriela said, limping to Lucy’s side, and then taking her hand. “You’re so important, aren’t you, Lady Mehta? You are far too important to be dealing with this sort of thing personally. Don’t you think?”
“Yes,” Lucy said. “I’m very important.”
“Lady Mehta, please, you need to get a hold of yourself,” one of the gunmen said, taking aim at Gabriela. “The Thule girl is manipulating you.”
“You should be quiet when other people are talking,” Gabriela said sharply. “You should all be ashamed of yourself, burdening someone as important and special as Lady Mehta with routine issues that you should be able to handle on your own. It’s shameful!”
“She’s right, you know,” Lucy said, gesturing impatiently. “I’m very busy. You can’t call me over every little thing. This sort of minor security issue should not require my personal intervention.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the soldier said, sounding suspiciously like he was weeping behind his gas mask. “I’m just…I’m sorry. We blew it.”
The others agreed, in a chorus of murmured assents. The gunmen slumped and shrugged like scolded children.
“You should probably get going, Lady Mehta,” Gabriela suggested. “You have important business, and so many places you would rather be.”
“I’m done here,” Lucy growled, turning to leave. “Warm up the platform! I have appointments to keep.”
“Yes, they should warm up the platform,” Gabriela purred, catching Lucy’s shoulder in a gentle grasp. “But not for you. You should probably walk, don’t you think? It isn’t far to th
e next North installation, and you don’t want to wait for an apport.”
“I don’t?”
“You don’t,” Gabriela said. “You can’t! Don’t you remember? The whole installation has been compromised. Everyone there is a traitor for the Thule Cartel. You need to hurry! Only you can take care of this situation before it becomes critical.”
“I need to take care of it,” Lucy agreed. “It’s all on me.”
“You have to kill them all,” Gabriela said sadly, one hand on Lady Mehta’s shoulder. “I’m sorry you have to do that. I’m sorry you are burdened with so much responsibility, but that’s inevitable for someone as strong and important as you are.”
“I need to get moving,” Lucy said, her expression darkening. “This is a desperate situation.”
“Hurry now,” Gabriela said. “Everything depends on you!”
Lucy nodded and hurried for the stairs.
Gabriela sent her off with a little wave. Alistair picked himself off the ground, eyeing Gabriela with new respect as he stood beside her.
“As for you,” he said, glaring at the remaining soldiers. “Each of you knows that you are loyal to the North Cartel.”
The gunmen nodded.
“There are only two kinds of people in the world,” Alistair said. “Loyal soldiers, and contemptible traitors. You know that everyone else in your unit is a traitor. You’ve known it for some time, but you’ve kept it secret, so you could draw them out in the open, so that you could pick the perfect time to confront them.”
The soldiers shifted and regarded each other suspiciously, hands on their guns.
“That time has nearly arrived. You should go outside together, on what the rest believe to be a routine patrol. Don’t let them suspect anything. This is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for,” Gabriela said, walking among them and touching them on the shoulder, or the hand, as she passed. “You must kill them now, before they sabotage everything. You must kill them before they kill you. You have to do it, to save your own life.”
They nodded, giving each other suspicious looks as they headed for the stairs.
“You’ll be a hero,” Gabriela called after them. “Don’t forget that! You just have to kill them all, and then you’ll be a hero to the cartel. Henry North will probably give you a medal and a promotion! Just be brave and do what needs to be done!”
She gave them a pert little wave as they left, and then she smiled at Alistair bashfully, her hands clasped behind her back.
“You are a vicious little creature, aren’t you?” Alistair smiled at her. “I’m surprised you can act with such abandon. Most empaths would be scared to experience those sorts of negative emotions, even second hand.”
“Not me. I’m special, Mr. Alistair. Irrational,” Gabriela said proudly. “I don’t feel anyone else’s emotions unless I really, really try, and even then, it’s only a little better than a guess. No matter what I make anyone else feel, I feel just fine. One-way empathy, my uncle calls it.”
“You don’t say.” Alistair took a scarf from one of the bodies and used it to wipe his face. “Consider me intrigued, Gabby.”
“I prefer Gabriela, at least from you.”
“Not a problem, Gabby. Whatever you say.”
She smiled and cocked her head to the side, listening to something in the distance.
There was a confusion of gunshots, then silence, then a few more.
“Lucy works fast, doesn’t she?”
Gabriela nodded, then gave him a strange look, the color draining from her face. Alistair laughed, and then he caught her as she fainted, pulling the girl’s limp arm over his shoulder as he made for the apport station.
***
“If it is okay with you, Ana, I would like Gaul Thule to be my last job as an assassin,” Katya blurted out, eyes on the table in front of her. “I want to stay on as an Auditor and this troublesome boy’s guardian, please. Assuming Alex still wants to be an Auditor, I guess.”
“We should have cleared that up before we had this conversation,” Alex said. “I’m not sure myself.”
“We’ve been a little busy, haven’t we? I suppose it doesn’t make any difference,” Katya said. “Whatever he decides, working for the Far Shores or for Audits, I want to do that as well. At least until I’m sure he’s safe, or I find something better to do.”
“Are you certain?” Anastasia raised an eyebrow. “I’m surprised. I would have thought that you would want to avenge your brother.”
