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“I know, I heard.” Of course he did, thought Pete. His father always knew things faster than anyone else he knew. His father was taking more of a backseat approach to the rebellion, only offering his advice now and again. For the most part he stayed out of any of the major action. After their mother ran off it was rare to even see him out of the house.

“Well, Weapon X brought me into the washroom to have a private chat, and I neglected to tell him about it. Seems he didn’t appreciate that.”

He looked over with his one good eye to find his father watching him closely. He wasn’t judging Pete at all, he’d never do that, but he was trying to figure out what he was missing. His father was quick. Probably the smartest guy Pete knew. If anyone were to see that there was something Pete wasn’t saying, it would be his da. But Pete also knew there was no way he would say anything, at least not in front of the others. At some point when they were alone, Pete was sure his da would get it out of him. They stared at each other for a moment before his father sat back a bit. Pete could see that he had decided there was definitely more, but Pete wouldn’t be elaborating.

“Why didn’t you tell him?” was all he asked.

Pete shrugged, looking back up at the ceiling. God he was exhausted. “Honestly, I just forgot,” he admitted, only half lying. He did in fact forget about it during his meeting with Douglas, considering he was more pissed at being left out of the loop. But there was also the fact that he didn’t want anyone finding out Weapon X was Dinah. Why? He really didn’t know. Whenever he tried to really dissect it, he stopped himself, unable to face whatever truth was there. It was probably the same thing that had made him ask her out tomorrow night.

“I’ll have a talk with him,” Michael said, with a note of finality. That was his way of saying none of them were to retaliate. The senior McKay had taken over, and that meant they were to step back.

“He’s insulted me twice, this week alone,” Pete argued.

“I’ll talk to him,” he repeated. “For now, you boys stay here and rest for the night. No point in you travelling back into the city at this hour. I can see how exhausted you are.” A loud snore filled the air as if on cue. Pete looked over to see Seamus passed out cold, his head resting on the back of the sofa in a way that Pete knew he’d be sore in the morning. “Need I say more?” his father chuckled.

Michael got up and headed back to his bedroom in the rear of the house. He told them where to find blankets, as if they didn’t already know, and disappeared for the night. Pete didn’t move from the chair, too tired to do even that. He closed his eyes and when he opened them next the sun was already bright in the blue sky.

Sitting up, he stretched out the kinks in his back while taking in the scene before him. Seamus was curled into a ball on the sofa; Garrett sprawled on the coffee table, with only a pillow cushioning his head, and Trent nowhere to be seen. He yawned loudly before kicking a leg of the coffee table. His brother shot upright, muttering something unintelligible.

“Rise and shine, boys,” Pete called out.

Seamus mumbled, sitting up slowly. “My neck is killing me,” he moaned.

“Michael’s gone,” Trent announced, walking out of the kitchen.

“Figures,” Pete said.

“I don’t know how Mickey does it,” Seamus said with a shake of his head. “He gets up earlier than any other human being I know.”

“He also doesn’t drink a barrel’s worth of Guinness every night,” Trent pointed out.

“Touché,” Seamus nodded.

“He probably wanted to get a jump start on the General before any of us got a hold of him,” Garrett said.

“Yeah, well we got other important things to do today anyway,” Pete replied, standing up. “Target practice today, mates. Let’s head out.”

They all moaned and groaned as they headed to the front door. “You ready for tonight?” Garrett asked as they stepped out into the clear morning. There was nothing better than a sunny day in these parts. Pete soaked it in, letting the warm rays hit the back of his closed eyelids.

He thought about his brother’s question, knowing what he meant, but thinking about a petite blue eyed girl instead. He still couldn’t decide what made him invite her, letting her see another side to his life, but he’d done it anyway. Maybe he should just not show up at their meeting place. It would definitely be the smart thing to do. Whatever they were doing was stupid. It’s not like it could go anywhere, even if they were just friends. Enemies could not be friends. It was just the way the world worked.

Who was he kidding? He’d meet her there for the same reason he had invited her in the first place. It didn’t matter how many times he told himself it was stupid, he couldn’t fight the desire to see her again. Was he ready? He didn’t really know.

