Enemies(88)

“All right, you do that,” I said. “Karthik, I need a full assessment of what Omega has at our disposal. Every meta better be ready to fight if it comes down to that. This may be a game of seconds, if Weissman comes into play, and we’ll need to stop him for as many of them as we can. Get me a list.” I paused. “And something else—I need Omega’s files relating to a succubus named Adelaide as well as whatever you have on me and my family, including my grandfather.”

Karthik nodded seriously. “Do you have a name for him?”

I shook my head. “She called him Mr. Nealon when she killed him, and I never heard my mother mention his name, or that of his wife. Janus said they debriefed my grandmother later in life, though.”

Karthik gave me a look that was filled with tempered optimism. “We have two analysts remaining, both metas who are staying here for protection. They know their way around Omega’s systems. I’ll see what I can get them to do. It’ll be a good distraction.” He gave the office a look. “We also need to decide where we’re going to set up. Defending the whole building will be … problematic, especially from Eleanor. She’s worked here for years, after all. She has more clearance in this building than I do.”

“We make our stand on this floor,” I said. “The open air layout is ideal for a fight if we can get rid of those damned cubicles.”

He smiled. “I can pretty well guarantee that we have the muscle on hand to get those out of the way quickly enough. Anything else?”

“That should do it for now,” I said and looked to Breandan. “I need you to get me a pregnancy test.”

Breandan looked at me, slack-jawed. “Why does this particular chore fall upon me?”

I didn’t glare at him, exactly. “Is there anything else you could be doing right now to help us prepare for the battle?”

He gave a slow, resigned nod. “Right you are, then. Old-fashioned or digital?”

I gave him a cocked eyebrow. “Picked out a few of them in your time?”

He shrugged. “For those who can make contact with the opposite sex, we do tend to enjoy the sort of activities that might lead to the tensest three days of one’s life.” He didn’t smile. “Speaking hypothetically, of course.”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course.”

He tossed a look at Karthik. “Got a corner store nearby?”

“Sure,” Karthik said. “I’ll have one of our floaters show you the way.”

“Thank you,” I said, looking from the two of them to Reed. “Thank you all.”

“You’re the one in charge now,” Reed said with a faded smile, “I think we should technically be thanking you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” I said. “Save it until it’s all over.”

“That’s a good idea,” Breandan agreed. “Wouldn’t want to go thanking you before we survived, after all. What if we went and gave you all this gratitude, and then we ended up dying in this little last stand? Truly a waste, it’d be.” He slapped Karthik on the back, dragging him toward the door.

Reed lingered as Karthik shut the door behind them. “What is it?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I just keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. I keep waiting for the next betrayal, for Breandan to turn around to me and be like, ‘I’ve been working for Century all this time!’ before he stabs me in the back.”

Reed squinted at me in deep thought. “From what you just described, it sounds like he’d be looking you in the face. Hard to stab you in the back from the front. Unless he was a contortionist.” He pondered that for a moment, dark face turning into a deep frown. “Are there contortionist metas?”

I let out a little noise of impatience. “You know what I mean. Kat betrayed us before the Directorate went down. My mom left me just before things went all to hell. The people I placed my trust in turned out to be liars and murderers.” I felt my face drop into my palms. “I just wish … I knew what to do. You’re all looking at me like I’m a leader, and I’m gonna do everything I can, but I’m sitting here terrified, wondering who’s going to turn on me next. I feel like I don’t even know who my enemies are anymore.” I laughed mirthlessly. “I’m running Omega, Reed. Take a moment to marvel at the irony of that.”

He put a hand awkwardly on my shoulder. “Life’s not clear like that, Sienna. It’s not a collection of straight-line paths to your objectives. People don’t yell out, ‘Ha ha! I am betraying you!’ just before they break your heart. In spite of how you’re feeling, not everyone’s a bad guy.” His look turned sour. “Hard for me to admit, as we’re currently not just in bed with Omega, my worst enemy, but fully … uh …” He peered at me and his olive skin grew flushed. “Never mind. Bad analogy, given … uh … What I mean is, when it comes to trusting people, you’ve had a damned unlucky run. But I think … even the Irishman seems to be genuinely afraid. And we’re all looking to you because you’re a fighter.” He made a mirthless chuckle. “We’re all looking to you because maybe it’s obvious that you’re the one of us that’s most prepared for this … because you’ve been through all those things.”