once were warrior3

once were warrior3

cbapter Five: once were warrior3 (New York, 1055) The streets were as quiet as only 3:OO a.m. could be, occasional taxis and delivery vans the only reminders of city life. No pedestrians were around.

Not out here. The sidewalks were littered with old papers and wrappers, a gray counterpoint to the chaotic colors of the graffiti covering the walls and doorways. Most windows were tightly shuttered, even several floors up. The few that were visible were filthy with grime, or long since broken, or both.

But The0 could feel the eyes on him, two of three times a block. But no one foolish lasted long here, and none of the observers tried anything or even showed themselves. They just watched, silent and invisible, predators who intuitively understood when they were outclassed.

If Angus had been there on his own, maybe it would have been a different story. Twenty years in the States, and he still didn’t have any real idea of how to fit in. The0 had told him to dress down, so Angus had come out in a pair of immaculately creased gray cotton slacks and a black wool roll-neck sweater that he had obviously purchased earlier in the evening. He looked like a rich kid trying to slum it with the wannabe poets in SoHo. If the outfit cost less than fifty bucks, The0 would eat his cap.

TtW Dedopulos I11 Theo grinned. “Just out of curiosity, how much did you spend this evening on that getup?”

“What makes you think I bought anything new?” Angus sounded slightly huffy.

The0 arched an eyebrow sardonically. “You left the tags on.”

“Oh God, did I?” Angus twisted around trying to look at the back of his own neck.

The0 laughed out loud. “No, actually. You didn’t. But you get my point.”

“Ha bloody ha,” said Angus, relaxing again.

“Bastard. I think it came to $65 or so, actually. Why?“ “When I said dress down, I meant get some cheap stuff, maybe even from a thrift store.”

Angus shuddered delicately. “This is cheap. You want me to look like some hobo?”

“It would have been safer,” said Theo.

“You worry too much, old friend.”

“Someone has to.”

“We’re okay, aren’t we!” Angus smiled at him.

“Yeah, so it would seem. It’s not much further, “I really appreciate you coming with me.”

“It’s a pleasure,’’ Theo said. “Anyway, I can’t have you wandering around the underside of the city on your own, you limey knucklehead. You wouldn’t last five minutes.”

“Probably not,” said Angus wryly. “You’re a rather excitable lot, in my admittedly limited experience.”

The0 waved the comment off. “If you chink we’re excitable, you should try Mexico. Or, even better, don’t. Not without an armed guard, anyway.”

THE OVERSEER anyway.”

“It’s all part of the charm.”

The0 laughed. “I’ll bear that in mind next time I’m up to my ass in the PRI’s goons.” ‘What were you doing down there, anyway?”

“Oh, this crazy fellow I know needed a bunch of files from the regional customs center at Tijuana.

From what he let on, I think he was trying to track down something that was smuggled out of the country a few weeks ago. It was supposed to be a cakewalk, just breeze down there, get the files and get the hell out. Funny how things never quite seem to work out that way though.”

“What happened?”

“No idea. The town was so full of soldiers, it could have been the staging post for a military exercise. They were throwing their weight about, bossing anyone unusual around and generally being real pains in the ass. I guess my boy must have tripped some alarm somewhere, because they came at us like an angry swarm of bees. It was a running battle all the way out of the freaking country.”

Angus smiled. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay.

Tonight should be entirely harmless.”

The0 snorted. “I seem to remember being told something similar just a couple of weeks ago.”

“If it does get sticky, there’s no one I’d rather have there with me.”

Thanks,” said The0 wryly. “You’re a real pal.”

He stopped suddenly, Angus coming to a halt a couple of steps later. “This is it.”

Angus looked up at the wire-topped wall doubtfully. “Are you sure?”

“Positive,” said Theo.

“Okay. He said that a side door would be left “Let’s do it, then.”

Theo turned off the main sidewalk and headed down a small alley. The stench was incredible-it smelled as if a whole army of hobos had been using the area as a latrine trench and tossing dead cats in for added flavor. Angus, coming in behind him, looked downright disgusted. There was a shabby wooden door about fifty feet down on the right-hand side. Angus shrugged and nodded, so Theo gave it a try. It opened easily.

Inside was a short stretch of concrete corridor.

The floor was damp, dotted with shallow pools of condensation or rainwater or something. Off to one side, the corridor opened out into ratty gym locker rooms. The lockers were tossed around crazily, and it looked like one of the benches had been smashed up, but at least it didn’t smell. Angus came down the corridor behind The0 and closed the alley door.

The0 nodded to him and headed along the corridor toward the doors at the end. As he got close, he could see that they were already slightly ajar. He pushed them apart and went out, Angus close behind.

They were in what had once been a small openair ball field or a middle school sports stadium. From the size of it, it might have heldL a couple of reasonable basketball courts or a small running track.

Now it was just bare ground surrounded by stepped banks of concrete. If there had ever been spectator seating, it was long gone. The only illumination came from a couple of nearby street lamps, tall THF 0VFR.SFFR unlocked.” enough to be seen over the walls. The place was absolutely covered in graffiti and there were several makeshift fire barrels on the ground, old trash cans punched through with air holes. Closed off from the rest of the city and misty with old damp, it was strangely quiet and felt unpleasantly isolated. There was a general sense of bad feeling about the arena, a compound of old pain and unspecified threats that made the hairs prickle on the back of Theo’s neck.

“Nice spot,” The0 said. His voice sounded flat, weak even, oppressed by the barren walls. Angus nodded wordlessly.

The corridor had brought them out halfway up one of the concrete banks, and R e o headed down to ground level. A few moments later, he heard Angus following him. They walked out to the center of the arena and shared a long, uncomfortable Look.

The atmosphere wasn’t quite so oppressive here, away from the concrete banks, but it was still unpleasant. The mist seemed to be thickening a little, in front of them at least.

“Did he give you any special instructions, Angus?”

“No. Just to be here shortly after 3:OO a.m.,”

Angus said, checking a blatantly expensive watch. ‘Which we are. I wonder where he is.”

“Checking us out maybe,” said Theo.

About ten feet in front of Theo, a particularly dense lick of mist suddenly thickened and darkened, swiftly coalescing into a human form. When it cleared, a tall, longhaired man stood there. The0 took a quick step forward, placing himself in front of Angus. They looked at each other impassively, ~ i m Dedopulos I15 then the man half-closed his eyes and rolled his head slowly. His neck joints let out a long series of unpleasantly wet pops.

The0 watched him cautiously. “YOU must be Will.”

The man took a step forward. “And he must be Angus. Are you his bodyguard?”

The0 grimaced. “More like a concerned friend.

My name is Theo.”

“It is pleasant to have friends,” said Will absently. “Were you followed?”

“Of course not,” said Theo.

“It’s good to meet you in person at last,” Angus said, coming to stand beside Theo.

“That’s nice for you,” said Will offhandedly.

Theo shot Angus a quick glance, a little surprised by the response.

Angus smiled easily. “I hope we didn’t keep you waiting. I. ..” Will held his hand up, motioning for silence. Angus trailed off obediently. If he was feeling put out, he kept it very well hidden.

Will looked around cautiously. A red glint caught his eyes, expanding swiftly to a bright gleam. He continued peering around, the glow from his eyes lending him a satanic air that seemed to fit perfectly with the aura of the derelict arena. After a short while, he turned back to The0 and Angus. “Please forgive my distraction.

It was an accidental rudeness. Sometimes it takes me a moment longer to gather my thoughts than it does to gather my physical substance. Now that I am here, I find that I dislike this place intensely. There is something about it.. . Angus, it is good to meet you as well, and you too, Thee. Thank you both for coming.”

TIHF OVFRSFFR “It’s a pleasure,” said Angus. “I’m glad to be of some assistance. This whole matter is extremely disturbing, and we, at least, are eager to help Xaviar get to the bottom of it. The0 is not involved, and is here only as a personal favor to me.”

“To the best of my knowledge,” added Theo, “no one knows you are in the city. Your meeting with Angus should be entirely secret.”

“That is a relief. It would be embarrassing, to say the least, if I were caught skulking around the edges here. My only regret is that I did not take the time to find out why this place is avoided. I would have chosen a different place to meet if I had known of the atmosphere here, I think.”

The0 shrugged. “It’s not very nice, sure, but it doesn’t seem particularly dangerous.”

“I suppose not,” said Will. ‘‘I don’t often spend time in such unpleasant surroundings.”

“You don’t get to Jersey much then,” Theo said.

Will grinned wolfishly. “Not if I can help it.”

“I have the documents that you need,” said Angus.

“Thank you,” said Will. “They will be a big help, and your willingness to be of assistance has very definitely been noted at the highest levels.”

“I probably don’t need to say this, but please remember not to say anything sensitive in front of me,” The0 said uncomfortably. “It’s possible that I’ll be ordered at some point to report anything I’ve heard, and I’d have no choice but to obey. If I don’t know anything, I’m not a security risk.”

“Don’t worry Theo,” said Angus. “We’re not going to put you in a difficult position.”

TlrO Dedopufog Theo grinned. “Good. Because whatever you’re up to, I get the feeling that I’d probably approve a lot more than Don Cerro’s lords and masters.”

“I find ...” Will whipped around and looked toward the front of the arena. The0 peered in the same direction, uncertain. A faint scuffing sound nagged at him-a shoe slipping slightly on a rough surface, perhaps? Will glanced back at Theo, alarmed. “Company. Look after Angus. The documents.. .” He sprang forward, snarling.

Angus stared after him, looking worried, then turned to look past Theo, his eyes wide. “They’re trying to sneak up on us!”

The0 turned to look where Angus was pointing, back toward the corridor they’d come from. There didn’t seem to be anything there. Suddenly a group snapped into view, sprinting toward them. Loud shrieks and roars erupted from the front of the arena, where Will had raced off to. The0 moved to stand in front of Angus and pulled his knife out. There were at least six attackers and they were almost on him.

The0 felt the blood ignite in his veins, bursting into a wave of power that slammed through him and snatched him up in its wake. The idiots charging at him slowed to a crawl, as if they were suddenly trying to sprint through molasses. He shot a glance over his shoulder. Angus turned to face away from him and took a swift step backward, then whipped a long, wicked-looking straight razor from a sheaf at his waist. Theo turned back to the approaching pack, satisfied.

When they got close to The0 and Angus, the group of attackers moved to surround them. Theo THE OVERSEER darted forward a couple of steps and slashed out ferociously with his knife. The powerful street punk heading up the pack staggered backward, blood oozing from a deep cut in his neck. The0 darted back again as the punk stumbled into one of his friends.

There wasn’t anywhere near as much blood as there should have been, which meant.. .

“Vampires.” He spoke loudly so that Angus could hear him. Then the pack broke over and around him, and there wasn’t time for anything except concentration.

A psychotic-looking little guy moved directly in front of Theo, a blade in each hand. He jabbed in with his right, and The0 surged forward, swaying comfortably past the slow attack. He smashed his forehead into the little guy’s face and felt the nose collapse. Theo’s neck howled in pain as something heavy crashed around it, bruising bone and ripping at his skin. He ducked reflexively, pushing the little guy back, and reached up. His hand caught around a thick piece of chain. He grabbed it, hard. Dropping into a sudden crouch, The0 tugged the chain down with him and felt someone stumble across him. The vampire screeched in sudden agony. The0 stabbed up savagely with his knife, aiming between the fallen vampire’s legs, and felt the blade sink in to soft flesh.

The screech turned into a full scream.

Shifting stance slightly to put some extra power into it, The0 ripped the knife up through the vampire above him, tearing it free when he couldn’t go any further. A spray of cold blood burst over him.

The writhing vampire went still, the scream trailing off. Theo sprang up, throwing off the dead weight, still clutching the bike chain. There was a shape more or less in front of him, so when he stood back up out of the crouch, he lashed the chain out hard toward its eyes. There was a moist crack as something broke in the woman’s face. She jerked back, and he hacked up with his knife, tearing through her neck and jaw as if it were paper. She fell limply, a doll with cut strings.

There was a moment of stillness in which Theo was aware of Angus twisting and darting behind him at nearly impossible speeds. The little guy with the smashed nose shrieked and leaped forward, both blades flashing as they scissored toward Theo’s sides.

Stepping back was impossible, so he slammed his arms down to block the double blow. The chain in his left hand was an unfamiliar load and weighed him down. He let go of it and smashed his attacker’s right-hand knife away easily, but as he did so, his left side flared with ice-cold pain that seemed to cut straight into pit of his stomach.

Theo did his best to ignore the knife in his side.

The little guy’s expression of triumph fell away as Theo grabbed his T-shirt and pulled him forward, off balance. As the man staggered, The0 shifted his knife quickly to a backhand grip and slashed around, slicing easily through his throat. Blood fountained as the guy’s head sagged backward, the gash opening to reveal flesh and bone. The0 cut again, through the spine this time, then let the corpse drop. He pulled the knife out of his side contemptuously, welcoming the fresh blaze of pain, and looked around. The punk he’d originally cut was backing away slowly from the carnage, eyes wide.

THE OVFRSFFR Theo growled hungrily and leaped at him, the world blurring. The punk turned to run off, but he hadn’t even managed to take a step when The0 crashed into him. The punk fell, and The0 smashed his forearm down into the side of the vampire’s head as he hit the ground. There was a wet crunch, and the punk moaned.

Theo bared his fangs and bit down hard into his throat.

Cool, sparkling blood flooded into Theos mouth, and he gulped it down. It spread through him, recharging him, smoothing away a thousand little aches. An unpleasant writhing sensation swelled in his side and around his neck as his body repaired itself. He tried his best not to think about hordes of ants devouring the flesh under his skin and let himself savor the punk‘s blood instead. Maybe the little idiot was good for something after all. The blood ran dry. The0 let the punk‘s corpse fall and stood up, looking around.

Angus was standing in a ring of shattered corpses. He looked a little unsteady on his feet, blood trickling from a nasty wound over one eye. His razor was still in his hand, slick with blood. He grinned at The0 shakily.

Someone started clapping off to one side. The0 and Angus looked around. There was a figure at the top of one of the spectator stands, but it was impossible to make out any details in the dim light.

“Will?” Angus sounded uncertain.

“Don’t be fucking stupid,” said an unfamiliar male voice. “Dog Boy is dust. You should be too. I wasn’t expecting you to bring a one-man army with you. Doesn’t fucking matter, though. Go back to your bitch and tell her to keep her pretty nose out of it.

It’s nothing to do with you.” rtm nedopulo3 Angus looked worried.

The0 growled, irritated. “You don’t seem to be in much of a position to be issuing orders. In case you didn’t notice, we just chopped your soldiers into pieces.”

“There’s plenty more where they came from, asshole. This city is full of gullible morons looking for an easy route to power. I only made enough for curly there, but don’t worry. I’m generous. I’ll bring more next time-all you can eat, and more besides.

Let me give you five cents of free advice, brother.

Persuade your pal there to walk away from this one, and then take your own fucking counsel. I’m sure you’ve got crap you need to be doing, and this is not it.”

“I don’t take advice from piece-of-shit cowards who lie to and sacrifice ignorant childer because they’re too scared to do their own dirty work,” said Theo, his voice like ice. “Maybe I’ll start doing some digging.”

“Oh, pkase. Hold the fucking self-righteousness. 1 didn’t see you worrying about that idiot’s wellbeing while you were sucking him down like some damn chocolate malt. Like you give a toss about a dozen hopheads anyway. The city’s probably better off without them. Hell, I’m a fucking public servant.”

Theo’s eyes narrowed to slits. “I know all about service. Why don’t you come down here so we can discuss some of the finer points?“ The man laughed nastily. “I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you? Tempting an offer as it is big boy, I’m out of here. I’ve got to replenislh the stocks, remember? Just do what 1 told you, and stay out of THE OVFRSFFR it, or you’ll find yourself in a whole world of pain.”

