“Press the small green button on top,” Rafe said. “Hold it for five seconds to enable wireless networking. That’ll get me into the server so I can delete what I need to. Then, boom, Senator Patterson leaves the building a happy man.”
Jan pressed the button. Before Senator Patterson could leave the building, the door to the server room slid open.
Jan finished counting five seconds and stepped back. He walked out from behind the server rack to find a radiant woman with long legs, a gorgeous face, and dark hair striding into the room like she owned it — which she did, actually. Jan recognized her immediately, even though they’d never met.
This was Morna Solace. This was the mayor of Cliffside and, quite possibly, one of the most powerful Patriots of Ceto still alive. That was what the rumors said.
Cliffside’s mayor wore dark slacks, sensible boots, and a button-down shirt with the top two buttons undone, which was sexier than reasonable for some town mayor. She offered a gracious smile and extended one hand. “Senator Patterson, welcome. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Right. He was a visiting senator, and this was Cliffside’s mayor. It made sense Morna would pop by to say hello. She’d just picked the worst possible time to do that unless Rafe already had his wireless server access, which he should, since Jan had pressed the button. This couldn’t possibly be a trap.
Behind her, at the door, Bharat glanced inside, and Galloway glanced at him. Something was wrong here. Still, until Jan knew what that was, he might as well stick with the script.
Jan extended his hand and shook Morna’s firmly. “The pleasure is all mine, Mayor Sola—”
Cliffside’s mayor slammed into Jan with speed that was thoroughly unreasonable, snapped him around in front of her like a doll, and dropped him to his knees with a painfully bent arm. She moved like an Advanced! What the bloody hell was this about?
Ah. As Jan spotted Bharat moving into the room with Sheriff Galloway stumbling before him, in an equally arm-clenching grip, Jan realized they had given up the game somehow. Yet Bharat had seen what Morna was doing and gotten the drop on Sheriff Galloway, despite the sheriff waiting to get the drop on him.
“Hayden!” Morna shouted.
“Busy!” Galloway replied, struggling with a visibly unconcerned Bharat. “Did I mention this guy’s Advanced?”
“Ah, Mayor Solace?” Jan craned his neck as best he could with his arm pinned behind his back. “Is something amiss?”
She narrowed her eyes. “You aren’t Senator Patterson.”
The server room door slammed shut of its own accord. Morna’s eyes snapped to the door as Jan’s did too. Galloway just shook his head and sighed, like this was a normal day for him.
Rafe’s voice flooded the room. “Hey, so, nobody do anything crazy, ’kay? I’ve just locked the door and blocked all building communication, so even if you could call for help, no one would hear it. We’re clear on that, yeah?”
“Who the fuck is this guy?” Galloway demanded.
“No one important,” Rafe said. “What is important is the data in this room, and, you know, your secret identities. Wouldn’t want your identities to leak to the public.”
“What is he talking about?” Bharat asked. He restrained Sheriff Galloway with as much ease as Morna restrained Jan.
“Oh, right!” Rafe said. “So, the yokel you’ve got in that death grip is not actually named Galloway.”
“Balls,” Galloway said.
“His name is Hayden Cross,” Rafe continued, “and he was actually a Supremacy Special Investigator before the armistice. Worked for the guys these Patriots of Ceto would really like to kick in the teeth, you know? He arrested or shot a whole lot of people a whole lot of people here knew.”
Galloway — no, it was Cross now — aimed a death glare at the ceiling. “To be fair,” he said, “I am retired.”
“Oh, and Mayor Solace was the primary money launderer for the Patriots of Ceto,” Rafe continued happily. “Still is, when they need money for things the Ceto senate doesn’t approve. Can’t imagine it’d go well for her if the Supremacy learned who she was, really. Can’t imagine it’d go well if the Ceto senate learned she was funding her own private army.”
“Great,” Cross said. “Now I have to kill this guy.”
“No one has to die today, mate!” Rafe said. “I like you folks! Mayor Solace, you’re a bloody hero! It took balls to take on the Supremacy like you did, and if you got this Cross fellow in your employ, well, he can’t be that bad either, can he? You’re good folks! I don’t want to hurt you.”
“But you will,” Morna reminded everyone, staring at the ceiling as she effortlessly restrained Jan. “Unless?”
“Oh, just let these two leave town,” Rafe said. “I’m leaving too. Totally bored now. So, you don’t try to alert your people, and you don’t shoot anyone, and you let my buddies walk out, and we’re good. No one knows anything!”
“Right,” Cross said. “Because we have your word on it.”
“Yeah!”
“The word of someone who infiltrated every system in our administration building after altering the archive data of a sitting Ceto senator, and who just revealed he could blackmail us all into doing anything for him at any time.”
“Wouldn’t do that to you, mate,” Rafe said. “Promise! This is a onetime threat, just to get my friends back.”
Morna released Jan and stepped back. “Stand down, Hayden.”
Jan pulled his arm back into position and rubbed his aching shoulders. Morna was fast and entirely too strong for her size. Was she cyberized? Or worse ... was she Advanced?
Morna didn’t look to be
