Rogue (31 page)

Before anyone else could respond, they heard a loud constant ringing from somewhere inside the gem, and as they watched, small spidery lines spread out from where Nick had crashed into the central fracture, spreading quickly in every direction all around the stone. The cracks deepened, the ringing intensified, and the rock began to crumble, small chunks falling away, then larger ones, disintegrating before their eyes, until with a final bell-like peal, the whole mass of the gemstone dropped to the ground and shattered.

Dave was left lying flat on his back in the smoking debris, and the moment he made contact with the air, he reverted from angelic form to the more or less human biker appearance that Will had always known him in: military boots, leather pants, air-force flight jacket, and shades. He didn't move at all and he didn't appear to be breathing, but then Will couldn't recall if he'd ever noticed Dave breathing, or if he even needed to.

“So is he still dead?” asked Nick, staggering in behind them. “Or is he like
really
dead?”

Nick pushed past them and leaned down to take a closer look. Dave's shades suddenly tilted down his nose, and he looked right up at Nick with his spooky pale eyes.

“Why don't you poke me with your boot and find out, Jasper?” croaked Dave.

Nick fell backward onto his rear end. Will dropped down on his knees next to Dave.

“For crying out loud, you scared the crap out of us,” said Will.

“That was the last thing on my mind, I assure you,” said Dave.

Will offered a hand to help him up.

“Not so fast, mate,” said Dave, still not moving any part of his body. “Machinery's not quite up to speed. Don't have both hands on the wheel just yet.” Then he spotted Elise and it seemed to perk him up. “Ah, you brought one of your buttercups with you. Always was partial to brunettes myself. How's tricks, kitty cat?”

“News flash—it's not the sixties anymore, Rip Van Winkle,” said Elise, bristling. “And I'm not a kitty cat.”

“How long have you been in that thing?” asked Will.

“No idea,” said Dave.

“How'd they catch you?” asked Will. “I thought they couldn't see you.”

“They used some kind of beast that could track me. Weeks on end. Cornered, outnumbered, outgunned. I flashed into Wayfarer form for a final stand but the last thing I remember was reaching for my sword; then it was lights-out. Thanks for springing me.”

“We estimate that you've been trapped here for at least five months, Earth time,” said Ajay, creeping in for a closer look. “Will organized this expedition into the Never-Was to find you.”

“I remember you. You're the smart one,” said Dave.

“The pleasure is entirely mine, sir,” said Ajay with a modest bow.

Then Dave looked past Ajay: “Say, mate, what's up with the bear?”

“He's my track coach. Usually. Coach Jericho.”

“He's a shaman,” said Ajay.

“Never a dull moment. How's it goin', mate?”

The bear raised a huge paw in silent greeting. Dave nodded his head slightly, the first movement he'd made.

“Can he talk?” whispered Dave.

“WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY?”

Dave grinned. “Now that's what I love about this job; you see something new every day.”

“This…is…awesome,” said Nick in a hushed voice.

“Are you going to be all right?” asked Elise.

“To be honest, love, I haven't felt this badly used since my chopper went down,” said Dave. “ 'Course, that was with the whole weight of the chassis pinning me to the turf, although I didn't feel it for long, as I expired within moments.”

“So you
are
dead,” said Nick.

“And come to think on it, all things considered, I feel slightly better than that. A bit of feeling starting to creep back to the extremities.” Dave started to slightly wiggle the fingers of his left hand. “How much time have we got?”

“Not long,” said Will.

“What's the situation?”

“Not great.”

“The Makers have constructed a portal device the size of the Lincoln Tunnel,” said Ajay. “And it's about to come online.”

“And that invasion force you spotted is parked right outside the walls,” said Elise.

“That's seriously bad news,” said Dave.

“So what should we do about it?” asked Will, taking out the Carver. “That's what we need to know from you, because I could use this and spring us all out of here. We'd be right back at the Center.”