He turned to the edge of the wall behind him and vaulted it easily. There was a faint thud as he dropped to the street below.

The0 turned to Angus. “Did you get a good look at him? Any idea who’d want to screw this up?”

“I’m afraid not,” said Angus. “Sorry, old friend.

I have no idea. What the hell are we going to say?

Xaviar may even think we set Will up.”

“I’m sure you’ll come up with something. I’m more worried about that bastard roaming around the city creating armies of fledgling cannon fodder.”

“Yes, I suppose it must be a significant risk to the masquerade,” said Angus. “Don’t worry, though.

If you tell Don Cerro, I am sure he’ll bring it the attention of his justicar.”

The0 looked at him.

He smiled. “Oh, and it is a terrible fate for the young ones too, of course.”

The0 sighed. “Come on, let’s get out of this dump. Maybe we’ll be able to find some way of figuring out who that guy was.” ~ t m Dedopulos Itio sat back in the chair, closed his eyes to the office that had once been Matthew’s, and allowed himself to relax. The leather padding was delightfully soft and yielding, but after a time, he became aware of certain irregularities within it. A cluster of soft lumps in one place, a faint suggestion of a ridge in anotherit hinted at things that he couldn’t quite perceive. He forced himself to set the puzzle aside. There were more important things that had to be taken care of first.

He relaxed further, his mind stilling. As his own thoughts quieted, the background chittering of the cobweb grew, scrabbling up toward his consciousness until he could almost hear it. It hung there, teasing him, just out of reach as always. He grinned fiercely.

It was enough to drive a man insane. But not today.

He could feel the cobweb rustling with his cousins’ thoughts, hundreds upon hundreds of them.

Light nodes and dark nodes, blasted patches, severed strands.. . and, here and there, the familiar scent of a friendly mind. He pushed his awareness out over the gossamer strands, careful not to dip into it, just tasting the flavor of the threads and junctions as he passed.

It was like being in a large room full of sleeping family members-there was no communication, but the sense of fellowship was comforting.

Ttm Dedopulos Finally, after a long time, he caught a taste of the soul he was looking for, a faint lemon-ginger tang of idealism. He followed the spoor across the cobweb until he came to the source and then made himself known. A few moments later, the node blazed open and he fell inward.

“Itio. Be welcome.” By the sound of it, his sire was on a freight train somewhere.

“I see you, Lucius.”

“It has been a long time, my son. I am heartened that you are well, in these troubled times.”

“Thank you. For my part, I remain unsurprised that you sound as if you are in good health.”

“You are generous. The time is coming when the dancers will be sucked back into the shadows, and Hell itself will break loose, and then even the very worst of health will be a luxury-but that is by the by. You have found them?”

“Yes. Day and Night, with sunset hair, just as you said.”

“Ahh.” Lucius sounded deeply satisfied. “Your timing is exquisite. There is risk still, however. Not for the twins. They are almost sealed. For their champion.” ‘Theophilus is in danger, yes.”

“The dark is rising around him. It is part of the “Should I not warn him?”

“No. Leave him be. Without the darkness, the pattern is unstable, the twins at great risk. Bell is a rook on the board-an important resource, but sometimes sacrifices must be made. The twins, however ... They are critical. How can you play, without squares of black and white?”

THE OVERSEER pattern, unavoidable.”

“I understand.”

“When the darkness is deepest, it will likely consume Bell whole-or he, perhaps, will consume it. Either outcome is satisfactory. But he must stand within it, and there is the possibility of variance.

There are factors uncalculated somewhere, lurking out of sight. Stay away from Bell for now, close but hidden. He would not understand the importance of the darkness. If he manages to escape it somehow before it reaches its height, then you will have to kill him, my son.”

“Yes father,” said Itio calmly. “I know.”

It started to rain. The0 squinted up through the tree’s branches, a martyred expression plastered on his face. A large drop of water hit him straight between the eyes with a wet splat. He sighed, rolled himself away from the tree trunk and sat up. The only thing that had happened in the last ten minutes was the girl coming out of Christopher’s house and dumping a piece of the broken door outside. Theo stood up irritably and brushed himselfdown, feeling thoroughly humiliated. How had the bastard got back home so quickly?

The0 trudged back to the car, pausing to pick up his hat and sunglasses. He could easily imagine Delphine sitting there in the passenger seat, giggling at his appearance. He frowned at the mirror and tried to brush the worst of the mud off. It was a lost cause.

There was nothing to do but head back to Elysium and have a chat with Angus.

TI^ Dedopuloy * * * It took him about half an hour to drive back there, which aggravated him still further.

Christopher had made it in ten minutes somehow.

Maybe there was a back route. The0 pulled in to the Institute, determined to ask Angus for a map to look at. He parked his car haphazardly, slamming to an irritable stop on the walkway just a short distance from the staff entrance. He got out and strode over to the door, pushing the correct buzzer.

Gary, Elysium’s pinch-faced gatekeeper, opened the door almost immediately. His eyes flickered over The0 for a short moment. “Archon Bell. You are of course welcome, but I’m afraid you can’t leave your car there.” If he was amused by the mud and bark all over Theo, he hid it well.

“So move it somewhere better,” said Theo, grunting dismissively. “Keys are in the ignition.”

“Very well, Archon Bell.” There was a strong hint of resignation in Gary’s nasal voice.

“Oh, wait a second. Do you know where Angus is?“ “Mr. Abranson is in his rooms, I believe.”

“Where are they?”

“On the second floor. Go toward the council chamber, but take a left by the water cooler, and you’ll see the stairs to your right. Head up to the next landing, then take a right. His suite is the third on the right.”

Theo forced himself to smile. “Thank you, Gary.

You’ve been a great help over the last few days, and I know I’ve been snappy.’’ To his surprise, Gary smiled back. It made him look positively pleasant. “That’s all right, Archon Bell.

I understand. It looks like it’s been a rough night.”

THE OVERSEER The0 shook his head wryly. “You don’t know “I’ll take care of your car, Archon. Don’t worry “Thanks again,” said Theo, his smile genuine this time. He set off toward Angus’s suite.

Delphine paced up and down the length of the room impatiently. Nat watched her with a mixture of concern and amusement.

“You should sit down, Del.”

“I can’t. I feel like I should be doing something.

Anything. Even stomping up and down is better than sitting still.”

“You are doing something.’’ Delphine grinned. “Yeah. I’m pissing you off.”

Nat grinned back. “Something like that. Look, just be careful, okay?”

“I will. I’m just gonna warn The0 and run like hell. There’s not supposed to be any violence there, so as long as I can get to some potential wimesses, I should be all right.”

“That’s a pretty half-assed plan, sis.” Nat looked unsure.

“Tell me about it. I’m just going to have to wing it. I don’t have enough real information, and there’s just no time left.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you!”

Delphine shuddered. “God, no. You’ve only seen The0 and Itio. They’re okay. Well, sort of. I wouldn’t T ~ W Dedopuloy the half of it.” about that, at least.” * * * leave either of them alone in a school dorm at night.

But some of the others-there’s not much left of them, you know? It’s their home territory, too.

They’d see you as some kind of pizza I was delivering.

Way too risky.”

“What, so I’m lunch and you’re one of the gang?”

Nat looked vaguely sick.

Delphine sagged a little and sat down. “I guess.

I’m not part of the in-crowd though-in fact, I’m not supposed to go anywhere without The0 or some bullshit like that.”

“Yeah, what is the score there?”

“He saved my ass. The locals decided he had to baby-sit me, and he’s got to take me with him when he leaves the area. I’m not welcome it seems, and it was that or they throw me out for a crispy new sun tan, so I reckon coming back would be dumb.”

“But why did he do it?”

“He promised Dad he’d see that we were safe. He’s got some sort of seriously hairy-chested thing going on about keeping all his promises, no matter what.”

“That’s fucking handy.”

“Tell me about it. But from what I can tell, it’s not always so cut and dried. He’s got like different levels of promises or something and if there’s a conflict, he runs with he deepest one.”

“And,” Nathalie picked up, “given that he’s only known us a few days-’’ “Nights. But, yeah, we’re not all that deep, so he could still go bang on us.”

“Maybe we can get deeper.”

“Yeah, maybe. We’d need a pretty big bone to throw him though.”

THE OVFRSFFR “Like you rushing into mortal danger to pull his nuts out of the fire because he didn’t notice his best pal is a murderous little shit?”

Delphine grinned. “It might be worth a try.

That’s more like returning the favor though.”

Nat flinched, and her eyes became bleak. “Yeah.

I don’t mind taking my chances, actually. Anything is better than what they had in store for me in that fucking place.. .”

Delphine hugged her wordlessly and let her cry herself out.

After a while, the phone rang. Delphine grabbed for it. “Yeah?”

“There’s a taxi in reception for Room 308.”

“Coming.” She slammed the phone down and “Go,” Nat said. “Just come back again.”

“It’s a promise. Remember to pretend you’re me if you have to answer Theo’s phone.” She blew her sister a kiss and ran for the door.

Theo found Angus’s suite easily. There wasn’t any nameplate on the door or anything, but then again he would have been surprised if there were.

He knocked, hard, unsure of how large the suite was.

“Yes, yes, come in.” Angus sounded impatient.

The0 went in, and found himself in what would once have been described as a reception room. It was impressively large, and the doors leading off it indicated still more space. The d k o r was as functional as the rest of the Institute, but Angus had TI^ Dedopulos 13 1 turned to Nathalie. * * * amassed an impressive collection of sculptures of all shapes and sizes, from a couple of towering, abstract pieces on either side of the door down to tiny, exquisite works that seemed to fill every nook and cranny. Large, comfortable armchairs sat in a semicircle near the center of the room, scattered around a stylish coffee table that held a particularly fine marble statuette of a defeated lion in chains.

Angus was in one of the chairs, facing the door. He looked up and did a quick double take.

“Oh. Hello, Theo. I was expecting.. . No matter.

Please, come in, sit down. You look as if you have had a rather trying time of it.”

The0 nodded gratefully and sank into a chair opposite Angus.

“SO what happened?”

“Christopher fucking Houghton, that’s what. He must have left here before I even made it to his place, because he was less than a quarter of an hour behind me. I barely had time to check his office.”

“It, ah, appears as if he dragged you through several hedges backwards, if you’ll forgive me for saying so.” Angus couldn’t quite hide a faint grin.

The0 squirmed a little. “Oh, I suppose I can level with you. He did, more or less. Picked me up by the heels, dragged me out of his house and threw me about fifty feet into a muddy patch of trees and shrubs.”

Angus’s face almost made up for the embarrassment. ‘‘I don’t.. . How.. .”

“Fucking blood sorcery is how. Some sort of telekinesis.” The0 stretched out his arm toward Angus and waggled his fingers.

THF OVFRgFFR “Oh. I see. That’s inconvenient.”

“Just a little.”

“So did you find the evidence you were looking for?”

The0 shook his head. “Christopher can’t be the one, much as I hate to admit it.”

“Surely the proof of his villainy could be somewhere else? You said yourself that you barely had time to check one room.”

“It’s not that. The traitor has been trying to kill me for days. I.. .” He paused, feeling unpleasantly humiliated, but forced himself to continue. “I was totally at his mercy. He could have simply lifted me up twenty feet and slammed me down into the concrete over and over until I was pulp. There was nothing I couId have done to stop it. Shit, he could have just hung me in midair and used me for target practice, or fed me to his monster dogs, or something.

Instead, he just let me go.”

Angus nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, I’m actually rather surprised. He has a reputation for extreme reactions to invasions of his privacy, and it’s no secret that he dislikes you rather intensely. I suppose your status inhibited him. You were lucky.”

The0 grinned wryly. “I guess so. I’m going to have to get some new clothes though. My jacket is tom right across the back, and I’ve been blown to shit several times in the last couple of days. It’s a miracle this jacket hasn’t totally dissolved. I’m starting to look like a bum. That reminds me. Did you manage to get that cash?”

“I did indeed, old friend.” He pulled a thick envelope out of the inside pocket of his suit, and TI^ oedopulos placed it on the table. “There’s $7,500.00 there. It should provide you with enough petty cash to last you awhile, even after a new jacket.”

“Great, thanks Angus. I owe you one.”

Angus smiled. “Hardly. I’m sure you’ll make it up to me at some point. So what are you going to do now ?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve got to track down the traitor, and when I do, I’m going to kill him or her-and that’s a promise.”

Angus winced. “Any ideas on how to identify her ?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking about searching the primogen’s collected havens looking for some sort of evidence, but that could be slow. I still think it has to be someone who voted against Delphine’s survival in the council. Who else voted against us?”

“Gloria Astor,” said Angus thoughtfully. “But she caved in.”

“And ?”

“And what?”

“There must be someone else. The prince originally said that the vote was tied, so there must have been three votes against. Who was the third?“ “Oh. Yes, of course.” Angus looked vaguely uncomfortable. “It was Angela Vincenze.”

“What do we know about her?”

“Not a lot. She’s quite new on the council. Her predecessor had to be dismissed. In fact, I believe he had to be institutionalized for a short while, for his own protection.”

“Well there you go then. If nothing much is known about her.. . She could be playing any sort of game. She might even be Sabbat.”

THE OVFRSFFR There was a small electronic beep as Angus’s cell phone received a text message. He smiled apologetically at Theo, picked up the phone and quickly read the note. Then he put the phone back thoughtfully, sighed and sat back comfortably in his chair, every inch the respectable gentleman. The light caught in his hair, picking out strands of red and gold among the soft browns. ‘‘I will help you, Theo, but you’re going to have to trust me with something pretty major. You do trust me, don’t you?”

Theo smiled warmly. “Of course I do, Angus.

You’re one of my oldest friends.” The very thought of Angus being untrustworthy was so ridiculous that The0 was unable to stifle a quick laugh. “It’s been really good seeing you again. I’d forgotten how long it had been.

Maybe I should try to relocate out here, actually.”

“That would be lovely,” said Angus, beaming at his friend. His eyes crinkled charmingly as he smiled.

“Now listen. There’s someone who can tell you who the traitor is for certain. A friend of mine. The thing is, he’s really scared of you.”

“That’s silly,” said Theo, amused. “Any friend of yours is totally safe from me.”

“I know that, and you know that, but Peter is naturally wary, and he’s had a run-in with you before.

You gave him a real scare.”

“Oh Angus, I’m sorry,” said Theo, embarrassed.

“I never intended to frighten any of your friends.

What happened?”

“A case of mistaken identity. He thought you were someone he was hunting and jumped you. As soon as he realized who you were he ran away, but he’s realIy worried now that you’ll be cross with him.”

TIW Dedopufos “I can see how that might happen.” The0 thought for a moment. “IS he a blond guy?”

“Yes, that’s him.” Angus beamed approvingly, and Theo smiled, glad that his friend was pleased.

“He hasn’t got anything to fear from me.”

The taxi pulled up outside the Institute’s staff entrance. Delphine threw a twenty at the driver and leaped out of the cab, calling her thanks even as she slammed the door shut behind her. She dashed over to the door and thumped the button repeatedly before forcing herself to calm down a little.

A few moments later, the thin, reedy vampire opened the door. Gary, that was it. He looked a little surprised to see her and squinted at her suspiciously.

“What do you want here, child?”

Delphine took a deep breath she didn’t need and filled her mind with happy memorie~ood friends, fun parties, being tucked into bed at night by her dad. The thoughts made her smile. Then she reached out with the bubble of fondness that the images had conjured and wrapped Gary up in it. It felt a bit like snuggling up with him under a big, warm comforter. “Hi Gary. It’s good to see you again. Have you seen Theo?“ He smiled at her, his face softening. “Yes, he’s in with Mr. Abranson. You do remember you’re not supposed to go anywhere around here without Archon Bell, right? It’s not safe for you.”

