The Last Adventure of Constance Verity (28 page)

Across the table, at the far end of the room, a man and a woman with flawless olive skin and indeterminate ethnicity, wearing matching red suits, sat. Behind them, more agents. Beside the agents, Hiro stood smiling that goddamn smirk of his.

“What was that about trusting your ex again?” asked Tia from the chair next to her.

“I love you, honeybunch,” said Hiro, “but I do have to watch out for myself.”

“Don't call me that,” Connie said. “Don't ever call me that. We had a deal.”

“Deals change,” he said.

“And all that talk about earning my trust?”

“I meant it when I said it. But then again, I always do. It's
probably why I'm so convincingly sincere. I had every intention of acquiring the item for you, but while I was here, I realized that it was possible you wouldn't be interested in taking me back. If so, the next time a Red Shadow ninja found me, I might be in serious trouble.”

“So, you double-crossed me. Again.”

“How's the saying go? It's my nature.”

“I can't believe you fell for this guy,” said Tia.

“I was young and stupid,” replied Connie. “And Hiro has always been a blind spot for me.”

“Pity,” said the male twin. His long, silver hair framed his face, while his twin was practically bald. “But it just proves your unworthiness.”

“It's inconceivable that you should carry the caretaker as long as you did,” said the female twin.

“Aren't you supposed to introduce yourself?” asked Connie. “Or should I just refer to you as Thing One and Thing Two?”

“I am Harmony,” said the woman.

“I am Equity,” said the man.

“Of course you are. Here's the part where you reveal your master plan, I assume.”

“Your ignorance does you disservice,” said Harmony.

“Why are villains always so formal?” asked Thelma.

“They're compensating for being colossal assholes,” explained Connie. “What's your interest in the spell?”

Equity said, “It is our destiny to carry it for the glorious future of humanity.”

“There has always been a flaw with the caretaker's hosts. Up to now, they have been chosen through educated guesses. But we shall be the first host bred and designed to be perfect.”

“Right,” said Connie. “Eugenics nuts. Run into plenty of those in my day. Why wait until now to get your hands on the spell? You're a little old for this, aren't you?”

Harmony said, “We were grown and artificially aged by the most brilliant genetic engineers the world has ever known.

“We are younger than we look,” said Equity.

“Vat babies, huh?”

The Twins were not amused.

“We find that term derogatory,” said Equity.

“We prefer nontraditional incubatants,” said Harmony.

“Hey, that's your call. How old are you, then? Chronologically. If you don't mind me asking.”

“Seven years old,” said Harmony.

“The age when the destiny can be most successfully implanted,” said Equity.

“Jeez, you're just kids.”

“We are not,” said Harmony.

“Are too,” said Connie.

“Are not.”

“Are too.”

Equity's face flushed. “Oh, shut up.”

“Take it easy, Junior,” said Connie. “If you were made in a lab, where are the scientists who made you?”

The Twins smiled with sinister delight. Harmony said,
“They served their purpose. We saw no need to keep them around once we were ready.”

“Let me guess. You got sick of having a bedtime.”

“There might have been some . . . disputes,” said Harmony.

“We are perfect. What right does any imperfect being have to restrict our TV time?” added Equity.

“And broccoli.” His sister grimaced. “Distasteful scourge.”

“I get it,” replied Connie. “When I was your age, if I'd had the power, I probably would've executed Mom and Dad for daring to get between me and
Jem and the Holograms
. You seem like nice kids.”

“No, they don't,” said Tia.

“No, they really don't,” added Thelma.

“We are not children,” said Equity. “We are perfect beings.”

“That's not a childish thing to believe at all,” whispered Tia. But it was a stage whisper, meant to be heard by all.

“You are fools,” said Equity.

“Somebody needs a nap,” said Connie.

The Twins glared. Their faces reddened. They were either about to order everyone shot or start crying. Connie defused the situation by getting the conversation back on track.