Katya winced.
“That’s not what Timor would have wanted,” Katya said, pushing her saucer around aimlessly. “The last time we spoke, he told me he wanted me to stay with the Auditors. I already took care of Gaul Thule, or at least I think I did, and…I really don’t know. I just don’t feel angry as much as sad, and tired.”
“You can be anything you like,” Anastasia said, putting her hand on Katya’s. “You do not have to leave my service to stop being an assassin. I will gladly retain you in any capacity you choose.”
“I don’t want to leave the Black Sun! I swore to serve you forever, and I still mean to do just that,” Katya said, gripping Anastasia’s hand. “You need an Auditor to represent your interests, Ana, whatever Alex chooses. And if he decides he’d prefer to work for Emily Muir, putting his supposedly important relationship in near constant peril...”
“Hey! Could we not talk about that right now?”
“You will want the Black Sun represented there as well,” Katya said. “I’m more valuable to you as an Auditor than an assassin.”
“That is very likely accurate,” Anastasia said. “I would like to hear the truth of your motivations, however.”
“You know why,” Katya said, looking away. “You know.”
“I’d like to hear it from you, please.”
To Alex’s shock, Katya pointed at him with her outstretched arm, still staring at Anastasia.
“He is the reason,” Katya said softly. “I lost Layla, and now I’ve lost Timor. He’s it, isn’t he? Alex is all that I have left. I’ve always had…Timor was always there. I’m not ready to be alone in the world.”
“Katya…” Alex took a step forward. “I…”
“You are not alone at all,” Anastasia said tenderly. “You still have me.”
“I don’t have you, though,” Katya said, shaking her head. “I love you, Ana, but you aren’t mine. You belong to the Black Sun. Alex, though…he lost everyone. Just like me. He’s my cousin, and he finds trouble like you wouldn’t believe. In just the last few months he’s managed to make a personal enemy out of Alistair and started a relationship with the weirdest girl in the world. He’s an entitled dummy. I can’t leave him to his own devices.”
“You don’t have to put it like that,” Alex objected. “I was about to be grateful.”
“You should be grateful,” Katya said. “I’m throwing away the best years of my life looking after you. Appreciate it.”
“I do. I appreciate it! I swear. It’s just…”
“I think that you are correct on all counts, Katya,” Anastasia observed, removing her veil. As soon as she put it aside, the servant in the black dress started to work on her hair, removing jade combs from the nest of silken black locks. “It is transparently obvious that Alex would not last a day without your oversight and supervision.”
“It’s exhausting, frankly,” Katya said. “Looking after him is a full-time job.”
“I’m standing right here, you guys,” Alex complained. “This is terrible for my ego.”
“I will allow you to stay with him, of course,” Anastasia said. “I will allow you to do anything you wish to, Katya. Please do not forget that. I have never intended to restrict or bind you. I expect the two of you to find something useful to do, however.”
“Thank you, Ana,” Katya said, bobbing her head. “I won’t let you down.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Alex muttered. “Or something.”
“I believe that more than thanks are in order, ac
tually. This is not the first favor I have done for you, but it is certainly the greatest,” Anastasia said, turning her icy gaze on Alex. “You are depriving me of my valued servant and friend, Alexander Warner nee Rostov. I believe that you owe me something of equivalent value to her service.”
“I already told you, Ana,” Katya pleaded. “I’m with you forever. This changes nothing.”
“I owe Katya, so if I can help, I will. I’m not sure she owes you anything for this, but I’ll hear you out, at least,” Alex said, barely able to meet Anastasia’s eyes. “What do you want from me?”
“You’ve actually learned something from your reckless adventures, haven’t you? I’m touched you’ve developed such feelings for Katya,” Anastasia said, with apparent honesty. “I never could have anticipated such a thing,” she asserted, more dubiously, in his eyes. “You’re not such a dull boy these days, are you?”
“I’m trying,” Alex said. “That’s all.”
“Then you can still do better,” Anastasia said. “Are you ready to hear my request?”
“It’s a request, now? I thought I owed you something.”
“We have a complicated past, and those complications shadow our present,” Anastasia admitted. “Is it a surprise that precisely defining our relationship would be difficult?”
“It’s not that uncertain,” Alex said, shaking his head. “You’re supposed to be my cousin, right? And you’re in charge of the Black Sun, which is big and scary. I’m an Auditor, or I used to be one. That’s pretty much it. I don’t think you are a queen or goddess like everyone else, and I’m not about to start bowing and scraping every time you talk to me.”
Mai Quan covered her mouth, abandoning a comb in a partially disassembled braid. Anastasia hid her expression behind her fan.
“What are you doing?” Katya pulled at his arm. “Ana, please don’t take him seriously! I told you he was dumb.”
“Are you quite finished?” Anastasia moved her fan aside to reveal a placid expression, but Alex was troubled by her tone, and the nagging suspicion that she had just been laughing. “This is a serious matter, I’m afraid, and it must be resolved. You understand that you are, and have always been, Alexandroff Rostov of the Rostov Cartel? You accept that you are the sole survivor of what was once a Great Family, among the elite of the Black Sun?”
The Church of Sleep (Central Series Book 5) Page 41
