Red and Black by Nancy O'Toole Meservier

Author:Nancy O'Toole Meservier [Meservier, Nancy O'Toole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2018-08-12T22:00:00+00:00

14

Alex

I sat on the side of our makeshift boxing ring on a battered old office chair. In the center stood Noel, facing off against a short guy named Kyle. I watched the two circle each other and felt my stomach sink. The benefit was half a week away, and while my plan was solid, it was, at least in part, dependent on the drones. And yeah, they would do anything for Calypso, but how many of them could actually pull this off?

And seriously, when had a “Noel or a Kyle” ever struck fear into the hearts of anyone?

As I watched over the match, something across the garage caught my attention. I straightened when I realized it was Calypso, dressed again in her trademark green. Her eyes were focused on the ring, her face molded into a frown.

“You’re up next,” I said, nodding to the next guy in line before heading across the way to Calypso. “Come to watch the troops prepare?”

She looked up at me, then back toward the ring, before speaking.

“Do you think they’ll be ready?”

I paused and looked back over just in time to see Noel deliver a solid punch to Kyle’s stomach, sending him to the ground. He paused for a second, torn between jumping for joy and helping Kyle to his feet, when one of the drones in line let out a whoop of encouragement. Noel laughed, shaking his head as the cheers spread. I chuckled and began to clap. Noel caught my gaze and raised one fist into the air.

I smiled. At least the kid wasn’t mad at me anymore.

“Faultline?” Calypso said.

“Oh, sorry.” I jerked back to attention. “They’re as ready as I can make them.” I paused before speaking again. “You know…it wouldn’t have been a bad idea to bring in actual Army recruits.”

A half-smile twitched on Calypso’s lips. It made her look…pretty. Of course, Calypso was already gorgeous in a cold, untouchable way, but the small movement almost humanized her. I had been working for her for months now. Had I really never seen her smile?

“Certain people can be taken in easier than others,” she said. “People who already have that level of conditioning and training…their minds are more resistant.”

I blinked in surprise.

“So…is that why you chose the people you did? They were less resistant?”

“At times,” she admitted. “Although, sometimes, I just chose a person based on the fact that he or she had skills I required. Or the person happened to be at the right place at the right time.”

I noticed, as she spoke, she looked at Noel, who was taking off his gloves and handing them to the person next in line.

I shook my head. Of course, it made sense that certain people would be easier to take in than others. I was immune, after all, so there had to be people that existed somewhere in between “immune” and “easy takes.”

At the same time, Calypso had never been this open with me before. I decided to push my luck and ask the questions that had been in the back of my mind since the Hamilton job.

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