Page 63 of Fragile Facade
“Riot?” I ask as I search.
“His big mouth is still running,” Ransom says.
“Show me footage of the room so I can help you locate the right machine,” Glitch says. “Hurry up. Riot’s going to need to get out of there soon.”
I click on the camera and slowly spin around the room until Glitch tells me where to go. With the second device inserted, a screen pops up that says I’m denied.
“Fuck,” Glitch mutters. “This is gonna take me a bit to crack.”
While he cracks the passcode, I aim the camera away and search the computer next to it. I type in the file number Axel gave us, download it to a USB, and shove it in my pocket while Glitch and Ransom are busy. That creepy doctor owes me for this, and I’ll definitely collect.
“Riot?” I ask again, lips still warm.
“Listen in,” Ransom says.
I turn on my audio for Riot and listen to him argue about human rights with a growing number of people. He’s in a full-blown debate about being a Reaper City resident and wanting to know more about what their research entails, claiming that, as a resident, he has a right to know what goes on in his city. Says it’ll make him feel safer. Weirdly, some people in the background are agreeing with him, which pumps his ego so hard that he goes off on a whole new tangent.
Yeah, he’s fine. I smile to myself.
I wonder if he’s been manipulating me, and I’ve been too stupid to notice? I’ve been caught up in our bargain and enjoying the thrill of it, but suddenly he’s kissing me and I’m hopping into bed with him for safety and security, and I don’t fucking know where shit went so wrong. How did taunting a curse turn into this, and why the hell aren’t I more pissed off about it?
Psych says I’m a narcissist, or that I have narcissistic traits at the very least. I never really gave a fuck about the diagnosis because it didn’t mean anything to me other than being a fancy word forsuperiority. Now I’m all mystified by it. I don’t handle humiliation or embarrassment well, and if anyone else tricked me like Riot did, I’d fucking murder them with a justifiable reason. My mind is all warped and mixed up now because I don’t want to kill Riot. I want to study him, figure out why the hell he’s treating me like this, and then ask him a question I’ve never asked anyone.
Why me?
I’ve never been loved in the way other people are loved. I’ve never been seen, gotten the recognition I deserve, or been prioritized the way I should be. I’m the one with the most skill when it comes to getting the jobs done. Like, fuck, you think any other Vile Boy could be here in the midst of the enemy’s lab without getting caught? Fuck no. They need me, so they use me. But maybe Riot needs me, and instead of just using me, he’s giving me something in return. Something I didn’t know I needed. Something less thrilling than chasing death but more fulfilling because it’s honest and terrifying.
Riot looks at me like he knows I’m a mirage, but instead of trying to fix my illusion, he wants to hold my pieces together so I don’t have to try so hard. Why? Why the fuck would he want that?
“Ghost.” Glitch’s voice refocuses my attention. “I’m in. I’ve got the keycode, but I’m gonna download as much as I can in the next ninety seconds. This is going to trigger alarms, so be ready to leave. Riot, you hear me?”
Riot doesn’t verbally answer since he’s in the middle of a monologue, but he must signal them because they confirm it to me. Our exit strategy is the riskiest part of the job because we have no idea what their response time is once we’re detected in their computers. I look at the women on the floor, not bothering to check if they’re alive or dead.
“Get the devices and get out. We got what we need, but I need those in our hands, Ghost. Don’t ditch them.”
I nod and grab them from the computers, shoving them into the inside pocket of my blazer. Time to get Riot and get the hell out of here. Without getting caught. Without getting caughtwith these devices on me.
“Hall is clear,” Glitch tells me. “Go now.”
Silently, I leave the research lab and turn left, heading down the corridor with soundless steps and fluid motions. My heart thunders in my chest, a mix of adrenaline and premature hope that’ll get me killed if I don’t staunch it. Through one door and out another, I steady my steps and listen to staff chat and machines beep. The overhead comm system calls for Dr. Thali, and my ears split with the abruptness of it.
Exhaling slowly, I round the final corner, the sound of Riot’s voice and his many enthusiastic listeners finally greeting me. He’s here, alive, distracting the staff and causing just enough of a scene to keep the guards where they are. I swallow that bit of hope and replace it with determination, grounding myself in my self-confidence.
“Coming,” I tell Riot through the earpiece. “Right around the corner. Be ready to move.”
Kneeling behind an unmonitored security desk, I let him rile the crowd just enough to make the noise needed to cover the sound of my small electric screwdriver. One, two, three, and four screws come off the grate that leads into the ventilation system under the desk, disappearing into my pocket.
“I’m here. Vent cover is off.”
Riot smiles at his audience. “As much as I love the sound of my own voice, it’s time I?—”
An overhead alarm sounds, followed by, “Security breach. Main console. Seventeenth floor, west wing. Lockdown initiated.”
Fuck.Fuck!
I stand from behind the desk, peering around the corner at Riot as guards swarm and green lights on doors turn red. The crowd he had entertained is panicked now, but not as panicked as I am.
“Riot!” I whisper-shout through the mic. “Get the fuck over here. Now!”