“I know,” she said apologetically. “We got separated. I just want to catch up with him and Angus. Can you let me in?”

THF OVFRSFFR * * * “Well.. .” He looked a little torn.

She made her voice a little younger and stepped closer to him, looking up wide-eyed into his face and smiling at him hopefully. “Please?” She let a hand rest on his forearm. “I’d really appreciate it. I don’t really want to have to wait out here after what happened to The0 earlier.”

Gary smiled. “Sure, why not.” He opened the door wider to let her in past him. “You can go find him. If they’re not there, come back and you can wait here with me.”

“Thank you.” She beamed up at him and went in, brushing against him as she passed. “That sounds like fun. I’d better look for The0 first though.”

“It’s easy,” said Gary, grinning happily. “Go down there and follow the corridor for a bit until you see the water cooler. Turn right, and there’s some stairs along there. Go up to the second floor and head right.

Mr. Abranson’s rooms are the third on the right. I sent the archon up there barely fifteen minutes ago.”

“Fantastic! Thanks so much, Gary. You’re a life saver.” She went up on tiptoes and kissed him lightly on the cheek. “I’ll see you in a little while.”

She left the gatekeeper smiling after her and walked to the door he’d indicated, forcing herself to sashay rather than run. As soon as the door was closed behind her, she burst into a full sprint, tearing along the corridor as fast as she could. * * * Angus smiled wryly. “I know he doesn’t have anything to fear from you, old friend. Even so, he did say he’d feel a lot more comfortable if you’d agree TI^ Dedopulos to put a pair of cuffs on during the meeting.”

The0 looked at his friend uncertainly. “Well, I don’t really mind as such, but it seems like a strange request.”

“I know, but it would make him feel a lot safer.

He’s worried that you might lose your rather famous temper.” Angus grinned at him mischievously. “It’s your dangerous reputation working against you again, old friend.”

“I guess I do have quite a ferocious rep,” said Theo, slightly amused and flattered.

Angus smiled warmly. “None know it as well as I. Will you do it? I’d take it as a personal favor. Think of it as repaying me for the cash.”

“All right, Angus. Sure. I don’t like it muchrestraints always remind me of the old days-but seeing as its you.. .”

“Thank you, my friend. Peter will be extremely grateful.” He got up and walked behind his chair, fishing out an impressive pair of antique-styled manacles worked with decorative markings.

Theo eyed them with interest. “They’re pretty.

Would they actually hold in a push, though?”

“Yes,” said Angus pleasantly, bringing them forward. “Actually, they’d hold just about anything.

The Tremere made them.”

The0 grinned. “Sounds like a challenge. Don’t worry though. I’m not about to start wrecking your stuff, particularly if it’s expensive.” He held his hands “I know, old friend,” said Angus happily. He placed the open shackles over Theo’s wrists. They felt pleasantly tingly against his skin.

THF OVPRSFFR out.

Suddenly, an extremely loud smashing sound came from the corridor. Angus jumped a little, clearly startled, and Theo looked round, concerned.

“Theo!” It sounded like Delphine outside, and she seemed scared.

“Just wait a moment more, old friend,’’ said Angus, his voice crackling with strain. “I’m sure she’s fine.” There was a solid-sounding click as he locked one of the shackles in place.

“It’s Angus! ”

What had got into the girl? What did she mean?

He turned a little further to peer at the door in confusion. Angus cursed softly as the manacles jerked about in his grasp. Manacles? What the fwk?

It hit him suddenly, like a freight train, and he reacted out of instinct, diving over the chair back.

Angus shrieked in frustration and there was an immediate clattering from one of the other rooms.

The manacle hung uncomfortably from his left hand.

The0 rolled to his feet and whipped around to face Angus, bellowing to Delphine as he did so.

“Run, Del! Now!” He braced himself for the impact of looking at Angus again. A blast of power ripped right through his body as the blood exploded inside him. The air itself seemed to slow to a crawl. He looked up at Angus, and it was like gazing through a cracked lens. For an instant all the vampire’s glamour was potent as ever and he was Angus the Charmer, sophisticated and trustworthy. But behind that faGade, Theo could now see the sickly beast who’d so murderously betrayed him. Fury erupted within him, as hot and hard as he could ever remember, edging his mind with ridges of diamond. He could almost feel his eyes glowing with it. Even the mists of frenzy fled before its white-hot purity.

“From. The. Mouths. Of. Babes.” The0 spat the words out and flailed around for a word that could come close to expressing the least of his feelings.

“Scum.”

A door to the left burst open, exploding out at a snail’s pace. A blond, floppy-haired vampire dashed toward him, wicked-looking claws protruding from his hands. The0 slipped a foot out quickly, hooked it underneath one of the armchairs and kicked it up at the newcomer with all of the strength of his anger.

The chair flew into the air between them slowly, and the blond vampire cursed, starting to duck under it.

Theo turned back to Angus in time to see him lashing out with a lightning-quick stroke of his razor.

Theo swayed out of range, feinting out with a righthanded jab to Angus’s eyes, deliberately making it slow and pulling it a little. As he did so, he jerked his left arm up and around in a long arc, as hard as he could, the muscles of his left arm writhing and swelling as blood poured into them. Angus knocked Theo’s jab out of the way, catching him on the hand, a little unbalanced at not meeting more resistance.

He cut out with the razor again toward Theo’s face as the manacles crashed into the side of his head like a block of stone. Blood flew everywhere as the bone cracked. Angus stumbled limply, starting to fall.

The0 immediately dropped into a crouch and spun round, his hand darting to his waist to snatch his knife from its sheath. The blond vampire-Peter, THE OVERgEFR no doubt-had ripped the chair as he slid underneath it and stood up in a cloud of padding and debris. Theo surged up out of the crouch and stabbed toward him, but the vampire had already cut his movement short and lashed out with a foot, catching The0 with a glancing blow on the hip.

The0 swayed with the movement, letting his muscles absorb it, and pulled his left arm back across his chest, the manacle dangling over his right shoulder.

Peter sprang forward and slashed out ferociously with his claws. The0 braced himself and snapped his left arm over and down, pulling it in a tight arc.

The manacle smashed into Peter’s right hand like a mace even as the claws on his left hand sank into Theo’s side like lances of fire. Peter shrieked as his wrist broke, his scream blending with Theo’s own howl of agony.

The pain made Theo’s head swim, but he ignored it, driven by the hry burning inside him.

He stepped into the blow, tangling Peter’s claws in his own flesh and bone, somehow transcending the torture. He drove his blade forward as he did so, his arm like a pile driver, all the power of his speed, strength and rage behind it. Peter tried to pull back, but there was nowhere to go. The knife sank into his forehead as easily as if his bone were butter, the blow so ferocious that first the hilt and then Theo’s hand smashed in after it. Peter sagged, his skull destroyed, his flesh rapidly decomposing into ash.

The0 whipped around, looking for his old friend.

Angus was scrabbling to get back to his feet, looking dazed. Theo jumped, landing so that he deliberately crashed his feet heavily into the stunned vampire’s Tim Dedopulos rib cage. Angus moaned weakly. The0 crouched down, still standing on him, and ripped the manacle open. He flung it down, grabbed Angus’s wrists quickly, and slammed them into the device, locking it shut. The runes on it blazed once, and Angus howled again. Behind them, the chair crashed slowly to the floor.

Theo dashed to the door, leaving Angus where he was for a moment, and flung it open. Delphine’s back was visible as she sprinted glacially down the corridor. He relaxed fractionally, and the world jerked as Delphine suddenly sped away.

“Del.” He called toward her loudly.

She slid to a stop and looked round, nervously.

“It’s okay, kid. You can come join us.”

She nodded and made her way back toward him, so he ducked back into Angus’s suite and crossed to where his old friend was lying limply. The0 looked down at him with disgust, fury and pity mingling together invisibly behind the granite of his face.

“Why?” The word dropped from his lips. It sounded like a death knell, even to him.

Angus paled. “I.. . I didn’t have any choice. You just wouldn’t let it lie. You just kept getting more and more determined.” Delphine came into the room quietly and closed the door behind her. “What was I supposed to do? Just wait for you to finally figure out it was me?”

“Not that,” said Theo, fighting fresh waves of fury down. “Why do it in the first place?”

“They had us by the balls. Those damned slavers.

They know where we all lair, where all our places THE OVERSEER “Theo?” are. I couldn’t do anything against them openly. I knew you’d be able to take them out if you got involved.”

“Goddamnit Angus! Why didn’t you just ask me?“ “TOO risky. What if you’d let it slip? Far better to keep you ignorant. Between that paranoid bitch Kristine and that stupid gung-ho mortal, I knew you’d find something to pique your interest.”

Delphine snarled furiously, unable to contain herself any longer. “YOU fucking asshole. You.. . you.. .” she started spluttering, too outraged to even talk.

Angus grimaced. “You weren’t supposed to hook up with this little whelp. She’s the one that fucked it up. I couldn’t risk that she knew something.. . She’s the one that ruined everything. You’d be on your way now happily if it hadn’t been for her.”

Theo shook his head in disbelief. “You tried to kill me to shut her up?”

Surprisingly, Angus grinned. “I never tried to kill you. Peter tried to kill her, but you kept stopping him. Then you decided to hunt me down.. . You left me no choice, old friend. You’re like one of those things on those films people watch these days. You don’t ever stop, no matter what. You were so certain that those ludicrous idiots in the Sabbat were involved. You backed me into a corner.” Suddenly he laughed, trailing off weakly. “Actually, it was a lot more fun this way. I haven’t had so much excitement in decades.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” said The0 grimly. “In the meantime, your entertainment has left a trail of shattered lives and tom corpses, and you’ve ripped holes a mile wide in the masquerade.”

Tln) Dedopufos “There’s no need to get all pious,” said Angus scornfully. “They’re not relevant, and you know it.

Fools and cattle. It’ll be easily smoothed over. The end is coming, anyway. What does any of it matter any more?”

Theo looked at him in disbelief. “What happened, Angus? What happened to your code, your hopes.. .”

Angus shrugged. “I grew up, old friend.”

“No.” Theo shook his head. “That’s not it at all. You died.”

Angus laughed again. “We all did that, in case you hadn’t noticed. So what now, Theo? Are you going to haul me in chains in front of my prince, trumpet my guilt around the territory?”

The0 shook his head and rested his hands on Angus’s shoulders. “No.”

Some of his intent must have been visible, because Angus became even paler and tried to flinch back into the floor. “Theo, for God’s sake. The slavers are destroyed, the prince can get a new ghoul, you’re all right.. .” He trailed off, shooting a glance toward the door, which had swung open a little. “NO harm has been done, just a lot of good. Old friend, please, I beg you. Be merciful.”

The0 nodded sadly. “Don’t worry, Angus. That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

He slid his hands up to Angus’s neck swiftly, ignoring Delphine’s gasp, and threw all his strength into crushing it. The soft flesh crumpled easily beneath his steel grip. Angus’s eyes bulged and his legs thrashed. When he could feel bone beneath his hands, Theo twisted and pulled. There was a T n F OVFRSFFR moment of resistance and then the tissue ripped, the bones popped apart, and Angus’s separated head and body sighed into soft flakes of ash between Theo’s fingers.

The0 sighed sadly. “Good night, old friend.

Sleep well.” The door scraped shut again, caught in some draft, latching closed properly this time.

He stood up wearily, suddenly more tired than he could ever remember. Delphine was beside him in an instant, looking concerned. “Are you all right?” ‘‘I will be.” He looked at her. “Thanks. You just got to me in time, you know. Two seconds more.. .”

Delphine smiled. “You’re welcome. It was the least I could do.”

“Hardly.”

“Like you said, we’ve got to find ways to live with ourselves, right?”

The0 flinched a little and glanced down at Angus’s remains. “Yeah, something like that.” He picked up the envelope of money from the table and looked around the trashed room. “We’d better get to work.”

Delphine looked at him questioningly “Work?”

“I want to try to get some evidence here. Angus must have that voice scrambler thing around somewhere. I want to have a look for any documents, too. This may be our only chance before the locals start poking around.”

“All right. I want to phone Nat though, let her know we’re okay.”

“Okay. Use Angus’s cell phone rather than a landline though. Who knows who’s listening in to the phones here. Does your sister have my cell?”

Tim Dedopulos “Yep.”

“Good. So you don’t have to phone the hotel either. My number should be in Angus’s phone. I’d appreciate a hand when you’ve finished, then with luck there should be time to feed somewhere before heading back for the day.”

“Sounds cool.”

Theo left her to dial her sister in peace and started sorting through Angus’s things.

Camel1 was in the middle of lightproofing the room he’d be spending the day in when the phone rang. He picked it up expectantly. “Yes, Adam?”

“Bell has made his move, sir. The gatekeeper in the Minneapolis Elysium has been telling the prince how he stumbled across Bell murdering one of the primogen-ne of the archon’s own friends, no less.

One of the other primogen has also complained about Bell, accusing him of invading his haven, assaulting a ghoul and destroying his property.”

Carnell smiled nastily. “Oh, that’s almost too perfect. I hadn’t dared hope.. . The foolish, foolish man. He’s like a bull in a china shop.”

“I think they would agree with you, sir. The prince has ordered that no one even approach Bell, for tonight at least. She seems to think that he may have become deranged.”

“DO you know where this aggrieved primogen is based?”

“His haven was on the list, yes.”

“Good. Have him killed.”

THE OVERSEER * * * “Um. Mister Houghton is a thaumaturge of some repute, as I understand it. His haven is likely to be well guarded.”

“Then you’ll just have to be more flamboyant.

Kindred rely on secrecy. If you know where he lairs, not all the wards in the world will save him if you have a pawn drive a tanker-truck through his front door.”

“Uh, certainly, sir. During the day?”

“That’s the safest option. Have another of the prince’s ghouls killed too. A more disposable one, I think. We don’t want to anger her, just scare her.

Then, tomorrow night, contact the prince and tell her to call a blood hunt on Bell.”

“Ahh. I see. Yes, sir. What if she balks because of his position?”

“Don’t worry. By the time you call her, Bell will be sacked or suspended. I’ll give Paschek the ammunition for it myself and humiliate him a little about Bell. Oh, and please ask Benjamin or David to get hold of Wickman tomorrow and tell him to join me in Detroit. He’s the final piece of the lure.”

“Won’t Bell go to ground ?”

“NO. He’s too dumb to run. His first concern will be clearing his name. He’ll tuck his fledgling under his wing and come obediently to me in Detroit.”

“What then, sir?”

Carnell grinned. “Then I’ll part her from him, send her scurrying away with her tail between her legs and destroy the stupid bastard once and for all.”

Angus’s office was surprisingly chaotic, given the time he’d clearly devoted to its design. It was attractively decorated in a similar style to his reception room-underneath the mess, anyway. He’d taken the time to arrange bits of sculpture in a number of impressive set pieces, and put smaller works in all sorts of places. It was an interesting effect-anywhere your eyes happened to land in the room, you’d suddenly realize that there was something lurking in the comer of your vision. Little gargoyles peeked out from behind lamps; strange, flowing shapes cascaded around chair legs or oozed over the tops of heavy books; and, everywhere, small pieces of intricate stone chain seemed to give the impression that most of the room was firmly locked in place. Some of the bits of chain looked like they were bleeding. It had to be Angus’s own work, judging by the way each piece seemed custom-made for ‘its location. The0 ruthlessly stifled a sudden wave of sadness.

Despite the effort Angus had put into the statuary, the room looked like an absolute dump. Documents and notes lay everywhere, crumpled balls of paper had been thrown all over the place. Even the desk itself looked like it had been dragged halfway across the room and just left there in a fit of irritation. Books were ~ i m Dedopulos littered everywhere-jammed into nooks and crannies, strewn half-open across the floor, even left propping up chair legs. They seemed to range from pulp novels to huge, hardback reference works. It didn’t make much sense. The0 looked at it all and shook his head, wondering where to start. There was a telephone, but it didn’t have anything obvious attached to it.