“Why haven't you implanted the spell yet?”

The Twins calmed.

“Implantation is a difficult process,” said Equity.

“And there's the additional difficulty of one spell between us,” said Harmony.

“Don't want to share your toys?” said Connie.

“Sibling rivalry,” said Tia.

“There's no rivalry,” said Equity. “We are both perfect.”

“But one of you is more perfect,” said Connie.

“If you're trying to turn us against each other,” said Harmony, “you're wasting your time. And ours.”

“All right. You're both perfect. Good for you.”

“We do have a question for you, Ms. Verity,” said Harmony. “After surrendering the spell, why are you seeking it out now?”

“Change of plans,” replied Connie. “I don't know if I buy any of this mumbo jumbo about a cosmic balance, but I figure that if people like you want it, it's better off in other hands.”

“People like us?” the Twins asked together.

“Evil geniuses. Criminal masterminds. Inbred eugenic egomaniacs.” Connie leaned back in her chair and kicked her feet up on the table. “No offense.”

The Twins smiled without amusement.

“We are the masterwork of generations of careful genetic selection,” said the brother. “We are the ultimate potential of the human race.”

“Heard it,” said Connie. “And it's always bullshit. There is no ultimate version of a human being. You think you're perfect? Nobody is. Except for maybe Professor Perfect. I've worked with that guy, and let me tell you something, he's pretty damn close. But even he sucks at crossword puzzles.”

The Twins scowled like two children being told they weren't getting dessert.

“You dare to speak to us like that? You're nothing more
than an incubator,” said Equity. “Now that you've done your job, you would be wise to scurry off before we decide you're of no more use to us.”

“If I was of no more use, I'd be dead already,” said Connie. “You can stop with the threats.”

The Twins nodded to an agent, who moved toward Connie.

“I wouldn't if I were you,” she said.

“Your bravado is pointless,” said Equity. “Even if you were to somehow defeat every guard in this room, there are dozens more just on the other side of the door. Even you, with your legendary martial arts abilities, can't hope to defeat them all.”

“Dozens, you say? Yeah, that's a bit much, even for me. And I have Tia to look after too. She'll only slow me down.”

Tia sighed. “Sorry.”

“Don't worry about it.”

“We have to say we're greatly disappointed in how easy it was to capture you,” he said. “You'd have to be foolish to trust Hiro Yukimura after his history of betrayal.”

“Yes, I would have to be,” said Connie with a smile. “Wouldn't I?”

The Twins glanced around the room. Hiro was nowhere to be seen.

“Where did he go?” asked Harmony.

“Beats the hell out of me,” replied Connie. “I could never keep track of him.”

An alarm sounded.

“The caretaker destiny!” realized the Twins together.

“Let me guess. It's the most heavily guarded item in this building? Until you decided to pull most of your security here to keep an eye on me.”

The Twins ran from the room with a security detachment in tow. They locked the boardroom and left five guards to watch their prisoners.

“Hiro didn't betray you?” asked Tia. “He was only using you as a distraction?”

“It wasn't difficult to convince the Twins he planned on betraying me, considering how often he's done it in the past.”

“It was a fake betrayal? You could've warned me.”

“I didn't know. Not until he called me honeybunch. That's our code for a false betrayal.”

“What's your code for a genuine betrayal?”

“No code for that.”

“How do we get out of here?”

“We wait for Hiro.”

“And if he doesn't show? What if he lied about the fake betrayal? What if it was a genuine betrayal this time, and he decides to leave us in hanging?”

“He won't.”

“How do you know that? He's a narcissistic ninja thief who has betrayed you before.”

“Yes, but this time, he used the code. He's never lied about it before.”

“The guy who has betrayed you multiple times never lied before?”

“Not with the code.”

“Oh, well, he used the code. Why do I have any doubts?” Tia slapped the table. “That's crazy.”

