A recorded female voice calmly said, ‘This is Fifty-First Street.’
The train didn’t slow.
Sophia continued through the carriages to the front. She found Czarina at the helm, inside the train’s driver’s cabin, carbine resting at her feet.
There was a screen in front of Czarina and an array of green and red buttons, two large yellow disc-shaped knobs. Through the windows above, Sophia could see the tunnel rush past in a blur, smeared with an occasional green or red tunnel light.
Czarina was guiding a lever that kept the train moving. Sophia stepped into the cabin and Czarina’s hand moved for the carbine, lingered. She sat in apparent suspended animation for a moment before she withdrew her hand.
Slave mode seemed to be wearing off.
Sophia didn’t know what to do.
‘Stop the train,’ she said.
Czarina released the lever and the train began to slow down by itself.
Sophia wanted to get in touch with Aviary and Nasira, but she knew her iPhone couldn’t hijack anything down here.
Sophia picked up the carbine. ‘Are you armed?’
‘No,’ Czarina said.
‘Come with me,’ Sophia said, leading her back into the first carriage.
She placed the carbine on the plastic seating, moved twenty feet away and aimed her Glock at Czarina. She applied pressure to the trigger. Just enough.
‘You’re too dangerous,’ Sophia said.
‘Your command?’ Czarina said.
‘No command,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry.’
Czarina watched her, but said nothing.
Sophia lowered her Glock. She hit a nearby pole with her sword and yelled at it. In the tunnel, no one would hear her. Only Czarina.
Czarina stared back at her, unblinking.
Sophia shook her head. ‘I’m going to regret this.’ She put her sword aside and said, ‘Unload parapsyche Lycaon.’
Czarina continued to stare at her. Her shoulder twitched. Then her eyes narrowed a fraction. It was enough for Sophia to notice. She felt the first wave of hostility come off Czarina like a fragrance.
‘What happened?’ Czarina said, bitterness in her words. ‘Whatever you’re trying to do, it won’t work.’
‘Story of my life,’ Sophia said. ‘Execute parapsyche Oranos.’
Something inside Czarina pulled her upright. She no longer seemed concerned by Sophia’s presence.
‘Oranos loaded,’ Czarina said. ‘Request command.’
This better still be the same, she thought. She held her pistol grip a little tighter, preparing for the worst.
‘Autumn frosts have slain July,’ Sophia said.
Czarina didn’t respond.
Sophia raised her Glock and lined the sights. ‘Come on.’
Czarina’s fingers wavered. Then her left arm jerked suddenly, as though someone had broken it. She twisted into a crouch and started moaning. Sophia didn’t know what to do. There was nothing she could do.
Czarina gasped, fingers scratching the carriage floor.
‘Parapsyche Ares—’ Czarina whispered ‘—erased.’
Sophia let out a small breath. She lowered her Glock.
Then Czarina bucked, her head smashing into the doors behind her. Czarina threw her body against it, limbs writhing. She screamed — a tormented, impossible scream.
Sophia took aim. Her arm trembled. She lined the sights with Czarina’s head.
Czarina cried out. Shrieked.
‘Stop!’ Sophia yelled. ‘Stop it!’
But Czarina didn’t stop. She wrapped a hand around her own neck as though she was trying to choke herself. She collapsed onto her elbows. Sophia watched her face turn white.
‘No.’
Czarina released her grip. She sat there, staring at her open hands, silent.
Sophia remembered to breathe. ‘Echo status,’ she said.
Czarina didn’t move. ‘Parapsyche Celaeno active.’
Sophia looked down to find herself on her knees. She let her head rest against the pole beside her. Its cool touch was refreshing.
‘Long had paled the sunny sky,’ Sophia said. ‘Echoes fade and memories die.’
Czarina met her gaze with renewed intensity. ‘All parapsyche backups erased.’
Sophia had two choices.
To either put Czarina back in her neopsyche — her programmed personality — or attempt to switch her into her real, original personality. Long before she was ready. It was the first time Sophia had tried this so soon. Even when she deprogrammed Damien and Jay in the field, she’d spent twenty minutes on each of them. And when Leoncjusz had taught her how to deprogram, he’d cautioned her that switching them before properly deprogramming was dangerous.
She didn’t have time to go any deeper. And she couldn’t take Czarina back to her neopsyche — she would just try to kill her.
‘Load archeopsyche,’ Sophia said.
There would be no further commands now. This was it.
Sophia swallowed. Waited.
The train remained still. There was no sound. They were alone in the tunnel together.
Czarina looked up at her. For a moment it seemed like she was almost choking. She cleared her throat and blinked.
‘Czarina?’ Sophia said.
‘I waited for you,’ Czarina said. ‘But you never saved me.’
Suddenly Czarina threw herself back, pressing against the cabin door. Then her fingers balled into fists.
‘It’s OK.’ Sophia holstered her pistol on her belt.
Czarina started to laugh softly. As though Sophia had missed an obvious joke. Czarina didn’t look up. But when she spoke, her voice cracked.
‘I went through two rounds of retraining because of you,’ Czarina said.
Sophia gripped the pole in front of her to keep herself steady. ‘What do you mean?’ she said.
‘I wasn’t convinced.’ Czarina shook her head. ‘Wasn’t convinced. Never convinced.’
Sophia rose slowly to her feet. She remained behind the pole.
‘What weren’t you—?’
‘You were a traitor.’ It brought a smile to her face.
Sophia slipped her hand back to her pistol. ‘Is that what you believe?’
‘It’s what they made me believe.’
‘Do you want to kill me?’ Sophia said.
‘Some wanted to,’ Czarina said.
‘I see,’ Sophia said.
‘Others wanted to be with you,’ Czarina said. ‘Some wanted to be you.’ She looked up, inspecting the advertising banners on the ceiling.
‘And what about you?’ Sophia said.
Czarina met her gaze. Sophia could feel it. A serenity that seemed out of place.
‘I wanted you to save me.’
‘I’m here now,’ Sophia said.
Tears made Czarina’s eyes shimmer. They spilled onto her cheeks.
Sophia wriggled the ruck from her shoulders. She laid it on the floor, pulled the zips, peeling it open so she could access everything inside. She picked out a scalpel knife, a cigarette lighter and a tube of Dermabond.
‘What are you doing?’ Czarina said.
‘Denton might know you’re with me,’ Sophia said. ‘Your RFID chip isn’t just a passive beacon. It has a geolocation transmitter as well. Once you’re above ground all they need is a satellite to pick you up.’
Sophia showed the map on her iPhone.
‘But none of his Blue Berets have seen us together,’ Czarina said. ‘At least none that are still alive.’
‘I know,’ Sophia said. ‘And the masked ones are not his. But I don’t want you being trackable, end of story.’ She held the scalpel under the flame of her cigarette lighter. ‘Will you do the honors or shall I?’