Jack had his head down on the same table, his face puffy, lips babylike as he snored.
The two hostages leaned into each other, asleep.
The dead girl, Brittney, lay on the floor in a heap. Someone had moved her. It looked like someone had tried to push her under the counter, out of the way. The pool of her blood was now a smear.
The only one awake was Drake. He leaned against a wall, unblinking, whip arm coiled around his waist, a machine gun in his other hand.
Caine staggered. He righted himself, squared his shoulders, wiped the drool from his mouth. He had to look strong. Drake looked strong, like he was the one in charge.
Caine wondered how long it would take for Drake to finally decide to come after him. He hadn’t done so during Caine’s long months incapacitated. But now that Caine was giving the orders again, he knew Drake was chafing.
Caine steadied himself and started toward the control room. He got as far as the office door when the memory storm swept over him, almost knocked him to his knees. He grabbed the door and held on to it, shaking.
It came to him as hunger. Hunger deeper than anything he had ever felt himself. As if he had nothing inside his skin but a roaring, starving tiger.
Hungry in the dark.
Caine whimpered. He caught himself before he did it again, but the desperate sound was out of his mouth. Had Drake heard?
Leave me alone, Caine pleaded silently with the voice in his head. I’m doing what you want, but leave me alone.
Caine, looking down at the floor, saw Drake’s feet. Drake had arrived soundlessly. Or maybe Caine had been beyond hearing anything.
“You okay?” Drake asked.
“I’m fine,” Caine snapped.
Drake said, “Good. I’m real glad about that.”
Caine pushed past him, making sure to dig a hard shoulder into Drake.
“What are you all doing asleep?” Caine demanded in a loud voice. “Sam could be outside right now, waiting for a chance to come back after us.”
“We won’t have to worry about Sam for long,” Drake said. “Not once he’s fed.”
Caine kicked Jack’s chair. He kicked the nearest of the hostages. “Wake up. All of you. It’s almost daylight outside. Sam may be planning something.”
“What is your problem?” Diana demanded. “Did your monster overlord wake you up? Did he crack his crazy-brain
whip and make you jump?”
“Shut up!” Caine said savagely. “I don’t need this from you. Has anyone searched for food?”
“You don’t think in the last three months Sam’s people have searched this place for food?” Diana said, but with less overt hostility than usual.
“That’s not what I asked,” Caine yelled. “I asked whether any of you stupid, lazy idiots bothered to look for something to eat. It’s a yes-or-no answer.”
“No,” Diana answered for all of them.
“Then get off your butts and go look,” Caine said.
Diana sighed and got to her feet. “I wouldn’t mind a little walk.”
Jack got up as well. So did Drake’s two gunmen. The four of them disappeared down various hallways.
“Just don’t go outside the building,” Caine yelled after them.
Caine pulled Drake aside. “Has Jack got it worked out yet?”
“I think so. He was looking smug right before he fell asleep.”
Caine nodded. “We should move out as soon as we can.”
“Shouldn’t we try to take Sam out first?” Drake asked.
Caine snorted a laugh. “You say that like it’s easy. If we could start by taking Sam down, we’d have an easy time of it.” He shook his head. “No. That’s not how we do this. If they catch us, we use the uranium to make them back off.”
Despite himself, Drake grinned. “Threaten to drop it on them?”
“Threaten to smash it open,” Caine said. “Threaten to launch it into the air and smash it open.”
“And everyone will glow in the dark,” Drake said, as if that was a happy thought.
“I’ll only have one hand free,” Caine said. “So you may finally get a chance to use that gun you love so much.”
“Should we send Bug to Coates?” Drake asked. “Bring more of our people?”
“They wouldn’t come,” Caine said flatly.
There was a commotion and Caine glanced aside to see Computer Jack storming down the hallway trailed by Diana, who tried unsuccessfully to hold him back. Like a two-year-old trying to hold a bull.
“You!” Jack bellowed.
He waved his fist in the air and Caine could see naked wires, like hair-thin snakes in his fingers.
“You said you took these down!” Jack cried accusingly.
“Oh, gee, I must have missed some,” Drake said. “Hey, did you find your girlfriend while you were looking around?”
Jack froze. “What?”
Drake had his arm uncoiled, ready to use. “She must have been doing pretty good speed when she hit the wire. Breezed right through them. Oh wait, I said that wrong. The wire breezed right through the Breeze.”
“She . . . what . . .” Jack gasped.
“Cut her right in half,” Drake said, laughing with sheer glee. “It was kind of neat to see. You’d have found it interesting, all her insides, sliced right in half. Like a meat
cleaver went through her.”