“Of course I’m ready,” he answered, focusing on his brother’s meaning rather than the multitude of thoughts running through his head.

“Of course he is,” Seamus reinforced. “He’s a Jack of all trades, my Pete!” He swung his arm around Pete’s shoulders giving him a brotherly squeeze.

“Alright,” Pete said, brushing him off. “Let’s go test out our new stock and see if any of you can hit your targets better than me.”

“You’re on,” Trent smiled.

CHAPTER TEN

She was bored. For the first time since she’d joined Ludwig here in New Berlin, Dinah actually found herself wishing she were somewhere else. Normally she enjoyed watching him deal with all the idiots he seemed to surround himself with – herself and Roman excluded, of course. But today her mind drifted more than once. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was anxious for night to come, she assured herself. Certainly not because she was going to see McKay again.

The men started to pack up their things, snapping her attention back. The food production managers from Rome had flown in that morning to go over the latest information on crops. Food had become increasingly difficult due to the drastic change in the earth’s atmosphere. Surprise, surprise, nuclear bombs had that effect. Go figure. Because of that, they had to grow most of the produce inside strictly monitored facilities where the climates were designed to replicate ideal conditions for the crops. They might have found a way around their problem, but the newest issue was that they couldn’t produce nearly enough this way as they could back when farmers were growing food in their own fields. Here in New Berlin, everything was still readily available. She knew the same couldn’t be said for some of the smaller cities.

Despite that, she still found herself not caring. She didn’t want to stand around listening to a bunch of men discuss new world problems, and the mask covering her face was really starting to bother her. Funny, considering she always found her mask a sort of security. Having her face hidden gave her a certain power around others. And even though she still felt that power, she also felt the urge to be able to show her face, and just be free and open.

Later, she reminded herself. The men all left, filing out with their heads down, and shoulders hunched. They looked like the equivalent of a group of kids leaving the principal’s office after getting in trouble. Ludwig had been hard on them all morning, his patience at an abnormal low. Even she’d found herself flinching a couple of times when he snapped at them. It really wasn’t their faults, but Ludwig didn’t care. Someone needed to be accountable for the lower production rates, and apparently he had decided it would be them. Dinah almost felt sorry for them – almost.

The door shut with a resounding bang, leaving the three of them alone. Roman sighed, finally moving from his spot behind Ludwig’s chair to take a seat at their leader’s right. Dinah followed suit, sitting on his left.

“They’re all a bunch of idiots,” Ludwig said.

“In their defence, this really isn’t their fault,” Dinah said. They both looked at her in surprise. She was a little taken off guard herself. She didn’t normally stick up for anyone. Meeting their gazes, she kept her expression neutral.

“Are you feeling okay?” Roman asked.

“Shut up.”

“I don’t care if it’s not their fault,” Ludwig went on, ignoring them. “They had better find a way to make more food, or they’ll all be fired.” Translation; they’d be killed on spot. Fired was just another way of saying ‘they’ll all get a bullet in the head’. Dinah was pretty sure they were aware of this as well.

“I’m sure they’ll manage,” Roman said.

His face was red with anger as he turned his stare to Dinah. “How did last night go?”

Her heart rate increased at just the mention of it, but she kept an outward calm. “Fine,” she answered. “They accepted me in. Told them I was new to the city. I stayed for a couple of hours and then left, so it didn’t look too suspicious. Figured I’d just establish a presence before I integrate further.”

Ludwig nodded. “Good,” he said. “When will you go back?”

“Tonight,” she said, flinching slightly at how quickly it came out. Did it sound too eager? She hoped not. “I’ll try to hang around them a bit longer, see if I can start breaking down some of their defences,” she continued in a more bored voice.

He turned slightly in his chair so he was facing her more, capturing her eyes with his. “Get me the information I need, Di,” he said. “I’m counting on you.”

Dinah nodded, swallowing awkwardly against the dryness in her mouth. In order to keep Ludwig happy she was going to have to betray McKay and his friends, and suddenly that just didn’t feel right.