Delphine came into the room behind him and Iooked around. He glanced back at her. She looked thoughtful. After a moment, she walked past him, crouched down and started examining some of the crap on the floor. As The0 watched, she ran a finger over one of the wads of paper and poked one of the discarded books. Then she stood up and looked at him.

This isn’t real.’’ Theo blinked at her. “What, you mean it’s some sort of illusion? That would.. .”

Delphine was shaking her head. ((1s that even possible? No, I mean he’s done this deliberately. Made the room look like this. The book has been glued in place, there’s dust on the ball of paper, and if you look, there’s no bit of dented carpet where the desk would have been standing if he hadn’t dragged this end around.”

“So what are you saying, that the whole room is some kind of art installation?”

She shrugged. ‘You tell me. He was your friend.’’ The0 winced a little. “That’s what I thought, but I guess I was wrong. My friend died long before tonight.”

Delphine smiled up at him sympathetically.

“Well, I don’t see any reason why he might not have worked in here, whether he’d laid it ouf as a piece of art or not. If he did do stuff in here, then it’ll be THE OVERSEER just below the surface. I had a quick look in the other room, but it’s just crammed full of books.”

“Yeah, I guess.” He nodded. “First thing we have to do is find whatever he was using to disguise his voice.

That’s the most important piece of evidence. After that, it would be great if we could find some kind of paperwork that indicates he was playing both sides, but it’s not so important. I’m going to begin with the telephone.”

“Cool. I’ll start over here with this stack of files, see if anything is real.”

Ten minutes later, The0 found what had to be it. It was buried under a pile of receipts in one of the left-hand desk drawers-a small, cigar shaped device with a metallic grille at one end and a small speaker grille at the other. He puzzled at it for a few moments then waved it at Delphine.

She was sitting by the pile of files, poring over one of them and crying silently, bloody tears painting her face red.

“Delphine?” He kept his voice gentle, concerned for her.

She looked up. “It’s ... it’s us, Theo. Dad, Nat and I.” Her voice shook a little. “A whole fucking dossier. He even had some sort of report done on how Dad would react when we ...” She buried her head in her hands, sobbing quietly.

Theo went and sat next to her, putting an arm around her and pulling her into a gentle embrace.

After several minutes, she quieted.

She looked up at him, suddenly ferocious. “You should have done it slowly, made the bastard suffer more. Break his fucking legs, stake him, and leave him out for the sun or something. You could have ~ t m nedopulos cut his eyelids off at the same time, so he had to see it coming. You.. .”

“None of that would have brought your dad back,” said Theo, interrupting her gently. “It wouldn’t have changed what happened to you. All it would have done is make things worse for you.

He’s gone, and he’ll never hurt anyone again.”

A tear trickled from the corner of one of Delphine’s eyes, and she seemed to deflate a little against him. “I just wish ...”

“I know.” To distract her a little, he waved the cigar-shaped device at her again. “Hey, do you know how this works?”

She blinked at him, then looked at the device, dully at first, but with increasing interest. After about aminute, she grinned in amusement. “It’s a trachy talker,“ He frowned at her, puzzled. “A trachy talker?

What the hell is that?”

“For people who’ve had a tracheotomy.”

The0 looked at her with the ghost of a smile.

“That’s some sort of operation, right? You may not be entirely surprised to know that I haven’t had much occasion to keep up with medical science over the last century. I’m not exactly what you’d call an interested party.. . .”

“You know cancer, yeah?”

“Not to go out drinking with,” he said wryly. He peered at her, trying to decipher if she was being deliberately offensive or not. She twinkled back at him innocently. “Yes, child,” The0 said. “I know what cancer is. I’m not a moron, I’m just 180 years old.”

“Just checking,” she said, grinning.

He glared at her.

THE OVERSEER “Okay, well, a tracheotomy is when they have to take a chunk of your windpipe out, usually because of throat cancer or something. Sometimes you’re left with a hole in the base of your neck that you have to breathe through, which means that you can’t get air over your vocal chords, and so you can’t talk. If that happens, they give you one of these.”

The0 arched an eyebrow. “Really?”

She nodded. “Yup. We all had to sit through an entire lecture on it a few years ago as part of a ‘Smoking is bad, m’kay?’ program at school. It was really cool actually-they had a video of this dumpy old bald guy with a gross, puckered opening in his ’ throat and he was breathing through it and talking with one of these things about what an idiot he’d been. We all wanted one afterwards.”

Theo shook his head. “How does it work, then?”

Delphine grinned evilly. “You press it against your neck and it picks up the sounds or some shit. The only drawback is YOU SOuNd LiKe SoMe KInD OF mNStEr!!’ Theo jumped as her voice suddenly doubled in volume and turned into a peculiarly androgynous metallic grinding.

She giggled at his expression. “Told you they were cool!”

“Thank you for the demonstration.” He frowned, hiding his amusement. “I think we’ve got enough here now. Let’s go and see if we can find the prince and tell her what’s been going on. It’s not all that early, and I’d like to have time to feed somewhere too.”

Delphine glanced at the folder at her feet and sobered up. “Yeah. Good idea. I phoned Nat, and reassured her that we were all right.” ~ l m Dedopulos The0 brushed his finger down one of the tear tracks on her cheek. “You should probably clean up a little somewhere, too.”

“Oh. Yeah. I guess I should.”

Finding some water to wash up with turned out to be considerably easier than tracking down anyone to talk to. After Delphine washed herself at the water cooler in the first floor hallway, they spent the next twenty minutes wandering around the Institute. It seemed to be utterly deserted. The door that led to the prince’s council chambers was locked, and there was no sign of Gary or anyone else in the rest of the complex. Even the guest suites were dark and empty.

Finally, Theo decided to call it a night and led Delphine back to the car. He unlocked it and looked back at the dark Institute thoughtfully. “I don’t like this.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” said Delphine.

She looked slightly concerned. “There was plenty of activity here when we turned up just before dawn on the first night.”

“Well, there’s not much we can do about it now either way. I’ll just have to come back early tomorrow night to make a report.”

“Be carefd,” she said.

A little over an hour later, they were squashed up in the factory vault again, pleasantly well fed.

Delphine cuddled up comfortably against her nearly naked sire, seemingly unconcerned. The0 glanced at her as he reached for the door to pull it closed.

“You shouldn’t get too relaxed around her, Delphine.

I admit that she seems rather maternal toward you, but don’t forget that she is a violently deranged criminal, even by our standards.”

THE OVERSEER Delphine smiled at him easily. “Don’t worry. Yeah, I admit I do think she is kind of sweet. Hot, too. I’m not forgetting who she is or what she’s done, though.”

Theo nodded. “Good. Just bear it in mind. It would be a mistake to trust her.” He slammed the vault door, plunging them into darkness, and started fumbling for the bolt.

“That’s just a bit ironic coming from someone who has admitted that he may kill me and my sister at any moment.”

Theo winced, despite Delphine’s bantering tone.

Angus flitted across his mind, begging for his existence. The0 was glad that she couldn’t see his expression. “That’s not entirely fair.”

“It’s not inaccurate though, is it?”

“No,” said The0 unhappily. “I guess not.”

“Oh, Theo, I know you’d do your very best not to have to harm us while your promise to Dad still holds, and I know we both owe you absolutely everything, including our current existence. I was just making the point that if Kris is a risk.. . well, she’s not the only one I’m taking, so don’t worry too much.”

He stifled another wince. “I guess so.’’ Delphine rustled up against Kristine and stiffened momentarily. She took a deep breath and then sighed languidly. “Good night, Theo.”

“Night.” Somewhere outside, he could feel the first glow of dawn spilling over the horizon, and for once he welcomed the oblivion that rose up to swallow him. * * * The darkness receded grudgingly. The0 stayed still for a while, feeling Delphine shifting against him. Finally she stopped wriggling about and spoke, teasing him quietly. “While it is nice and cozy in here Theo, I’d like to see Nathalie tonight.”

The0 grinned into the darkness. “All right, all right.” He fumbled the padlock open, slid the bolt back and threw the vault door open, stepping out into the deepening twilight. Delphine piled out after him a few seconds later, rubbing her palm sleepily.

“Okay, now before I forget, you’d better take some money.” He pulled out five hundred-dollar bills from the envelope Angus had given him. Delphine’s eyes widened. “Take Nat into town and get her something of her own to wear. Buy her a decent meal too, and maybe get some groceries for her to take to her room.

It might be best if you also give the hotel a bit of cash so they don’t start getting twitchy about the room. Don’t do anything too attention-grabbing though. I know we’ve got Angus, but Liam and his thugs are still out there somewhere. Oh, that reminds me. If you get a chance, check up on my bike. I left it at the 7th Street Ramp, near Target.”

“Sure thing,” said Delphine gratefully. “Thank you, Theo. 1 know Nat will appreciate it. 1 hope you’re not expecting change after that list of errands though.”

The0 chuckled. “Change? From money I give you to go shopping with? I told you I wasn’t a moron.”

Delphine beamed at him, her eyes twinkling.

“You’re catching on, old man. Tell you what, give me an extra couple bills, and I’ll get you something fresh to replace the rags you’ve got on.”

THE OVERSEER The0 looked down at his T-shirt, had a quick go at counting the bullet holes, and gave up. “That may not be such a bad idea.”

“You’re starting to smell a bit like a butcher, too.

Hey, why don’t you come in with me and grab a quick shower?’’ He frowned at her. “Any other fashion tips you’d like to suggest ?”

“New shades? Those look a bit wonky.” He growled at her, and she poked her tongue out at him impishly. “You asked.. .”

He sighed. “It’s been a pretty busy couple of nights, you know. Personal hygiene hasn’t exactly been my highest priority.”

“Look, I’ve got a feeling that tonight could be a little rough.” Her voice was unusually serious. “I don’t care how guilty Angus was, he was one of the prince’s friends. If you go in there like the Hobo From Hell, it’s not going to help.’’ “You’ve got a good point there, actually. Maybe I should come shopping with you first.”

“Great, you can give us a lift. Just, uh. ..”

“Just what?” asked The0 suspiciously.

“Just leave us to it while you get your own stuff, “Can I trust you not to deck Nat out like a Delphine shot him an indignant glance. “Low Tim Dedopuloy okay?” streetwalker?” profile. I promise.”

The0 nodded, satisfied. “Good.” * * * Ninety minutes later, The0 pulled into the Institute’s parking lot. Delphine and Nat were off around the Warehouse District somewhere, looking happier than they had since their initial reunion.

The0 smiled at the thought, enjoying the sensation of being freshly washed and wearing brand new clothes. They did feel considerably nicer against his skin, there was no doubt about it. He was sure that Delphine would tease him over the fact that his new outfit was almost identical to the old one-leather jacket, jeans, T-shirt-but she didn’t really understand the advantages of a well-known image. Not yet.

He parked and headed to the Institute, clutching the file of information Angus had compiled on Delphine and Nathalie. The talker was tucked in a pocket of his jeans. The door swung open as he approached. Gary looked out warily, nodding to him.

The0 went inside, and Gary closed the door. There were several vampires in the reception area with him. “Archon Bell. You are expected.”

“Good evening, Gary. I need to see the prince if possible.”

“Indeed,” said Gary.

“Please, Archon, walk with us,” said one of the other vampires, a casually dressed man who looked about forty. There was a soft Texan lilt to his voice.

“I’m Bill, and this is Joseph and Sophie.”

“Theo,” said Theo, nodding to them politely.

“I was just about to send Bill and his team on to the council chamber,” said Gary. “They’re our top scourges.’’ Theo looked around the group with renewed respect. “That’s a tough job. Good to meet you.”

THE OVERSEER Scourges did, on a local level, about the same thing The0 did as an archon: enforce the traditions and take down any kindred who got too far out of line.

While The0 worked for Justicar Paschek, Bill and the others would report to the prince alone.

“You too,” said Bill pleasantly. “Shall we?”

They wound through the brown corridors in silence. The0 was preoccupied, thinking of different ways the conversation might go. They arrived quickly at the council room. Bill knocked on the door. “Enter,” said Elizabeth clearly.

Bill opened the door and politely gestured for The0 to go in first, following him in with his companions. Elizabeth sat at the head of the table, dressed ,in a severe black suit, with a somber black top underneath it. An attractive woman sat in Angus’s place, dressed similarly to the prince. She had shoulder-length ash-blond hair and huge green eyes, deep enough that any man would drown in them. A powerful-looking Hispanic man sat in for Christopher Houghton, a talisman dangling from one ear. He wore a suit as well.

Elizabeth looked at The0 disapprovingly.

“Well?”

It was a little frostier than he’d hoped for. He put the folder down on the table, placed the voice distortion device on top of it and pushed it over toward the prince. “I regret to inform you that, to my deep personal sadness, Angus Abranson turned out to be the traitor in your midst. He attempted to destroy me last night, and failed. I ended his existence. I can at least assure you that I have found no evidence suggesting a link to the Sabbat.”

Tlrr) Dedopufos The prince stared at him impassively. “I know that my old friend has been destroyed, Archon. After your fledgling violated Elysium by dazzling my gatekeeper into allowing her into the building, he became concerned and went up to Angus’s suite to check on her. Gary found you in Angus’s room, standing over him. He appeared to he fettered and was pleading for his existence. You destroyed him anyway-ripped his head off, as I understand it.”

The0 frowned at the prince. “He was the traitor, in breach of several traditions. It was my duty to finish him, no matter how unpleasant I found it.”

“SO you say, Archon Bell. I, however, am no longer convinced that there was actually any traitorous activity going on.”

He pointed at the voice changer and folder in front of her. “The evidence is here.”

I m not particularly interested in paper,” said Elizabeth icily, pushing the material back toward him.

“I.. ,” Theo’s head swam a little, and he had to fight down a wave of resentful anger. “He was one of my oldest friends. What possible reason could I have for destroying him ?”

“Perhaps you grew angry with his repeated refusal to vote for your fledgling’s survival.”

“What? ”

“Which brings us nicely to Christopher Houghton, don’t you think?”

Theo shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and follow the conversation. “You gave me leave to investigate within your domain, my lady. I regret the damage I did to Mr. Houghton’s property, but it was necessary to eliminate him from my list of suspects.”

THE OVERSEER I6 t She looked at him. “And was it necessary to eliminate him from my council of primogen?”

The0 stared at her, puzzled. ‘‘I’m not sure.. .”

“Another person who would not vote for your little pet. Another person destroyed. Along with both of his ghouls and one of his properties, no less.

Minneapolis is a peaceful city, Archon. We do not drive trucks full of explosives into suburban havens here. Did the humiliation of being dragged out of his house like a kitten push you over the edge perhaps, or are you simply in thrall to a bloodthirsty childe?”

Suddenly, Theo’s insides seemed to vanish entirely. “I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I, Archon Bell. Particularly after the generous hospitality I have shown you. I lost a second ghoul myself this afternoon. A close personal friend of some years. More fallout from the little war you have started? Even that is not the end of it, however.

The local police seem very interested in the whereabouts of someone matching your exact description. Something to do with the murder of a young librarian?”

Theo’s insides snapped back, but they seemed to have been filled with boiling acid while they had been away.

“Milly’s dead?”

“You admit to knowing her.” The iron-hard statement sounded like heavy doors slamming.

“I.. . We rescued her from the slave ring,” said “Really. How many other people did you TlIY) Dedopufos The0 bleakly. rescue?”

“Thirty, maybe forty.”

“Name one.”

The0 blinked.

“SO she wasn’t just someone you rescued then, was she?” Elizabeth sneered nastily at him.

