Revolution (Replica) by Jenna Black Page A

ignore them like they’re no business of yours whatsoever.”
    Agnes’s face looked pale and frightened, and though her disguise was good, Nate worried that it wasn’t enough. Her face was almost as famous as his, and her disguise was more superficial, having been cobbled together in a hurry. Nate’s had been built over a period of months, and included details like contact lenses and cheek pouches. He’d be shocked if anyone recognized him, but Agnes … He put his arm around Agnes’s shoulders and tucked her against his side.
    “I’ll keep between you and them when we pass,” he said in response to her startled look.
    “Don’t try to hide!” Dante reminded them brusquely.
    “I’m not talking about hiding her,” Nate snapped. “I’m just going to give her a little extra cover.”
    “We don’t have time for arguing,” Agnes said, slipping her arm around Nate’s waist as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Let’s just go.”
    They went, but Nate still had an uneasy feeling in his stomach about Agnes’s disguise. They should have put some face paint or something on her to draw attention away from her features. The bright blue gunk that plastered her hair to her scalp certainly drew the eye, but if anyone took a second look …
    Since the building’s elevator didn’t work, there was a fair amount of traffic on the stairs, which could work to their advantage. It was still a little early for Debasement’s permanent street fair to be in full swing, but the early birds were already heading out.
    With Dante leading the way, they headed down the stairs, quickly catching up with three women who were most likely prostitutes on their way to work. One of the women had enormous boobs that were barely contained by a red lace bra top, and Nate hoped the display would distract a member or two of the security squad. He could hear one of the officers from below barking at people to get out of the way, his voice echoing up the stairwell. He sounded like a hard-ass, and if he wasn’t careful, he was going to get his whole squad killed. Basement-dwellers weren’t fond of security officers at the best of times, and despite their training and superior weaponry, the security squad was badly outnumbered.
    Dante looked over his shoulder with a concerned expression. “At the first sign of trouble, we get out of the stairwell immediately.”
    Nate wondered if they shouldn’t do that anyway until the squad had passed them by, but they were currently between floors, and by the time they reached the next floor, the squad would be able to see them. Trying not to hold his breath, Nate tightened his arm around Agnes’s shoulders and continued downward.
    They reached the third-floor landing just as the security squad did, and Nate saw it was a good thing they hadn’t ducked into a hallway until the squad passed. One of the men stuck some kind of metallic rod into the door mechanism, jamming it shut, keeping the residents of that floor trapped. They were also taking close looks at everyone who passed them on the stairs. The three hookers started strutting their stuff as if they thought the officers were on the hunt for an on-the-job quickie, and Nate hoped that would give him and his friends the distraction they needed to slip by unnoticed, but Captain Tight-ass of the barked orders suggested he might do something unpleasant with his night-stick if the hookers didn’t move along.
    There was nothing to do but walk on by as planned.
    Dante hit the landing and continued walking at a steady pace. The officers each took a close look as he went by, but the chances of him being recognized were slim. Then it was Nate and Agnes’s turn. They stepped onto the landing, and Nate was painfully aware of all those eyes scanning his face, and, more alarmingly, Agnes’s.
    Under normal circumstances, Agnes had approximately zero self-confidence. The kind of girl you’d expect to cower in the corner or hide under the bed at the