Cissy stares at me for a long minute, and then shakes her head. “Wow. You might be growing up a little, Myla Lewis.”
I set my pointer finger across my lips into a shh face. “Don’t tell anyone. I’m not even twenty yet. I don’t want to lose my immature rep.” I sit back on the edge of the bed, careful to stay far away from my tail’s smears of Grotus slime. “Sorry about interrupting your list. We only got through your first item.”
Cissy sits back down and pulls up her clipboard again. “No worries. We had to speak to the doctor anyway.” She scans the document before her. “The second item is that, actually, not everyone thinks you’re dead.”
“I thought we established the opposite was true.”
“Nope, in fact, there is one person who is totally aware that you’re alive and in need of aid.”
A sinking sensation moves down my insides. I can guess where this is going. “Who came here with you?”
The door swings open once again. This time, Cissy’s boyfriend Zeke swaggers into the room. “Hello, kittens. Miss me?”
Zeke looks like he always does: pale skin, chiseled bone structure, blond hair, brown eyes, and a monkey tail. Today, he’s working a preppy killer vibe with his khaki pants and commando vest. I’ve known Zeke since grade school. We used to have this sick love-triangle thing going where Cissy loved Zeke, but Zeke wanted to get my attention. I can’t say that he loved me so much as thought I was an interesting conquest. Anyway, he finally noticed Cissy and learned about love with a capital L. For some reason, I still have issues with the two of them thinking I’m carrying a torch for Zeke.
Cissy rolls her eyes. “Zeke, I said to wait outside until I was done briefing Myla. She’s not dressed, you know.”
Zeke gestures at the door, game show host style . “Oh, I was listening at the door, and I thought you’d gotten to the part where Myla would get excited that I came along to help. I run the Senatorial Guard now, after all.” He looks over to me. “But you knew that, didn’t you?”
“Yup.”
“Zeke,” warns Cissy. “Go back outside please. You and Myla have a history.”
Oh, no. Here it comes. The couple I like to jointly call Cis-eke have been convinced that I’ve been in love with the Zeke side of the relationship for ages. It’s really getting on my nerves.
I flash my ring finger. “I’m married, in case you two didn’t notice. Can we please move past this whole ‘Myla is carrying a torch for Zeke’ thing now?”
“Oh, I finally figured that out,” says Cissy. “I know you don’t like Zeke.”
“You do?” I ask.
“She does?” adds Zeke.
“Obviously.” Cissy rolls her eyes. “Myla, I’m much more worried that you hate him.”
Zeke’s features turn slack. “Myla hates me?”
“It’s not that she hates you, babe.” Cissy bobs her head, which is her way of thinking how to position something. “It’s more that she thinks you’re a mindless lust monkey who will be of absolutely no value on this mission.”
I let out a low whistle. “Way to lay it out there, Cis.”
Zeke leans against the closed door. It’s as if his legs have turned all wobbly. His big brown eyes lock with mine. “You don’t really think I’m a mindless lust monkey, do you?”
I stare at Zeke for a long moment. There could actually be a strategic advantage to having Zeke along. It’s true that he’s part lust demon, just like me. I’ve rarely use my lust powers to influence others, even in a battle. But Zeke? I’ve seen him throw his lust mojo around, big time. For example, when he wants a bunch of quasi-demon girls to surround his lunch table, Zeke can make it happen in a heartbeat. He hasn’t used that lust power since he met Cissy, but that doesn’t mean the skill isn’t useful, especially on humans. They’re way susceptible to demonic influence.
“Let me put it to you this way…” I start.
“Don’t say it.” Zeke kicks at the floor. “You’ll just make me feel bad.”
“No,” I counter. “What I was about to say was that I think you’ll be a key part of this rescue mission.”
Zeke perks right up and gives me a million-watt smile. “Exactly. Cissy told me all about how Lincoln was taken. We’ll go in guns-a-blazing and set him free.”
Cissy makes her eek face. “No guns, honey.”
“Then what?” asks Zeke.
