Authors: Duane Swierczynski,Anthony E. Zuiker
Dark Revelations (25 page)
You want to know what happened to Shane Corbett?
He attempts to snarl a profanity, unable to even finish the thought.
The drugs are already taking hold, and he’s finding it difficult to do much of anything.
I continue,
Soon you’re going to learn.
He grunts.
And you’re going to tell me all about Steve Dark.
chapter 45
DARK
“
Y
ou going to tell me what that was about?”
Y
ou going to tell me what that was about?”
Dark paused before saying, “It’s kind of complicated.”
Natasha and Dark were recrossing the Atlantic Ocean. Damien Blair’s fury was tempered by the fact that Steve Dark had been right—Labyrinth had struck in New York City, and they’d missed him by a matter of minutes. Natasha watched Dark as he scoured the fresh crime scene, and it was like the man had come alive for the first time in days. Something primal inside the man had been ignited. Natasha had to remind herself that she was investigating the case, too, coordinating with the NYPD and FBI, but it was hard to take her attention away from Dark and his obvious passion for the hunt. It was mesmerizing to watch.
That changed the moment Dark saw Agent Tom Riggins in the lobby. Dark’s former mentor—the man who’d seen the same fire in Steve Dark, and tapped him to join Special Circs at an early age. Natasha had read the Global Alliance files.
“I understand,” she continued. “I’ve had my own issues with father figures in the past.”
“He’s not exactly the
father
type,” Dark said quietly.
father
type,” Dark said quietly.
Natasha knew the truth was different. Dark’s foster family had been slaughtered. And his biological parents? No one knew who they were. Tom Riggins was the closest thing Dark had to family.
Natasha let it rest. Better to focus on Labyrinth. She wanted that investigative fire back. When Damien Blair had announced that Dark would be joining the team, she’d had her serious doubts—just like the rest of them. Damaged goods. A lone wolf. Erratic. Emotionally and possibly psychologically compromised. Not exactly what you’d call a good fit.
But now she saw the same blazing element that Blair had seen. And Natasha knew she could help bring it out of him, once again.
She reached out and touched his hand. Dark looked at her, barely, still lost in his thoughts about Riggins. But then all at once Dark
really
looked at her. Dark glanced around, as if only realizing just now that they were in an empty Gulfstream jet paid for by Global Alliance, and there was quite a bit of time before touchdown.
really
looked at her. Dark glanced around, as if only realizing just now that they were in an empty Gulfstream jet paid for by Global Alliance, and there was quite a bit of time before touchdown.
Natasha waited until he caught on, then pressed her lips to his.
Hours later, as the jet cleared French airspace, Dark told Natasha why he thought that Labyrinth would be striking in Scotland next.
The word
politicians
in the video tipped Dark off.
politicians
in the video tipped Dark off.
In two days, Edinburgh would play host to the so-called WoMU summit—World Minds United. The media had been buzzing about it for months now. A super–think tank aimed at solving no less than the problems of global inequality—all streaming live on the Internet.
“It’s a huge stage,” Dark explained now. “Labyrinth couldn’t resist something like that. In fact, this may be what he’s been building towards the whole time.”
“You’re saying he’s a press-hungry killer. That this is all for the headlines.”
“Why else would he be doing this? I don’t think it’s about the thrill of murdering someone. The deaths are incidental. The message means everything. He even told Jane Talbot that he was done with killing. Don’t forget, though, he was saying that on live TV. That was the key.”
“But that just proves that Labyrinth is lying,” Natasha said.
“How? He didn’t kill Shane Corbett. He found other people to do it for him—women who’d have a good reason to want to make him suffer. As far as Labyrinth is concerned, his hands are clean. He’s just giving victims a chance to avenge themselves.”
“So who does Labyrinth want to make suffer next?” Natasha asked.
chapter 46
DARK
B
ack at home base, Blair wasn’t exactly falling all over himself to congratulate Dark that his instincts had been correct—that Labyrinth had struck in New York City, and that it was increasingly likely that he was going to hit Edinburgh, too. Dark had presented his case quickly, backed up by Natasha at every turn.
ack at home base, Blair wasn’t exactly falling all over himself to congratulate Dark that his instincts had been correct—that Labyrinth had struck in New York City, and that it was increasingly likely that he was going to hit Edinburgh, too. Dark had presented his case quickly, backed up by Natasha at every turn.
In fact, Blair didn’t respond at all. He absorbed the details, but offered no commentary or feedback. After Dark was finished, Blair nodded, then retreated to his personal quarters.
The team sat in silence for a few moments before O’Brian finally spoke.
“Hey, don’t take it personally. Big guy’s got a lot on his mind. He’s had a hard-on for this guy for years.”
