The Scent of Shadows

we’re still bound by the universal laws of gravity and physics, and a good deal of our abilities can be explained by quantum mechanics, something Micah said humans are only marginally beginning to understand…and which I didn’t understand at all.

So, though free of mortal law, we were still confined by universal law, which is why the troops had developed ways for science to augment our abilities; chemistry to mask our pheromones, biochemistry to study how different we really are from human, and genetics, because—like mortals—we’re constantly evolving, even still.

I laughed, however, when Micah claimed even astrology was considered a science. I couldn’t stop myself, though I wish I had when he drew back, leaving a suction hose hanging from my mouth, his fierce expression made fiercer by the sharp dental instrument held aloft in his hand. “Myths—Greek, Roman, Neopagan—die out, Joanna. But you can’t kill the stars. Astrology is a science. Maybe not a well-understood one, but back in the day doctors like me were called shamans. Scientists were called mystics, and these were the mediators between the visible and invisible worlds. There’s no difference between the cabalistic and medical fields, not if you really think about it. Both still have impenetrable secrets, and if you can’t bring yourself to believe that, just remember this: every life and death is written in the stars.”

But I was struggling with something much more basic than that. I was having trouble wrapping my brain around the idea that I wasn’t human, that I was something…extra. Something other. Micah, realizing this, tried to simplify things for me.

“Look,” he said, a smile reaching his eyes, my insult about the science of astrology all but forgotten. “Think of us as being related to mortals in the same way primates are. We’re long removed cousins, but on the opposite side of the developmental spectrum.” And then he shot me a full smile. “What? You didn’t think the human race was all there was, did you?”

Yeah, I kind of had. But there was no denying what had happened to me. Or the things I could do now. My lungs felt like they’d been expanded to twice their size. I could run without losing my breath…fast too. I could climb without fear of falling, because I could fall without fear of dying. Metamorphosis had changed every molecule, and I didn’t even need Micah to explain that. I knew it as soon as I began healing from injuries any mortal would’ve died from.

So, I accepted Micah’s explanations, and began viewing the once colorful world—of Vegas and comics and the world in all its varying shades of gray—in terms of black and white. The bruises applied by the makeup artist—a new one; Raine had refused to return—were now applied in a light dusting. I grew used to seeing Olivia’s face greet me every day in the mirror. And the day would soon come, I knew, when I’d have to step beyond the sanctuary of the hospital walls and face my new life as her. And, as strange as it sounded, as some sort of superhero.

“She’s going to get too muscular,” Warren complained one day when I was training outside. It felt amazing to move, and I reveled in the stretch and give of my muscles as I jumped and lunged and lifted. I longed for the discipline of my Krav Maga gym, yet I knew if I walked in there like this, as Olivia, Asaf would die. From laughter.

“She’s not,” Micah argued from his position on the shaded porch. It was one of the few times since that first day the three of us had been together, and unsurprisingly, we’d picked up exactly where we left off. Squabbling like kids. “I’ve layered her in soft tissue. She’s well-protected.”

“What am I? A fucking Christmas ornament?” I asked, punching at the weighted bag.

“I don’t know why you’re bothering with your mortal skills anyway,” Warren said to me. “You’re faster and stronger than you’ve ever been. A human could never touch you. Once you acquire your personal weapon, your own conduit, you’ll be nearly invincible.”

I steadied the punching bag with my gloved hands and shot him a sidelong look. It was the “nearly” part that bothered me. “Invincible,” I repeated, jabbing with my right. “Like Butch? That kind of invincible? Or do you mean like Ajax? If I recall correctly, his weapon wasn’t so invincible.”

“Don’t get cocky.”

Micah chuckled. “She’s got a point.”

“Olivia doesn’t box,” Warren said, ignoring Micah. “She doesn’t fight.”

I stepped back from the bag and wiped my face with my forearm. Then I smiled wickedly, petulant at best on this angelic face. “She does now.”

“No,” Warren said, stepping forward. “You have to appear to the world just like the Olivia of old. There can be nothing of Jo in your words or your actions. Your life, and all of our lives, depend on that.”

I’d been alternating jabs and cross punches while he spoke, a rapid staccato of beats overlaying his words, but now I stopped, breathing heavily, and smiled. He didn’t smile back, which I couldn’t hold against him. Even I could smell my defiance. “Warren. What kind of person could watch her sister get thrown through a plate-glass window and not be changed in some way? People aren’t static, everyone grows. I’ve given a lot of thought about what Olivia would do, and I think she’d start studying Krav Maga.”

“Another good point,” said Micah.

“You’re just projecting what you’d want her to do.”

“I think I know her better than you.” Knew her, I corrected mentally, and started punching again, uppercuts this time.

“You’d better hope so,” he said. “Because it’s time to go.”

That stilled me. I lifted my chin, sniffed. “Where?”

“Back into the mortal world. Back into your life.”

Olivia’s life, I thought, and looked away. “I’m not ready.”

“Sweetie,” Micah said, the arbitrator, “if Olivia doesn’t return soon, the Shadow agents are going to get suspicious.”

“Won’t they be suspicious anyway?”

Warren shook his head. “Ajax saw you alive, but he didn’t see Olivia die. He didn’t even know she was there that night because by the time we showed up her scent had been—”

“Murdered,” I said dully, and combined my punches. Jab, cross. Jab, cross, hook.

“Anyway, we always disengage,” Warren said quickly. “Change our identities so even our closest friends and family won’t recognize us. That way the temptation to return to the old life is eliminated. Ajax knows this, so there’s no reason for him to look for you there.”

“Besides,” Micah added, “Olivia is Xavier Archer’s daughter, and anything with the Archer insignia on it is off limits. They wouldn’t dare touch her now.”

I raised a brow. Hadn’t my name been Joanna Archer? Hadn’t I been under the protection of that insignia when Ajax first attacked me? Warren shook his head, reading my thoughts. “Who do you think wrote that note to Xavier?”

Micah nodded. “It was more of a bullet than a letter. He should have just put a bull’s-eye on your forehead.”

I ripped my gloves off and reached for some water. “But won’t they be able to tell it’s me and not really Olivia? Smell me or something?”

He shook his head. “It’s different now that you’ve metamorphosized. You’re harder to track. We’ve also given you an injection for extra coverage. The only time your real pheromones might be clearly recognized is when you’re either injured or overly emotional. So practice the meditation exercises we’ve taught you every day,” he added helpfully.

Warren said, “And no fighting.”

No losing, I thought, but kept silent.

“Look, all you have to do for the next few days is hang around Olivia’s apartment,” Warren said. “If she kept a diary, read it. If she had a hobby, study it. Pillage her wardrobe, examine her photo albums, and create a past for yourself. Do everything possible to become your sister. When you’re ready, we’ll take you to the sanctuary.”

“Where you’ll meet the other star signs,” Micah added. “So you can learn how to be the Archer.”

“But first you need to learn to be Olivia. Only when you can fool even those who knew her best can we introduce you to the others.”

“Why only then?”

“Because if you’re not convincing, if you’re not Olivia,” he said soberly, “there’s only one other person you could be.”

“He’s right, Jo,” Micah said, noting my reaction. “Nobody can know who you really are, do you