Allie's War Season Three (62 page)

I sighed again, clicking. "What do you think? Is Ditrini running this for her?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course he is."

"What names is he targeting?"

"I only heard two for certain. Your human ex-lover, Jaden...and someone named Angeline." He paused then. "And an aunt of yours, I think..."

I fought the reaction off my face. "Is he going there personally?"

"Yes. Did you think he wouldn't be?"

I ignored the harder look on his face. "How were they planning on informing me?" I said. "And when? Is this a ransom-type thing?"

"No." He shook his head, but his voice sounded less certain. "Well...I don't think so. I know they ran tests with your blood to determine if the virus would kill you if you entered any of the contaminated zones..." He smiled faintly, tipping his head towards me again, a parody of that gesture of respect. "I am pleased to inform you that you are entirely immune to the disease, Esteemed Bridge...from what our scientists have been able to determine."

"How sure is that?" I said.

He sighed, his voice growing more serious.

"Pretty damned sure, Allie. They've had the whole medical team in the City working on that since news of the disease first hit the feeds. They must have had the op more than half-planned before then, and then altered the timeline to account for the spread of the illness. They flew seers out for samples, pulled the frozen blood they had for you out of lockdown...and you can imagine how much Voi Pai hated wasting even a drop of that, given how valuable it is. They didn't want to risk killing you in the course of the extraction..."

"Then extraction is their goal?"

He rolled his eyes again. "Of course it's their goal. Gods, Alyson..."

"Voi Pai had sold me before," I said, my voice sharpening involuntarily that time. At his harder look, I tried to control my expression, giving another one-handed shrug. "Clearly, holding on to me wasn't such a priority for her in the past..."

"That wasn't her choice," he said.

"It wasn't?"

He studied my eyes briefly, then smiled, giving me a small nod. "You know it wasn't. Good. So I don't have to explain that, either...or why you killing that Wvercian was such a mess."

Clicking softly, I met his gaze.

"So?" I said. "What changed? Are you telling me this Shadow person revoked his claim on the debt owed him by the Lao Hu?"

"They made some kind of new deal..." He glanced at the window again, frowning.

"Yeah," I sighed, glancing at the same window. "I get it. They want the Sword."

He smiled, inclining his head again. "There's no accounting for taste, Esteemed Bridge."

"Who is he, Surli?" I said. "This Shadow." I leaned over the table, my fingers splayed once more on the metal. "Do you know? Why is Voi Pai, of all people, afraid of him?"

Surli shrugged, but I saw a cagier look flit briefly across his eyes.

"I don't know if his exact identity matters," he said after another pause. Glancing up, he seemed to read my expression and sighed. "Allie, look...whoever the exact players in that group, they're well-connected. They're playing a long game, too. They've got people in the different human governments, in key industries across all of the major continents...from what I know, they've locked down a lot of the major resources. Water. Fuel. Food. Voi Pai can't afford to piss them off...she really can't. Supposedly they have more influence with the Chinese government than she does. And anyway, she needs them. She's pretty sure anyone who hopes to survive the Displacement will need them in not too long a time..."

"So that's what they're waiting for?" I said, irritated. "Is that what all of this scheming is about? Because they think the Displacement is coming?"

"Not coming, Allie," Surli said, meeting my gaze. "They think it's here. In fact, they're not trying to
plan
for it at all...at least not the way you mean. They're trying to bring it themselves, on their own terms. They're trying to control it. They want to stack the deck to make sure they have a say in who survives..."

Exhaling in a sigh, he adjusted his weight on the chair, moving his arms in such a way that made it pretty clear they were sore from being locked in the same position for too long.

"...There are those in the Lao Hu who don't like this, of course," he added. "They think this Shadow person is trying to subvert the Displacement...to make it so the humans won't evolve. From what I hear, this Shadow guy isn't big on letting things happen by chance..."

"So why not
help
them evolve?" I said. "Why try to pull me and Revik out of the game altogether? Why not approach us directly?" I felt my jaw hardening, even as I made a flowing gesture across the table. "Hell...why not just hole themselves up in bunkers with all of their resources? Leave us in peace? They would still survive..."

"Because evolution is messy, Allie," Surli said, smiling wanly. "...And frankly, so are you. What exactly has gone smooth since you and your mate hit the public scene? Can you think of anything? Because not many others can..." He sighed again, clicking. "I said there are those in the Lao Hu who think what they are doing is wrong...that it is sacrilege. Perhaps you didn't catch the implication there, but I meant also that there are those who agree with them..."

I nodded, feeling a kind of sigh in my chest, too.

"So?" I said. "What would you do, if you were me?" When his eyes sharpened, turning towards mine again, I made another flowing gesture. "...You clearly came here to warn me, and I thank you for that, I really do. But that means you think there is some course of action I should or should not take....what is it?"

Surli nodded, again glancing at the one-way window.

"Yes, Allie...there is." His eyes grew stern. "Do not go to California. No matter what they tell you. No matter what or who they threaten you with, do not go. Of course it is a trap, you know that. But know this also...it is one you will not be able to foil. They are setting you up, and not only in terms of the extraction. Whether in San Francisco, or in South America, it is not only the Lao Hu you will be fighting...and anyone you think you are saving will only die anyway." He glanced at the one way window again, his eyes hard. "...Even if you bring him along. Even if you bring that Adhipan. Even if all of you go, they will be ready for you."

I bit my lip, then forced another exhale.

"Sounds awfully dire," I acknowledged.

