Penumbra (Spook Squad 3)

He shook his head. “Shapechangers and shifters are born with their secondary form programmed into their cells. Multi-shifters have adaptable cells.”

“Fascinating.”

“Very.”

His voice was dry and she smiled. “Maybe not to you, because you grew up with it. Who actually knows what, exactly, I grew up with?” She paused, frowning a little. “You know, it seems odd to me that you all fear Sethanon, and yet you haven’t been able to find out a great deal about him in all the years you’ve been hunting him.”

“We do know a lot about his organization. We just don’t know much about the man himself.”

“Why not? I mean, you’ve captured his people, interrogated them, so surely they were able to give you something more concrete.”

“Only concrete in terms of his organization, his contacts, stuff like that. No one seems to know much about the man himself.”

“Don’t you find that a little surprising?”

“Not really. We’re talking about someone who can change his identity at will. It’s hard to trace someone when you can’t even pin down his true identity.” He grimaced. “Hell, for all we know, he could be one of the contacts we have under observation. Anything is possible when your form is mutable.”

She raised her eyebrows. “So he suddenly appears on the scene sixteen years ago and starts taking pot shots at the Federation and the SIU?”

“It’s a little more than potshots,” Gabriel said, his voice a little testy. “And his agenda—which he’s made perfectly clear in several messages he sent us—amounts to war.”

“And yet if he intended war, why hasn’t he just started it? Why warn you at all?”

“Because he enjoys an audience.” Gabriel shrugged. “And he probably enjoys watching us run around trying to find and stop him.”

“And it’s hard to stop someone when you have no idea who and what he is.”

“Exactly.”

She considered him, thinking about what she’d said, what he’d said, and drawing conclusions that she really didn’t like. Such as the fact that Sethanon’s appearance seemed to coincide with hers. True, it was probably little more than a coincidence, especially given the appearance of other Hopeworth rejects over the years, but it was still a disturbing thought. After a moment, she said, “It still doesn’t make sense, you know. I mean, if he wants a war, he could have started it years ago. What is he waiting for?”

“Who knows? It could be something as simple as the fact that it takes time to build a fighting force.”

Something inside her clicked, and her eyes widened. “Hopeworth.”

He frowned. “What?”

“Hopeworth is the key.” She reached out, grabbing his hand and wrapping her fingers around his. “That’s what he’s waiting for. Hopeworth has spent years making the perfect soldier, and from what we’ve seen recently, may finally be succeeding. That’s what he’s waiting for. This Sethanon of yours is planning to take over Hopeworth.”

TEN

GABRIEL STARED AT SAM FOR a moment, then said almost automatically, “He couldn’t.”

And yet even as he denied it, his mind raced with the possibility. It was something they’d never even contemplated. Yet, in a twisted way, it made perfect sense. If Sethanon intended to start a war against a well-armed, well-informed alliance of nonhumans like the Federation, then it would pay to get fighters that were stronger, faster and better than those nonhumans. And that’s exactly what Hopeworth was breeding.

“He could if he’s a multi-shifter,” she said, her eyes bright in the pale light. “Remember, we have two Blaines running around.”

“Yeah, but that’s not something that could be done long-term.”

“Why not? Stephan’s been doing it for years to stay in charge of the SIU, hasn’t he?”

“Hopeworth is an entirely different beast than the SIU. I doubt an imitator would go unnoticed for very long in an installation that specializes in interspecies and psi-talent development. Especially when the original is still running around.”

“But if he’s got people on the inside and the outside—people like Wetherton—tracking Blaine’s movements, then it is totally possible.”

“Only if Blaine didn’t live on the base, and he does.”

“But he doesn’t stay on the base all the time. And who says this Sethanon of yours isn’t also living on the base? You’re the one who said whoever is posing as Blaine has to be in close contact to ensure a good replication.”