“And wouldn't that give you sufficient time, then, Mr. Dave, sir, to alert the Hierarchy?” asked Ajay optimistically. “So they could swoop in and put an end to all this?”

“Timing might work, or it might not,” said Dave, “but this ain't the sort of mission you cut corners on, kids. Where is this portal gizmo?”

“Eastern side of the compound,” said Will.

“Your instincts were good, Will,” said Dave. “Take that target out and we'll set them back years, maybe even for good. I'm halfway back on my feet; just give me a couple more minutes here—”

“Did anyone else just hear the elevator?” asked Elise, looking up alertly.

Will turned to the passageway. He hadn't heard the elevator, but when he blinked on the Grid, he picked up a small solitary figure moving steadily down the hallway toward them. Then he heard footsteps.

“Somebody's here,” he said.

Everyone but Dave jumped to their feet and readied themselves for a fight. Jericho padded toward the passageway to block the way in, but before he got there, someone walked a few steps into the room and stopped.

“I'm not here to hurt anyone,” said Brooke, holding up her hands, looking directly at Will.

“Tell that to the sofa you murdered,” said Nick.

“DON'T YOU TAKE ANOTHER STEP!”

The bear reared up on its haunches and roared right in Brooke's face. She didn't even flinch.

“Dude, do not let her touch you!” shouted Nick.

“Ah, it's the blond dolly,” said Dave. “I was about to ask you where she was.”

Will turned to tell Dave to keep quiet—and realized that he was no longer visible. Then he heard Dave's voice in his head again.

“It's all aces, mate—she can't see or hear me,” said Dave. “Seems I've still got a touch of the old whiz-bang. If you can handle Miss Congeniality for a sec, I'll be back to full strength in a few shakes.”

“It's okay, Coach,” said Will. “We'll talk to her.”

Jericho, looking as skeptical as a bear could manage, stood back down but stayed at striking distance between Will and Brooke.

“Thank you, Will,” said Brooke quietly.

“What do you want, then?” asked Will, unwilling to meet her gaze, trying to keep the anger he felt raging inside him from his eyes.

“I know what you must be thinking,” said Brooke, earnest and calm. “All of you, about me. And I'm not going to tell you that you don't have every right to feel that way.”

If all three of us focus on her at once,
Elise sent to Will and Ajay,
we can probably blow her head right off her neck.

Will glanced over. Elise was making no effort, or was completely unable, to hide her fury at their former friend. Exhausted as she was, the sight of Brooke was still enough to kick up Elise's deepest reserves, and Will could see she was getting ready to launch an attack. If she was aware of it, or the thought even troubled her, Brooke gave no notice and simply stood her ground.

Let's all remain calm,
Ajay responded.
At least hear what she has to say first.

There's no point. She's just going to lie some more—

But maybe she'll say something inadvertently useful to us,
Ajay continued.
Please, Elise. We need to be mindful of the situation and not let our feelings run away from us.

Will saw Elise give the slightest indication that she'd stand down, for the moment. He exchanged a quick look of relief with Ajay; he wasn't at all sure he'd have been able to dissuade her.

“Say what you want to say,” said Will.

“They don't want to hurt you,” said Brooke, looking at each of them.

“Oh, yeah? Well, they got an absolutely hilarious way of showing it,” said Nick. “How'd you get here anyway?”

“I followed you to the Crag,” she said. “After you drugged me. And by the way, that really hurt my feelings, Nick.”

“I'll give you something that hurts more than your feelings,” said Elise, stepping toward her.

“Easy.” Will put a hand on Elise's shoulder. “Go on, Brooke,” he said.

“They know who you are, Will, and they know what you are to them.” Then Brooke corrected herself. “What
we
are to them. All of us.”

“You mean…genetically,” said Ajay.

“That's right.”

“Interesting approach,” said Dave, and Will noticed that his voice seemed to be coming from somewhere else in the room; Dave could move again. “Correct me if I'm wrong, but since we last laid eyes on each other, I'm getting a notion you might have had a teensy falling out with blondie bits here.”

