by Jenna Moreci
unfazed.Eriksenclearedhisthroatandcontinued.
“We’vegotsomeofthetoppsychoanalystsinthecountrystudyingthe
Interlopers’ behaviors, and if there’s one thing they agree on, it’s that these freaksaresmarterthanweevergavethemcreditfor.Theirtechnologyis
staggering. Their methods are complex. And yet despite their advanced
intelligence,theiremotionalcapabilitiesarestunted—primitive,even.
Remorse,compassion,empathy:allnonexistentwithintheInterloperculture.
Something’smissinginthem.It’salmostlikethey—”
“Onlyhavehalfabrain?”Jasonmuttered.
Eriksensneered.“Itakeitthat’smorethanafigureofspeech.”Heglanced
overatthetechniciansandloweredhisvoice.“Look,thesethings willnotstop
—notuntiltheygetwhattheywant.There’samadness—adesperation—in
theirendeavors.Wewanttoknowwhy.Wewanttoknowwhatmotivatesthem
tosuchanacutedegree.”
With a quick flick of his wrist, he minimized the projection and continued through the Shelter; Jason and Eve hurried to keep up. They weaved between thesectors,passinggroupsofarmoredpatrolmenpracticingdrillsand
buzzing technicians with scratchpads in hand, all of whom stopped to stare at thetwochimerasthathadinvadedtheirspace.
Evestaggeredtoahalt,nearlycollidingwiththecolonel’sback.Hehadled
his guests to a vast array of small, framed monitors, each one displaying a veryrecognizableBillingtonlocation:theRutherfordHalllobby,theback
corneroftheBillingtonLibrary,thebarredcampusgates.Severaluniformed
workerssatinfrontofthelivevideofeeds,watchingthemintensely.
“Thisisthesurveillancesector,”Eriksenstated.“Whentheattacksfirst
began,wehadonlytwentycameras.Nowwehaveoveronehundred
checkpointsstationedacrosscampus.”
“Andhaveyouseenanything?”Jasonsaid.“Anythingsuspicious?Anything
atall?”
Thecolonelhesitated,visiblyembarrassed.“Iknowhowitsounds,butI’ve
playedthefootagemyselfagainandagain,searchingforclues.”Heshookhis
head.“We’venevercaughtanInterloperonourfeed.Notonce.”
Evethoughtofthecreatureshehadbattledthenightbeforeandremembered
whenhe’dlookedlikeasimplecollegestudent.“Notasinglealien,”she mumbled,glancingatJason.“Iwonderhowthatcouldbe.”
Theyapproachedthenextsector:alargespacefilledwithswarmingbodies
andstrangenoises.Sizablecomputersdisplayedzigzaggedimagesofsound
waves,eachoneprojectingthemostunusualsymphonyofsoundsEvehadever
heard.Techniciansscrutinizedthewaves,pinpointingspecificclicksand
twangs in the rhythms. The colonel stopped and cocked his head at the odd display.
“Herewehaveourcommunicationsector,theheartoftheShelter.Ourteam
worksdayandnighttrackingandtranslatingtheInterlopers’transmissions.”
“You’vehackedtheircommunications?”Eveasked.
Thecolonelnoddedandpulledupahologramofacirculardevice,palm-
sized and metallic, with a glowing blue button in its center. He expanded the image,makingitlargeenoughtoseetheintricaciesofthedesign.
“EachInterloperhasadevice,”heexplained,rotatingtheimage.“Wecallit
thebeacon.They’resurgicallyattachedtothebacksoftheirheads,justbeneath
their skulls. This mechanism allows them to transmit orders, data, and even images to one another in the most quick and efficient manner possible. It’s a levelofinnovationwe’veneverseenbefore.”Heminimizedthehologram.
“Fortunately,we’vemanagedtodecrypttheirlanguage,butthat’sonlyhalfthe
problem.”
“What’stheotherhalf?”
“There’sadelay,”hegrumbled.“Thesignalsareonlytraceablebyour
systems hours after they’ve been transmitted. We never know about an attack untilwellafterit’soccurred.”
“Howdowefixthat?”Jasonasked.
“Wewon’tbefixing anything,”thecolonelsnapped.“It’suptousattheShelter.
Thisdoesnotinvolveyoutwo.”
Evestaredatthehologram,studyingtheimage.“IthinkI’veseenthis
before,”shesaid.“OurInterloper—hehadoneofthese.”
