“Or they might just be on planes or not wanting to be disturbed,” J.J. said with a shrug. “It’s not usual behavior for most users to go dark for that long, though, so I think we can assume that the phone is probably disposed of.”
I stared at the map on the tablet computer. “So that’s a dead end unless the phone goes active again. What about the other number?”
J.J. broke into a little smile. “That one is a landline for a house in Des Moines, Iowa.”
“Iowa,” Parks said as though it were some sort of curse. “I hate Iowa.”
“Why?” I asked, and caught a flash of the wolf on Parks’ face when he came around to answer.
“Because between it and the damned Dakotas, there ain’t a more boring place to drive in the entire United States.” He bared his teeth again in a scowl. “I’ll get M-Squad together, though, and we’ll—”
“No,” Ariadne said. “I want you to remain here with Bastian and Eve.” She let her eyes flick to me. “This seems like another good opportunity to test our new team in the field.”
“What do you think this is?” I asked. “An Omega safe house?”
“Based on anomalies in the property records, yeah,” J.J. replied. “It’s registered to a Peter and Sophia Larson, but the names and social security numbers in the property tax rolls don’t match any employment records, birth records, et cetera, that are legitimately alive anywhere. No employment history? No social security work or payment history for either?” The geek raised a hand as though he were offering an open palm. “Not likely to be a real person. No bank records, either, so who knows how they’re paying the property taxes and gas bill.”
“So I take my team, we reconnoiter the house, and if it seems suspicious, we break and enter?” I gave Ariadne the eye, waiting for her approval.
“Yes,” she replied. “But take Clary with you.”
I felt the enthusiasm for what I was about to do wither and die in a half a heartbeat. “Please, no. Can I have Bastian instead?”
“Bastian is M-Squad’s leader,” she said, as though patiently explaining why I was wrong. I looked at Parks and cocked my head to indicate him. “Parks has been your instructor, so you’re more likely to defer to him and his judgment rather than cleanly lead like I want you to.”
“There may be some virtue in drawing from superior experience,” Parks said to her with an edge of reproach.
“No doubt,” Ariadne said, “but this is a time of trial.”
“What about Eve?” I said hopefully.
Ariadne’s face flickered with a moment’s hesitation before she answered. “She won’t take orders from you, she’s too stubborn.”
I let that hang in the air for a moment, not letting her escape my gaze. “Know that from experience, do you?”
Ariadne stared coolly back. “Clary will listen, and he’s strong enough to be of use if you run into trouble, powerful enough to overcome almost any meta you run into.”
“He’ll listen?” I asked, dubious. “First time for everything, I suppose.”
Ariadne ignored me. “Go to Des Moines. Find this house, and get to the bottom of what Omega’s up to.”
“Don’t you have anything ominous to say about this?” I asked. “Something like, ‘Our very existence hangs in the balance’ or ‘the fate of the meta world depends on you’?”
“No offense, but if I thought the stakes were that high, I’d send M-Squad. Experience trumps youth and enthusiasm. Besides, Omega is headquartered in Europe. Whatever you find won’t be more than the five of you can handle.”
I let my jaw hang slack, and favored her with my best disbelieving stare. “So…what I’m hearing you say is that there will probably be a whole army of Omega’s thugs and minions there, as well as some of the old gods. Got it.”
She blinked and drew back in disbelief. “I just said…how did you get that out of what I said?”
“You jinxed me.” I started toward the stairwell. “I can’t believe you just jinxed me like that!”
“It’s a safe house!” she said, trailing along behind me. “A house, in the city of Des Moines. Two-thousand square feet, tops. It can’t possibly house more than a few metas—no army, no minions. And I think gods would travel in a bit higher style.”
“You don’t know.” I pushed through the exit door. Parks and J.J. had been left behind, but Ariadne trailed in my wake. “They could have one of the old gods in this place.” I paused and held the door for her. “They could have Thor. And when he smacks me upside the head with Mjolnir—or possibly mesmerizes me with Chris Hemsworth-like abs—I’m going to say, ‘I told you so, Ariadne’.” I frowned. “Assuming I survive.”
She squinted at me with one eye crinkled, slightly appalled. “‘Chris Hemsworth-like abs’?”
“You wouldn’t understand,” I said, and started up the stairs. “The point is, I’m not the biggest believer in luck, but Omega has this tendency to whack us every time we underestimate them. It’s like turning the crank on a jack-in-the-box, and when the damned song is over, the jack pops out with a mallet and beats the hell out of you.”
“Wait…what?” She shook her head. “You’re talking about abs and jack-in-the-boxes. This is a straightforward mission. Go to Des Moines, do recon, if it looks bad, call for backup. Don’t endanger your team unnecessarily. There’s no shame in admitting you might be in over your head if you see something suspicious. We can dispatch the rest of M-Squad if needed.”
I paused at the top of the stairs. “Yeah, all right.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” She halted next to me, her eyes looking into mine with the barest hint of concern. “You don’t normally get worked up about these things—you’re cool, calm, efficient—not predisposed to rattling on about jinxes or some faux God of Thunder’s abs. If you don’t want the assignment, it’s fine. I’ll send M-Squad.”
“It’s not that,” I said, feeling my fingers wrap around the thick metal safety rail. “It’s just…” I halted. “These guys sent Wolfe after me and Henderschott. They tried to get Fries in my pants, then flipped Mormont—or whatever you called it—and turned loose a couple of bloodthirsty vampires to try and catch me.” I shook my head. “It feels like every time we’ve got a grasp on what we’re dealing with, something else comes popping out that’s more horrific than the last thing they set loose.”
“You think Henderschott, Mormont and the vampires were worse than Wolfe?”
I felt myself freeze and stiffen, all motion stopping around my body. “No. Nothing is worse than Wolfe. And nothing has stayed with me like him, either.”
“Yes, well, having a monster stuck in your head isn’t the sort of thing that goes away, I suppose,” she said. “This is our best chance to get to what Omega’s doing now, and if you don’t feel comfortable with it—”
“I’m going,” I said, firm, feeling it all the way down. “I’m just…cautious, okay? They’re not world-renowned for coming at us open-handed. You’ve got their slimy mouthpiece in there, and he’s just grinning up a storm, like he’s just having a conversation with us sitting on his couch. It worries me that Fries is so cool. They must have known we’d come for him—that I would, after what he did.”
“He hid,” Ariadne said. “He changed identities, he changed apartments, he probably thought we couldn’t find him after Eagle River. He was wrong. Just because he’s been trained to play it cool when most of us would be showing some concern doesn’t mean anything. Omega is not some invincible organization with limitless resources and the ability to know our every move before we make it. The fact that your mother hit them so hard, in places they didn’t expect, proves that they can make mistakes.” She lowered her voice. “The fact that they lost Andromeda, someone so important an entire facility was dedicated to her, proves they’re not invincible.”