“Are you a member of the Emporium?” Neither Ava’s voice nor her gravestone eyes showed emotion, but I knew her well enough not to be fooled by the casual tone.
The woman looked between Ava and Dimitri again and slowly shook her head back and forth. “After what they did to me? Not a chance.”
“But you were.” Dimitri this time.
“If you’re asking me if I ever believed in their goals, then, yes, I did. But as long as Delia Vesey controls the Triad, their stated goal of utopia for all Unbounded is nothing more than everyone bowing down to her.” Her laugh was low and evocative. “Please tell me you don’t work for her.”
“We already said we freed you,” Dimitri answered.
He continued talking to her, but my attention was distracted by Ava’s mental nudge. I let her in.
Are you getting anything?
she asked.
No, and I’ve been trying since she opened her eyes. I can get inside her mind, and I see the sand stream, but I can’t understand any of the thoughts. It’s really odd.
Her life force glows brightly. She’s not even trying to block. Why don’t you come in here and see if that makes a difference? Bring that robe on the counter.
Proximity did make a difference in our sensing ability, as did actually touching someone, but my ability had grown so much that neither was usually necessary.
All right, but it may be related to her ability.
We’d taken bets as to what her ability might be. Jace’s guess was pheromone manipulation, where the person emitted pheromones that made them incredibly attractive to others. An obvious guess considering her reputation—if she was the former actress we’d identified her to be—but I hadn’t felt any of that from her so far. And I knew exactly what it felt like to be controlled and manipulated through pheromones. It was a weak ability because most people could resist once they understood what was happening, but often great damage was done before that point.
“Ava wants me,” I said to the others. As I passed Ritter, his hand lifted slightly, brushing against me. Warmth spread through my limbs to my extremities. I smiled, feeling rather full of pheromones myself.
Dimitri’s voice broke off as I entered. The woman’s gaze went between me and Ava, obviously noting a family resemblance in our faces as well as our matching gray eyes and blond hair. I was thirty-one, and at three hundred, Ava was physically six years older, but she could easily pass for near my age.
“My granddaughter,” Ava said.
Fourth great-granddaughter, to be exact, but I didn’t care to make the distinction. “Hello, Norma Jeane,” I said. Up close, she looked even more like the Internet pictures of the actress, complete with the facial mole on her left cheek. Not a scar that her Unbounded genes would have eliminated, but something programed into her genetic signature.
The woman laughed. “Oh, wow, yeah. That’s not really my name, you know. I mean, it was for a time.”
“What is your name then?” I asked, shaking out the soft white robe in my hands.
“You can call me Jeane. Jeane Baker. I always liked that name.”
“Well, there’s a shower back there.” I motioned to the door behind her. “We have some clothes ready for you. I’m sure you’ll be glad to get out of that gunk.”
She laughed again. “I actually kind of like it.” She slid a hand through the curequick, rubbing it up over her arm and down her breasts. “You have to admit, it gives you quite a buzz.”
I reached for her. “Yes, but that means you’re already at risk of being addicted.”
She sighed and placed one hand in mine and the other on Dimitri’s broad shoulder. I pushed mentally at her mind as we touched, but still I saw nothing except the sand stream full of thoughts I couldn’t read.
Nothing,
I told Ava as I helped Jeane put on the robe.
It’s as if my ability simply won’t work on her.
Ava gasped so softly I thought I was imagining it. Dimitri’s dark eyes shot toward her, but neither of them spoke as Jeane disappeared inside the bathroom. Then Ava led the way out of the glass room, shutting the soundproof door behind her.
“She’s a null,” Ava announced, as everyone gathered around us. “Or at least I’m pretty sure of it.”
Dimitri blinked. “That would explain a lot. Or at least why you two couldn’t see her unconscious thoughts—”
“Or her conscious ones,” Ava put in.
“—and why I couldn’t use my ability to help her heal faster.” He sighed. “That’s going to make it tough to learn where she’s really from.”
“Uh, what’s a null?” Jace asked, echoing my own thoughts.
Ava turned toward him. “It’s an Unbounded ability that renders other abilities useless.”
“So she’s using her ability against us?” I asked.
