Siege of Shadows (Effigies #2)(129)

Chae Rin pounded her fist against the back of a seat. “Then we should be there,” she said. “If we can get to Oslo before—”

“Soon there won’t be an Oslo.”

The van fell silent as it cut across the grounds.

“What . . . ?” My breath struggled in my throat. “What . . . do you mean?”

“It’s something I found on the flash drive not too long ago,” Uncle Nathan said. I could hear the fear creeping up in his voice. “Not about those soldiers. But about the weapon the Sect has been building for years without anyone knowing. Not even Sibyl. It’s about Minerva.”

Minerva. The third phase of Project X19.

Chae Rin narrowed her eyes. “Minerva? What about it?”

“It’s the name of a secret Sect satellite that can fire a particle beam at any target in the world,” Sibyl said. “And if we don’t stop him, Arthur will use it to kill Saul. Even if it destroys the city—and everyone inside it.”





31



“SO THE SECT JUST HAS a death weapon lying around?” I yelled so loudly the agent driving squirmed a little in his seat. I didn’t care. My fingernails were practically ripping the leather of his headrest, but I didn’t even notice.

“Apparently,” Uncle Nathan said. “According to the file I read, the Sect built it a decade ago, a last resort in case of a cataclysmic phantom attack. But it was never used. Only certain members of the Council know about its existence. If Director Prince is using it, then either he knew about it all along or one of those Council members told him the big company secret and gave him the controls. Either way, looks like we’re about to see Phase III.”

“Phase III is to nuke a city?” I pounded the headrest with a fist. It was too much to believe. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Sibyl said. “I don’t know whether Director Prince is aware of Project X19. But if he does this, it’s only going to make things worse. Even if he succeeds in taking Saul out, he will sacrifice lives. And he will start something I’m not sure any of us will be able to finish. You have to stop him, Maia. Even if that means killing him.”

Chae Rin’s and Lake’s expressions said it all. We were battered, starved, and exhausted. I didn’t know how much any of us had left. And I didn’t know if I could stomach taking another parent away from Rhys. . . .

Rhys.

“Rhys is in Oslo!” I sat back against the seat, my hands shaking. “He was deployed there . . . by his father.”

Chae Rin looked horrified. “God, that’s messed up. Either he sent him there knowing from the beginning, or he’s willing to sacrifice his own son.”

“He couldn’t. He wouldn’t!” I turned to Belle, waiting for some kind of affirmation. But she was lying against the side of the door, staring at nothing through lidded eyes. “Belle!” I shook her. “Are you okay?”

She jerked her arm away at my touch and dragged herself up. “I’m fine,” she said, a little sluggishly. “I’m okay. Just leave me alone.”

“But, Belle—”

“Stop,” she snapped, and laid her head in her hands. “My body’s . . . healing.”

But was her mind? This was the wrong time for Belle to be incapacitated, though I couldn’t even imagine what she’d just been through. I could still see the scars along her neck, the burn marks scorching her left temple, searing off a bit of the hair there. She caught me staring and let her hair out of its binds to cover it.

“He told me something strange.” Belle’s eyes lost focus again.

I leaned over as she wiped her face. “What?”

“He said something strange. About me. That I would always be alone.”

She looked at me. Whatever the Surgeon had done to her . . . had said to her . . . it wasn’t just physical. It had emptied her out. Hollowed her. She looked at me as if she didn’t know me. As if she never had. “But that isn’t true, is it? Maia . . . you’re on my side, aren’t you? You’re on Natalya’s side.”

I pulled back from her.

From the backseat, Chae Rin gave her a rough shove. “Snap out of it. We’ve got more important things to deal with.” But behind her gruffness, even she looked worried.

“More important,” Belle repeated as if trying to feel the words in her mouth. She lowered her head, her hands shaking. “Like Vasily said . . . no one cares anymore . . . about Natalya. . . .”

“Great.” Chae Rin shook her head. “Just fucking great.”

We were nearing the south building, which housed the Communications department, but we weren’t alone. Three rows of agents were waiting for us right in front of the entrance, the bottom two rows kneeling and crouching so we could see the barrels of each one of their guns pointed at us as they fired. The driver swerved, trying to avoid the bullets, but one punctured the windshield, narrowly grazing Lake’s head.

“Press the gas!” Chae Rin yelled.

The driver didn’t need telling twice. I could hear the screams of the agents diving out of our way as we crashed into the building. We hopped out of the car and started running. Belle shrugged off my hand when I tried to help her. Her feet carried her through the halls just fine. We didn’t have much of a plan when we kicked open the doors to the main communications center.