Dwayne slightly smiled. “This moment reminds me of why I am proud of be part of the Constabulary.” He saluted the commandant.

Her lips parted in surprise, then returned it. “I always believed in you.”

“Thank you. That means a lot to me. Thank you for allowing me to do this.”

“No one else has as much as you on the line. I know you will do your best to save her,” the commandant answered, and a flicker of sadness betrayed her. She was thinking of her husband. Unlike Dwayne, she couldn’t save the one she loved.

Dwayne glanced over at Lindsey. She was studying him with an intense gaze. He felt as if she was hacking into his brain the same way she hacked into computers. With a hitch in her step, she slid into his arms and hugged him tightly. Startled, Dwayne gently embraced her.

The surprise on the commandant’s face was comical, but she shrugged it away.

Pushing Lindsey gently out of his arms, Dwayne said, “Thank you for everything.”

Lips pressed tightly together, Lindsey nodded.

Picking up his helmet, Dwayne headed toward the door. “Petra hates goodbyes. Let her know I left, okay?”

Lindsey nodded again.

“We’ll see you soon,” Commandant Pierce called after him.

Dwayne nodded and ducked out the door into the narrow corridor that would take him to the lift that would deliver him to the lower levels of the Constabulary and the city.

Chapter 35

The old subway tunnel was as black as the darkest depths of the ocean. If not for his helmet’s night vision, Dwayne never would have managed to take one step. There were no external lights of any kind and the darkness was absolute. Lindsey had done exactly as she had promised and unlocked all the blast doors. Now he rode along the old track on a maintenance cart as fast as he dared. The old contraption shook as it rumbled over the ground. The length of time it would take him to pass under the wall and reach the foothills was of some concern. He needed to beat the sunrise.

His wristlet buzzed and he answered, the feed immediately transferring to his helmet. Denman’s face flickered into view. Dwayne was immediately alarmed by the man’s bizarre eyes.

“Castellan Reichardt, I have a bit of a predicament. Vanguard Martinez has collapsed.”

“What do you mean?” Dwayne demanded.

“I don’t think it’s actually a bad thing. My scans are confusing me. I can’t seem to think straight. I suppose it’s the stress of the day. But...I think her body is repairing itself. All the damage inflicted on it over the years. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that she’s in a healing coma.”

The knot between Dwayne’s shoulders lessened slightly. “How are you doing, Denman?”

Denman smiled slightly. “I think I’m about to follow in her footsteps. The virus appears to be altering me, too. I’m feeling a bit...tired. And hungry.”

“I’m on my way to you now.”

“Good to hear, sir.”

Shifting Maria’s arm, Denman disappeared from view for a moment. Dwayne caught a brief glimpse of Maria’s serenely-sleeping face. He would do anything for her.

Denman’s uncanny red-ringed eyes came back into view. They were eerie and disturbing. Perhaps Denman was on the verge of becoming an Inferi Anomaly. If so, Maria was in danger.

“Denman, why don’t you meet me at the subway exit? I’ll send the coordinates to Maria’s wristlet now.”

“Don’t you need me to help carry her?” Denman asked, worried.

“No, I brought some equipment with me. I’d like to get you back into the Constabulary as soon as possible as a precautionary measure. There’s no use you both being stuck outside the wall.”

“I understand.” Denman nodded briskly. “When should I leave?”

“Now. I’ll be there within the hour, but it may take you some time to arrive at the rendezvous.”

“Agreed. I’ll see you soon, Castellan.”

The feed went dead.

Dwayne accelerated.

* * *

“Maria,” Denman’s voice whispered through her dreams of pain and darkness. Shadowy figures lurked in the recesses of her mind, calling out to her. Denman’s voice was one of them.

“Maria, can you hear me?”

She wanted to answer, but her lips wouldn’t form words. Deep inside of her a spider was weaving her back together again. It hurt like hell.

“Maria, I have to go. But it’s going to be okay. For both of us.”

Screams died in her throat and echoed in her mind instead. She had seen his eyes and knew he wouldn’t be all right. He was going to become the very thing he had tried to destroy.