“She, uh, she was our lead to the ring. We were tipped off that she was going to be abducted, so when she was, we followed her captors back to their base of operations. I then made sure she was rescued and took her home.” ‘‘Where you were seen. As you were also seen at her place of work earlier that night, according to the case file. She at least cannot have voted against your fledgling-did she perhaps spurn your advances ?”

“I did nothing to harm that girl,” snarled Theo, angry. He took a deep breath and forced himself back to calmness. Losing his temper now would be a horrible mistake.

“Tell me, Archon Bell, did the rogue actually Embrace that childe? Are you quite sure she’s not yours?”

Theo’s head swam. “How dare-”

“A friendly word of advice, Archon.” Elizabeth did not sound in the least bit friendly. “DO not seek to discover what I dare.”

“My apologies,” said The0 archly. “I was provoked by the offensive phrasing of your question.”

“Offensive. Yes. Yesterday, you told this council that I should be angry with your traitor, rather than with you yourself. Well, I have seen no firm evidence of any traitor in my council, or of any group of slavers in my territory for that matter. If you destroyed a THF OVFRSFFR real operation, then why did the emergency services catch no hint of it? The rogue, I believe in.

Everything else.. .”

“Angus was manipulating her as well,” saidTheo crossly.

“Oh really.” Elizabeth said, flatly disbelieving.

“To draw me in to an attack on the slave ring.

To use me as a weapon against the threat they posed to all of you.’’ “Which, of course, does little to position him as a traitor. If you hadn’t destroyed Christopher, he would undoubtedly have taken this opportunity to point out that you sound exactly like a paranoid schizophrenic, Archon Bell.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m wrong,” said The0 through gritted teeth. “And I never even touched the warlock.”

Elizabeth brushed his protest aside. “Even if he worked against you personally, Angus was most certainly the lesser of two evils.”

“He wanted to kill me,” The0 protested.

“I know the feeling,” snapped Elizabeth, eyes blazing. She stood up, her face a steel mask of judgment, and The0 took a step back involuntarily.

“Archon Bell, I am inclined to believe that you have lost the few senses you are reputed to have possessed.

The two primogen who refused to bend to your will regarding your fledgling have been utterly destroyed, you seem to have stirred local criminal gangs into a war against me personally, the police and press appear to think my territory has become a battle zone, and you are being hunted for the rather spectacular murder TIW Dedopufos ‘‘y#y.!,, of a perfectly innocent mortal who had the misfortune to be a plaything of yours. Your assertions of wild criminal organizations conspiring with my primogen lack any demonstrable substance. I will discuss this matter further with my council and your superior.

Maybe your clanmate Mr. Crieff or Justicar Paschek will be able to explain this horrendous situation to me more eloquently than you yourself can. In the meantime, all your rights and privileges to operate in this territory are immediately revoked.”

“But.. .” began Theo.

“I want you out of my city within forty-eight hours, Bell. You may return only if Justicar Paschek manages to persuade me that it is vitally necessary.

While you remain here, you will not damage or harm anyone or anything. Any breach will be considered a hostile act and will be punished accordingly. Take your pet fledgling with you when you leave. If she steps foot inside my territory again, her existence is forfeit. I’m being generous only because I cannot be bothered to have her hunted down. In the meantime, leave my Elysium immediately and return only if summoned. Do not come to say farewell. I have your cell phone number in the extremely unlikely event that I ever want to hear your voice again.”

Theo stared at her in disbelief.

“William, my very great thanks for bringing the archon to us and watching over our safety in his presence. Please escort him directly back to his vehicle and make sure he leaves quietly. If he attempts any violence, you have my permission to destroy him outright.”

“This is.. .” began Theo, outraged.

THF OVFR’jFFR “Go away, Bell. Before I indulge myself and shred you to ribbons personally.”

The0 looked at her coldly, then nodded. He turned around, and Bill opened the door for him politely. He left the room, hearing the door close behind him. Bill stepped forward and opened the security door. “This way please, Archon Bell.”

“I should have guessed,” said The0 angrily, glaring at the man. “A scourge pack was a bit of a coincidence.

You think you can take me down, do you?”

“I’m only doing what I’m told, Archon. I don’t have an opinion on the matter either way.” Bill’s voice remained polite but firm.

The0 grimaced slightly, remembering the first time he’d met Kristine. He fought the anger down again. “All right. Lead on.”

The scourge pack escorted The0 back to the car park. He swallowed his pride and let himself be led tamely out. Gary was nowhere in sight, for which Theo was strangely grateful. Once The0 was outside the building, Bill closed the door. It sounded suspiciously as if he was locking it, too.

The0 heaved a massive sigh and stomped irritably toward his car. He wanted very much to break something. He was almost at his vehicle when the phone rang. He glanced at it, hoping desperately that it might be Itio or Delphine or anyone other than Paschek. His heart sank as he saw the familiar number come up on the phone.

“Good evening, Justicar.”

“Ah, Theo, good evening to you too.” The0 almost dropped the phone. Paschek had never used his first name before. The man still sounded cheerful. ~ t m Dedopulos A very bad sign, that.

“How may I be of assistance?” asked Theo nervously.

“I had a charming conversation early this morning with a young woman who answered your telephone. She sounded very pleasant. Positively warn, in fact.”

“Uh.. .” began Theo, unsure of what to say.

“She identified herself as Miss Decourt,” said Paschek happily. “You will answer the following questions both truthfully and honestly, Archon Bell, by clearly saying either yes or no, no more and no less. You will not question anything, merely answer as requested. This is an order, and I remind you that you are oath-bound to obey. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Theo’s heart sank like a lead weight.

“DO you obey?”

“Yes.”

“Marvelous. I’m so glad we understand each other at last.” Paschek sounded almost avuncular.

“Tell me, was I speaking to Delphine Decourt on your new telephone?”

The0 sighed unhappily. “No.”

“Then it was her twin sister, Nathalie?”

Theo urgently wanted to demand how he had details about the girls-whether it was from Angus or not. He shook his head desperately, but had to answer. “Yes.”

“Does Nathalie know that you and her sister are Kindred?”

“Yes.”

“And tell me, Archon,” said Paschek, now openly gleeful. “Is Nathalie Decourt herself ,Kindred?”

THE OVERSEER “No.”

“Then is she perhaps a ghoul, or enthralled in some other manner?”

The0 tried desperately to answer ‘Yes’-he had put her under an injunction not to talk-but while it would have possibly been truthful, it was not an honest answer. He sighed miserably. “No.”

Paschek laughed. Here it comes, thought Theo, horrified. “I’m not going to waste my energy ordering you to destroy the girl, because Bell, in all honesty, I do not believe that you can be trusted anymore.

So I am delighted to finally say that I am revoking your status as an archon in my service, effective immediately.”

Theo blinked in astonishment. “I.. .”

“Your actions over the last twenty-four hours are quite incredible, even for someone with your reputation for savagery. Two primogen, three ghouls and a house destroyed, a gang war initiated, police hunting you, and a mortal gifted with who knows what secret information. 1 would imagine that my humiliation is outmatched only by your sire’s. I will be informing the circle of justicars, the prince of Minneapolis and-solely for my personal entertainment, you understand-your sire, Don Cerro de Leon, of your reduced status immediately.

I suggest a life of extremely quiet introspection, Mr.

Bell, because if I hear your name in connection with any more lunacy, I will assign a real archon to destroy you forthwith. Do have a pleasant evening.” The phone went dead.

The0 collapsed back against the car, utterly stunned. He tried to gather his thoughts, but they kept slipping out of his grasp. His mind whirled, a storm of resentment, anger, confusion and shame.

How had it come to this? Maybe if he showed the prince around the slave ring’s building, or brought Liam in front of her to questionItio. He needed to talk to Itio. Turning to the phone, Theo dialed his number and waited.

After a dozen rings, it was obvious that Itio wasn’t going to answer. The0 stared at the telephone uncertainly, then cut the connection. He got into the car and drove out of the Institute’s lot, still in a bit of a daze. Different possibilities and options jostled for attention and were discarded almost as quickly as they appeared. The0 realized with a start that he was pulling into a parking ramp near the mall where he’d agreed to meet Delphine, but he had no memory of having driven there. He parked the car, killed the engine and sat back, trying to focus. The phone rang, an unfamiliar number. He picked up the call warily.

“Bell.”

“Theo, it’s Simon Crieff. It’s important. Can you talk?”

The0 stared at the telephone for a moment before answering. “Yes, I guess so.”

“It’s bad news, I’m afraid.”

“Bad?” He fought down the urge to laugh. “YOU don’t say. What is it?”

“Theo, listen. I... well, I have someone who monitors calls into Elysium. The prince just had a call.”

“From Paschek.”

“No. He phoned a few minutes ago. This was from Detroit-well, Dearborn to be exact. It was THE OVERSEER the guy who’s been knocking off the prince’s ghouls with his bikers. The slaver you screwed over.”

“Liam?” It surely couldn’t get any more surreal.

“Yes, that’s his name. He ordered the prince to call a blood hunt on you. Said that if she didn’t do it right now, he’d kill all the city’s elders the same way he did that dumb-ass Houghton.”

Simon’s words seemed to slip straight past his mind. He grabbed at them to try make sense of what he was saying. “So she knows I’m not crazy. You folks will need to switch your havens, but I assume most of you are already doing that given what happened.”

“I don’t think she cares that it’s an empty threat now, Theo. It’s a setup and you’ve been really smoothly fucked. Now that she knows Paschek‘s cut you loose, she’s going to go along with this Liam fuck because that way she gets what she wantsyour head on a pike. I hate to say it, but 1 think the rest of the council will back her play.’’ Suddenly The0 realized what Simon had just said. His head whirled in disbelief. “Blood hunt. Me.”

“Yeah. I get the feeling she might pass the word around some friendly cities as well-I definitely wouldn’t go into St. Paul or St. Cloud, for instance.

She’s publicly blaming you for her ghouls, too. I had to warn you. I suggest high-tailing it if you can. I’ve slipped out of the council, but she’ll announce the hunt as soon as I’m back with the rest of the primogen.

I can buy you a little time, maybe an hour tops, but then every fang in the city is going to be after you.”

His blood felt like ice. Let them fucking try.

“Thanks, Simon. I owe you one. A big one. Call on it any time you want. It’s a promise.”

TI^ Dedopulos “There’s no need for that, Theo. Blood looks after blood. Was Angus really a traitor?“ “He was in with Liam right up to his neck. He played me, Delphine, Liam and even that rogue Kristine like strings on a fiddle. Shattered more traditions than we actually have, pretty much. I don’t think he was actually working against Minneapolis as such, but he’d gone rotten, lost his entire sense of proportion. He was a significant danger to the masquerade, and he was trying to destroy me. I just put him out of his misery.”

“I see. A shame. I wondered, when he voted against Delphine. She seems like a good kid, by the way. Under different circumstances.. .”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll tell her, though. She’ll appreciate it.”

“Look, get going will you? I don’t want to see you caught.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Now go.”

Crieff hung up. The0 sat back in his seat, feeling slightly better despite the news. At least he had one person on his side.

Camel1 stretched his legs out comfortably and settled back in the plush calf‘s-leather sofa. The locals had outdone themselves in their eagerness to avoid trouble. The building they had given him was quite minimalist, but stunningly built, with beautiful internal architecture and marble floors throughout.

It looked a lot like the sort of necropolis you found THE OVFRSEFR * * * attached to the better class of crematorium, which was rather deliciously amusing. On the other end of the phone, Adam was confirming that Wickman was now on his way to Detroit.

When his subordinate trailed off, Carnell turned his attention back to the telephone. “Have you arranged for someone to ensure that Bell gets a stormy welcome when he makes it here?”

“Yes, sir. One of the bishops is going to send a pack out. She seemed keen for the chance to bring the mighty The0 Bell down.”

“You did ask the locals not to harm the twins, yes?”

“Of course, sir. They weren’t particularly happy but are prepared to ignore them, assuming they return the favor.”

“Good. I don’t want Bell having their martyrdom to bolster his resolve. I want them to leave him of their own accord.”

“Don’t worry, no one is going to take action against them.” .

“Excellent. There’s no way he’d risk taking the twins into the city itself, so double-check that the packs along 1-94 are towing the party line. I...”

Down by Carnell’s side, his cell phone started beeping. “Please excuse me, Adam. I have another call.” He hung up the landline and picked up the cell. The call was from Minneapolis, as he expected.

Carnell paused for a moment, summoning memories of the way that Jaroslav Paschek had sounded earlier. The man had a high, cold voice, slightly petulant, reedy on some of the vowels, with a littIe residual consonant slurring from his Eastern TI^ Dedopulos European origins. He tried the voice out experimentally. “Paschek.” A little harder ...

“Paschek.” Perfect. He answered the cell phone.

“Paschek.”

“Ah, hello Justicar. This is Simon Crieff.”

“Good evening, Mr. Crieff.”

“I have passed the information to Theo as you “He has no idea it’s from me?”

“No, Justicar. None whatsoever?

“Thank you, Mr. Crieff,” said Carnell. “I am in “This is the only way to save Theo, isn’t it?”

“Indeed it is. His enemies in the circle would destroy him if they had any inkling that his suspension was not entirely genuine. Even Archon Bell himself cannot know.”

“What if the prince’s blood hunt succeeds? She is spreading it around.” ‘‘I wouldn’t worry too much about that, Mr.

Crieff. Archon Bell is a resourceful individual. I’d be very surprised if he succumbed.”

“I understand, Justicar. I’m glad to be of service.”

“Your loyalty does us all credit,” said Carnell, an evil smile spreading across his face.

THE OVFRSFFR requested.” your debt.”

Theo finally managed to bludgeon his mind into action. He and the twins were going to have to get out of the city. Trying to catch Liam in Detroit appeared to be the best move. Sneaking into Sabbat territory was a risky proposition, but if he kept a low profile, left the girls outside the city somewhere, maybe he could do it smoothly. It seemed to be the only option. Itio had chosen a damned inconvenient time to go off on some secret mission, no doubt about it. The0 would need the bike, some emergency daylight protection and something would have to be done about Kristine. Once he had the mortal, Paschek would have to listen to sense, and the pressure on the prince would be alleviated, so she would be able to call off the hunt.. . He’d get out of this mess yet. He grinned for what felt like the first time in months, glad to be able to take some positive action.

Half an hour later, he was back by the car again, leaning up against the driver-side door. It had cost him just under $100 to get the bike back after a week or so of leaving it at the ramp, but at least it was now stowed safely in the station wagon’s cavernous cargo compartment. He’d also picked up twenty yards of thick black plastic, a nail gun, four rolls of duct tape, a small storm lamp and a dozen wooden wedges. It TI^ Dedopufos wasn’t perfect, but if they got caught somewhere insecure, he should be able to make at least one room lightproof and hard to enter. As long as Del and Nat were punctual, they might even be able to get out of the city ahead of the prince’s declaration.

He looked around the dim parking area hopefully.

Sure enough, the girls were approaching, arm in arm.

He smiled, relieved that at least one thing had gone according to plan. They were dressed identically, in tight boot-cut blue jeans and fashionable black tops, and Nathalie had acquired a jacket to match Delphine’s. They even carried plastic shopping bags from the same store. Nat looked as if she’d more OT less physically recovered from her ordeal, but it was easy to tell them apart even without the hair-Delphine was as white as a sheet, naturally. He felt a sudden surge of pity for her but crushed it before it got near his face.

The girls smiled at him in eerie synchronization.

“You look positively cheerful, Theo. How did it go?”

He chuckled, fighting hard to stop the laugh from blossoming into a hysterical giggle. “Absolutely disastrous, thanks. We’ve all been banished from this city permanently on pain of death, Itio has vanished, I’ve been removed from my position, and, to top it all off, we have-” He checked his watch. “-about twentysix minutes until every vampire in the local Camarilla starts trying to hunt me down and destroy me.”

