out, her jaw dropped and she rushed forward. “What happened to you?”
“Clary,” I said through gritted teeth. I wasn’t over it yet. “We’ve got wounded—Kat, Scott and Reed—but we also have a prisoner.” I opened the back doors to the van. “Can you get Dr. Perugini out here?”
She nodded sharply, her phone already in her hand. “Isabella,” she said. “Get to the front of HQ, we’ve got wounded.” I heard the soft beep as she cut the connection. A cool wind picked up as I opened the back doors to the van and Ariadne let out a gasp as she looked inside. “What the hell happened? Why didn’t you call?”
“No phones,” I said. “And I didn’t want to slow down. We had to leave Iowa in a hurry.”
I heard doors opening behind me as Perugini came rushing out of the building, rolling a gurney covered in white sheets. Her lab coat matched the sheets perfectly, as though she were a part of the gurney herself. “What the hell...happened here?”
“I led a mission,” I said tightly, “and Clary came along.”
Clary stepped down from the back of the van, pulling Reed out and setting him on the gurney. “It was an accident, I swear.”
“It was a...” I held my tongue. “...Charlie Foxtrot. I’ll carry Scott, you get Kat.”
“Done and done,” he said with a little too much enthusiasm.
“Cancel that,” I said. “I’ll get Kat.” I lifted her up in my arms, trying to cradle her so that her thin neck didn’t bob. “What do we do about the prisoner?”
“I’ll get him,” Clary said with muffled disappointment. “You want him in the cell block, Ariadne?”
“Yes,” Ariadne said, a little pale. “That’ll be fine. What a catastrophe.”
“They’ll be okay,” I said.
“Oh, are you a doctor now?” Perugini said from where she stood over Reed. Her dark skin was flushed red in the lamplight. “No? Then shut up and carry them in while I do my work. Come back for the other one.”
I nodded and started toward the entrance when the door opened again and Zack emerged with Kurt Hannegan. Zack saw me and his face pinched in concern. “What happened to you?” he asked as he approached, his suit flapping in the wind. “You look like you got rolled in dough.”
“Here,” I said and handed Kat to him. He took up her weight, cradling her in his arms like a baby. “I’m going to carry Scott.” I turned back to the van, where Clary was lifting our prisoner over his head, carrying him on his shoulders in a bowed shape. I picked up Scott in my arms and tossed him over a shoulder with as much care as I could. “Clary, get that man to the cell block and don’t let him out of the restraints once you’re there. Let him sleep like that; he’s too strong to let loose.”
Clary nodded as we entered the marbled lobby, the black stone flecked with white that didn’t even show in the dim light. All the recessed lighting had dimmed for the night and Clary made his way toward the stairs, evading the beams shining down from overhead as though he were trying to stay to the shadows.
“I want a full debriefing when you’re done seeing to them,” Ariadne said. “The Director will want to be informed.”
“I’ll be there once I finish dropping them off,” I told her. “Give me about ten minutes?”
She nodded and disappeared toward the elevator banks while we filed down a long, narrow hallway.
“Good to see you,” I said to Zack, and got a tight smile in return. “How was your day?”
“Not as exciting as yours, I’m guessing,” he said with aplomb, repositioning Kat in his arms. “What happened on your mission?” There was a clatter as Perugini rolled the gurney down the hall ahead of us, hitting the small grooves where the tile separated from the carpeted areas.
“We destroyed the Omega safe house.”
“Uh...weren’t you supposed to surveil it?” Zack asked, his face contorting as though he were trying to find a diplomatic way to ask the question that was on his
“Clary,” I said through gritted teeth. I wasn’t over it yet. “We’ve got wounded—Kat, Scott and Reed—but we also have a prisoner.” I opened the back doors to the van. “Can you get Dr. Perugini out here?”
She nodded sharply, her phone already in her hand. “Isabella,” she said. “Get to the front of HQ, we’ve got wounded.” I heard the soft beep as she cut the connection. A cool wind picked up as I opened the back doors to the van and Ariadne let out a gasp as she looked inside. “What the hell happened? Why didn’t you call?”
“No phones,” I said. “And I didn’t want to slow down. We had to leave Iowa in a hurry.”
I heard doors opening behind me as Perugini came rushing out of the building, rolling a gurney covered in white sheets. Her lab coat matched the sheets perfectly, as though she were a part of the gurney herself. “What the hell...happened here?”
“I led a mission,” I said tightly, “and Clary came along.”
Clary stepped down from the back of the van, pulling Reed out and setting him on the gurney. “It was an accident, I swear.”
“It was a...” I held my tongue. “...Charlie Foxtrot. I’ll carry Scott, you get Kat.”
“Done and done,” he said with a little too much enthusiasm.
“Cancel that,” I said. “I’ll get Kat.” I lifted her up in my arms, trying to cradle her so that her thin neck didn’t bob. “What do we do about the prisoner?”
“I’ll get him,” Clary said with muffled disappointment. “You want him in the cell block, Ariadne?”
“Yes,” Ariadne said, a little pale. “That’ll be fine. What a catastrophe.”
“They’ll be okay,” I said.
“Oh, are you a doctor now?” Perugini said from where she stood over Reed. Her dark skin was flushed red in the lamplight. “No? Then shut up and carry them in while I do my work. Come back for the other one.”
I nodded and started toward the entrance when the door opened again and Zack emerged with Kurt Hannegan. Zack saw me and his face pinched in concern. “What happened to you?” he asked as he approached, his suit flapping in the wind. “You look like you got rolled in dough.”
“Here,” I said and handed Kat to him. He took up her weight, cradling her in his arms like a baby. “I’m going to carry Scott.” I turned back to the van, where Clary was lifting our prisoner over his head, carrying him on his shoulders in a bowed shape. I picked up Scott in my arms and tossed him over a shoulder with as much care as I could. “Clary, get that man to the cell block and don’t let him out of the restraints once you’re there. Let him sleep like that; he’s too strong to let loose.”
Clary nodded as we entered the marbled lobby, the black stone flecked with white that didn’t even show in the dim light. All the recessed lighting had dimmed for the night and Clary made his way toward the stairs, evading the beams shining down from overhead as though he were trying to stay to the shadows.
“I want a full debriefing when you’re done seeing to them,” Ariadne said. “The Director will want to be informed.”
“I’ll be there once I finish dropping them off,” I told her. “Give me about ten minutes?”
She nodded and disappeared toward the elevator banks while we filed down a long, narrow hallway.
“Good to see you,” I said to Zack, and got a tight smile in return. “How was your day?”
“Not as exciting as yours, I’m guessing,” he said with aplomb, repositioning Kat in his arms. “What happened on your mission?” There was a clatter as Perugini rolled the gurney down the hall ahead of us, hitting the small grooves where the tile separated from the carpeted areas.
“We destroyed the Omega safe house.”
“Uh...weren’t you supposed to surveil it?” Zack asked, his face contorting as though he were trying to find a diplomatic way to ask the question that was on his
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