She turned to an agent. “It's not me, right? That's crazy.”

The agent nodded with a slight smirk. “Yes.”

“I get it,” said a second agent. “He's sneaky but not dishonest.”

“There's a difference?” asked the first agent.

“Some people you can't ever trust, but if someone is honest about being untrustworthy, there's some wiggle room.”

“Sounds messed-up to me,” said the first agent.

“Relationships don't always fit into neat little packages,” said the second. “They can be complicated.”

“Thank you,” said Connie.

The guards took a vote, and it was decided four to one against Hiro coming back for Connie and Tia.

“What about you?” Connie asked Tia.

“I don't even know anymore,” replied Tia.

The lights went out, followed by a brief scuffle in the dark. Somebody bumped into Tia's chair, knocking her to the floor. She elected to stay down there until the lights came back on.

The guards lay unconscious around Connie. Hiro offered Tia a hand up.

“Told you he'd come back,” said Connie with a grin.

“I'm hurt you would ever doubt me,” he replied. “I did use the code word.”

“Did you get it?” asked Connie.

He held up a small metallic square. “I'm almost insulted
you had to ask. Admittedly, it was under heavy guard. Enough to give even a thief of my abilities some pause. You made a wonderful distraction, as always.”

He flashed his trademark devil-may-care grin, and Connie blushed. “Knock it off.”

“Hate to break this up, but how do you plan on getting us out of here?” asked Tia.

“That's the beauty of my plan. When I was after the spell, most of the guards were here. Now that I have it, most of the guards are so busy looking for it, a getaway will be child's play.”

It was.

Hiro led them through a series of hallways and ventilation ducts with nary a guard in sight the whole time. Security personnel could be heard. Once or twice, they were visible as shadows or muffled conversations on the other side of walls. But never once were Hiro and his charges close to being caught. Tia was turned around by the time they made it out of the building.

She was surprised to find their car was still parked in front.

“They moved it,” he explained. “I moved it back.”

“You're the best, Hiro,” said Connie.

“So they tell me. Who am I to argue?”

“No offense,” said Thelma, “but you two have a very screwed-up relationship.”

“Yet we manage to make it work,” he replied.

“Don't get any ideas,” said Connie, but she was smiling when she said it.

T
hey found a hotel—a nice one—and booked two rooms. One for Connie and Tia. Another for Hiro.

“If you need me, for anything, I'll be right across the hall,” he said.

“Thanks. We'll keep that in mind.” Tia shut the door to their room. “Can you believe that guy? He uses us as bait and then can't stop hitting on you?”

Smiling to herself, Connie lay on the bed.

“Don't tell me you're still into him?” asked Tia.

“No. Of course not.” She couldn't stop smiling. “But you have to admit we do make a good team.”

“I know that look.”

“What look?”

“The
I'm about to do something stupid
look.”

“I have a look for that?”

“Yes, you do. And it's always right before you do something you really shouldn't do. Like try to hog-tie a triceratops
or charge a bunch of guys with machine guns.”

“I don't see any dinosaurs or machine guns around here,” said Connie.

“Don't you? Maybe Hiro isn't dangerous in that way, although he sort of kind of is, given your history,” said Tia. “But whatever on-again, off-again thing you have going on with him, it's not healthy.”

“Probably not,” agreed Connie, “but it is fun.”

“What about Byron?”

“I don't know. It's really not that serious yet.”

Tia groaned. “I guess you can take the girl out of the adventure, but have a harder time taking the adventure out of the girl.”

Connie scowled at the ceiling. “I have a problem, don't I?”

“Your only problem is that you mistake drama for passion. You wouldn't be the first to do that.”

“It's worse than that,” said Connie. “I don't know if I'm cut out for an ordinary life. Can I be a regular person after everything I've seen and done? With Hiro, everything makes sense. Everything fits. I know it's self-destructive, but I know where I stand with him. He belongs in the chaos that is my life.”