Daysider

The commander, his gray eyes unyielding, showed no sign of softening. “Where is Agent Carter?” he asked.

“I’ve already told you. He’s dead, killed by an Orlok. You have his communicator. He left me a message, and—”

“We can find no message,” the commander interrupted. “The communication Aegis received from Agent Carter claimed that your drugs had been taken by the Opiri, and you admit your patch has been removed.”

“Michael also told you I was left for dead by the same Opiri, Commander, and as you can see I’m very much alive.”

“Who were you waiting for when we found you, Agent Fox? Who are you protecting?”

“As I also told you, I’d already encountered hostile Nightsiders, presumably Expansionists operatives. I expected them to attack again, and—”

“Who took the patch, Agent Fox?”

“Michael did,” Alexia said, holding on to her anger by her trembling fingertips. “He admitted it in the message he left me, and sooner or later you’re going to figure out how to access it. Michael had his own reasons for wanting you here to destroy what Theron worked for and to provoke the Council into stopping you.”

“Because he wanted to take some personal revenge by fomenting open war between Erebus and the Enclave? You expect me to believe this of a seasoned, loyal operative, Agent Fox?”

“I couldn’t believe it myself, but—”

“You have no proof for your claims, Agent Fox. Since you’ve confessed to having disobeyed your own orders and contacted the colony, your loyalty to the Enclave is in question.”

“Do you think I went over to Erebus?” she asked, letting her scorn color her voice. “A vampire raped my mother. I have no love for them, and never will.”

“Then tell me where to find the Daysider who was sent to work with you.”

“I told you, he didn’t know anything more about the colony than I did.” Alexia chose her next words carefully, knowing she was withholding the truth of Damon’s original mission. “The Council was still investigating the settlement when he was given his assignment.”

“Your partner claimed that this Damon deliberately diverted you from your assignment, tried to kill him several times, stole your patch and left you—”

“—to die. I know. But we’re back to the fact that I’m alive, and telling you Damon didn’t do any of those things. If your mission was to ‘rescue’ the humans in the colony, you’re wasting time with this line of questioning.” She gave him a pointed look. “Do you think your presence here is going to go unnoticed much longer? Odds are that Erebus is already sending troops to meet you.”

“Because the colony has contacted the Citadel?”

“That’s not what I said. The colony has broken off from Erebus. Theron has founded a new philosophy that allows humans and Nightsiders to live as equals. If you go in there, guns blazing, you’ll destroy it, and probably end the Armistice, as well.”

The commander searched her eyes, his own flat and cold. “I was instructed to carry out a mission,” he said. “I am not here to negotiate. If experimentation on human beings is occurring in the target location, Erebus will have already broken the Armistice. We will do whatever is necessary to free the convicts and remove them from the area.”

“And if you’re wrong? Do you think the Council will just accept an apology for your

‘mistake’?”

“That is a matter for Aegis and the Mayor’s Office,” the commander said. “We have our orders, Agent Fox.”

Orders. Orders of the kind Alexia would once have followed without question.

“Let me go to Theron,” she pleaded. “Let me talk to him. I know he wants to talk to you, but the others won’t let him out if there’s a chance he’ll be slaughtered the second he steps outside the walls. Give me your word you’ll hold fire until I’ve brought him to you.”

“How do I know you won’t join him, Agent Fox?”

The man was clearly immune to reason, and Alexia knew she had no more time to argue with him. She hadn’t wanted to tell him that the humans were already outside the settlement, since there was a chance he might decide to attack the colony and kill everyone left inside the walls. Now she knew she had no choice.

“Listen to me,” she said. “The humans are no longer in the colony. They were evacuated hours ago. I can take you to them.”

“And lead us into an ambush?”

“I am on your side, Commander!”

For a few tense moments the commander was silent, and then he gave a hand signal to someone concealed in the brush. A soldier, his rifle trained on Alexia, emerged from cover.

“You will take Operator Willis to the human evacuees,” he said. “He has orders to shoot if he suspects deceit, or if you try to escape. Is that understood, Agent Fox?”

“It’s understood, as long as you give your word you won’t move on the colony before you receive confirmation that the humans are safe.”

“I am not authorized to give you my word, Agent Fox. I will act as I deem necessary.

If you are still one of us, your only concern will be for the safety of our people.”

Alexia hadn’t expected him to say anything else, and she had never intended to take Operator Willis to the caves where they would find Damon and Eirene. The only thing she could do now was get Theron out of Eleutheria before the situation exploded.

“All right,” she said. She got to her feet under Operator Willis’s watchful eye, nodded to the commander, and then started off in the general direction of the caves. Willis, like most of the Special Forces, was human; if the strike force had dhampires with them, they would be acting as scouts on the lookout for Nightsider operatives or troops.

But that didn’t mean Willis would go down easy. He wore the standard infrared visor, and he’d be watching for the smallest false move on her part. She didn’t want to hurt him any more than was strictly necessary. It was going to take split-second timing.

“This way,” she said, gesturing for the man to follow her. He did, keeping his distance, and she could feel the eye of his rifle fixed relentlessly on the center of her back.

The instant before she turned to attack, she smelled the Opiri.

“They’re here!” she hissed. “Nightsiders! Get down!”

The soldier didn’t move, but he wasn’t stupid. Even without looking at him she knew he was listening, aware that she might be telling the truth.

The rattle of rapid gunfire came from the direction of the colony. Alexia spun and lunged for Willis’s rifle. He got off half a round before she shoved the weapon aside, but it was enough to tear off a good chunk of flesh from her upper right arm.

That wasn’t about to stop her. But Willis was good at his job. As she grappled with him, he pulled his combat knife and was about to plunge it into her side when some force of nature ripped Alexia away and held her suspended about a meter above the ground.

Damon, bare-chested and trailing bloodstained bandages like party streamers.

Alexia didn’t ask him why he was there, why he’d left the sanctuary of the caves and ignored the fact that he wasn’t in any shape to be rescuing anyone. She didn’t have the chance. He set her down on her feet and went straight for the soldier.

The man would be dead inside of five seconds if she didn’t do something.

Without another moment’s hesitation she leaped onto Damon’s back and wrapped her arms around his neck. His muscles, swollen with rage, tensed to fling her off.

“Damon!” she shouted in his ear. “He’s not the enemy!”

He froze, his hand around the soldier’s neck, teeth bared to bite and tear.

“We have to get Theron,” she said, pressing her face into his shoulder. “If there’s any chance of stopping what’s about to happen, we’re going to need him.”

He released his breath, his body loosening just enough for Alexia to know she’d reached him. He dropped the soldier and took a step back.