Dark shook his head. “That’s what I don’t understand. Labyrinth only emerged just now. I can understand the idea of bracing for a monster
like
Labyrinth to appear, but Blair seems like he’s been expecting
this specific monster
the whole time.”
like
Labyrinth to appear, but Blair seems like he’s been expecting
this specific monster
the whole time.”
“Well, I’ve been with the team longer than anybody at this table,” Natasha said. “We’ve targeted a lot of threats that no one knows about—and hopefully, no one will
ever
know about. Each time, Blair compares the case at hand to the nightmare scenario in his mind. Each time, the case at hand comes up short. For whatever reason, Blair believes this Labyrinth is the nightmare scenario, and that’s good enough for me.”
ever
know about. Each time, Blair compares the case at hand to the nightmare scenario in his mind. Each time, the case at hand comes up short. For whatever reason, Blair believes this Labyrinth is the nightmare scenario, and that’s good enough for me.”
“Doesn’t change our tactics,” said O’Brian. “Bad, badder, baddest . . . we take ’em out.”
Dark stood up from the conference table. He heard what his teammates were saying, and he knew they were right. But there was another piece missing.
“Where are you going?” Natasha asked.
“Be right back.”
Blair was at his desk, back to the door, staring at a series of black-and-white photos on the wall. Family, colleagues—whatever. Dark didn’t care. He only wanted to know Damien Blair long enough to have him book a flight back to L.A. And if he refused, then fine. He’d be out of his life even faster.
“What is it?” Dark asked.
Blair continued staring at the wall.
“Did you hear me?”
Still nothing.
“Why do I have the feeling there’s a lot more to Labyrinth than you’re letting on.”
Finally, he spoke:
“I was just thinking of a way to admit to you that I was wrong, and I should have trusted you.”
Blair spun around in his chair.
“Your instincts are why I was so eager to have you join our team. You remind me of the best operatives I’ve worked with over the years. Sadly, they’re the very operatives who never fail to frustrate me. Because the best seem to work best as lone wolves, and here I am trying to incorporate you into the pack. I do wonder why I’m drawn to such individuals. Must be something in the blood.”
Now it was Dark’s turn to say nothing. He figured it was better to let Blair speak his mind, and then tell him that he quit anyway.
“What I’m trying to say is, I’ve had trouble with lone wolves in the past, which is probably why I was determined to break you from the start. But I’ve been sitting here, trying to poke holes in your theories about New York and the possible attack in Edinburgh . . . and I’m coming up with nothing. I’m forced to concede that you’re more finely tuned in to this predator’s wavelength than I am.”
Dark said, “We just have different methods.”
“Exactly. And from now on, we run it your way, Dark. Nothing matters to me except catching Labyrinth. We’ll go to Edinburgh, and we’ll follow your lead.”
Dark nodded, but he didn’t step into this office to seize control away from Blair.
“Why do you think Labyrinth’s the one?”
“The one?”
“You know what I mean. The threat you’ve been bracing for.”
Blair nodded. “A little while ago, you said you flew to New York on a hunch. That was a leap of faith. I’m asking that you and the team take a leap of faith with me.”
A few minutes after Dark left his quarters, Blair picked up his cell phone and thumbed through to the text message he’d received an hour ago.
DO YOU KNOW YOU HIRED A MONSTER?
The message was accompanied by a link. Blair had clicked it, after considerable hesitation. Labyrinth had been taunting him with personal messages ever since the L.A. attacks. Blair had no idea how he found his number, since it was unlisted and untraceable to him or any member of Global Alliance. And with every Labyrinth text taunt—this was the fourth—Blair would dispose of his phone and order a new one.
The link was new. Had Labyrinth come up with some diabolical way to infect his phone, and by extension, the computer systems inside Global Alliance?
No.
Instead, the link caused a small pdf to download to Blair’s phone. A DNA report marked CLASSIFIED.
Blair had read the report, and with growing horror, put the pieces together.
Now he was wondering if he had just made the second biggest mistake of his life, or if the two would cancel each other out.
chapter 47
DARK
T
he package arrived two days later, the morning of the WoMU summit, just as Dark had predicted.
he package arrived two days later, the morning of the WoMU summit, just as Dark had predicted.
No fancy messengers this time, no homeless couriers. It arrived via next-day shipping from an address in London (that later turned out to be a vacant storefront). Dark and the rest of his Global Alliance teammates—O’Brian, Roeding—were there to watch as the forensic experts carefully picked apart the cardboard shipping box and removed the contents. The team had to watch from behind a thick pane of blast-resistant plastic—for their protection, of course, which annoyed Dark. He tried to remind the Lothian and Borders officials that Labyrinth had not detonated any of his packages so far—just the delivery man for the first one. They merely nodded and ignored Dark, continuing with their excruciatingly slow and methodical disassembly.
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