say more, but turned as Sam approached.
She pulled the headset from her ear and offered it to him. She mouthed something. Durgen? Turgen?
He quickly accepted it and hooked it onto his own ear. "Yes?" He held up a finger to Victoria, and stepped away, speaking low and his back to her.
There was no need to question who they were discussing. What , was a different matter. She turned, looking up at Luc. "I have another question."
He nodded.
"Why the secrecy? You know these things are real. You know they're killing people. Why are you hiding it?"
His jaw tightened, the muscles rippling. He appeared as though he wasn't going to answer, but finally he spoke. "How do you propose we tell people?"
"Well, you start by telling them."
"Oh." The corners of his mouth tightened into that little smile you give a child that excitedly tells you something obvious. The black void of a missing tooth at the corner ruined the line of white. "And they'll believe us? Tell me how. Demons change back to human when they die, leaving no trace. No blood. No DNA. Nothing someone can hold up and show as real. Footprints? Photographs?" He shook his head. "Those can be faked."
"But they are real," she said, hearing the weakness in the statement as she said it.
"Prove it. That's what they'll say." He opened his broad hand. "Look at alien conspiracies. You were a police officer. Would you believe those without proof?" He shook his head. "But let's pretend. We'll say that people do believe. What will they do when you tell them that there are monsters living among us? That there's no way to prove who is human and who isn't? What would happen if police said that there was a psychopath living in a community, someone who would eat them and their children?"
Victoria turned from his gaze and looked out across the black water, its ripples crested with moonlight. "They'd panic."
"Panic?" He gave a humorless chuckle. "They'd go insane. Begin searching for any telltale signs. Then the accusations. Old hatreds would surface. Now they're not just the wrong race or religion or just different, but not even human. No guilt to be had by getting rid of them. Don't think that won't happen. Hatred thrives on justification.
"Now let's tell them that the only way to kill these monsters is with a holy weapon. What then?"
She didn't answer. The buzzing mosquito returned.
"Holy weapons would become celebrities," he said. "Everyone would know them and their owners. Reporters would follow them. Do you think we could just show up in a city without anyone knowing? Everyone would know and then the demon would simply jump to a new body and escape.
"But that's just the beginning. If holy weapons are the only true way to rid ourselves of demons, then holy weapons become national security. Nations will fight for them. A new arms race. Everyone will want one, and they'll want to have the most. There are more countries than holy weapons and people will come for them. So now you have Russia, China, the United States all sitting on their stockpiles and other countries will have to beg for their protection. Now the politicians can say, 'No, you didn't sign this trade agreement, or we don't like your policies, so now your people can get eaten and die without help.'" He held her gaze. "Don't tell me it can't happen."
Victoria shook her head. Over Luc's shoulder she saw the Englishman click off the phone. He walked back and slid into his seat as Luc started speaking.
"Good," Luc said. "But why stop there? Now your country has a stockpile and can kill the monsters. Now the monsters can become your weapons. You can control them."
She snorted. "No. I don't see that."
"Really?"
"No. Not if they knew that much about them. That's too big of an assumption."
Luc shrugged. "History says otherwise. You ask me why we don't tell the world the truth? The reason is because humanity can't afford it."
"That's right," the curly-haired brunette said from beside her.
"But keeping innocent people
She pulled the headset from her ear and offered it to him. She mouthed something. Durgen? Turgen?
He quickly accepted it and hooked it onto his own ear. "Yes?" He held up a finger to Victoria, and stepped away, speaking low and his back to her.
There was no need to question who they were discussing. What , was a different matter. She turned, looking up at Luc. "I have another question."
He nodded.
"Why the secrecy? You know these things are real. You know they're killing people. Why are you hiding it?"
His jaw tightened, the muscles rippling. He appeared as though he wasn't going to answer, but finally he spoke. "How do you propose we tell people?"
"Well, you start by telling them."
"Oh." The corners of his mouth tightened into that little smile you give a child that excitedly tells you something obvious. The black void of a missing tooth at the corner ruined the line of white. "And they'll believe us? Tell me how. Demons change back to human when they die, leaving no trace. No blood. No DNA. Nothing someone can hold up and show as real. Footprints? Photographs?" He shook his head. "Those can be faked."
"But they are real," she said, hearing the weakness in the statement as she said it.
"Prove it. That's what they'll say." He opened his broad hand. "Look at alien conspiracies. You were a police officer. Would you believe those without proof?" He shook his head. "But let's pretend. We'll say that people do believe. What will they do when you tell them that there are monsters living among us? That there's no way to prove who is human and who isn't? What would happen if police said that there was a psychopath living in a community, someone who would eat them and their children?"
Victoria turned from his gaze and looked out across the black water, its ripples crested with moonlight. "They'd panic."
"Panic?" He gave a humorless chuckle. "They'd go insane. Begin searching for any telltale signs. Then the accusations. Old hatreds would surface. Now they're not just the wrong race or religion or just different, but not even human. No guilt to be had by getting rid of them. Don't think that won't happen. Hatred thrives on justification.
"Now let's tell them that the only way to kill these monsters is with a holy weapon. What then?"
She didn't answer. The buzzing mosquito returned.
"Holy weapons would become celebrities," he said. "Everyone would know them and their owners. Reporters would follow them. Do you think we could just show up in a city without anyone knowing? Everyone would know and then the demon would simply jump to a new body and escape.
"But that's just the beginning. If holy weapons are the only true way to rid ourselves of demons, then holy weapons become national security. Nations will fight for them. A new arms race. Everyone will want one, and they'll want to have the most. There are more countries than holy weapons and people will come for them. So now you have Russia, China, the United States all sitting on their stockpiles and other countries will have to beg for their protection. Now the politicians can say, 'No, you didn't sign this trade agreement, or we don't like your policies, so now your people can get eaten and die without help.'" He held her gaze. "Don't tell me it can't happen."
Victoria shook her head. Over Luc's shoulder she saw the Englishman click off the phone. He walked back and slid into his seat as Luc started speaking.
"Good," Luc said. "But why stop there? Now your country has a stockpile and can kill the monsters. Now the monsters can become your weapons. You can control them."
She snorted. "No. I don't see that."
"Really?"
"No. Not if they knew that much about them. That's too big of an assumption."
Luc shrugged. "History says otherwise. You ask me why we don't tell the world the truth? The reason is because humanity can't afford it."
"That's right," the curly-haired brunette said from beside her.
"But keeping innocent people
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