Eriksen’seyeslitupwithintrigue.“Doyoustillhaveit?”
“Itwasdestroyedinthefight.It’sinpiecesnow.”
Thecolonelgrowled.“Theonlywaytoeliminateourhandicap—toreceive
thesignalsinrealtime—istogainaccesstoaworkingbeacon.Theproblem
is, in order to get one, we need a body.” He turned off the projection and scowledatEve.“Lookslikeyourspecimenwon’tbeallthatusefulafterall.”
“Sorrytodisappoint,”Evemumbled.
Theywanderedtowardthelastsector,whichwaseasilythemostclutteredof
themall.Countlesspatrolmen,allofseeminglyhighrank,hoveredaround
rowsofintricatemaps—EverecognizedamapofBillingtonandacouple
others of various cities in Southern California. The soldiers conferred with oneanotherwhileanalyzingthevariouslocales.
“We’vereachedthelocator,ourfinalsector,”Eriksenexplained.“Here,we
trackandlogalloftheirdissectionsites.Theyneverusethesamespotmore
than once, so they’re piling up fast. But more importantly, we’re trying to identifyameetingplace—ahub.Inalmostalloftheirtransmissions,the
Interlopers mention a central location. We call it their lair.” He crossed his armsandglowered.“Troubleis,wecan’tfindit.”
Evesighed.“Well,that’snotveryencouraging.”
“We looked at their dissection sites for common themes. At first we noticed theychoselocationsnearpipelines,sewersystems—placeswithaccessto
water.Weweren’tquitesurewhy—”
“Theycanonlydigestfluids,”Jasoninterrupted.“I’mgivingyouthatone
forfree.”
Thecolonelcontinued.“Prettysoon,thetrenddisappeared.Theirlocations
becamerandomandvaried,withoutawatersourcenearby.”
“That’sbecausethey’lldrink anyfluid,”Eveadded.“Doesn’thavetobewater.
Wefoundchimerabloodintheirdigestivetract.”
“Good God—”
“Soyoureallyhave noideawheretheirlairis?”Eveasked.
“Thesignalsarerejectingallofourtrackingmethods.We’llkeeptrying.”
EveglancedtowardJason,onlytodiscoverthathewasgone.Hereyes
dartedfranticallyacrossthesectoruntilshefinallyspottedhimstandingbefore a holographic map, roughly ten feet tall and just as wide, covered in bright bluelights.Hewasstill,almosthypnotizedbytheprojection.
“That’samapofallthedissectionsites,”Eriksenexplained,makinghisway
toJason’sside.“Eachbluelightmarks—”
“Achimera,”Jasoninterjected.“Someoneyou’vesaved.”
Henodded.“You’llfindyourlightamongtherest.”
Jason’seyesscannedthemap,stoppingforamomentinfrontofananomaly
—asmall,redglow.
“Theredlight,”headded.“That’sMarshallWoodgate,isn’tit?”
Eriksenhesitated.“Theredlightrepresents—”
“Death.”
Theystoodinsilence:Jasonstaringatthelights,andEveandEriksen
staring at Jason. Finally, Eve noticed her surroundings; they had come full circle,andtheofficeswheretheyhadstartedwereonlyafewshortyardsaway.
Thecolonelimpatientlyclearedhisthroat.
“Look,you’veseentheShelter.Weaccommodatedyourdemands.Ithink
we’redonehere—”
“Who’sFairon?”Eveinterrupted.
Thecoloneltookastepback,startledbyherrandomfiring.“Excuseme?”
“IwanttoknowwhoFaironis.”
“Thatwasn’tpartofthetrade—”
“Thetradewasfor everything.Everythingyouknowinreturnforthebody.”
Eriksen’sbackstraightened,hisframevisiblytense.HegrabbedbothJason
andEvebytheirshouldersandforcedthemforward.
“Myoffice. Now.”
Jason and Eve charged ahead, goaded by Eriksen’s heavy hand and assertive demand.Heshovedthemintotheroomandlockedthedoorbehindhim.
Furstturnedinhischairandofferedthethreesometheslightest,most
unnaturalsmilehecouldhavepossiblymustered.“Backfromyourtour already?”heasked.“Well,Ihopeyoufoundeverythingyouwerelookingfor.”
“We’renotfinishedyet,”Evesnapped,shootingascathingglareatEriksen.
