Peter slipped the phone into his pants pocket. “And what’s with the masks?”
“W-we have to wear them at all times. They promised us anonymity. That we would be safe, as long as no one saw our faces. So there’s no reason not to join. They said they don’t care who we are or if we’ve had any problems with the law.”
“What do you know about us?”
The human’s eyes darted from one scowling Ghost to another. “You’re… They said that you’re a gang that needs to be wiped out. Mutants?” he added the last word quietly, watching Peter’s reaction.
“Unbelievable,” Peter muttered, and gestured for Skull to come up.
The Commando fidgeted, not daring to lift his gaze. “Can I—can I go now?”
Peter snorted. He grabbed him by the collar and peered into his eyes. “This is how it’s gonna be. You will tell us everything you know, and after that, you’ll stay in a nice cell for one while we’re sorting out this mess. If any of my people get in trouble because you lied to us, I will invite the two young ladies to join you in your cell.” Peter pointed his thumb at the girls. “And if everything you told us is accurate, my friend here,” he pointed at Skull, “will personally drive you to the bus station so you can leave the city and never come back.”
Eyes darting from Skull’s bulk to Pain’s manic grin, the human swallowed hard. “There’s something else you need to know,” he mumbled.
“Good.” Peter pushed him toward Skull. “You can tell him all about it.” He put a hand on Skull’s shoulder, saying something to him in a low voice. The others watched in stupefied silence as Skull nodded and escorted the human out of the office.
Peter clasped his hands, getting their attention. “So, where were you when I interrupted this meeting?”
They exchanged wary glances, silent.
The corner of Pain’s mouth lifted in a wry smile. “We were just finishing. All we have to do is pick a place where we can gather everyone for instruction.”
No one seemed willing to object now.
“Good,” Peter said with a curt nod. “Let’s not waste time. If any of your people can’t come tonight, they can join us tomorrow. Now, please excuse me, I have to instruct my men before it’s too late to catch a few more of the Commandos.”
He pointed to the door with a polite tilt of his head, and the crowd slowly moved to the exit, still speechless.
Peter watched the last of them go and ripped off his scabbard, sinking into his chair. “I am too old for this.”
Pain snorted. “Save it. Besides, the boy got off easy. He’ll be safe in the cell, which can’t be said about the others out there.” She pulled out a chair and sat down. “Now tell us how you did it.”
Peter ignored her, grabbing the water bottle and leaning back in his chair. He drank all of it, his eyes darting to the door as it opened and Skull ducked through the doorway.
“We need their uniform,” Skull said. “There’s an inside pocket with a badge. They scan it before they let you on the bus.”
“Bus?” Peter asked. “They drive around on a bus?”
Skull pulled up a chair and carefully lowered himself onto it. “There’s three of them. They pick up about fifty people at every location. The Commandos have to wear their masks and uniform. The windows are tinted, so they can’t see where they’re going. They use numbers instead of names, and our guy’s number is ninety-seven.”
“Ninety-seven…” Peter said, scratching his chin as he looked at Pain. “What size does Chad wear?”
Pain’s eyes widened. “Why? Do you think about this often?”
Peter’s palm slammed into the table, making them jump. “Answer the question!”
“L! He wears size large! Why?”
“You think he can squeeze into that uniform?”
“Maybe… It’ll be really tight though.” She wagged her eyebrows, making Jane roll her eyes. “Why do you—Whoa!” She bolted to her feet, her index finger pointed at Peter just as Jane realized where this was going.
Their staring contest lasted a full minute.
“He hasn’t even passed the test yet,” Pain said, sitting back down.
“He’s the only one without the mark.” Peter turned to Skull, ignoring her protesting stare. “Gina should have everything prepared by now. We need to catch a few more Commandos tonight, before anyone realizes what’s going on. Rob will fill you in. He could use a hand coordinating it all.”
Skull nodded, getting up. “All right.”
They watched him go, and then Peter broke the silence, “Rob said he’d sent two men to cover Dave and Elena. Dave pulled up in a dark spot, and they were watching him, not the car. He got back in, drove away, nothing suspicious.” Peter dragged a hand down his face. “Goddamn Commandos, they sure know how to pick a perfect moment.”
Jane glanced at her sister before saying, “Dave’s going to have questions if… when he wakes up.”
“I know. We’ll have to keep it quiet, what happened to him. I’ll have a meeting with everyone who knew he was human. Don’t tell him about any of this. Just tell him we’re working on it. He’s got enough to worry about, with his transition and all.”
“Yeah, about that,” Pain said, but Peter’s ringing phone cut her off.
“Doc,” he said, silencing her with a raised finger.
Pain cast her eyes skyward. “I feel like everyone knows something about this, except us,” she whispered as they watched Peter pace back and forth, talking to Doc. It seemed they wouldn’t be able to get anything out of him tonight.
“All right,” he said at last. “We’ll discuss it in the morning.”
He frowned at the screen for a long while