“First things first,” I say. “Before we attack anyone, we need to find out exactly where Lincoln is. He’s definitely in one of Ethan’s labs on Earth, and if I know my Cissy, she’s probably already found a nearby lab that we can check out.”
Cissy reopens her laptop and points at the screen. “That’s item number three. Hunter Enterprises has a super-suspicious-looking lab right in Times Square. And with the Touch The Tech Event coming up, all their regular personnel are at the airport, manning some kind of expo tent. The place is pretty much deserted.”
“Right.” I shoot Zeke with my finger gun. “And that’s where you come in.”
“I do?”
“Sure. I need to sneak in there and look around. And to do that, I need a distraction. Your powers of lust mind control are extraordinary.” That’s a bit of a lie—I’ve seen true lust mind control at work with Dyad demons, who are Class A level when it comes to mental influence through lust. Still, it can’t hurt to prop up Zeke’s confidence.
“Extraordinary?” echoes Zeke.
“Sure,” I say. “When we go to the lab, you’ll be able to control the humans, so I can check out the building.”
Zeke kicks at the floor again. “Mind control is really hard. All I do influence a little, and that’s tough enough.”
“But we’re talking about humans here, not quasis,” says Cissy. “I bet it will super-easy.”
“I don’t know.” Zeke fiddles with a pocket on his commando jacket. “I thought we’d get guns. We can’t use munitions in Purgatory.”
My mouth forms a little O. So that’s what this is about. Guns don’t work reliably in the after-realms. It’s got something to do with the concentration of supernatural beings and magic. Zeke came here to play cowboy. In fact, I bet that pocket he’s fiddling with is made for ammo or something.
I decide to go for broke. I’ve known Zeke since the third grade. Sure, he may want to play with deadly toys, but he’s totally got a soft spot for folks in trouble. While gripping my hands under my chin, I bat my eyelashes shamelessly. “Please, Zeke. I need your help. And not with guns, with human minds.”
Zeke straightens his stance. “Of course, Myla. Whatever you need.”
Cissy winks in Zeke’s direction. “Thanks, hun.”
He puffs out his chest. “I’ll be glad to assist.”
I return my focus to Cissy. “What else is on your list?”
“That was everything.” After closing her laptop, Cissy resets it into her bag. “Do you want to sleep some more? I know this has been a trying time.”
“Nope, I want to get showered, changed, and out of here.”
An image returns to my mind: Lincoln screaming and thrashing while being tied down. The look of terror in his eyes sets fresh adrenaline pumping through my veins.
And one of those laboratories is a short cab ride away.
I am going to find him.
Chapter Twelve
Thirty minutes later, Cissy, Zeke, and I are riding in a cab. It pulls up to a street corner in Times Square. A chill moves over my skin as I stare out the window.
Wow.
I’ve never seen anything like Times Square. The place is filled with tall buildings and even bigger TV screens. Nothing looks worn down or crappy, like it always does in Purgatory. And the images on these huge monitors are nothing less than amazing. One shows a guy swimming. On another, a model struts down a runway with a sour look on her face. What’s she got to be sad about? She’s a model on a runway.
The cabbie twists about to face us. “This is as close as you get,” she says. Our driver reminds me of an old hound dog
, what with her brown hair, long jowls, and big eyes. “You better get out fast,” she adds. “I don’t want a ticket.”
Cissy pays the cab using this built-in credit card machine thing. I shake my head in awe. This cab is more tricked out than the house I grew up in.
I scooch my way out of the cab and onto the sidewalk. People stream in every direction. The scent of hotdogs and drain water fills the air. Some of the residents have demons on them, just like the doc back at the hospital. I spot a business guy with a Greed Tic sucking on his cheek. The thing is as big as my palm and G-R-O-double-S. A small pink Vanity Monkey sits on the shoulder of an older woman. Those things look cute, but they have pointed tails that jab into vertebrae, giving their host no end of back pain.
Cissy pulls me against a building. “You’re not going to kill all those demons, are you?”
“No way.”
She scrunches up her mouth. “Why should I believe you?”