Thecolonel’spalewhitefacehadturnedadeepshadeofred.“Theywantto
knowaboutFairon.”
Furstexhaledsoftly,andhisbodysankintohischair.Heofferedthecolonel
aslightnod.
“Well,then,byallmeans,Colonel.Tellthem.”
Eriksenfaltered,hisentiredemeanorinaperceptiblestateofconflict.Hebit
athislip,butreluctantlysubmittedtothedean’sorders.
“Faironistheirleader.”
“Christ,”Jasonsighed.“Ofcoursethere’saleader.”
“WehaveyettofindanInterloperofhighercommand,”hecontinued.“He’s
uniqueinstrength,esteem,andappearance,thoughwe’renotsurehow.Butwe
knowhehaspowerovertheothers—immensepower.He’stheonetobeat.”
“Beathow?”Jasongrumbled.“Ifyoucan’ttakedown oneInterloper,howdo youexpecttodefeattheirkingpin?”
“Youofallpeopleshouldknowwhatwe’reupagainst,”Eriksenfiredback.
“TheInterlopersaren’tbeneathus.They’reanintelligentandcapablespecies
—aspeciesledbyacruel,calculatingleader.Thesooneryourealizethat,the
better.”
EveandJasonwerequiet.EriksenglancedbackatFurstbeforecontinuing.
“Look,he’sleadingtheirentiremissionatBillington.He’sorderingallofthe
dissections,andnow,apparently,thedeaths.”Hisvoicehadsuddenly
becomefirmandcommandingagain.“He’ssmarterthantherestandtwiceas
evil. The head of the beast, like a sick, twisted God for the rest of ’em to blindly obey. And they will obey him, without a second thought. We’ve been searchingforthatpieceofshitformonthsnow.Ifweget him,we’vegotthem allbytheballs.”
Andiftheydidn’tgethim,FaironwouldhaveEve,Jason,andtherestofthe
chimeraskilled.Butchered.Tornapart.Unless,ofcourse,thepatrolmenfound
awaytograbhimbytheproverbial balls.
DoInterlopersevenhaveballs?
“Howdidtheyfindme?”
Jasonbrokethesilence,interruptingEve’sthoughts.Hewasstaringoutthe
window,hiseyesfixedonsomethingoffinthedistance:theglowingmap.
Thecolonelfurrowedhisbrow.“’Scuseme?”
“Ididn’tevenknowIwasachimerauntiltheyabductedme.”Heturned
toward Eriksen and Furst, his jaw rigid with anger. “How did they know if I didn’t?”
Eriksenlookedaway,andforamoment,Evenoticedsomethingdifferent
abouthim—somethingweak.
“I said,howdidthey knowthat?”
Everecalledthemomentshefirstsawthecolonel.SheglancedatEriksen.
“‘ Faironhaseverything.’Yousaidthatinthemedicalward.”
“MissKingston,areyoustillfrettingoverthatconversation?”
“Whatdothey have,Furst?”Evehissed,glaringatthedean.“Thistime,you havetotellme.Youknowyoudo.”
Thefrictionintheroomwaspalpableandheated.Furstlookedupatthe
colonel,hiseyesbrimmingwithdefeat,andtookinalong,deepbreath.
“BillingtonUniversitydidn’tearnitsunprecedentedreputationwithout
reason,”hebegan.“Weonlyacceptthebestofthebest.Thus,itwasdetermined
earlyonthatweneededtoacquireasmuchrelevantinformationaboutour
candidates as possible. So we did just that: we gathered information. Every detailwecouldfindaboutourstudentsishereinouracademicdatabases.We
haveveryimportantrecords.Recordsthatcannotbetamperedwithwithout…
significantdamages.”
Eve’sstomachtwistedintoaknot.Shehadthemostawfulfeelingthathewas
abouttosaysomethingterrible,andsheprayedthatsomehowshewas
mistaken.
“Asyoubothknow,studentsarerequiredtoreportsomebasicmedical
historytoBillingtonuponadmission.Vaccinations,familyhistory,any
relevanthealthscares.It’sstandardprocedure.”Hefiddledwithhiscufflinksas iftoavoidhercuttingglare.“Butwhatourstudentsdonotrealizeisthatwedig muchdeeperthanthat.Pastillnesses.Bloodtests.Abnormalities.Wehaveour
medicalwardstudytheserecordsvigorously,andthuswewereableto determinewhichofourstudentswere,well…”Hestoppedforamoment,
finallymeetingEve’sgaze.“Unique.Exceptionallyhealthy—toohealthyfor
theaveragehumanbeing,whethertheyknewthisornot.”