Two hours. It had actually taken her
two hours
to get ready tonight. She was slightly disgusted with herself for acting like such a girl. She had taken a long shower, dried her hair so it was super straight, and put on make-up again. She even went as far as to find and wear the black sparkly tank top Roman had bought for her one year for her birthday. She remembered thinking there was no way in hell she’d ever wear it. And yet, now she stood in front of her mirror watching the way the light sparkled off the sequins covering the shirt. She was like a dark disco ball.

Pulling on her boots, she took another look at her watch and decided it was late enough. She didn’t want to be right on time, but she didn’t want to be too late either, otherwise he might think she wasn’t coming.

The ride through the upper section and into the ghetto was as calming as always when she rode her bike. She parked it a little further from the pub than she had the night before, in case there were people outside smoking again. If anyone saw her riding a motorcycle they’d know she was some sort of upper. She walked the couple of blocks, enjoying the mild temperature of the night. As she neared the pub she slowed her steps, her nerves getting the best of her.

What if he wasn’t there? What if this was some cruel joke? It would make sense, considering he knew exactly who and what she was. Maybe he would find it funny getting her to show up when he has no intention of doing the same. The sick feeling in her stomach was getting worse the closer she got. But when she turned the corner and instantly recognized his tall frame out of the others standing around him, she breathed a little easier. That is, until someone nodded in her direction and he turned to meet her gaze. Then breathing became a little difficult again.

McKay flicked his cigarette on the ground, speaking to the others before breaking away from the group and walking toward her. They met in the middle, awkwardly.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” he said, taking her in slowly. She pulled her leather jacket tighter around her body, suddenly feeling stupid for wearing the fancy shirt beneath it.

She shrugged, looking around instead of at him. “I didn’t have much else to do, so I figured why not.” He snorted, but didn’t reply. She stood there, waiting for him to speak. When he still didn’t, she gave in and looked up at him. His face was unreadable as he looked at her. “What?” she snapped, irritated. She hated when people watched her closely, especially him. Those green eyes did funny things to her and she didn’t like it.

“I’m just trying to figure you out,” he replied.

“Why?”

Now it was his turn to shrug. He looked away finally, glancing down at his watch. “We should go, or I’ll be late.”

“Go where?” she asked curiously. They were going somewhere other than the pub? He had already turned to walk, with her following, when her steps faltered. She stopped, watching his back as he took a few more steps before realizing she was no longer moving. Where could he be taking her? Was it some sort of trap? What had she really expected? He was involved with the same group set on destroying Ludwig, plus everyone and everything associated with him. Didn’t that include her? What would his people think if they knew who she really was? She’d be dead for sure.

Her thoughts were going a mile a minute. She looked around her, wondering if even now they were watching her. Would they want to make sure McKay followed through with delivering the enemy? She was so preoccupied that she hadn’t noticed McKay move until he stood toe to toe with her, and his hand was gently lifting her chin until they were looking into each other’s eyes.

“Hey,” he said gently. “Calm down. I’m not going to hurt you.” He must have read the question on her face, because he added, “or let anyone else hurt you. There’s just this thing I have to do tonight…somewhere I need to be, and I wanted you to come with me.”

Dinah let that soak in, watching him carefully to see if he was lying. She was so used to being able to just look inside a person to tell whether or not they were telling her the truth that she was having trouble deciphering it from facial expressions alone. From the way he was looking at her though, she knew he was being honest.

“I promise,” he assured her. The tension in her shoulders eased away. She nodded. McKay dropped his hand and took a step back. Her skin tingled where he had touched her, and she found herself wanting him to move closer again. There was something seriously wrong with her head, she decided.

McKay reached out and laced his fingers through hers, pulling her along with him as he began to walk again. Dinah looked down at their joined hands and a thrill ran through her. His hand was warm, the skin rough and callused against her softness. No one, well aside from her parents when she was younger, had ever held her hand like this. Her father had always been so strict growing up that, at sixteen, she still hadn’t had a boyfriend. She’d had boys that were friends, but never in the romantic sense. Even Bridgette hadn’t really done the relationship thing when they were younger. This was all so new to her.