Delphine stared at him in horrified astonishment. Nathalie just looked puzzled.

Theo laughed at their expressions, unable to stop himself. “Yeah. That’s pretty much how I feel, too.”

Delphine stared at him, clearly alarmed. “Are you okay?”

THE OVERSEER “What’s the Camarilla?” asked Nathalie.

The0 shook his head, sobering up. “No, Delphine. Not really. Nathalie, um, it’s a bit like a social club, but the less you know, the safer you are.

I should have kept my mouth shut. Sorry. It’s not that important anyway.”

“Okay,” said Nat reluctantly.

Delphine still looked concerned. ‘What the hell are we going to do?”

“We’re going to get out of here, and then I’m going to clear my name.”

A slow smile crept across Delphine’s face. “Hey, I’ve just had a thought. If you’ve been sacked, that means you don’t have to obey your boss’s orders anymore, right?”

Theo nodded. “Not that he’s going to give me any, anyway.”

“Is there anyone else who you have to obey?”

“Have to? No. Not really. The justicars, archons and princes can still boss me about, but it’s my choice as to how much notice I take. I’m not oath-sworn.”

She flew at him and hugged him fiercely. The0 blinked and then hugged her back uncertainly. She smiled up at him. “Don’t you see? It means no one is going to make you kill us! Not for a while, anyway.

We’re safe with you for a bit.”

He thought about it for a second and nodded back wryly. “You know, that’s absolutely true.”

“Promise me something.”

“Maybe,” he said, suddenly wary.

“If they offer to reinstate you, make them wait an hour before saying yes, so that we can get a head start if we need one.”

T h 3 DedOpUfO5 “All right,” said Theo. “That’s fair enough. I swear, on the memory of my sister Daisy. That’s as serious as they get, kid.”

Delphine went up on tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you, Theo.”

“Nat is still at risk though,’’ said Theo. “Paschek knows about her. I don’t know how he found out, but that’s why he sacked me.”

Nat frowned a little “Am I important enough to track down?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll just have to keep low profile, won’t I?”

The0 arched an eyebrow. T h a t makes two of us, Nat-and I really am important enough to take the time over. The people who are looking for me won’t know about you, though. We’ve got to get a move on. We need to get out of here.”

“Can we ever come back?” Nathalie asked.

Delphine hugged her. “Nuh-uh.”

“But.. . ”

“Agents.” ‘The big bad,” protested Nat feebly.

“Tabula rasa,” said Delphine firmly. “Mr.

Punchinello, remember? Don’t worry, I’ll stand.”

“Yeah?”

Delphine grinned. “It’s all sand, sis.”

Nat grinned back, a wicked glint in her eyes.

Delphine looked shocked. “Fuck that.”

Nat arched an eyebrow, and Delphine paused a moment, suddenly thoughtful. “Gimme five, okay?”

They both stared up at Theo, who looked back, punled. The girls shared a look, and then started giggling.

THE OVERSEER “Yeah. Maybe 1’11 come with.”

“Have you quite finished, ladies?”

“We’re just starting actually,” said Delphine.

“But don’t worry, it’s for the future.”

“So let’s get going already.”

Delphine looked at him. “We are going to get Kris, right?”

Theo shrugged, a little uncomfortable. “I don’t want to leave her there when there’s no guarantee 1’11 be able to come back. I guess we can sling her in the back with my bike and think about it.”

Delphine turned to Nat. “Squirrel time,. sis.”

Nathalie sighed theatrically, got into the back of the car and closed the door. Delphine looked at Theo. “Right. You said I had the hots for Kris because I drank her blood, right?”

Theo nodded, a little puzzled. “Yeah, that’s right.”

“And the effect gets stronger the more you do it?”

“Yes. If you drink another vampire’s blood three times, even a drop, you’re.. . well, you’re passionately in love with him, whoever he is, however badly he treats you. You’re really eager to please him, you trust him totally, his safety is your only concern. You usually know you’re being controlled, but it doesn’t make any difference.”

“Does it work both ways?”

“Yeah. Mutual blood bonding is just about the closest we ever get to love. It’s not that common, particularly as you get older. Over the centuries, even a blood bond can get pretty sour.” A really nasty thought hit him. “Oh fwk. You’ve been feeding from her.”

Delphine laughed evilly. “No.”

“Then what.. .” It clicked, and a chill went down his spine.

TI^ Dedopubs “That’s right, brainbox. Every time you’ve jammed me up against her, before and after going to sleep. That’s like what, five different nights now or something?”

Theo stared at her dumbly. He felt like he was seeing her for the first time. “When you changed clothes.. .”

She nodded. “I took the stake out. It sounded like she was converted from the way she was talking, but I had to be certain. I mean, I don’t know all the details. All she wanted to do was kiss me, though.”

She arched an eyebrow suggestively. The effect was spoiled by a guilty little flush, but her face was defiant.

“Haven’t you heard a word I’ve told you? That’s monstrous, Delphine. Slavery.”

Her eyes flashed fire. “What the fuck was I supposed to do? I want to fucking survive, and I want Nat to survive too. You might have turned on us at any time. I need someone I can rely on. Without question. Someone who knows the ropes, who can look out for us, who’ll be totally on our side. Tell me, hero-in my place, what would you have done?”

“I ... I don’t know.” He sighed. “Not that, though.”

“That’s your hang up, Theo. Not mine. I will do whatever it takes to get out of this shit and have some sort of life for myself where I’m not constantly worried that I’m about to get waxed.”

“I underestimated you,” said Theo. “I think you’re going to fit in to our society very nicely.”

“Thank you.” Delphine sounded pleased.

“It’s not a compliment,” he said sadly.

THE OVFRSFFR “Ah, lighten up. I’m a decent person, Theo. You know it. I’m only doing what I have to do to protect myself and my sister. I don’t have your strength or your speed or your reputation. I don’t have my Dad or my friends or a life or any of that shit. I don’t even really have you, even now, much as I wish I did. All I have is a bit of charm. I need every tool I can get.” She looked glum.

A wave of sympathy hit Theo, and he ruffled her hair. “I don’t like it, and I definitely don’t approve of it, but I do understand. It was a clever move, kid. It never even crossed my mind.”

She smiled up at him hopefully. ‘So you see why we have to take her with us? Unstaked?”

Theo nodded reluctantly. “Okay. I understand.

If you’ve got her enthralled, then she’s going to be relatively safe. Just tell her that it’s important to you that she follows my lead, okay? The bond can lead to some pretty spectacular bouts of jealousy.”

DeIphine beamed at him. “It’s a deal. Thank you, Theo. Now come on. We ought to get moving.”

The0 nodded. “You’re right about that one.”

They piled into the car. Delphine turned to wink at Nat, who grinned back. The0 quickly drove back to the factory where Kristine was stashed, glad that the roads were quiet. They parked in the unit and got out. Delphine brought one of the plastic shopping bags with her. Nathalie looked extremely uncertain. ‘(It’s okay,” Delphine said to her.

“Could have fooled me,” muttered Nathalie. “It’s bloody spooky. Jesus.”

The0 fished around in the trunk and got the hurricane lamp out. “Here. Use this when we get inside.” ~ i m Dedopulos Nathalie smiled at him. “Thanks.”

“Come on,” said Delphine. “Let’s get on with this.”

They went inside. Nathalie turned the lamp on, filling the room with a soft glow. Delphine motioned for her and The0 to wait outside and headed into the vault to fetch her sire. There was a bit of mumbled conversation and some rustling, and then the women came out of the vault. Kristine was dressed again and allowed her childe to pull her out by the hand. Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks, staring wide-eyed at Nathalie.

Nat stared back at her, looking awed. “Fuck.. .”

Her voice was the quietest whisper.

Kristine was suddenly in front of Nathalie, still looking a bit stunned. She reached out a hand and stroked the girl’s cheek gently, gazing deeply into her eyes. “You really are as gorgeous as your sister.”

Kris kept her voice soft, hardly more than a breath.

Nathalie flushed slowly, unable to look away from Kristine’s eyes.

“Nat, this is Kris. Kris, this is Nat. Be excellent to each other.” Delphine grinned broadly, which surprised Theo a bit.

“It is a true pleasure,” murmured Kristine, her lips just inches from Nathalie’s.

Nat just swallowed and made a faint noise in the back of her throat.

“We ought to get a move on, ladies.” Nat jumped a little and turned to look at The0 guiltily.

“Of course, Archon. Good evening to you.”

Kristine smiled and swished over to Delphine before he could correct her.

I80 THE OVERSEER “Uh, Theo?” Nathalie spoke very quietly and The0 smiled at her sympathetically. “The answer Nat blinked. “How.. .”

“Your sister.’’ He grinned at the expression on her face. “See, it’s not just the two of you that can do it.” Nathalie was starting to look scared, and he relented. “Delphine was rather taken aback by Kristine too, and asked me what I imagine are the same questions. Yes, she is beautiful, but the strength of her visual impact is something like a trick. Don’t worry about it. Feeling sexually attracted to her doesn’t necessarily make you lesbian, not that there should be any reason for that to bother you. Does that cover everything? Can we please go now?”

“Not quite.” Nathalie grinned mischievously.

“Put your arms around my waist for a moment, please.”

The0 frowned at her uncertainly.

“Please?” The grin fell away and left her vulnerable.

The0 smiled at her reassuringly, and did as she asked. Nathalie smiled, snaked her arms round his neck, and then went up on tiptoes and kissed him gently, her mouth half-open. Out of sheer surprised reflex, Theo kissed her back, and a few moments later, she pulled away smiling broadly.

“Thanks, big guy. I needed that.”

He looked at her wordlessly, still puzzled.

“Guess I’m not that gay, eh?” She grinned at him, a glint in her eye. “Don’t go anywhere though. I may need you handy for some, uh, stiff discussions if I have any more crises about my sexuality.” sounded uncertain. is.. . partly, yes.”

The0 sighed, a slightly martyred expression on his face. “That sort of thing doesn’t do much for me anymore.”

“That’s fine,” said Nat, smirking openly. “It wouldn’t be for your benefit.’’ “Nathalie!” Delphine was over by the door, pretending to look stem. “You can play with your toys later.”

Nat turned back to Theo and patted his cheek.

“Come on, let’s blow this joint.” She sauntered off to join Delphine and her sire.

The0 looked at the three women standing by the door. The wild urge to make a desperate run for it surged within him. He shook his head wearily, had a quick last glance at the room to make sure they hadn’t left anything, and then headed for the car.

Half an hour later, they were on 1-94. The0 felt a certain sense of relief at being out of Minneapolis.

Detroit was hardly going to be any safer-the whole Midwest looked pretty risky all of a sudden-but at least he was out of that particular madhouse. He turned his mind back to finding Liam once he was in Detroit, and the miles rolled by.

“You don’t move much, do you ?” Nathalie had apparently been using her backseat vantage to observe Kristine and Theo, who were in the front seats.

The0 shot a quick glance back at her. “Excuse me ?”

“You don’t move very much. You both stay totally still most of the time. You’re not fidgeting, shifting about, dozing off, anything like that. It’s just interesting, that’s all.” 18 2 THE OVERSEER Kristine smiled. “A good observation, Nathalie.

There’s no need for us to move because we don’t have the same petty physical distractions that you do-little itches, discomforts, nagging aches and so on. Our bodies are dead.”

The0 hissed at her to shush, appalled.

“Hey,” protested Nathalie. “It’s fascinating stuff.’’ “It’s not safe for you to know things like that,” said Theo. “The more you get drawn in to all this, the more dangerous it will be for you. You’re not doing yourself any favors.”

“Come on,” said Delphine unexpectedly. “Can anything really be more dangerous to her than knowing what we really are?”

“It’s a matter of degree. If she becomes an expert on kindred affairs, she’s going to be a much higher priority target than if she just knows we exist.”

Kristine looked cross. “Archon Bell, do you really think for an instant that I am going to allow anyone to harm so much as a hair on that lovely girl’s head?”

The twins beamed at her from the back.

The0 sighed. “If an assassin is determined enough, no target is safe.”

“I’m fully aware of all that. So long as Nathalie never reveals that she knows anything, then she will not be in any worse danger than just being with us at the moment places her in.”

“It’s not the point,” said The0 stubbornly.

“Actually, it’s pretty much the entire point,” said Nathalie. “I’m not trying to be difficult, Theo. Really, I’m not. But something I don’t know could very easily kill me, don’t you think? Besides which, I need T~TT) nedopulos to be informed if.. .” she hesitated. “If I’m going to stay with my sister.”

“You’re still thinking like a cop, Theo,”

Delphine said.

Theo sighed. “I’m just trying to point out greater knowledge in this case is not necessarily a healthy thing. I may have been canned, but that doesn’t mean that I no longer believe in the job I used to do. As I’ve told you before, the mortal and kindred worlds are best kept as far apart as possible.”

“Canned?” asked Kristine curiously.

The0 frowned. “Paxhek fired me. That was shortly after the prince banished me from Minneapolis, but before she called a blood hunt on me.”

Kristine grinned a little. “SO we’re all renegades together then. How merry. Those are the rewards of faithful service to you, Arc.. . Mr. Bell.”

“Call me Theo,” he said, with a pained expression. “I don’t really blame Paschek. The situation is being manipulated.”

“When I made similar comments, you implied I was delusional.”

The0 glanced at Kristine. “That’s a very different situation.”

She arched an eyebrow at him coolly. “You think so?”

Delphine leaned forward “Come on guys, give it a rest. We’re all friends here, and this car’s a bit cramped for dueling.” ‘Sorry Delphine,” said Kristine quickly, looking rather ashamed. She shot Theo a warning glance.

He rolled his eyes, ignored her glare, and turned his full attention back to the road. A few minutes THE OVFRSFER later, he saw a sign for an approaching gas station and pulled in.

“Are we stopping? Cool.” Nathalie seemed pleased. “1 could do with stretching my legs and grabbing something to eat.”

Kristine smiled. “Me too, if the opportunity presents itself.’’ “Remember what I said,” Delphine warned her as The0 pulled up to a pump and stopped the engine. ‘<No girls.”

“Of course,” said Kristine. “It’s no problem.”

Ill give you some money to pay for the gas,”

Theo told Nathalie. “Delphine, can you give me a hand?”

“Sure.”

They all got out, Nat and Kristine heading for the small store with a hundred that The0 gave them.

He opened the cap and started filling the tank, then looked up at Delphine seriously.

“There’s something you ought to know.”

“More dire warnings, Theo?” She looked amused.

Theo shook his head. “No. I told you a couple of days ago that Itio had calmed Nat down a bit, and that I’d explain. Well, on the night we rescued her, he worked on her and Milly’s minds a bit. It helped them feel okay about the stuff they’d seen and been through, so they wouldn’t be scared by it.

He reckoned it would last a week, so we’ve got a while yet, but I don’t know how Nat’s going to react when it wears off. She might get really freaked about us, or she might have problems with what she went through after she was kidnapped, or she might lose TIW Dedopulos I1 , it about your dad, her life, and all that stuff. To be fair, I suppose that she also might be used to it and be totally fine. One of the reasons I don’t want her knowing anything is in case she decides to turn against us.”

“She loves me,” Delphine protested. She was clearly troubled though.

“I know,” said Theo, as gently as he could. “But as Kristine so bluntly pointed out, you me dead, and despite what poets say, there’s not much love that survives the grave. I wonder if she would have been able to cope with the three of us sitting like robots in the car back then if it hadn’t been for Itio’s spell.”

Delphine shuddered, and her eyes went very wide and vulnerable. “I can’t lose her, Theo. I just can’t. I need her. I can’t face this without her.”

“What about her needs?”

“She needs me too,” said Delphine, a little wildly.

He looked at her sympathetically. “Are you sure she doesn’t need a chance to grow up and have a normal life, away from all this death?”

