Sophia started north along the tunnel. It wasn’t lit very well, and she’d given her torch to Damien. But there was just enough light to make out the tracks and the curve of the tunnel ahead. She could hear Czarina’s footsteps behind her, lightly crunching on the rocky ground.
The New York City subway network was incredibly huge. She could spend years wandering these tunnels and never see every single spot. Right now, she just had to follow the tunnel until she hit the next station, trusting Aviary had plotted the correct direction for her.
‘So,’ Czarina said, ‘what’s it like?’
‘Being the most wanted terrorist on the planet?’ Sophia said, over her shoulder. ‘Doing wonders for my personal brand.’
‘They haven’t publicized your face yet, at least,’ Czarina said.
‘Denton can put my face on every screen in the world if he wants to, now that he has what he wants from me — after all these years — fuck.’
Just saying it made her angry.
‘I can’t believe I let that happen,’ Sophia said. ‘I never should’ve gone in after him. Not with … not with what I knew.’
‘But you didn’t know,’ Czarina said. ‘You didn’t know he could take it from you.’
‘I knew about the three different Phoenix viruses,’ Sophia said. ‘There’s no excuse: I should never have gone in there.’
She thought of Owen Freeman. And how she’d failed him. So much for being his Phoenix. Now Denton was the Phoenix.
She stopped walking. Czarina politely stopped behind her.
‘He told me not to go in,’ Sophia said.
‘Your friend, DC?’ Czarina said.
‘He’s not my friend,’ Sophia said.
‘You promised to answer my question,’ Czarina said.
Sophia started walking again.
‘What’s it like not being an operative?’
For a while Sophia kept walking and didn’t say a word.
‘Sophia?’
Sophia stopped. ‘It’s lonely.’
Finally, Czarina stopped talking. They walked in silence for a minute. Then she started again.
‘It’s lonely for me too,’ Czarina said. ‘I knew on some level that what I do isn’t right. I think we all did. At least in that real psyche — what’s it called?’
‘Archeopsyche,’ Sophia said.
‘That one,’ Czarina said. ‘I think we all know. Something about this world isn’t right. It just feels a little off balance.’
‘Yeah,’ Sophia said. ‘You soon realize that’s not a feeling.’
‘That was your friend back there,’ Czarina said. ‘Daniel?’
‘Damien,’ she said. ‘I guess so, yeah. I’ve worked with him for a while. Operative and post-operative.’
Now Sophia was talking just so Czarina wouldn’t. ‘Same with Jay. And Nasira.’
‘But not DC?’ Czarina said. ‘What’s he?’
‘I don’t know what he is. And I don’t really care anymore.’
She stopped in her tracks so suddenly that Czarina collided with her. She could make out the sliver of an outline ahead. Someone’s head and part of their shoulder. Just enough light from the far end of the tunnel gave him away. Sophia turned to Czarina and spoke in a low voice.
‘You don’t have a torch, do you?’ she said.
Czarina shook her head.
It was quite possibly a mole person. She figured most of them — and there would be many under here — would still be around even today. Most people didn’t know these subterranean people existed. That was how the Akhana had concealed a base under here the whole time. And the Fifth Column for that matter.
Sophia drew her Glock with one hand, keeping the other free for her sword. She aimed her pistol with a slight left tilt, natural for her arm.
‘Who are you?’ she said, loud enough her voice carried through the tunnel.
There was no response at first, but the response that came surprised her.
‘Didn’t know how else to get hold of you,’ DC said.
‘How did you find us?’
‘One of the trains at Union Square,’ DC said, taking a step out from the wall. ‘I saw the handover with Damien. I was going to find you at the next station but they cut the power.’
Sophia didn’t lower her pistol. She wasn’t getting a clear reading on him yet.
‘What do you want?’ she said.
DC moved to the center of the tunnel but didn’t come closer. ‘I thought we established that.’ he said. ‘Stop Denton. Destroy the meteorites. Save the world from a man who is equal parts insane and powerful.’
‘He’s not a man and he’s not insane. He’s a psychopath,’ Sophia said. ‘Sometimes I think it would be easier if he was insane.’
‘The commander of the Blue Berets has a proposition for you,’ DC said. ‘And requested I pass it on to you.’
‘So you’re best buddies?’ Sophia said. ‘This commander the commander who died in the blast at Grand Central?’
‘He’s under the impression I do, yes,’ DC said. ‘And the blast didn’t kill him. That commander was a decoy.’
‘Interesting tactics,’ she said. ‘Who is he, exactly?’
‘Well,’ DC said. ‘If you accept his proposition then you’ll find out for yourself.’
‘That’s not encouraging,’ Sophia said.
Czarina stepped around Sophia, aiming her carbine. ‘She’s not going anywhere,’ she said, ‘if she doesn’t want to.’
DC was holding a carbine of his own, but he aimed it downward.
Sophia kept her Glock trained on him all the same.
‘All you need to do is hear me out and then I leave,’ DC said.
‘Speed it up,’ Sophia said. ‘I have to assume Denton’s tracking us right now.’
‘There’s no way to completely destroy the meteorite, not on this island, not in the time you have,’ DC said. ‘There is only one way to ensure Denton never gets it.’
‘Well, at least there is a way,’ Sophia said. ‘Your commander sounds extremely clever. Is he a psychopath as well, by any chance?’ She tapped the bridge of her nose. ‘You know, I can tell now,’ she said. ‘Just a big hole inside them. Base emotions, thin like ribbons.’
‘No, he’s not,’ DC said. He didn’t seem too excited about this.
‘So what’s his plan then?’ Sophia said.
‘Give it to him,’ DC said.
Sophia lowered her pistol. ‘Brilliant. And?’
‘That’s it.’
‘Just give up the rock to the big man? The one who’s less deranged? According to him.’
‘Think about it,’ DC said. ‘He can use it to bait and trap Denton. He’s already tracking it as we speak. He still has five squadrons.’
‘Less than five,’ Sophia said.
‘Denton has two at most, maybe less. The Commander is the only person in New York City right now with the manpower to pull off a trap like that.’
‘You’re talking about a man who commands an entire company of Blue Berets for the Fifth Column,’ Sophia said. ‘I’d have to be pretty stupid to hand it over.’
DC swallowed. ‘His mission — and I’ve seen it myself — is to destroy the meteorites,’ he said. ‘And destroy Denton.’
‘Yes but was this mission written on paper with the official Fifth Column letterhead and the official fountain pen or was it just an ordinary pen?’ Sophia said. ‘Because that makes a big impact on my decision-making process.’
‘We want the same thing,’ DC said. ‘I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you.’
‘Yeah, you said that in the OSS base and it didn’t work out so well.’
‘Well, actually you fell into a chasm.’
‘No, actually I … fell into a chasm,’ Sophia said.
‘So you know you can trust me?’ DC said.
‘The real question is if I want to,’ Sophia said. ‘And right now I don’t think it’s a wise idea.’