“JesusChrist,”shesaid,finallyrealizingwhathewasimplying.“You
didn’t.”
“Wegeneratedalist,”hedeclared,hiswordsrazor-sharp.“Alistofallofour
chimerastudents.Everylastoneofthem.”Helookedbackatthecolonel,
who was standing, petrified, by his side. “This list is the most valuable asset thisinstitutionhadinitspossession.Now…itseemsasthoughtheInterlopers
havestolenit.”
“AREYOUOUTOFYOURDAMNMINDS? ”Jasonroared.“DOYOUHAVE
ANYIDEAWHATYOU’VEDONE? ”
“Howisthat possible?”Eveasked.“Howcouldtheyjusttakeitfromyou?”
“Itwasheavilyguardedandhighlysecure—”
“They stoleit!”Jasonbarked.“How securecouldithavebeen?”
“Wehavenoideahowtheywereabletolocateit—”
“You’reresponsible,doyouknowthat?”Jasonglaredatthedean,hisveins
bulgingfromhisneck.“Youhave bloodonyourhands.”
“Havethey”—Evestuttered,almosttoostunnedtospeak—“havetheyhadit
the wholetime?IsthatwhytheytargetedBillingtoninthefirstplace?”
Fursthesitated.“Itappearsso.”
“A list,” Jason snarled. “You compiled a goddamn list. How could you be so stupid?”
“We’rehandlingthematterasaggressivelyaspossible.Allweneedtodois
findthelist,destroyit,andmovepastthecharade.It’sallverymanageable—”
“They’re disguised as people, Furst,” Jason spat. “That’s why your cameras aren’tcatchingthem,that’swhythevictimsdon’tnoticetheir
attackers
beforehand. It’s because they look just like us. They can be anyone. They are everywhere.”
Furst’seyeswidened.“Areyoutellingmethey’remasqueradingas
humans?”
“I’mtellingyouthatyou’vescrewedupmorethanyoucan possibly
imagine.”
Evewasspeechless,herbodystiffandunmovingasidefromhershallow
breathing.Itwasn’ttrue,itcouldn’tbe—andyetnomatterhowmanytimesshe
told herself as much, she knew it was a lie. Furst and Eriksen looked at each other,theirfacesdrainedofallcolor.Withwhatlittlecomposurehehadleft,
FurstclearedhisthroatandturnedtowardEve.
“Ifwhatyou’retellingusistrue,thenit’sbestthatyouknowonelastthing
—”
“Dr.Furst—”
“It’sallright,Colonel,”thedeaninsisted.“Shedeservestoknow.”
“WhatdoIdeservetoknow?”Evegrumbled.
Silence.BothFurstandEriksenopenedtheirmouthstospeak,andyettheysaid
nothing. Eve thought back to her fight with the Interloper—his sinister sneer, hisexceptionalstrength,andthewordsheutteredtauntinglyinherear.
“TheInterloperthatattackedus,”shebegan.“HesaidIwasa greatprize.
ThathewasgoingtooffermetoFairon.”Shepaused.“Whatwashetalking
about?”
Stilltheroomwassilent.
“Answerme,Furst.”
Furstfiddledwithhisglasses,pushingthemupthebridgeofhisnose.“Ididn’t
thinkitnecessarytotellyou.Ihadnothingbutfaithinourpatrolmen.
But,afterthis…unforeseencomplication,Ifeelitneedstobesaid.”
“Oh,God,”Jasongrowled.“Howcouldthispossiblygetanyworse?”
Furst dipped his chin. “There was one additional note on the list. One key elementthatstoodoutfromtherest.”
Eveclosedhereyes.Sheknewexactlywhathewouldsaynext—itwas
almostasifshehadknownallalong.
“Itwasyou,MissKingston.Yournamewasthepinnacle.Itwasthemost
importantnameonthatlist,becauseitspecifiesyouaswhatyoualreadyknow
youare:thestrongestchimeraintheworld.”
“You sonofabitch—”Jasonhissed.
“Theyknow,MissKingston.AndIcanguaranteethey’vebeenwatching