Delphine stared at him, horrified.

“Just think about it, okay?”

She nodded numbly. “Okay.”

The0 finished filling the car while Delphine wandered into the store. A thought came to him as she opened the door. He hooked the nozzle of the pump back in its cradle, got back into the car and pulled out his phone. It was before 1O:OO p.m.- comfortably early for calling the West Coast.

The voice that answered the call was surprisingly unfamiliar. “TBP. How can I help you?”

THE OVFRSFFR The0 frowned. “Is Lance Laker available?”

“I’m afraid he’s on leave, sir. Can anyone else “That’s okay,” said Theo. “I’ll try him at home.” [‘Of course, sir. Good evening.”

The0 hung up and tried another number.

“Hello.” It was a woman’s voice. She sounded “Hi Kirsty, it’s Theo Bell. How are you?”

Her voice froze. “You bastard.”

It wasn’t the response he’d been expecting.

“Kirsty ?”

“DO you have any idea what Lance has been through? He was worried sick about you after that bombing, and you never so much as called.” She was angry, and her voice was steadily rising in volume. “That was real cold, Theo. How dare you? That poor, sweet man.. . Oh, brother, then it got out that he’d blocked that apartment out. I . Jesus howling Christ. Didn’t it even cross your mind?” She was yelling away from the phone now. The0 knew better than to interrupt her tirade. “I will mt. I know he’s your cousin, but I am going to handle this.” She came back again at full force.

“We had the damn FBI here three days ago. The boys were at school, thanks be to the good Lord, but I don’t know which of us was more scared. Lance has been suspended, and the spooks are going to come back too.

What the heck are we supposed to tell them, Theo?”

“Kirsty, I’m really sorry. It’s been hell the last few days. I’m in trouble, got people on my back, people who have been trying to kill me. This is the first safe chance I’ve had to call. It never occurred to me that the feds might come sniffing around you.”

TIW Dedopulos help?’ slightly harried.

“Theo, what in the name of hell is going on?”

Her voice got even colder. “Are you in trouble with the police? Because if you are.. .”

“No,” he said quickly, cutting her off. “It’s not like that. I’m, well, I really shouldn’t tell you who I work for, but lets just say you could describe it as domestic counterterrorism. Anything more would be dangerous to disclose.” It wasn’t even a lie, really.

“Oh my God.” She sounded troubled, tom between irritation and concern. “Are you going to be all right?”

“I’ve got sway with Max and Glenn at TBP. I’ll have a word with them and get Lance back in place on full back-pay, just as soon as I’m out of this particular hole. A couple of weeks.” He didn’t even hesitate. “That’s a 100% guaranteed promise. Maybe even a compensatory bonus if I can swing it. I can’t do anything about the feds yet, but they should lose interest real soon now. If they don’t, then make a note of the guy’s name, and I’ll sort that out too.”

“I‘ve always known you to be as good as your word,” said Kirsty, sounding a lot quieter. ‘“Thank you.”

“De nada, Kirsty. Least I can do. Look, I’ve really got to go, but I’ll talk to you in a week or two. Tell Lance and the boys I said hi, okay? When this is all sorted, I’ll drop by for an evening.”

“Sure thing.”

“Good night, Kirsty.” ‘INight, Theo. Be safe.”

“You too.” He hung up and frowned. After a few moments, he tried Itio again, but there was still no response. He folded his arms on the steering wheel and glared irritably out at the highway, trying not to think about all the crap that was mounting up.

THE OVERSEER By three in the morning, they were past Janesville and getting close to the Illinois state line.

Theo decided to play it safe and started looking out for a motel to rest up in. A few miles before the Beloit pike, he spotted a sign.

“There’s a motel coming up, so we’re going to stop for the day, ladies.’”

Kristine looked uncertain. “IS that safe?”

“It’s going to be safer than trying to find a lair in someone else’s territory. Don’t worry, I can seal a room if I need to. I’ve done this loads of times.”

“If you say so.”

The0 turned off the highway. The motel complex was typically ugly, a sprawling mess of blocky concrete. The mall was dark and quite obviously shut for the night, but the motel section looked promisingly lit, and the gas pumps were obviously functional too. He followed the snaking road around to the lot in front of the motel, parked the car and got out. The girls got out too, Nat stifling a big yawn, and followed him up to reception.

Inside, the motel looked functionally neat and tidy. The predominant color was blue-pale for the walls, darker for the thick carpets-with the occasional bit of gold trim. Insipidly anesthetic art ~ h n Dedopulos prints hung on several walls, along with a number of certificates, accolades, route maps and other standard junk. A large corporate logo was woven into the carpet just in front of the pine reception desk. There were some vending machines visible a short way down one corridor, and Nat made a beeline for them.

A pimply, tired youth sat at the desk surrounded by computers, telephones, paperwork and a small portable TV tuned to some news channel. The kid was doing his best to look attentive and welcoming.

He really wasn’t succeeding, though. He tried to rally as The0 walked up to the desk.

“Good morning sir, welcome to the Beloit Sunbird. How may I help you?” The words were a ritual formula.

The0 stifled a sudden urge to offer the kid three guesses. “DO you have a room for four people, please?”

The youth peered at him curiously, and seemed to perk up a little. “Yes, sir. The overnight cost for an Oriole Suite is $125.”

“That’s fine,” said Theo.

“Would you fill this card out please?” He passed Theo a card, looking and sounding slightly distracted.

The0 scrawled some fictitious details on the card and passed it back. “We’re going to need a late checkout, please.”

The kid squinted at the card then went back to studying Theo’s face. “Our regular checkout is noon, Mr. Peters. Is that late enough for you?”

“We’ll be using the room until 600 p.m. or so.”

The kid didn’t even blink. “There’s a $40 surcharge for a 6:OO p.m. checkout, sir.”

THE OVFRSFFR “That’s fine,” said Theo. “I’m really, really tired, and I want to be able to sleep until I’m ready, without having to worry about times or maids or anything.”

The youth‘s eyes flicked over to Del and Kristine standing a few paces back, and then toward Nat, busy with a vending machine. One of his eyebrows lifted a fraction. “Of course, sir. Just hang the Do Not Disturb sign on your door.” He glanced over for a moment at a report on the TV. “That’s $165 please, Mr. Peters.”

Theo had a close look at the clerk‘s name badge.

“Please, Alan,” Theo said loudly, resisting the temptation to glance back at the girls. “Call me Mike.” He passed over some cash, hoping they’d got the hint about his name.

Alan looked up at him, surprised, and suddenly his eyes widened a little. “You’ll be in room 143, sir.

It’s down the left-hand hallway, on the right.” There was an odd tone in his voice. He handed The0 back his change and the room key. “Enjoy your stay, Mr.

Peters.” He was staring openly at Theo now, almost as if he knew him.

“Thank you,” said Theo. He turned around to the girls and tossed Delphine the key. “YOU may as well get comfy, ladies. I’ll fetch the stuff from the car.”

“Thanks baby,” said Delphine, grinning at him mischievously. “Don’t take too long though. We’ll be ready and waiting for you.” She put her arm round Kristine’s waist and swayed down toward where Nat was now retrieving a soda. As they turned, Theo and the clerk could both see that Delphine had her hand on Kristine’s butt.

TI^ nedopulo3 The kid gave The0 a flat, unfriendly stare. The0 stifled a sigh, ignored him and went to get the overnight bag.

Alan watched the black guy making his way back from the parking lot. He was carrying a large canvas sports bag. He sure did look a lot like the Rockton Murderer. There was plenty suspicious abut Mr. Mike Peters, too. Check out at six?Three girls?Alan watched him cautiously as he came back through reception, trying to make out what might be in the bag. It didn’t seem like clothes, that was for sure. One bulge even looked a lot like a big reel of tape. If it was the right guy, Alan would be a hero. He reached for the telephone, his mind filled with news reports congratulating his bravery, and dialed the police. It took them about 20 rings to answer. ‘?iock County Airport Sheriff‘s Office.” ‘This is Alan Park at the Beloit Sunbird.’’ “Oh, hello Alan. It’s Ray. You got another DUI?”

“No sir. It’s more serious than that. I think the Rockton Murderer just checked in.”

There was a long silence, and when Ray spoke again, he sounded cautious. “To be honest, Alan, I doubt it. I’d be surprised if he’s even in this region anymore. What makes you think its yoar guy?”

“Well, he looks just right-black, mid-30’s, tall, muscular, tidy mustache. He’s even got a baseball cap, and he had sunglasses hanging from the collar of his shirt. In the middle of the night.”

“Could anyone really be that stupid? More likely it’s some sick fuck dressing up the same.”

THE OVFRSFFR * * * “If he’s crazy, then maybe he just doesn’t realize he’s being stupid,” said Alan eagerly. “He did look kinda dumb. Anyway, he had three girls with him, all of them cute. Two of them were twins. He also had this great big bag full of stuff that didn’t look at all like clothes. I think I saw a big reel of tape.” ‘Twins?”

“Yeah.”

“Hm. Three girls is a lot, and I don’t know any twins working the area. All right, Alan, how about you give me his name and address, and I’ll run it, see how he checks out.”

“Yessir! Okay, his name is Mike Peters.. .”

Room 143 was as blandly clean and tidy as the rest of the motel. The main room held four narrow beds, each neatly made up, along with the standardissue television, telephone and minibar, a long desk underneath the window and several chairs that were supposed to look comfortable. The window ran the entire length of the room and looked out over the parking lot. In addition to the main area, there was also a fairly generous bathroom and a separate toilet.

Neither had any windows, and the doors opened inwards. The0 nodded to himself in satisfaction.

“This will do just fine. We can rest in the bathroom. It’ll only take a few minutes to lightproof.”

The girls were stretched out comfortably on various beds, Nat looked tired. Delphine glanced over at her then turned to Theo. “Can we take a couple of mattresses in with us?”

TI^ DedopufoS * * * “No, there’s no room. It doesn’t matter though, you won’t notice what you’re sleeping on.”

She pouted. “Maybe not, but just for once I’d like to wake up on something comfortable.”

He grinned wryly. “I’ll bear it in mind. Nathatie, I’m afraid you won’t be able to come into the bathroom once we seal it. The toilet is separate though.”

“Sure thing, it’s not a problem. Do you want me to keep the curtains closed too?”

“Yes, thanks, that’ll help. The main thing is that you’ve got to make absolutely sure no one tries to get in to the bathroom with us though. I’ll wedge it shut, but those doors aren’t all that sturdy. Anyone coming in is going to be in real trouble.”

“Yeah, I understand.”

“You’re also not going to have any signs from us that we’re all right or anything-it’s going to be dead silence. No rustling, no breathing, no moving around, none of that. I know you understand that, but it can still be disconcerting. Don’t get tempted to check on us, no matter what.”

She grinned. “Don’t worry, I get the point. You don’t need to go on and on about it.”

“What were you thinking of doing to seal the room?” asked Delphine.

“This one? Nothing. I’ll wedge the bathroom door shut, tape around the door to lightproof it, and then probably nail a comforter over it all for extra protection. There’s no other possible sources of daylight. I’ll also leave a few little surprises around the room just in case someone does somehow manage to get in. I’ve got some bits and pieces with me.”

THE OVFRSFFR Delphine looked surprised. “Wouldn’t the noise of someone breaking in wake us up?”

Kristine smiled at her. “We are very difficult to rouse during the day, daughter.”

Nathalie laughed. ‘Nothing new there then, sis.

So when are the three of you going to head in there?”

“Not for a couple of hours yet,” said.Theo.

“There’s not much point until dawn is approaching.

You’re welcome to crash out if you’re feeling tired though.”

“In a while maybe,” said Nat. “No hurry. It’s not as if I’m going to have much to be awake for here during the day.”

Delphine feigned shock. “How can you possibly say that? There’s that fascinating mall out there waiting to be explored, and the delightful little gas station, and, um, heaps of simply wonderful truckers just waiting to make your acquaintance.”

Even The0 chuckled at that, and then he realized that the thought of all those people was making him feel a little hungry. “I’m just going to pop down to reception for a minute,” he said. “I’ll be back soon.”

He slipped out of the door, ignoring Kristine’s knowing grin. He walked back down the corridor, idly thinking about getting a master key and exploring a room or two. He’d never really considered before how ideal a busy highway motel would be as a larder. It would be perfectly feasible to get thirty or more pints of fresh blood every night and still never feed from the same person twice. That sort of place would be great for hiding out in as well-totally anonymous, just one face among a TI^ Dedopufos thousand. It certainly had potential. Maybe it would be worth persuading Max and Glenn to start diversifying‘ into the motel business. Lance could even be put in charge.

The0 walked out into the reception area, smiling to himself. The clerk looked up as he approached and went very pale. He actually appeared frightened.

Could he have the room monitored? The0 had always thought that was an urban myth. He took a step forward, frowning now, and the kid actually flinched back in his seat.

There was no choice. The0 lashed out with his mind. The clerk’s will was a small, confused thing, weakened by greed and idle malice. It crumbled into dust even as he broke through it. The kid’s mind tried to shrink back, but The0 stabbed straight into the center of it, and he sagged forward in his chair.

“Alan, have you been monitoring room 143 in any way?” He kept eye contact with the kid, walking around the desk.

“No.” The clerk’s voice was light, weak even.

“Why were you frightened to see me?”

LLYou’re a murderer.”

That startled The0 a bit. “Why do you think “You look like one.”

Theo’s eyebrows almost shot up under his cap.

The kid was obviously just a paranoid, racist prick.

Still, he’d be handy for feeding from. ‘lie down on the floor and stay still and silent.”

The kid obeyed. The0 knelt down next to him and bit into his wrist. Hot, fresh blood gushed into his mouth, and he swallowed it gratefully, feeling it I 9 6 THE OVERSEER I’m a murderer?” flood throughout his body. Somewhere behind him was a momentary flash of light, a car driving past or something. He ignored it, and then there was nothing in the world but the blood, warming and nurturing him. The0 fed slowly, making the most of the pleasure.

The front door opened and The0 flinched, horrified. He immediately dropped the kid’s wrist and licked the wound shut.

“Freeze.” The0 looked up. Two cops stared at him in horror, large handguns trained on him. “Oh fuck,” said the nearest. It was the same voice. “It’s really him. He’s killed the clerk.”

The other one was muttering urgently into a radio.

“Gentlemen, there’s been a terrible mistake,” said Theo.

“Down on the ground, you piece of shit.” The first cop looked appalled, disgusted and furious all at once. “I said down!”

Theo braced himself and concentrated. Raw energy surged through him, seething from the blood in his veins and tearing into every cell in his body.

He felt the power settle into him and everything slowed down. He threw himself backwards toward the cops, the world blurring as he moved. The cops were good-they fired at where The0 had been even as he surged to his feet. His hands flashed out, and he grabbed both of the cops by the throat. Their expressions changed to alarm as he pulled the pair of them apart and then smashed their heads together with all his strength, the blood screaming into his muscles. There was a revolting cracking noise, and TI^ DedopuloS their skulls crushed together, blood and gore fountaining out in a tall arc. He felt the life drain out of them and let them drop, cursing bitterly.

Behind him, someone was making horrible gurgling noises. Theo shot a glance Lack and saw that the clerk had taken both bullets. One had gone through his neck, and the other had ripped into his face. He wouldn’t live long, but that would be a mercy.

The reality of the situation sank in, and he immediately bolted for the room, burning blood recklessly. The walls seemed to stream by. Even so, people ahead were opening doors. It was too risky.

He dropped his speed and everything snapped back into normality as the power fsded. He was still running at a good pace, though, and one or two people shrieked as he approached. He clearly heard one man gasp “Rockton!” as The0 shot past him.

He flung the door to his room open, slamming it shut and locking it as the others leaped up concerned.

Delphine looked particularly alarmed. “What the fuck?”

