When she spoke, her cadence had changed. Instead of her usual wry drawl or warm excitement, the words were clipped, cool, enunciated almost to the point of parody.
She sounded like Birgitte Skovgaard, the TechCorps vice president who had raised her.
“I received the final psychological profiles of the Silver Devils,” she said, still staring at nothing. “Captain Garrett Knox troubles me. The way he executes his mission objectives shows … a certain kind of honor. Under normal circumstances, I’d suspect he might be sympathetic to our cause. But Protectorate Command trusts him, and there must be a reason for that. He may not show the same blatantly psychopathic tendencies as some of the other squad leaders, but that isn’t exactly a glowing character reference.
“As for his squad … Conall is brilliant, but eager to please. He’ll remain loyal to Knox as long as he receives positive reinforcement. The sniper, on the other hand, concerns me deeply. He’s an effective killer, so the Protectorate higher-ups protect him despite his antisocial personality, but I suspect his obedience is conditional and unreliable. The final two—”
Maya’s voice resumed its normal rhythm. “And then someone sneezed in the hallway, so Birgitte stopped. We didn’t usually talk about seditious activities in her office, but it was late and she wanted me to memorize the details of the report before she destroyed the hard copy.” The tapping resumed, and Maya’s gaze lost focus again, as if she was fast-forwarding in her mind.
“We talked about her meetings the next day. And then—” She swallowed hard, and her eyes tightened. “Simon came in to see if we were going back to the penthouse soon. Then he guarded the door so she could finish.”
Maya fell into Birgitte’s cadence once again. “The final two have potential. If it weren’t for their unfortunate association with Garrett Knox, I might have already approached one or both. Rafael Morales is charismatic and very popular, and not just with his peers. The staff and menial workers respect him and show signs of intense loyalty. In my experience, being beloved by the powerless can be an indication of strong moral fiber.
“James Mason, their medic, is the same—though there are fewer reports of him charming his way through the barracks. Rumor has it he uses his leisure time to assist at pop-up clinics in poor neighborhoods, directly contravening the Protectorate ban on moonlighting. He also gives free consultations to L-10 workers whose benefits packages don’t include medical treatments for their families. He clearly recognizes the flaws and abuses in our current system.
“Final analysis—there’s a strong case to be made for any man capable of winning over Morales and Mason. Garrett Knox could serve as a potential ally. It’s worth continuing to watch him. But his file shows plenty of red flags, and he’s been one of the sharpest weapons in the Protectorate’s arsenal. The fact that he accomplishes their aims without overt cruelty may simply make him a more insidious danger than we presumed. For now, I’m not willing to trust him with our secrets. This is a delicate time for our movement. We have to proceed with caution.”
Maya blinked and focused on Nina. “Then she burned the file, and we went home. I think she had watchers set on Knox, but if they discovered anything, they didn’t get it to her before … Before.”
Before Birgitte’s quiet revolution had been uncovered.
Before Birgitte had been killed for it.
Nina cleared her throat. “So what do you think?”
“The Silver Devils are legendary killers. Going on a road trip with them is a fairly shitty idea.” Maya shrugged. “But a wheelbarrow full of cash would solve a lot of our problems.”
“Agreed. All in favor?” Nina raised her right hand.
Maya copied her without hesitation.
After a moment, Dani holstered her pistol and followed suit, her head hanging low. “It’s a wild-goose chase,” she proclaimed. “And that’s the best-case scenario.”
“No, the best-case scenario is it’s real, and nobody in the neighborhood freezes to death this winter.” Maya shrugged. “Worst case? The dumbasses try to murder us in our sleep and get a real big surprise when they find out you and Nina don’t need any damn bodyguards.”
“Then it’s settled.” Nina engaged the locks once again, just to be safe, and leaned against the door. “We’ll get there early tonight, see if Clem’s heard anything about them. Fair enough?”
“Fair enough.” Dani shook her head. “It’s still a bad idea.”
Of course it was. That was the part that could make it so much fun.
* * *
TECHCORPS PROPRIETARY DATA, L2 SECURITY CLEARANCE
Recruit 66–615 continues to exceed expectations. If he outperforms the predicted benchmarks during his next evaluation, I recommend we waive the two-year oversight period and transfer him immediately to Protectorate training, preferably on the officer track.
Recruit Analysis, August 2061
* * *
THREE
Clementine’s was the kind of dive bar Knox had mostly seen in pre-Flare vids.
When their jobs required meetings of this sort, Knox usually sent Rafe. He slid into places like this like a knife into a perfectly oiled sheath, like he belonged. Knox, on the other hand, had never been able to look or act like anything but a soldier.
He still couldn’t. The second they stepped across the threshold, gazes swung toward them. Knox slouched his shoulders and deepened his scowl, but it didn’t help. Eyes began to narrow in suspicion as the chatter closest to the door halted.
Rafe swaggered into the sudden silence, slapped a crinkled handful of cash on the counter, and laid his most charming smile on the aging bartender. “Got anything that bites back there?”
Her weathered cheeks turned pink under her white-streaked ginger hair, but she frowned as she slammed a fresh glass down on the counter. “Just my shotgun.”
“A girl after my own heart.”
The bartender’s frown wouldn’t last long. They never did. Rafe had a knack for understanding what made people tick, a knack that had brought them to this dark, cramped little bar packed with obvious criminals.
He’d been the one to coach Knox on how to approach Nina. No one in this business comes in on the level, so tell a little lie first. The one you want them to catch. Then, when they think they have you on the ropes, lie with the truth.
Vaguely, through layers of ruthless pragmatism, Knox could remember disliking deception. When he’d been all shiny and new, fresh off the supersoldier assembly line and convinced you could fight evil with good.
Evil wasn’t afraid of good. Because good people always expected evil to play by the rules, and by the time they realized the game had changed, evil had won.
Knox was only interested in one game now, and Conall’s unusually subdued presence next to him was motivation enough. The muscle cramp that had seized their tech just before they left hadn’t incapacitated him, but it was a useful reminder.
When the Protectorate had withheld treatment from Mace, the team’s medic, to educate them on the importance of obedience, his downward spiral had started with muscle cramps, too.
Gray nudged Knox with his elbow. “Back left corner.”