Memory Zero (Spook Squad 1)

She hesitated, licking her lips slightly. “A war in which man will play no part, and yet will ultimately be the loser.”

If Sethanon won, that would certainly be the truth. “When did Kazdan say this?”

“The night he—or his clone—tried to kill me.”

So they were gearing up for war. Maybe the kites were nothing more than a warning shot. “So he did try to recruit you that night.”

She shrugged. “I’m not so sure. It seemed more of a test of some kind.”

Gabriel reached for a plate and heaped on some meat. “Maybe it was a test—to see if the clone could convince someone who knew the original intimately.” Not to mention a test of the psychic abilities they’d yet to pin down. And that in itself suggested Kazdan knew more about Sam than she did herself.

“But if that were the case, why not just test the clone with Suzy? And why use a clone who couldn’t speak properly?” She paused, frowning. “Besides, it’s almost impossible to transplant memories and personality, isn’t it?”

“There’s a whole lot of maneuvering room between ‘almost’ and ‘impossible,’ ” Gabriel replied. “And there have been rumors in the last year or so of successful personality transfers.”

She raised her eyebrows. “By whom?”

“Private-sector labs, and they’re generally not big on confirming or denying rumors until they’re good and ready.”

“Meaning their research might not be as far advanced as what they’re saying.”

“Maybe.” He scooped up more lamb and another chunk of bread. “Were there any noticeable differences between Jack and the clone, other than his speech?”

She hesitated, then shook her head. “Although he did feel wrong, for some reason.”

“Wrong how?”

She half shrugged. Obviously she’d had enough of that line of conversation, because she changed tack. “If Jack was right about the war, then who is the other side?” Her gaze was thoughtful as she stared at him. “It’s you. You’re with them, aren’t you?”

He nodded. He hadn’t wanted to go this deep, but now that she’d made the connection, it couldn’t be avoided. He just had to hope his instincts about her were right.

“I’m with an organization known as the Federation. It’s a conglomerate of races that oppose Sethanon’s ideologies.”

She abandoned what remained of her meal and leaned back in the chair. “I’ve been with State for over ten years, and I’ve never heard of either Sethanon or the Federation. Why?”

“The Federation originally formed after the Race Wars. It was basically meant to be a union for ‘other’ races, to ensure we got fair treatment in the wash-up after the war.”

“Then why haven’t I heard of it?”

“Because there is no real need for us to be active these days. By and large, other races have a fair deal. We have no wish to rock the boat.”

“But this Sethanon does?”

“Definitely. He surfaced about sixteen years ago. Since then, he’s tried several strikes against us, and cost the lives of many Federation and SIU agents in the last few years.” One of them had been his partner—both on the job and in his personal life. Losing his mate was life-altering, because for changers, there was only one. He flexed his fingers and tried to ignore the almost instinctive rush of anger and loss. “Our biggest problem is that we know as little about him today as we did back then.”

“And does the SIU know about this organization? Do they know you’re a plant?”

This bordered too closely on secrets he was not yet ready to reveal, so all he said was, firmly, “I’m an assistant director because I earned the position, not because I was placed into it.”

The look in her eyes said she knew he had evaded her question, so he added, “So far, the aims of the two organizations have never been at odds.”

“And if they are?”

He shrugged. “Then we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Her gaze narrowed. “You keep saying ‘we.’ I take it, then, that you’re really not human?”

He grimaced. He definitely hadn’t meant her to pick up this much. “No. I’m a shapechanger.”