“What do they want from us?” Will asked Brooke.

“They want a chance to explain to you what they're doing here,” said Brooke. “And why. They believe you'll feel differently about it once you hear them out.”

“So they sent you in to sucker us out into the open, is that it?” asked Elise bitterly. “Bat your eyes at the boys, turn up the fake sincerity, and assume we'd still fall for your act. Try selling it someplace else.”

Brooke turned to Elise. Tears filled her eyes, and her voice broke. “I know you can't forgive me for what you think I've done. I don't expect you to. But you have to believe me…I'm just…trying to save your lives now.”

Will felt his heart surge, and for just the briefest moment he did believe her, before he slammed that door shut. Without looking at him, he sent a message to Ajay:

Is she lying?

Yes and no. It's complicated,
he replied.
She may well be lying but apparently she believes what she's saying. That's one of the most interesting characteristics of the sociopathic personality, by the way, but I can't say for certain that she absolutely fits the diagnosis. And that's the bow tied onto the horns of our dilemma, isn't it?

Will didn't know what to do.

“She'll ask you about me next,” said Dave, keying in on what Will was feeling so accurately it made him wonder if Dave could hear their telepathic conversations. “That is, if they sent her down to scout out the situation.”

For the first time, Brooke's eyes drifted to the shattered remains of the jewel behind Will.

“What happened to your friend?” asked Brooke. “What was his name…was it Dave?”

“You know what to say, mate,” said Dave.

Will was encouraged to see that Dave was standing for the first time, leaning against the wall over near Jericho; if he wasn't one hundred percent yet, he was trending toward ninety.

“Dave didn't make it,” said Will.

“What happened to him?”

Will added a little extra emotion to sell her on the lie. “As soon as the rock broke open, he…he just disintegrated…like he wasn't even there.”

“I'm so sorry, Will,” said Brooke sincerely. “I know he meant a lot to you. I'd heard that he was down here, but I didn't know how to help him.”

Laying it on a bit thick, isn't she?
sent Ajay.

Brooke took a single step toward them. Everyone else, except Will and Jericho, took a step back.

“What do you think you should ask her now, my young friend?” asked Dave.

“I'd like to know how you think you can help us,” said Will to Brooke.

Dave gave him a thumbs-up.

“If you'll come with me now, I can promise you safe passage,” said Brooke. “They won't hurt you, any of you. They just want to explain. Quietly and calmly. Then you can decide for yourselves.”

“What, to sell out the rest of the human race, like you did?” asked Elise.

Brooke paused. Will noticed the slightest flutter of anger or frustration behind her eyes before she clamped it down and put up the peacemaker mask again.

“I think it would be best for us to share and examine
all
of our feelings,” she said. “Together. After you're given the benefit of having all the information.”

Will decided to send a message to Brooke, just to make sure she couldn't tune in to how the rest of them were communicating, with a few words he knew she wouldn't be able to stop herself from reacting to.

Unless, of course, she really had turned into a completely irredeemable psychopath. Or been one all along.

I still love you.

Brooke didn't blink or react or even flick her eyes toward Will. He felt relieved, in more ways than one.

So far, so good.

Now he sent a message to Elise.
If we're going after that portal, first things first: We need to get out of this hole safely. We're going with her.

Elise responded without looking at him.
You're crazy. She'll get us all killed.

If she makes the slightest move, against any of us, you've got a green light to take her out. And we'll all help.

You won't need to. One wrong move and I'll blast her brain to soup.

With my blessings.

“It's not just my decision,” said Will; then he turned to the rest of the group. “What do you think, guys?”

Say yes,
he sent to Ajay and Nick.

“Yes,” said Nick. “And I don't have the slightest idea why I'm saying that.”

“Yes,” said Ajay.

“Okay,” said Elise.

“Coach?” asked Will.

“Say yes,” said Dave, leaning in toward the bear.