“We get out. Now. Through the window.” The0 bent down to pick up the nearest bed, lifting it smoothly off the floor, and hurled it through the glass. Nathalie gasped, but he ignored her. Kristine went straight over to the tattered window frame and cleared several lethal-looking shards from it with a couple of broad sweeps as Delphine went over to hug Nathalie.

The0 grabbed the overnight bag. “Out, ladies.

Now.”

THF OVERSEER “I.. .” began Delphine.

“Out!” His voice was like a razor, and she blanched. Kristine must have realized there was danger, because she didn’t protest at all, she just offered Nathalie a hand through the window.

Kristine and Delphine were right behind her, and then The0 vaulted out easily, bag still in his hand.

Fortunately the motel room was at ground level. A couple of moments later, he was leading them past the ripped bed and to the edge of the parking lot.

He crouched down for a moment in the shade of one of the cars and looked around. The police cruiser was there by the front door, empty. A babble of noise and confusion was starting to swell out of the reception area, and there appeared to be some people moving around out there.

“We’re going to have to just make a run for the car and hope no one sees us too clearly,” said Theo.

The others nodded, Nat looking flatly terrified.

“Come on.”

The0 hurried around the side of the car he was crouching by and then made a quick dash, keeping as low as he could. The girls came on behind him.

They darted behind their car. The0 unlocked it, and they all scrambled in. No voices rang out to denounce their escape. He passed the overnight bag to Kristine, started the car and headed for the parking lot exit, glad that it didn’t take them past reception. He didn’t turn the car lights on until after they were out of the lot and heading past the silent mall, and then he gunned it. Somewhere off in the far distance, he could hear the unmistakable sound of sirens. ~ i m Dedopulos As soon as they were on the highway, The0 slowed to a less obvious speed and had a quick look around the car. Kris and Delphine looked tense, and Nat still seemed utterly bewildered and terrified.

L‘Sorry about the sudden departure,” said Theo.

“The kid at the desk called the cops on us. He seemed to think I was some sort of murderer. They turned up at a bad time.”

“Won’t they chase us?” Nat’s voice was small and scared.

“No,” said Theo grimly. “Kid won’t be giving descriptions, either.”

Nat shrank in on herself a little more. “Oh.”

“It’ll take a few minutes for backup to get to the motel, and then a few minutes more to sort out what happened and get the situation under control. By the time they’ve found someone to explain where we got to, it’ll be too late. They’ll start setting up roadblocks, so we’ve got maybe twenty minutes to get off the road before that happens.”

“This is not good,” said Kristine. “DO you have any idea why the clerk decided that you were worth contacting the police about?”

“No, I can’t imagine what he was thinking.

Actually, there was something. Does anyone know what ‘Rockton’ means?”

“Oh my god.” They all turned to look at Nat.

She was almost as pale as Delphine, and her eyes were about to pop clean out of her head. Delphine pulled her into a big hug as The0 turned his attention back to the road. “It’s been all over the news today.”

Her voice was shaky. “A maniac broke into a party and killed a group of kids. The sick fuck used acid 2 0 0 THE OVERSEER on them. One girl survived. The side of her head is a real mess, though. I caught some of it on NBC. It happened in Rockton, Illinois.”

“You think that the clerk thought I was this Rockton maniac?”

“Theo, the guy’s description-it could have been you. All the way down to sunglasses and a baseball cap.”

“What the hck?” Anger billowed up inside him, hot, red clouds of it. He slammed a lid on it and squashed it back down. Losing control in a car would be disastrous. “Someone is playing very nasty games with me.”

“Yeah,” Delphine said, stroking Nat’s hair. “It can’t be a coincidence. Your appearance is too well known for that. You’d better pull over quickly.”

Theo shot her an uncertain glance. “Why?“ “You’ve got to hide yourself. Kris, can you drive?”

“Yes, daughter.” She sounded thoughtful. “Well enough, anyway.”

“Good,” Delphine said. “They always seem to organize searches to go with roadblocks-according to Fox, anyway-and I really don’t want to be found hiding somewhere during the day. We need to get out of the area, so we may need to get through a block. I’ll lie in the trunk and wrap myself in some of that black plastic of Theo’s. I’ll squeeze around the bike and that bag you’ve got Kris.”

“I don’t see the need for you to hide,” said Theo.

Delphine shrugged. “Twins get noticed, Theo.

Someone could have seen us at the hotel or maybe the clerk mentioned us. If they see both of us, they could get suspicious.”

TI^ Dedopulos “All right, good thinking.” The0 pulled over on the side of the road and got out of the car. He took off his cap and shades, bundled them together and regretfully stuffed them deep inside a thick bush nearby.

Kristine moved around to the driver’s seat. Nat-no, Delphin-me up to the passenger seat, picked up the sports bag, and went around to the trunk.

The0 walked around to the back of the car and fished out a sheet of plastic while Delphine was squeezing herself in. As soon as she was in place, he tucked it around her and then rested the bag across her. She looked a bit like fishing gear.

“Is that comfy enough, kid?”

“Sheer fucking luxury, asshole.” Her voice was The0 grinned, slammed the trunk door shut, and Kristine had the engine running. “Are we all “Yep, we’re all packed.”

She put the car in gear and started back down the highway at a fairly sedate pace. Nathalie turned in her seat to look back at him. “How are you going to hide back there ?”

“I’ll make myself inconspicuous, don’t worry.”

She got the hint. “You okay, Del?”

“Peachy, sis.” There was a hint of martyred resignation in Delphine’s voice.

Nathalie still looked concerned. “What if something goes wrong? What if they stop us and ask us for ID, or run the plates?”

“Um, let’s hope they don’t get curious. I switched the plates a few days ago,” said Theo.

THE OVFRSFFR slightly muffled. then got into the back seat. ready, Theo?”

Kristine sighed. “Wonderful. Very well. I’ll try to make sure that they do not become suspicious enough to check the license plates if we’re stopped.

Do you have the wallet I had in my jacket when we first met?”

The0 reached back to the overnight bag. “Yeah, your stuffs back here.”

“That ID should hold for now.”

Delphine chuckled indistinctly. “These are not “What was that, sis?”

“Nothing,” Delphine replied, more loudly.

“Look, there’s nothing to worry about,” said Theo. “If things get tense, 1’11 take care of it. Kristine will make sure that you are safe.’’ Nat didn’t look convinced, but she subsided.

They drove along in silence. Ten minutes later, The0 noticed flashing lights at the roadside up ahead. “This could be it coming up.”Nathalie nodded tensely and then put on a relaxed, composed expression. “Good girl. I’m going to hide now. Don’t look back here.”

The0 sat back, let his eyes relax their focus, calmed his thoughts down and wrapped his mind up in images of the fabric of the car seats, the space of the seat well, the road rolling past outside through the window.. . The world slowly drifted away from him. It was like being wrapped in soft gray clouds, walled away from the rest of reality.

Kristine slowed the car down to a crawl. The0 kept a firm hold on himself, refusing to let his mind or aura become agitated. There’d be time for that if anything happened. He kept his eyes firmly on the back of the seat. the droids.. .”

“They’re just slowing us down at the moment,” said Kristine. No one replied. Suddenly the car interior lit up brightly. Theo let it wash over him, firmly stamping on the urge to shy away from the illumination. After several seconds, it shut off and the car started to pick up speed again. “They’ve waved us on.” The0 waited patiently, his thoughts full of the empty backseat. Finally, after another minute or so, Kristine spoke again. “Okay, I’m pretty sure we’re clear.”

The0 pushed his way out of the mental fog surrounding him and felt the world flow back up around him. Nathalie looked straight at him, her eyes wide. “Jesus, Theo. That’s way cool! You just snapped back in, like I just noticed you or something.

Wow.”

He sighed to himself but didn’t even bother protesting. “It’s handy sometimes.”

There were a number of thumps and rustles as Delphine fought her way out from her hiding place.

She popped her head over the back seat and grinned ruefully at her sister. “Yeah. Shame I don’t know how to do it.”

“Give yourself time,” said Theo. “You’re very, very new to all of this. You’ve got a lot to learn.”

Delphine clambered over the seat and plopped down next to Theo, wriggling a little to ease the kinks out of her back. “So everyone keeps telling me. I just hope I get the chance.”

“Rely on it, daughter.” Kristine sounded firm.

“To start with, we need to find somewhere secure to rest until tomorrow evening.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” said Delphine.

THF OVFRgFFR “How about an old barn or something? It should be possible to rig up some lightproofing, or if there’s a hayloft we could just go and burrow into that.”

“I take it you have never had to lair in a haystack,” said Kristine doubtfully. “It’s horrible. You get scratches and bits of hay everywhere. It took me about three days to drag all the bits out of my hair.”

“Flammable too, I bet,” said Nathalie.

Kristine shuddered. “I was trying not to think about that.”

“What about an old crypt in a graveyard somewhere?’’ suggested Delphine.

“That’s a lot more complicated than Hollywood would have you believe,” Kristine said. “Finding an appropriate venue is getting hard nowadays. They’re not all that easy to get into without leaving a trace, they’re not always totally lightproof and, besides, they’re so.. . gauche.”

Theo grinned. “If I might make a suggestion?”

“But of course,” said Delphine imperiously, her eyes twinkling.

“I cleared a gang of punks out of a lair on the AuroralNaperville border less than ten days ago. I doubt anyone has done anything with the property.

W h y don’t we try there?”

Kristine’s eyes narrowed. “We’ve only been in Illinois for ten minutes. It’ll take us an hour to get to Naperville, maybe a little more. Hm. We’ve got time if the place is usable, but we could be in trouble if it’s not secure.’’ Theo waved his phone at them,“I can check.”

Delphine looked worried. “What about the hunting thing?”

“We should be okay. The prince of Aurora was pretty grateful, and he doesn’t have any reason to dislike me, or to go currying favor in Minneapolis. I was thinking of sounding the guy out about the place, suggesting I may have some use for it in a week or two.”

“I guess there’s no harm in giving him a call and seeing how he reacts,” Delphine said.

The0 nodded and started dialing. The call was answered a few moments later. ‘This is Michael Aldrich.

Who the devil are you?” The Prince of Aurora had a deep, resonant voice that made him sound like he should be on a stage somewhere, declaiming Shakespearean speeches. It made his manner all the more unexpected.

“It’s The0 Bell.”

“Good God. Hello, Bell. Didn’t expect to hear T a n I be blunt, Michael?”

“No idea. Can you?” He sounded amused. “Give it a try. Let’s find out.”

“Minneapolis put a blood hunt on me earlier tonight. Did you sign up?”

“Yes, that’s blunt all right. I’d know it anywhere.

No, old boy. I didn’t. Elizabeth is a snotty little cow at times, and you pulled my tackle right out of the fire last week.”

“Am I welcome in Aurora then?”

“That rather depends, Bell.” There was no hint of embarrassment in Michael’s voice. “You’d be a bloody awkward addition to my court right at the moment. I don’t want to anger your former boss.” ‘‘I wasn’t thinking of moving in. I may be passing your way in a few days with some friends, and Aurora would make a handy stopover.”

THE OVERSEER from you.”

“Oh, that’s different. You’re perfectly free to stay the night whenever you want. I can set rooms aside in the Town Hall. We can talk of other options when all this dies down.” ‘‘I was planning to keep my visit subtle. What happened to the factory that I flushed those idiots out Of!)’ “Nothing. Robert and I are still haggling over whose territory it falls in, so we’ve agreed to call it no man’s land for the moment. If you wanted to stay there, no one would even notice.”

“Robert?”

“Naperville,” said Michael shortly.

“Oh, I see. Right. Thanks, Michael. I may take you up on that factory early next week.”

“Enjoy, Bell. Given the circumstances, I won’t be put out if you neglect to drop in and say hello.”

“Thank you, Michael. I appreciate it. We’ll be quiet, don’t worry.”

“You’re welcome. Good luck.”

The0 hung up, a faint grin tugging at the edges of his face. He looked around the car. Delphine watched him expectantly. Kristine seemed relaxed, which was probably a good sign. Nathalie was clearly exhausted, her adrenaline levels presumably crashing back toward normal. “Aurora seems as safe as anywhere else we’re going to find, and we don’t even have to confirm our presence there.” ‘‘I don’t much like it,” said Kristine. “I’m not wildly delighted with any of our options, but I suppose we’re going to have to risk it. It’s probably safer than imposing upon some hapless old woman or trying to find somewhere abandoned in unfamiliar territory.”

TIWI Dedopulos “Don’t worry,” said Theo. “We won’t be disturbed. As I seem to remember telling you before, I’m full of surprises.”

The0 woke up slowly, disconcerted by the light seeping into the room until he realized that it was from the neon strip in the hallway outside. He was in a disused office-a drab, dusty room that held a badly scarred desk and a beaten-up filing cabinet.

The floor was a nasty green-check vinyl, and the walls were an unpleasant institutional yellow.

Of course. Aurora.

The0 stood up, disarmed the assorted traps he had primed and dusted himself down. When everything was tidy, he removed the wedges under the door and went to see if the others were awake.

Delphine had commandeered the storeroom next door. After a brief discussion, Kristine had made it perfectly clear that she would stay in the same room to provide security, which suited The0 just fine.

He opened the door and poked his head in. Kristine looked out irritably from under a jumble of what looked like surplus curtain fabric, a tiny smear of blood at the comer of her mouth.

“Didn’t they teach you to knock, Archon?”

Theo arched an eyebrow. “They taught me all sorts of things, mostly at whip-point. I’ve managed to forget the bulk of them.”

“We’ll be out in a minute, Theo,” said Delphine, muffled by the fabric. “Go keep Nat company.”

He saluted ironically. “Yes, ma’am.’’ THF OVFRS@FR * * * “Close the door on your way out,” Kristine added.

Theo did as she asked and headed down the corridor. After about sixty feet or so, an open door led out into a plain concrete shop floor, punctuated by occasional snarls of graffiti. Stairs led upward, and there was an old booth of some sort off to the right. Another open door straight ahead revealed a large, cluttered room. The0 went in. Straight ahead of him, a number of workbenches lay heaped with odd bits and pieces of equipment-electrical, mechanical, even chemical. It looked like a lunatic’s workshop. To the left of the benches was a big nest of sofas and armchairs. An unfamiliar song thumped out from that direction.

Theo strolled over to the den. Nathalie sprawled comfortably across a large couch, a couple of blankets wrapped around her. She looked up as The0 approached. “Evening, Theo.”

“Hi.” He dropped down into a crazily colored patchwork armchair. “How did you sleep?”

“Really well, thanks. I woke up about an hour ago. These guys have cool taste in music.” She grabbed a can of coke from the floor and waved it at him.

“They also have a fridge full of munchies, so I‘m good.”

The anarch troublemakers he’d cleared out had had a few ghouls, The0 remembered. He smiled at her. “I’m glad to hear it. Your sister will be along in a minute.”

Nat nodded. “That’s cool. What’s the plan for tonight ?”

“Get to Detroit as quickly as possible, find somewhere to stay, and then I’ll go have a quick poke around.”

“DO you think we’ll be safe from the police this time?”

“In Detroit?” He chuckled nastily. “Oh yes. It’s a wild sort of town. The locals keep the police well in check.”

“Doesn’t that make it dangerous?”

He nodded. “Yes. Extremely, sometimes. That’s why I’m going to leave you outside the city somewhere comparatively quiet-Romulus, maybe-and go have a look round on my own.”

Somewhere behind him, Delphine giggled. “Just don’t rely on any of that secret agent crap.”

“Glad to see you’ve surfaced at last,” said The0 archly. “Did you have fun?”

Delphine ignored him loftily.

“We might as well get going right away,” he said, hiding his amusement. T h e sooner we get there, the happier I’ll be, and we’ve got a long way to go.”

THE OVERSEER