His eyes narrowed. "You can't possibly think this is theatrics?"

"What do you care, if I want to try?" I gestured again, fighting an irrational rush of emotion. "...From what you say, they'll come after us, either way. Why not there? What difference does it make? Won't we die anyway?"

"Not necessarily..."

"But you just said sacrifices will be made," I said, hearing the anger in my own voice. "Why must they all be in one direction?"

"We cannot afford to lose
you,
Alyson." Surli said, raising his voice. "Damn it, you can't afford to be selfish about this! Not all of us want to see the end of the human cycle take place without any hope of our cousins transcending their current state! Not all of us wish to see the humans who least desire elevation be the
only
ones to survive to the next life cycle..."

"So you are saying there is no way to beat them?" I said, feeling my jaw harden more. "You're saying we can't get there first? That I should just remain here, safe and warm, and let them take hostages when we might be able to prevent it?"

His eyes hardened still more.

"I am saying that you will need to be able to sacrifice whatever they think you will not sacrifice," he said, hammering the words. "I am saying you must prove them
wrong,
Allie. You must find some way to accept that a lot of humans will die, no matter what you do...that you cannot save them all. Nor can you afford to be sentimental about which ones you save. You need to stay in New York, where it is safe..."

"And if the losses are unacceptable to me?" I said. "What if those particular humans are needed for other reasons? For reasons other than my 'sentiment'?"

"Then you will have to find another way, Allie. Because that way is closed." His eyes grew shrewd as they studied mine. "I know you are recruiting...there is intelligence on that, too. Some leak in this building, something about lists...you had a traitor here, feeding information, did you know that?"

My jaw tightened. "What are you talking about?"

"Everyone knows about the lists, Alyson."

"Everyone? Everyone who? Do you mean the Lao Hu?"

Surli made an expressive gesture with his head and eyes, a kind of conceding bow. "I have absolutely no idea, Allie. I'm not
in
the Lao Hu...remember?"

I frowned, but I couldn't decide if I believed him or not. Shrugging it off for the moment, I decided to push him on the other instead.

"You won't tell me who he is," I said. "But will you tell me one thing? Salinse and Shadow...they aren't the same person, are they? But they are connected. Somehow, I mean?" I knew my emotion showed, but I couldn't help it. I only hoped Revik and the others didn't recognize its source. "What is their relationship? Do you know?"

Surli gave a short laugh, shaking his head. "Gods. You really
do
know who you're dealing with, don't you?" A darker humor twisted his lips. "Well, since the two of you are so cuddly again, let me ask you this. Does he? Your ass of a husband? Does he know what you've obviously figured out?"

At my blank look, his eyes grew hard.

"Yeah. That's what I thought."

He clicked in a darker kind of irritation, right before he looked away. His voice grew cold, even as his eyes flickered back to the one-way window.

"Well, my dear," he said lightly. "...In that case, you can answer your own question, can't you? After all, if Salinse had a
relationship
with this Shadow person, your precious husband would have been the very first to know about it, am I right? After all, he's the one they want...they're all one big happy family, are they not?"

I kept my face expressionless, but I'm sure some flicker of my emotions showed on my face.

His words hit a little too close to the mark.

"So what is that relationship, Surli?" I said, keeping my voice calm. "Are you going to tell me? Or are you having too much fun with your stupid riddles?"

Surli gave another low laugh. "Gods. I underestimated you...I really did. I hope your husband knows what he's dealing with in you..." Giving me a harder look that time, he let his voice grow biting. "...Or, maybe I don't."

"Surli..." I said, letting the anger edge back into my voice.

But the infiltrator cut me off.

"Salinse has worked for Shadow all along," he said, blunt. He never looked away from me, but it felt like his words were aimed more at the one-way window that time. "He's worked for him for decades...from the very beginning. He was under orders when he started that resurgence of the rebellion in those mountains. Shadow funded them...gave them orders. He provided the planes, the transport ships, the armored vehicles, the weapons. Hell, he's the one who ordered them to bomb Seertown into rubble. It's only the Seven and the Adhipan that did not work for Shadow in some capacity..."

"And Galaith?" I said, folding my arms again. "I suppose he worked for him, too?"

Surli just looked at me, a small smile playing at his lips. "It really is a wonder any of you are alive. I can only assume it must be because he wants you so...both you and that miserable son of a bitch you married..."

I bit my lip. "You think Shadow is playing us, too?"

Surli gave me another humorless smile. "Are you telling me he couldn't have killed you both in your sleep, when he had a traitor living here for years on end...play-acting the lover with your own brother?" His voice held a note of incredulity. "Alyson. Wake up. You are alive because he wants you alive...perhaps you should ask yourself some hard questions about what that means."

I felt my jaw tighten more, but I only gave a dismissive gesture with one hand. "Why don't you just tell me what it means, Surli?"

"Because I don't have to!" he said, incredulous. "Clearly, this operative's presence did not frighten you nearly enough, Alyson!"

When I rolled my eyes, leaning back in the chair once more, he raised his voice.

"Allie," he said. "I know you think you know things, but you don't know nearly enough. Not enough to survive, anyway. This Shadow has not been involved in your life for a short time...he has been directing events in your life from the very beginning. Or did it never occur to you to wonder why Galaith never picked you and your husband up when you were first awakened? He
knew
you were on that ship. Hell, the Lao Hu knew...which means Shadow did, too. I know Voi Pai wondered why no one simply took you both then...I know this because I was there when she asked Galaith the same question outright..."