Ava shook her head. “Abilities won’t work on a null at any time, even if they aren’t purposefully using their ability. If Jeane were exerting effort, anyone within her range couldn’t use their ability.”
“You mean you and I couldn’t have been communicating?” I found that hard to believe.
“That’s exactly what I mean.” Ava sat on the edge of a desk that abutted the wall.
“Can they target it?” I could just imagine a battle where the Emporium had a null with them that could weaken our strongest fighters. A massacre wouldn’t begin to describe the ending of that scenario.
“Some can.” Ritter pulled a chair from the desk and straddled it backwards, laying his arms on the backrest.
“How far is their range?” I hated the idea that Jeane—or anyone—could limit my sensing just by being near me.
The others shook their heads, as if no one wanted to risk a guess, and then Cort said, “It’s one of those less common abilities. Range should vary with the strength of the individual.”
“There’s a null with the Renegades in Italy.” Stella folded her arms over her stomach in a gesture that had become familiar since her miscarriage. “I’ll put out a call. But Jeane showing up here now worries me, especially in light of our discovery in Austin.”
“Why don’t we discuss that now?” Ava said. “We can fill in the rest of our group later.”
More chairs scraped the tile as people retrieved them from the corners of the room and brought them over. When we were settled, Ava looked at Stella. “Want to give them a rundown? I haven’t read all the documents yet, not like you have.”
“The short version, please,” I said with a half smile in Stella’s direction. I’d photographed the documents, and I knew it would take days for me to read and understand them. Even channeling her ability, I couldn’t digest electronic documents the way she could.
“And use short words,” added Jace. Mari giggled at that while Ritter gave him a hard stare.
Stella winked at Jace. “I’ll try. Mr. Desoto has several US defense contracts. He also has been secretly supplying Iran with plutonium. Everyone’s heard the rumors about Iran, and apparently the fact that they have weapons-grade plutonium is true. Desoto has partnered with the Emporium, and they now have controlling shares in all Desoto’s companies, as well as several other companies who hold defense contracts.”
“Once it gets out,” Dimitri said, “about Iran having plutonium, those companies will make billions.”
“Only one thing could make them more money than the threat of war,” Ritter said, his voice nearly a growl. “And that’s war itself.”
“Exactly.” Stella nodded, her dark eyes angry but her voice still calm. “And that’s why what we discovered tonight isn’t as surprising as it might seem on the outside. Desoto plans not only to supply more plutonium to Iran but has also agreed to help them use it on a target.”
“That’s crazy!” This from Jace, but the same thought radiated from everyone present.
“It is crazy,” Stella said. “Because they know that America and the other nations can’t sit back and do nothing. That’s why the plan is for Iran not to use the weapons themselves, but to set up a rebel faction of terrorists to take the blame.”
“They’re going to wipe out Israel,” Cort guessed.
Stella nodded. “Israel and several US targets in Iraq.”
No one said anything for long moments, staring at each other with a mixture of dismay and disbelief. We knew the Emporium cared little for mortal lives except for the comfort they could lend to their supposed godhood, but this seemed to go beyond anything they’d ever planned.
Ava stood up from the desk. “We can see that despite their failure in New York with our new president, the Emporium is gearing up to enact their ultimate plan to reveal their nature to the mortal world. If they succeed in Israel and Iraq, many people will die, including Americans living in the regions and the soldiers we’re bound to send later. There will no doubt be a lot of political changes here that we can only begin to imagine. I’m sure they’ve had this in the works for decades. This war must be their ultimate goal, but it’s possible that our upheaval of their plan to place one of their own in the presidency has pushed up their schedule. That means they haven’t had time to prepare for everything, and that’s where we come in. We have to make sure they don’t succeed.”
We all nodded our agreement, a feeling of determination taking over the incredulity in the room.
“Stella,” Ava continued, “I want you to set up a conference with our allies via satellite. We’ll need their take on what to do, as well as intel on any operatives they have in the area. I know you’ve been up all night, but I’ll need you to transmit the documentation as well so they’ll be prepared for our powwow.”
