The New Humans

Chapter 34

The boys raised their hands and took two steps back. Adam kept moving to keep both them and Ash at gunpoint, but it was unnecessary because Ash was paralyzed with horror. Rachel writhed on the ground trying to tear the glue off her face.

A man in a power suit jumped into the pit. Ash recognized him immediately. His visor was still broken, and his eyes looked at him with merciless indifference: Crane.

Noises sounded from above. Eleven more men in enhancing suits, plasma rifles slung over their shoulders, rushed into the pit. Ash's heart was pounding. Why, Adam? He sought Adam's gaze, but Adam avoided it.

Two men pushed Owen and Herbert against the wall.

"Keep those hands up," said one of the men.

"Stop! What do you want?" said Ash.

When the man raised his gun, Owen and Herbert closed their eyes and screamed. He fired five shots that echoed like thunder to glue their arms to the wall.

"Don't worry, we don't want to kill your friends. For now," said Crane.

Ash wanted to stick a knife into his eyes, but he kept his mouth shut.

Owen, however, did not hold back. "Goddamn you, stupid jerk, son of . . ."

A sixth shot closed his mouth.

"Do you have anything to say?" the man asked Herbert.

Herbert shook his head. Ash and Crane stared into each other's eyes—the first with hate, the second without any emotions whatsoever.

"Nice to see you again, Ash. I'm very intrigued by you. Now we'll be able to talk a little more; we didn't have the chance last time."

"I'm sure he's glad to see you too," said Adam.

All the men except Crane burst out laughing.

"To be honest, I've never seen Crane," said Ash.

As if it was of no importance, Crane took off his helmet. Ash had never seen anything like it. Crane's entire face was crisscrossed by scars. It was as if it had been torn to pieces and sewn back together.

"Satisfied? You'll be more accommodating now?"

Ash tried to bluff. "Before I left, I alerted the IDAN agents. They'll all be here soon."

"If that was true, you wouldn't have said it," said Crane with his usual warm and penetrating voice. "You can't lie to me. You can lie to everyone, even to your father, but not me."

It was true. That man could smell lies.

Crane bent to the ground, sank his index finger into the slime and began moving in circle. When he got up, Ash saw a snake biting its tail drawn in the ground.

"You've already seen this drawing, haven't you?" he said.

"Yes," said Ash. "On Serena's vase. But what does that change? What do you want from me?"

"You're going to help me get this vase and its contents," said Crane.

That was why he'd been captured: Crane had twigged that he knew where the vase was and wanted to get it out of him at all costs, perhaps by torturing his friends, as he had done the other time. But what was in that vase?

Ash turned to Adam. If he could have, he would have killed him.

"Heavens, what a look. I'm terrified," said Adam and laughed.

"You deserve to die, you jerk."

"You didn't think that way when I showed you Luther Wall's things or defended you from your father," said Adam.