“Those are summoned demons.”
“In English please?” Unlike me, Cissy never took a deep interest in the demonic. I’m always explaining things to her. Difference is, this time she actually wants me to go on about this stuff. Mostly, I just talk, and I’m pretty sure she only pretends to listen.
“The humans summon those demons to them by the way they act. Even if I killed the demon, another one would take its place.”
Cissy tilts her head. “And you’ve totally killed these kind of demons before.”
“That too.” Cissy knows my system. I hoard new demon kills the way she hoards shoes.
Zeke pops his head over Cissy’s shoulder. “Are we sharing secrets?”
“As a matter of fact, we are,” I answer. “Cissy was just about to share which one of these building houses the lab.”
Cissy points at a huge screen. “There.”
“Inside the screens?” asks Zeke with a smirk. He’s moved to stand behind Cissy with his arms wrapped around her waist. They look cute and happy, which makes my chest hurt a little.
Focus, Myla. You’re here for Lincoln.
“Not inside the screens.” Cissy chuckles. “Inside one of the office buildings behind them.”
I stop being amazed by all the moving pictures enough to really focus on the content of what the screens are showing.
And it’s everything Hunter Enterprises.
The guy swims in a pool. Through the churning water, I can make out the H-E Gymnasium logo on the wall behind him. The models are showing off the latest from the Hunter Enterprises fashion division. Another screen shows live images of their blimp hovering over LaGuardia.
“Hunter Enterprises is running everything,” I say.
Cissy frowns. “Do you mean they’re behind the demons on all the humans?”
“No. Trust me, those type of demons have been clinging on to humans for a long time without any help from Ethan. I meant something else. Look at these screens. Ethan’s company has really infiltrated human life. That’s not right. Thrax are supposed to keep a low profile.”
“I never thought about it that way,” says Cissy. “I mean, I’ve seen reports about Ethan’s company, but I figured it was no big deal.”
“And another thing.” I point to each of the vid screens in turn. “That guy who’s swimming underwater? He has ventilator disk in his mouth. It’s black metal. And those models? They’re all wearing jewelry made from black metal, too.”
“What does that mean?” asks Zeke.
“Ethan makes things out of black metal,” says Cissy.
Zeke shrugs. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“His inventions are more than metal,” I say. “Ethan infuses them with black magic.”
Zeke’s eyes widen. “You mean, the stuff that runs on soul power?”
“Yes, that’s the stuff.” It’s an effort to get those words out. “He’s had hundreds of so-called followers who have disappeared. And the thrax warriors we send never return either. We think he’s draining their souls of angelic power.” My voice lowers. “At this moment, Ethan’s trying to drain Lincoln’s soul, too.”
The images on the main vid screen change. The blimp disappears, and the words “Hunter Enterprises Military” flashes across the massive monitor. Glamour shots of Razor Guards flash across the screens while text scrolls along the bottom: “At Hunter Enterprises Military, we’re creating the next legion of warriors. Smart. Strong. Pure leaders.” After that, the screens show various tanks and planes, all made from the same black metal. “Our soldiers will be armed with the best technology.”
Next the screen shows a smiling guy getting strapped down to a table by folks in hazmat suits. The dumb dude is grinning from ear to ear.
All the warmth drains from my body. I’ve seen that table before. It’s just like the one Lincoln was being tied to in my last mirror vision.
More text scrolls by: “But to create the perfect warriors and technology, we sometimes need volunteers.”
My breath catches. “The perfect warriors and technology.” Riiiiiiiiight. All this PR crap is just so Ethan can cover his ass is anyone sees what he’s doing to the thrax he captures. A pang of worry moves across my chest. Thrax like my Lincoln.
Cissy pulls at my elbow. “We need to go, Myla.”
I stay glued to the spot as I watch the giant vid screen. “This is what I’ve seen in my visions. Lincoln’s in one of those labs.”
Now Zeke steps in at my opposite elbow. “And if we’re going to help him, we have to go.”
