arm, where the bottom of a bandage could be seen poking out from under his sleeve, and a frown gratifyingly puckered her forehead.
Alex walked over to her and pulled the gag down. ‘Rachel,’ he said, by way of greeting.
‘Alex,’ she replied coolly, ‘how lovely to see you.’ Her eyes flicked towards me like a serpent’s tongue. ‘Still babysitting the mutant, I see.’
‘You not going to play nice, Rachel?’ Alex asked in a pleasant tone.
She blew her hair out of her face, unable to use her hands. ‘I just don’t get it, Alex,’ she said.
‘You don’t get what?’ he asked.
‘What you see in her.’
I felt her gaze travelling up my body like a rash. I hadn’t ever realised what hackles were, but now I was feeling them rise. The urge to take something heavy and smack Rachel over the head with it was growing. There was a wide-screen television fixed to the wall. I wondered how hard it would be to tear it from its hinges and spin it at her, Frisbee-style. Then the thought vanished, along with any desire to do violence. I felt floaty good. I glanced at Demos out of the corner of my eye. He raised his eyebrows at me in warning. He was right, I knew. In this situation I was the one who could afford a little magnanimity. I was, after all, the one with Alex. Not the one bound and gagged and wearing questionable clothing. But still . . .
‘You know what I don’t get?’ Alex said after a beat. ‘I don’t get why you’re doing this.’
‘Doing what?’ Rachel answered.
‘You know what. Why is the Unit doing this?’
‘Oh, come on, Alex, don’t be naive. Money makes the world go around.’
He stepped backwards, shaking his head. ‘That’s what this is all about?’
Why was he asking her this? We knew that’s what this was all about. Demos had already told me the Unit was trying to find a way of tweaking the genetic code that made us this way so they could create new weapons, which they would then sell to the highest bidder. Ergo – all about money.
‘What else would it be about?’ Rachel laughed, a high, braying noise that could have shattered glass.
‘Have you even considered the consequences?’
‘Oh please, don’t get all righteous on me. Wars will happen regardless. Man has always found a way to inflict harm. This way we get to at least choose the winning side. We get to make the world safer, Alex.’ Her eyes were burning brightly, lit by some kind of scary evangelical fervour.
‘Safer according to who?’ Alex snapped back. ‘According to whichever madman pays you the most?’
Rachel considered him for a moment. ‘Hmmmm. You know your problem, Alex?’ she said after a while. ‘You always get bogged down by morality. You could do with losing a few scruples. You’d sleep easier.’
‘I’m sleeping pretty easy, thanks,’ Alex said. ‘Be sleeping even easier if I knew the Unit was no longer in existence.’
‘Keep dreaming,’ she sneered at him. ‘You think you and your band of sub-mediocre Heroes rejects here have any chance of putting us out of action?’
Alex looked at Demos and then me before turning back to her. ‘I think we made a pretty good start, don’t you?’ he said. ‘We’re here, after all. And you’re the one trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey.’
‘So, you managed to put a few teams out of action.’ Rachel shrugged. ‘There are plenty more where they came from. You’re just foot soldiers. Useful, but expendable.’ She took pleasure in the last word, spitting it at him and watching greedily for his reaction.
Alex stared at her for a few seconds. His face remained inscrutable. But I could see that his eyes had turned to ice.
‘You can’t take one step on that base, Alex,’ Rachel continued, the southern twang of her voice adding a warmth that the words belied. ‘You’ll be history. The military police will come down on you so hard you won’t know what hit you. You fired on your own men. You think what we do is bad? Just wait till
Alex walked over to her and pulled the gag down. ‘Rachel,’ he said, by way of greeting.
‘Alex,’ she replied coolly, ‘how lovely to see you.’ Her eyes flicked towards me like a serpent’s tongue. ‘Still babysitting the mutant, I see.’
‘You not going to play nice, Rachel?’ Alex asked in a pleasant tone.
She blew her hair out of her face, unable to use her hands. ‘I just don’t get it, Alex,’ she said.
‘You don’t get what?’ he asked.
‘What you see in her.’
I felt her gaze travelling up my body like a rash. I hadn’t ever realised what hackles were, but now I was feeling them rise. The urge to take something heavy and smack Rachel over the head with it was growing. There was a wide-screen television fixed to the wall. I wondered how hard it would be to tear it from its hinges and spin it at her, Frisbee-style. Then the thought vanished, along with any desire to do violence. I felt floaty good. I glanced at Demos out of the corner of my eye. He raised his eyebrows at me in warning. He was right, I knew. In this situation I was the one who could afford a little magnanimity. I was, after all, the one with Alex. Not the one bound and gagged and wearing questionable clothing. But still . . .
‘You know what I don’t get?’ Alex said after a beat. ‘I don’t get why you’re doing this.’
‘Doing what?’ Rachel answered.
‘You know what. Why is the Unit doing this?’
‘Oh, come on, Alex, don’t be naive. Money makes the world go around.’
He stepped backwards, shaking his head. ‘That’s what this is all about?’
Why was he asking her this? We knew that’s what this was all about. Demos had already told me the Unit was trying to find a way of tweaking the genetic code that made us this way so they could create new weapons, which they would then sell to the highest bidder. Ergo – all about money.
‘What else would it be about?’ Rachel laughed, a high, braying noise that could have shattered glass.
‘Have you even considered the consequences?’
‘Oh please, don’t get all righteous on me. Wars will happen regardless. Man has always found a way to inflict harm. This way we get to at least choose the winning side. We get to make the world safer, Alex.’ Her eyes were burning brightly, lit by some kind of scary evangelical fervour.
‘Safer according to who?’ Alex snapped back. ‘According to whichever madman pays you the most?’
Rachel considered him for a moment. ‘Hmmmm. You know your problem, Alex?’ she said after a while. ‘You always get bogged down by morality. You could do with losing a few scruples. You’d sleep easier.’
‘I’m sleeping pretty easy, thanks,’ Alex said. ‘Be sleeping even easier if I knew the Unit was no longer in existence.’
‘Keep dreaming,’ she sneered at him. ‘You think you and your band of sub-mediocre Heroes rejects here have any chance of putting us out of action?’
Alex looked at Demos and then me before turning back to her. ‘I think we made a pretty good start, don’t you?’ he said. ‘We’re here, after all. And you’re the one trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey.’
‘So, you managed to put a few teams out of action.’ Rachel shrugged. ‘There are plenty more where they came from. You’re just foot soldiers. Useful, but expendable.’ She took pleasure in the last word, spitting it at him and watching greedily for his reaction.
Alex stared at her for a few seconds. His face remained inscrutable. But I could see that his eyes had turned to ice.
‘You can’t take one step on that base, Alex,’ Rachel continued, the southern twang of her voice adding a warmth that the words belied. ‘You’ll be history. The military police will come down on you so hard you won’t know what hit you. You fired on your own men. You think what we do is bad? Just wait till
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