Page 42 of Black to Light

I fought not to roll my eyes.

Why don’t you just turn them in now?I sent, finally asking the thing that had been bothering me.Do you really think you’ll learn more this way? You could be working directly with S.F.P.D. on this, not covering up a murder and helping Rucker’s flunkies destroy and tamper with evidence. You know their reasons for not reporting this are suspicious as hell.

Black adjusted his shoulders, his arms folded.

He conceded my words with a bare shrug.

I could have turned them in this morning,he agreed somberly.I thought about it. And there’s a damned good chance I’ll turn them in later today, doc, like I said. That N.D.A. won’t hold up in court if it requires me to act illegally, even if they find out it was me who blew the whistle. I’d just like to know more about what game they’re playing first. I’m also hoping they’ll tell us more if they think we’re on their side.

Black––

We’re not in real danger unless we see a bunch of irrefutable shit about illegal behavior and don’t report it by the end of today,he sent, a touch warningly.This is our first contact with them outside of the California office. After we check out this place, and maybe Rucker’s house, we’ll make a decision. I’d justlike to get a first look at whatever Prometharis is screwing around with before the police start digging around everything.

I snorted, half in disbelief.

We’d finally come to the real crux of the issue.

So this has nothing to do with Rucker’s murder at all,I accused mildly.You just want a look at their proprietary tech before they start to bury it all once the police get involved. This is about that brain implant. Which I’m guessing you think might’ve been developed using seer organics. Which means Charles.

Black’s gold eyes glowed in the strange lighting of the elevator.

I never said anything about seer tech,he sent flatly.

I rolled my eyes.Right. But that’s what you mean, isn’t it? You want to know if Charles gave them organic machines. And if so, you want to know why.

Black exhaled shortly, still staring at me, now with a mixture of exasperation and affection.Yes. You maddening creature.

I looked back at him, and suddenly, I understood something else.

Goddamn him.

You really do think they’re setting you up. You think they’re setting you up for Lucian’s murder.I felt my anger worsen.You think someone here did it. You think they murdered their own boss and they’re going to try and pin it on you.

Black let out another frustrated exhaled.

I think it’s possible,he admitted.

Before I could respond, he sharpened his mental voice.

Doc, I’d really like you to assess this situation on yourownwhile we’re here.He gave me a serious look.I don’t trust that I’m not being irrational and paranoid about this. Charles is gone. His followers are gone. Even if Lucian Rucker got seer tech from him, that doesn’t mean he ever knew anything aboutthe existence of seers, or how the tech could be used to block seer sight. It’s very possible it’s just next-gen artificial intelligence, like I said. Something meant to merge A.I. with the human brain to make people “smarter.” But I think we should that know for sure, shouldn’t we?

I read the subtext behind that, too.

He was less worried about Prometharis marketing potentially dangerous brain chips to humans, and a lotmoreworried about other bad actors using those chips to control seers.

Like vampires.

It wasn’t hard to imagine what Brick might do with a device like that.

The elevator let out a low, musical tone.

I hadn’t really paid attention to where we were going until then.

I’d known, vaguely at least, that we’d been traveling down, not up, like I’d assumed we would be. I hadn’t tracked just howlongwe’d been moving in that direction. Now, thinking about both things, I realized we were deep beneath the Prometharis building. I hadn’t counted the number of floors, but I knew it was more than it should’ve been.

The copper-colored doors slid open.

I exchanged looks with Nick.

---