Finally, I snap out of my stupor. Along with Cissy and Zeke, I move through the crowd to a set of revolving doors. The words “Hunter Enterprises, Research Division” are written on the front of the building. My mouth winds into an evil grin.
I can’t wait to get inside this research building. In my mind, I picture myself as a secret agent, searching through the lab with maximum stealth until I get what I need or move on. Hey, I might even get my hands on a new sword for the occasion. A katana would be cool—those things are massive. And if this lab doesn’t hold the answers I seek, I could trot across the rooftops and break into another building or two. I close my eyes and savor that image.
This is going to work.
Whatever it takes, I’ll find my guy and set him free.
Chapter Thirteen
As I step into the lobby of the Hunter Enterprises Research Building, it feels like I’m boarding a spaceship. That, or I’m becoming trapped inside some massive egg pod from the future. Everything here is curvy and made from white plastic. A receptionist sits behind her oblong desk. Other than that, there are no chairs, tables, or even other people hanging around.
Zeke, Cissy, and I step across the lobby floor. Actually, we do more of a squeak-walk, considering the way the plastic flooring sticks to our shoes.
Weird.
The receptionist looks up as we approach. “Thank you for visiting the Research Division of Hunter Enterprises,” she says smoothly. “I’m Albinia. How can I help you?”
My brows lift. Albinia is a good name for this chick. She’s short and petite with white-blonde hair and blue eyes that are so pale they might pass for white as well. Her porcelain skin perfectly matches her eggshell-colored pantsuit. For some reason, a set of black binoculars hangs from a cord around her neck.
More weirdness.
“We’re here for our tour,” explains Cissy. We’d planned this scam on the cab ride over. Basically, the three of us would say we’d scheduled a tour of the facilities to fake our way in. And if that doesn’t work? We have a plan B.
Albinia sets the binoculars to her face. Up close, I can see all the gears and knobs along the side. She twists a few dials and scans the dark ledger before her. I stand on tiptoe for a better look at the book in question. The ledger appears to be nothing but black sheets of paper. Interesting. Those binoculars are made of the same black metal with tiny runes that I’ve seen before. More black magic, only this time, the supernatural power makes it possible to see the writing on the ledger.
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br /> At length, Albinia lowers her binoculars and addresses us once more. “You don’t have an appointment. You need to leave.”
“Are you sure?” I ask sweetly. “I bet if you check again, you’ll find us.”
“I’m not checking again.” Albinia closes the ledger with a slam. “We’re short staffed today. I have no time for this.”
Ouch.
For a young chick, she sure has that anger thing down pat.
While Albinia glares at the three of us, Cissy and I share a pointed look of our own. There’s no need for us to discuss next steps. It’s obvious what must happen.
Plan B.
Cissy turns to her boyfriend. “Didn’t you set up the tour, Zeke?”
“What?” he asks.
I elbow him gently in the ribs. “I bet if you focus really, really hard on Albinia here, you could help her remember that we have a tour today.”
Translation: start working your lust mojo, buddy.
“I get it.” Zeke turns to face Albinia. When he next speaks, Zeke’s voice is all whiskey-rough and enticing. Well, to other people it would be. “Albinia, yes?”
Zeke doesn’t wait for her to reply, he just gestures at the black ledger. “My friend here is right. If you look again, I’m sure you’ll see our appointment for today.”
But Albinia doesn’t say a word. She doesn’t move to look at the ledger, either. Instead, her gaze stays locked on Zeke in what can only be called a look of pure adoration. In fact, if this were a cartoon, there’d be little hearts popping up around Albinia’s head at this point.
Hoo-Wee. That lust demon mojo sure works fast.
To his credit, Zeke is working his powers like a pro. He’s all Mister Handsome McHunky as he leans over the reception desk. He’s got a point and he’s not dropping it. “Did you say there’s no appointment? Again, I bet you could squeeze us in for a little tour, even if we aren’t on the books.”
A dreamy look takes over Albinia’s face. “Maybe I could do…something.”
I lean in closer to Zeke and whisper out of one side of my mouth. “Way to work it, supermodel.”
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