Rebel by Claire Delacroix

Author:Claire Delacroix [Cooke, Deborah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-927477-31-1
Publisher: Deborah A. Cooke

The place was locked up tighter than a missile silo.

Of course.

Theodora and Armand were hidden in the shadows, watching the sentries patrol the netherzone access to the Intercontinental Hotel. Of course, the hotel would have increased security, given the instability of the streets and their need to ensure that their clients felt protected.

Keeping those clients safe was the best way to guarantee their business, after all.

“Shooting our way in isn’t going to work,” she murmured, thinking out loud.

“Too many security guards,” Armand agreed. “We won’t get ten feet before we’re shot down.”

“If we’re lucky,” she said. “Plus, if the Society raised the alarm, they might not kill us. They might harvest us instead.”

Armand grimaced, his gaze fixed on the access. “I’m guessing your laze won’t make it past security either.”

“Neither will the guard’s laze, but I don’t want to go in without them.” Theodora winced. She hated this. That they could have come so far just to be foiled by plain old security measures was patently unfair. “They’ll have metal detectors, so hiding them won’t work.” She considered Armand as she had an idea. “Wait a minute. We don’t have to hide the weapons if whoever is toting our arsenal is authorized to carry.”

He blinked. “Are you?”

“I don’t officially exist, which gets in the way of permit applications.” Theodora smiled, noting how he watched her mouth. This man could give her ideas with just a glance. Dangerous, seductive ideas. Ideas they unfortunately didn’t have time to pursue. She sighed without meaning to do so.

“Well, I don’t have authorization,” Armand said with some impatience. No surprise there, given his determination not to kill another being. “That won’t work.”

Theodora recalled that she had swiped the identity of that Philippa. She tapped her palm, daring to hope that the nosy student had the right to carry a concealed weapon.

No luck.

“Neither does Philippa,” she said, thinking furiously.

Suddenly she knew how they could do it.

They could masquerade as a shade and a Nuclear Darwinist.

She knew who had to play which role. There was absolutely nothing defective about Armand. Theodora would have bet on that.

Although she would have liked to have seen him naked, just to make sure.

No one would ever believe that he had failed the S.H.A.D.E., which left the dirty work up to her. And he was a student of the Institute, so should be able to make it work.

Provided he could lie with any plausibility.

“Look, one of us could pretend to be a shade, and the other a Nuclear Darwinist making a delivery,” she said. “They might not fully examine the Nuclear Darwinist or his credentials. People are a little spooked by Nuclear Darwinists.”

“And if they do?”

“You’ll have to get insulted and shoot.” Theodora shrugged. “Actually, that could work out well, because you won’t shoot to kill. The repercussions would be less.” She scanned her palm for a map of the local netherzones. “We need to do some prep first. Get some rest and work out our story.”

“But we should attack now.”

“No. There’s no substitute for preparation.

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