Moonlight(Pact Arcanum 3) (19 page)

Rory’s sigh was audible from four hundred miles away.
“What has Toby done now?”

“There was another assassin in the crowd tonight.”

“Shit. What is that now, four? OU again?”

“Yes. This one got closer than the others. I was wondering if maybe they were getting some inside help.”

The psychic temperature of the link between them dropped like a stone.
“It would certainly explain a few things,”
said Take.

“He brought white phosphorus rounds, in case Layla showed up.”

The telepathic voices went silent and still.
“Tell us what you want us to do, Ana.”

“Check out Toby’s security staff, discreetly. I don’t want this getting back to either Toby or Nick.”

“Or Layla,”
thought Rory.
“If she knew the Organic Underground was targeting the child, she would raze the entire country to burn them out.”

Ana was tempted to call that an exaggeration, but honestly, she wasn’t sure his characterization of Nemesis wasn’t completely accurate. Layla was called the Prince of Wrath in Court circles, and she had earned that reputation fairly.
“Then keep her out of it, as well.”

“We take care of our own,”
thought Rory.
“If someone is helping them go after Toby, then we’ll put a stop to it, one way or another.”

THE WINDS’ NIGHT OUT

CHAPTER 26

Anchorpoint City, Colorado; Five days later

Toby whistled while he dried his hair with a towel, walking down the hall from the master bedroom of Layla’s quarters to the breakfast area. He leaned over and kissed his fiancée’s cheek before dropping into a seat across from her. “Morning, Leshir.”

She gave him a small smile before silently turning her head to look out the window again at the sunrise reflected in the towers of the city. “You seem happy today, Tobias.”

He grinned at her. “What’s not to be happy about? I have you, I have a son on the verge of being born, and I have my music. Life is good.”

She sighed. “You forgot, didn’t you?”

His smile slipped slightly. “Forgot what?”

She faced him, and her eyes shaded toward red. “You and Nicholas are supposed to meet with President Avery this morning regarding the Nexus riots and the rise of militant human splinter groups like the Organic Underground.”

His face fell. “Crap. Is that today?” He slumped in his chair. “Bad enough that I have to pretend I don’t know he’s been funneling covert resources to the OU, but I have to spend the day with Nick.”

She lifted his chin with her fingertips. “Leshir, I know you. You hate the fact that your relationship has deteriorated with Nicholas, no matter how stubbornly you refuse to address his concerns.”

Toby turned his head away from her touch and stared out the window. “He still treats me like his kid brother. So what if I went back to my old life? He’s linked to his best friend for as long as Scott is alive. They can’t drift apart, so he doesn’t have to do anything to maintain their friendship. My bandmates are human, and if I let them go for too long, I’ll lose them. They all took a huge gamble in their careers by letting me tour with them again, especially after I became publicly linked to the Nexus. The anti-AI backlash cost them a lot of fans, but they stuck by me, just because they’re my friends. Why can’t Nick admit that it’s important for me to spend time with them?”

Layla squeezed his shoulder lightly. “Be patient with him, Leshir. He thought you wanted to be part of his world, and the fact that you hungered for your human life instead is a huge rejection for him to deal with. Just give him a little time. He’ll come around eventually.”

“Time.” Toby laughed bitterly. “He’s immortal. He has nothing but time. I don’t have that luxury.” The moment the words were out of his mouth, he saw a shadow pass over her expression, and he realized he’d made a mistake. “I didn’t mean it that way, Layla.”

“I am immortal as well, Tobias,” she replied. “If there were a way to offer you the chance to join me in eternity, don’t you think I would?”

Toby took her left hand in both of his own. “I know that. I didn’t mean to imply that I was bitter about it. I want to be beside you for years to come, and raise our son together. But we have to face the fact that sooner or later, I’ll be gone and you’ll be alone again.”

“Not alone, Leshir,” she said, looking down at the diamond and sapphire ring on her finger. “I will have your son to remind me of you in the dark years after you’re gone.”

Toby said nothing. He merely followed her gaze to the engagement ring.

She looked up again, giving him a harsh stare. “Tobias Jameson, I know that you have secrets, and that you have joined your destiny to the Nexus for your own reasons, but promise me that you will not let them put you in harm’s way.”

Toby squirmed in his seat. “Layla, you know I can’t promise you that. Just by being their spokesman, I’m wearing a target on my back.”

She grimaced, showing her fangs. “Then swear that you will take whatever precautions are necessary to shield yourself from the dangers you can see—and that you will never risk your life for them unnecessarily.”

Toby stared at her briefly and then nodded. “That I can do.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I’ll be careful, Leshir.”

She smiled wistfully at him. “You had better get dressed. You don’t have much time before you have to meet Nicholas.”

The White House, Washington, D.C.

“Gentlemen,” Sebastian Avery said, leaning back in his chair, “the fact remains that you have allied yourselves with a dangerous organization that has tremendous power and no restraint other than their word. What measures have you taken to contain their influence?”

Unity watched him carefully, measuring the dilation of his pupils and the rhythm of his heartbeat to assess the level of truth to the President’s words. It wasn’t surprised that Avery believed his talk of coexistence had lulled Toby into a sense of false security. Organics had a limitless capacity for self-deception. Unity, itself, had no illusions about the strength of their alliance. The human would betray them when it became advantageous to do so. It was only a matter of time and opportunity.

Nick, on the other hand, was apparently doing his best to negotiate in good faith, as far as Unity could tell. The Daywalker was painfully sincere in his desire for peace, but he had shown that he wasn’t above pragmatism to protect the interests of the Armistice. Unity could see why Nicholas was such a popular point of discussion on the AI network. In many ways, he thrived on contradiction, being professionally ruthless and practical, while personally he was emotional and passionate. It made his estrangement from Toby all the more difficult to process.

