Alter Ego by Kate Sheeran Swed

Author:Kate Sheeran Swed [Swed, Kate Sheeran]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Spells & Spaceships Press

20 Mary

Even with Mary’s team driver, Hal, puttering along the highway like a grandmother, Mary and Nathan were the first to return to the house through the underground entrance. Mary ripped her mask off as soon as they were inside and staggered toward the surveillance room.

They’d been halfway back to Malibu when Eloise had radioed to say she’d lost Mange, lost Wave, lost Agnes. Lost everyone.

With anger threatening to split her skin, Mary wondered whether Eloise had even tried.

“Your shoulder,” Nathan said, following Mary down the hall.

She had a sidekick now, apparently. Mary threw herself in front of her monitors. “System, show me Agnes Jenson.”

The System screens flashed into motion, maps moving across the monitors like strobes. Usually the System didn’t hesitate. This time, nothing stuck for more than a fraction of a second.

“What’s taking so long?” Mary demanded.

“Agnes Jenson’s GPS has been deactivated,” the System said. “There are traces available for Agnes Jenson on every continent but Antarctica. The data contradicts itself. Search failed.”

Mary slammed her fist onto the console.

“You’re injured,” Nathan said, behind her. “You need to—”

“What I need is to find my friend,” Mary snapped. “System, input identification details for immediate detection. Adult male with white-blond hair, age between thirty and forty, height five-eight or five-nine. Associate of Mange. And Wave.”

“Historical account ‘Wave’ is marked Inactive: Threat Neutralized. Reactivate?”

Mary took a steadying breath. She felt anything but. “Reactivate.”

Down the hall, the garage doors banged open.

“Mary,” Nathan said. “Let me help you.”

Mary pushed past him. “They need help first. And stop saying my name.”

It’d been more than two years since this many LIO members had shown up in Mary’s basement at the same time. She knew, because Will had been among them. Beating everyone at pool, smiling his easy smile, propping his long legs on the coffee table.

She couldn’t remember the last time they’d all been this banged up, though. Hal’s team partner, Lisa, supported Jenna into the room, where she collapsed onto the couch without asking where she was or commenting on the secret tunnel entrance. Her lip was sliced through the center, swollen. Ire followed them inside but didn’t sit, instead leaning on the back of the couch to support his weight. A blossom of black and blue spread across his cheekbone, blood crusting around a cut on his upper arm. A moment later Eloise joined them, her leathers shredded at the knees, her helmet under her arm.

Lisa set up basic first aid on the coffee table, bandages and blood pressure cuffs, stacks of ice packs, pain killers, suture kits. She started with Jenna, her manicured hands flying to clean and disinfect with trained efficiency.

Hospitals weren’t an option, except in the most desperate cases.

Mary ran a pitcher of water from the kitchen faucet, keeping her shoulder carefully covered. It felt like someone had shaved a layer of skin and applied acid to eat away at her flesh. But there was no way she was going to complain, not with Agnes a prisoner of Wave. Who knew how much pain she might be in right now?

Nathan watched Mary.

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