“I’m going to kill you,” Jack whispered.
The two hostages leaned into each other, asleep.
The dead girl, Brittney, lay on the floor in a heap. Someone had moved her. It looked like someone had tried to push her under the counter, out of the way. The pool of her blood was now a smear.
The only one awake was Drake. He leaned against a wall, unblinking, whip arm coiled around his waist, a machine gun in his other hand.
Caine staggered. He righted himself, squared his shoulders, wiped the drool from his mouth. He had to look strong. Drake looked strong, like he was the one in charge.
Caine wondered how long it would take for Drake to finally decide to come after him. He hadn’t done so during Caine’s long months incapacitated. But now that Caine was giving the orders again, he knew Drake was chafing.
Caine steadied himself and started toward the control room. He got as far as the office door when the memory storm swept over him, almost knocked him to his knees. He grabbed the door and held on to it, shaking.
It came to him as hunger. Hunger deeper than anything he had ever felt himself. As if he had nothing inside his skin but a roaring, starving tiger.
Hungry in the dark.
Caine whimpered. He caught himself before he did it again, but the desperate sound was out of his mouth. Had Drake heard?
Leave me alone, Caine pleaded silently with the voice in his head. I’m doing what you want, but leave me alone.
Caine, looking down at the floor, saw Drake’s feet. Drake had arrived soundlessly. Or maybe Caine had been beyond hearing anything.
“You okay?” Drake asked.
“I’m fine,” Caine snapped.
Drake said, “Good. I’m real glad about that.”
Caine pushed past him, making sure to dig a hard shoulder into Drake.
“What are you all doing asleep?” Caine demanded in a loud voice. “Sam could be outside right now, waiting for a chance to come back after us.”
“We won’t have to worry about Sam for long,” Drake said. “Not once he’s fed.”
Caine kicked Jack’s chair. He kicked the nearest of the hostages. “Wake up. All of you. It’s almost daylight outside. Sam may be planning something.”
“What is your problem?” Diana demanded. “Did your monster overlord wake you up? Did he crack his crazy-brain
whip and make you jump?”
“Shut up!” Caine said savagely. “I don’t need this from you. Has anyone searched for food?”
“You don’t think in the last three months Sam’s people have searched this place for food?” Diana said, but with less overt hostility than usual.
“That’s not what I asked,” Caine yelled. “I asked whether any of you stupid, lazy idiots bothered to look for something to eat. It’s a yes-or-no answer.”
“No,” Diana answered for all of them.
“Then get off your butts and go look,” Caine said.
Diana sighed and got to her feet. “I wouldn’t mind a little walk.”
Jack got up as well. So did Drake’s two gunmen. The four of them disappeared down various hallways.
“Just don’t go outside the building,” Caine yelled after them.
Caine pulled Drake aside. “Has Jack got it worked out yet?”
“I think so. He was looking smug right before he fell asleep.”
Caine nodded. “We should move out as soon as we can.”
“Shouldn’t we try to take Sam out first?” Drake asked.
Caine snorted a laugh. “You say that like it’s easy. If we could start by taking Sam down, we’d have an easy time of it.” He shook his head. “No. That’s not how we do this. If they catch us, we use the uranium to make them back off.”
Despite himself, Drake grinned. “Threaten to drop it on them?”
“Threaten to smash it open,” Caine said. “Threaten to launch it into the air and smash it open.”
“And everyone will glow in the dark,” Drake said, as if that was a happy thought.
“I’ll only have one hand free,” Caine said. “So you may finally get a chance to use that gun you love so much.”
“Should we send Bug to Coates?” Drake asked. “Bring more of our people?”
“They wouldn’t come,” Caine said flatly.
There was a commotion and Caine glanced aside to see Computer Jack storming down the hallway trailed by Diana, who tried unsuccessfully to hold him back. Like a two-year-old trying to hold a bull.
“You!” Jack bellowed.
He waved his fist in the air and Caine could see naked wires, like hair-thin snakes in his fingers.
“You said you took these down!” Jack cried accusingly.
“Oh, gee, I must have missed some,” Drake said. “Hey, did you find your girlfriend while you were looking around?”
Jack froze. “What?”
Drake had his arm uncoiled, ready to use. “She must have been doing pretty good speed when she hit the wire. Breezed right through them. Oh wait, I said that wrong. The wire breezed right through the Breeze.”
“She . . . what . . .” Jack gasped.
“Cut her right in half,” Drake said, laughing with sheer glee. “It was kind of neat to see. You’d have found it interesting, all her insides, sliced right in half. Like a meat
cleaver went through her.”
“I’m going to kill you,” Jack whispered.