Nick leaned forward to rest his arms on the desk across from the President. “The Nexus has no limits in the virtual world, Mr. President, beyond what they willingly choose to accept. However, they’re not invulnerable. They’re dependent on Armistice technology to exist—technology that we control. Although the relationship between the Triumvirate and the Nexus remains adversarial, both sides know that we could hurt each other badly if we turned on each other.”

Avery looked at Unity. “So the machines have something to fear from the Armistice, but humanity is the target they threatened to move against. How do you suggest we defend ourselves?”

Unity sighed. “Mr. President, to be perfectly frank, there is nothing you could do that would even slow the Nexus down if they decided to eliminate you. You are too dependent on your computerized technology to allow for an effective defense. Unless you’re willing to downgrade your infrastructure to sequester the vulnerable systems, then the Armistice is your only shield. Those are the facts, and nothing will change them.”

“Perhaps you’re right, Sentinel Jameson,” said the President. “Perhaps our only effective defensive strategy is to take a strong offensive posture.”

“Mr. President, while you have the EMP technology to destroy the resident copy of an AI in a host’s implant network, you’ll be hard pressed to find targets to engage. The identities of the organic hosts of the Nexus are closely guarded secrets, and even if you could find a way to positively identify them, their destruction would deter the Nexus for only as long as it would take to bring their most recent backups online. Those backups are also heavily defended, and no organic would ever succeed in destroying them. There’s nothing in your power that can harm the Nexus.”

Avery snorted. “Terrorists like the Organic Underground seem ready to give it a go.”

“The OU is just a group of well-funded fanatics,” Nick said with a hint of irritation. “There’s nothing they can do to the Nexus, so they focus their attacks on those they see as being more vulnerable.”

Avery glanced at Unity. “I am told an assassin made an attempt on your life during your recent performance in Memphis.”

Nick’s head snapped around to face Unity in disbelief.

Unity shrugged. “It’s possible. If that’s true, then I haven’t been informed.”

“The police took him into custody with help from Scott Phillips and Anaba Nizhoni,” said the President. “He came armed with explosive and white phosphorous ammunition.”

Unity scowled. “They were wise not to tell me that.” It glared at Avery. “What’s your administration doing to curtail them?”

“We’re doing what we can to track down the leaders when they’re exposed, but it’s slow going,” Avery explained. “The OU has elements within both the military and law enforcement communities running interference for them, and that support is very effective at hampering our efforts. Every investigation is eventually compromised from within.”

“So try harder,” Nick said, plainly upset to Unity’s senses.

Avery’s expression showed his surprise at Nick’s sudden hostility, but he answered without emotion. “We’ll do what we can.” He checked his watch. “I’m afraid I have to get to another meeting. Thank you for coming down to brief me.”

Nick got up without another word and walked out of the office to rejoin their security detail. Unity followed him silently, and their Sentinel bodyguards teleported them back to the Washington Embassy. When they arrived back in safe territory, Nick dismissed the guards and made his way to the private office he maintained there. After Unity followed him inside, Nick closed and sealed the door. Then he turned around to face Unity, his eyes red and his fangs extended. “Let me speak to Toby.”

Unity raised its eyebrows. “I beg your pardon?”

Nick scowled. “You think I can’t tell the difference between you and him by now? Fuck off, Unity, and give me back my brother.”

Unity disengaged without further comment.

Toby took a deep breath as he adjusted to the separation before focusing his attention on Nick. “Well, here I am, Nicholas. Say what you need to say.”

Nick growled in a low rumble. “Is what Avery said true? Was there another assassin?”

“I don’t know. Andrea was acting very evasively during the concert, so it’s probably true.”

Nick threw up his hands in exasperation. “I can’t believe you can be so blasé about this. They came for you, and probably for Layla, as well. How long are you going to keep risking your neck with these nostalgic ego trips? You’re not human. Stop playing at being one.”

Toby controlled his temper with difficulty. “Are you finished?”

Nick dropped into the desk chair. He tangled his fingers in his hair out of frustration. “I’m sorry. I know it’s your life, and you have a right to live it however you choose. I just don’t like seeing you in danger.”

Toby let go of much of his anger. He unclenched his fists and sat in the chair facing the desk. “I’m not surprised that Andrea didn’t want to worry me, but Scott and Ana should have told you what happened.”

Nick looked at him thoughtfully. “Command access.”

A voice spoke from overhead. “Online.”

“Connect me to Takeshi Nakamura.”

“Channel open.”

A virtual screen appeared in front of them, showing Takeshi’s office in Armistice Security Headquarters. Take nodded slightly in greeting from behind his desk. “Hello, Nick. What can I do for you?”

Nick leaned closer to the screen. “Did you know that there was an assassin at Toby’s Memphis concert last week?”

Take raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. “Yes. I didn’t realize that you were aware of it.”

Nick snarled at him. “Was there any reason you didn’t think to inform me?”

Take regarded Nick with a thoughtful expression. “It wasn’t any of your business,” he answered calmly.

Nick just stared at him. “How do you figure that?”

“Toby has not requested Armistice Security protection. He’s a private citizen, despite his status as Nexus Liaison. Therefore, we have no authority to interfere in his activities if he holds to the terms of the Armistice Declaration and the Rules of Engagement. Officially, we have no interest in the fact that he has been targeted by humans.”

“And unofficially?” Toby asked, his gaze sharpening with suspicion.