“Goodbye,” Denman’s voice said.

Maria struggled to escape the weaver in her body, stitching her pieces back together again.

* * *

“Lindsey, I’ve reached the subway door,” Dwayne said into his wristlet. Standing at the top of the steps of the defunct subway station, he felt as though he were standing in another time. The station was nearly perfectly preserved except for the thick layer of dust and the spider webs draped in the corners. Old vid screens waited to come to life again, running general announcements and advertisements. It was a world he would never see.

There was silence, then her voice said, “Deactivating the locks now.”

Dwayne watched as the blast doors retreated into the walls and the heavy locks twirled to life. Sluggishly, the doors to the valley crept open. The weapon in his hand felt deadly as he cautiously inched up the dirt encrusted steps toward the world above. Thick clods of dirt crumpled under his boots as he hesitated on the stairs. He could hear the tiltrotors in the far distance still making sweeps over the valley. The Maelstrom Platforms were silent. He had seen the footage on the vid screen. A thick, gory paste was all that was left of the hundreds of thousands of Inferi Scourge that had surrounded the city.

A figure darted out of the darkness. Raising his weapon, Dwayne waited in silence. The bluish haze of the night vision washed over Denman as he leaped over the bent rail at the top of the stairs and landed near Dwayne.

“Good to see you, sir,” Denman said with a wide grin and a salute.

Dwayne returned the salute and patted Denman on the shoulder. “How’s Maria?”

“Unconscious still, but her readings were better. The virus is amazing. Whatever Dr. Curran did to our batch is just stellar. I’m feeling the changes myself. Honestly, I’m so damn hungry right now I can’t wait to have a decent meal. Maria isn’t having hunger pains, but I know that biochemistry may have an effect on which symptoms emerge first.” Denman’s eyes shifted constantly. Dwayne was rather glad he couldn’t see the red ring edging his brown eyes.

“Where is she exactly?” Dwayne asked, revealing the holographic image he had downloaded to his wristlet.

“Right here,” Denman said, drawing on the image, revealing a path to a cave high on the rock face.

“Excellent.” Dwayne saved the information and it fed into his helmet.

“Are you sure you can bring her down alone?” Denman asked apprehensively.

“I’m sure. I got the equipment I need.” Dwayne hesitated, feeling uneasy about the task at hand. “You did a good job. Your family will have a good life out here.” Dwayne thought of his own kids being able to finally step outside the high walls and felt a lump in his throat.

“I think of my kids running around in a big yard and my wife being able to have a real garden and I know it was worth it.” Denman sat on the steps, his body slightly shivering. He kept rubbing his hands together in an anxious manner. “How’s the Constabulary going to explain our return?”

“Commandant Pierce has a plan to reveal everything the SWD did to seize control of the city, including what was done to the Inferi Boon.” Dwayne kept an eye on Denman and the top of the stairs. They were crouched in the darkness, not visible to the tiltrotors circling the city.

“So our story will be told. People will know what happened to all of us.” Denman nodded, looking satisfied.

“Yes,” Dwayne promised him. “People will know what happened to all of you.”

Denman stared longingly at the doorway to the subway. “Sir, I hate to rush you, but I’m starving and I’d love to contact my family tonight.”

“Of course,” Dwayne said and extended his hand to Denman. “Thank you for taking care of Maria.”

“She’s a dear friend. We all must have a drink together one day.” Denman shook his hand before rushing down the last few steps to the doors.

Dwayne activated his wristlet. “Lindsey, open the door to the subway.”

She didn’t answer this time, but the locks to the door audibly clicked. Denman gave Dwayne a quick salute, then stepped through the doorway.

Dwayne shot him twice in the head. The silencer rendered the shots completely inaudible. With a sigh, Dwayne trudged down the stairs and pushed Denman’s legs through the doorway.

“Lindsey,” he said into his wristlet as the door swung shut, obscuring Denman’s body.

There was a long pause, then she said, “Yes?”