1941539114 (S) by Jeremy Robinson

her, staring into her eyes. “You... remember? ”
    Maigo shook her head.
    “You do , don’t you?” He turned to Brice. “We’ve underestimated her importance. When you’re done here, sedate her and bring her with you.”
    “But Hudson,” Brice says. “You promised him—”
    “Promises are for presidential candidates and middle school girls,” Cole said. “The FC-P has proven itself irrelevant and woefully unprepared for what is coming.” He turned his attention back to Maigo. “Aside from you, showing up here alone. You felt it, didn’t you? Knew it was here? We had feared our intelligence had been intercepted, that the X-35 might be used to infiltrate Russian territory. God knows, your ‘father’—” He made chubby-fingered air quotes, “—is brazen enough to try it. But the island was empty, until your poorly timed arrival.”
    “Sir,” Brice said. “What if she’s not alone?”
    Cole squinted. “They would have come for her by now. They’re not without the means. Nor is this one.” He motioned to Maigo’s arm. “Best to keep her partially sedated.”
    Brice gave a quick nod, opened a drawer and started preparing a syringe.
    “The X-35 is out there, isn’t it?” He turned to Brice. “Have the men look for it. If you can’t find it, feel free to persuade her cooperation in the matter. Learning her...tolerances will be enlightening.”
    “Yes, sir,” Brice said, and he stepped through Cole on his way to the stretcher. The big man shimmered for a moment and rolled his eyes at Brice. Another hologram , Maigo thought. Cole rarely made in-person appearances, which given his work—creating genetic monstrosities to be used as weapons—the precaution made sense. How many Brice clones have they lost over the years?
    Maigo tensed as Brice leaned closer with the needle. Before she could pull away, he put a hand on her arm and said, “It’s only a sedative. It will make you sleepy, but not knock you out.” Then he winked. And it wasn’t in a creepy way, like he was getting his jollies from giving her an injection. The wink was conspiratorial. Like he wanted her to trust him. She didn’t, but she still wanted to see how this played out. She was gambling with her life, with her future, but that came with the job, didn’t it? Her life had stopped being a cakewalk the moment General Gordon had pulled her heart from her chest and triggered her transformation into Nemesis.
    The needle slid into her arm without a trace of pain. She watched the clear fluid slide into her arm. Then Brice withdrew the needle and stepped back, keeping his eyes on Maigo’s. “She shouldn’t be any trouble now.”
    He’s telling me to play along. But is this a game? Are they manipulating me?
    The only way to find out was to play along. She feigned sleepiness.
    Before she could test out her groggy act and try to get more information from Cole, he turned to the side like someone was speaking to him. Then he looked genuinely surprised by something. Concerned. “Yes, yes. It must be there for the triad. Let them loose.” Annoyance swept over his normally calm features. “I realize that, but there is little choice. Set them loose!”
    Cole steadied himself with a deep breath and waited for his face to fade to a lighter shade of red before facing Brice again. “Take care of this quickly. Things are progressing in Boston and Tokyo. We need to get inside, now. Understood?”
    “Y-yes, sir, “Brice said.
    “Do keep in mind that unlike me, you are very, very expendable.”
    “Yes. Sir.” Brice squinted subtly at Cole’s back.
    Was that defiance in his eyes?
    “Kozlov,” Cole said, and the door opened immediately.
    A brutish and scruffy looking man dressed in a parka and carrying an AK-47 stepped into the room. “Sir.” His Russian accent was thick.
    “Contact me the moment you gain entry,” Cole said.
    “Sir.”
    “And if you run into any trouble—”
    “Any incursion by foreign agencies will be treated as