“I slept enough on the plane.” Stella opened her computer bag and pulled out her neural headset, switching on the Wi-Fi that would connect her with her ultra state-of-the-art computer system in the conference room.
“I’ll also put in a call to President Mann. If the Emporium has people they plan to move into place with this action, maybe with his help we can block them.” She gave a long sigh. “Cort and Jace, I need you to keep an eye on Jeane for a while until I send up Marco and George. You can take her to the room we’ve prepared, but don’t let her have free reign of the Fortress just yet.”
Her eyes fell on me and Ritter. “Why don’t you two get cleaned up? Grab a catnap if you need one and meet up in the conference room in two hours. By then I will have talked to our allies, and we should have more of an idea of what we need to do.”
Ritter and I left the room together, heading for the stairs, the threat of nuclear war feeling like a burden on my shoulders. “I can’t believe the Emporium is starting a war,” I murmured. “I mean, this isn’t just us they’re fighting, and it won’t be only a few random victims. They’ll be killing thousands and thousands of people.”
Ritter stopped and turned toward me, his face grave. “Millions actually. But war is big money, and the Emporium never has cared about mortal lives. They’ve had a hand in every war I’ve ever seen. It’s exactly what I’d do in their place.”
A chill rippled through me. If the Emporium cared so little for human life, what atrocities would America suffer if the Emporium Triad managed a takeover?
“They couldn’t do it if the Iranians weren’t on board,” I said.
Ritter nodded, the muscles in his jaw clenching and unclenching. I knew he felt the same helplessness I did at the situation—and neither of us did helpless well. “Iran’s hatred of Israel runs so deep that it’s amazing they haven’t done anything before now. And whatever Iran manages to do against the US in Iraq will make Iraq that much weaker for a takeover later. Even if it doesn’t work out, I can see why the Emporium is willing to take the risk. Either way, they’ll get big money. We’re talking trillions.”
I had to admit that it sounded logical. Hateful, immoral, and evil but still logical. Give certain Iranians plutonium and encouragement and they would be the perfect pawns. Even with their influence, the Emporium didn’t have enough power yet to stand a chance of inciting countries like France, England, Germany, or Russia to acts of war. But Iran, with its holy wars, unstable regime, and splintered terrorist groups? Yes, it was perfect.
“We can’t let them win,” I said. “I only wonder how far we’ll have to go to stop them.”
He gave me a smile that showed regret. “As far as we have to.”
He was right.
Ritter’s eyes ran over me. “Uh, they don’t need us for two hours. Are you really going to take a nap?”
I knew what he wanted—I could feel the energy flowing from him. My own exhaustion vanished at his thoughts. “I’ll race you,” I said.
Minutes later we were down in the training room, stripped down to tank tops and shorts, our escrima sticks flying and sweat dripping from our bodies. Ritter was deadly beauty in motion, and channeling his ability, I was almost a match for him. I didn’t always borrow his ability during our training sessions, though, because he wouldn’t be there at every operation I participated in. I was determined to hold my own.
Even with his ability, I seemed to tire more easily than usual, just as I had after the fight in Austin. What was wrong with me?
At last, Ritter succeeded in tripping me, and I grabbed him so we fell together onto the mat. He covered me with his weight, and the desire that was always burning inside both of us when we were together leapt to full flame. I drank in his emotion and sent my own back to him as I wrapped my arms around his torso and brought my lips to his.
“Mmm,” he said, kissing me back until every inch of my body cried out for him. “That’s even better.”
“Well, in Austin, you said I owed you. Consider this”—I kissed him hard and long—“your payment.”
“I thought you didn’t hear.”
I laughed. “I always hear.” I kissed him again for good measure.
“So everything’s set. Two weeks, right?”
“Last I heard.” I knew he was counting down the minutes until our relationship was official. Ritter hadn’t wanted to wait to get married, but my Change had already ripped everything familiar from my mother’s life, and I couldn’t deprive her of planning and attending her only daughter’s wedding. Cort, who was licensed in at least twenty-five countries to perform marriages, would be conducting ours at the little church my mother had arranged in Portland.
Rolling us over until we lay side by side, Ritter propped his head up on his elbow, frowning. “You don’t sound too excited.”