Page 103 of The Mech Who Loved Me
The duke looked away, standing and pacing the room. "Ulbricht's an antihumanist but surely he wouldn't go this far. He believes in blue blood rights to power, and that humans are nothing but cattle. I can hardly see him spearheading a... a murder spree against blue bloods, and if this gets out of hand, then the very people he's fighting forwilldie."
"You're right," Kincaid breathed, "but what you're not taking into consideration is the fact none of these deaths are blue bloods ofany importance. He doesn't care about the Nighthawks. He never has. He wants to protect the Echelon, and the past. Is Ulbricht arrogant enough to think he could use it andcontrolit?"
The look on Malloryn's face was answer enough. "Yes," he said, closing his eyes briefly, as though he could see his world going up inflames.
"They were tests," Charlie said, as if the penny dropped for him too. "Mr. Thomas, and Mr. Long and the others. They're all new blue bloods no one suspected were even infected. Ulbricht must have had them tracked, and tested his serum to make sure itworked."
"The attack was always two-pronged." Malloryn waved a hand. "A poison that afflicts only blue bloods, a spate of murders, and the loss of the vaccine clinics. He's using fear tactics against both races. The humanists have no way to protect themselves from succumbing to the craving without the vaccine, and many of them will be wondering if they've already been stricken with a contaminated vaccine. And the blue bloods of the Echelon will be frightened about a disease that can kill them, thinking the humanists are trying to destroy them.... Blood and ashes, this ismadness."
"Ulbricht wants a war," Kincaid said darkly, "no matter whatthecost."
A chill ran through her. Of course. She'd said it herself.How can we have a future when you hold such prejudicesagainstme?
"They're using our own tactics during the revolution against us—using riots to create fear in the Echelon, and stirring up that disgruntled memory within the human ranks until it spills over. This is all about dividing the races. About destroying our newly minted peace," Kincaidcontinued.
You could have heard a pin drop intheroom.
"For three years," Kincaid said, "humans, mechs, verwulfen, and blue bloods have held equal rights." He stabbed his finger toward the map on Malloryn's wall, pointing to the first scene of riots. "During the revolution, the only thing the blue bloods feared was the might of a human mob storming the Ivory Tower. So they crushed the riots before they even began. We have peace now, but it's an uneasy peace, and nobody seems to quite know where theystand."
"That's what Ulbricht's trying to provoke," Ava blurted. "He wants the blue bloods who are left to feel frightened. He wants humans and blue bloods to see each other as enemies again. All of this is to frighten blue bloods into joining his cause, and setting them against the human ranksagain."
Kincaid shot her a look, and nodded. "So far the riots have been subdued peacefully, but one flick of the match and all of a sudden London will burn. Trouble's brewing among the human population. I've heard it with my own ears, from friends. It's been a quiet grumble in the past year, but all it will take will be one clash gonewrong."
"The Nighthawks," Ava said, and swallowed. "They're on the front lines, and Garrett said during the last riot one of his men was shot. He's going to come down hard on the next mob. And if he does...." Ava felt like her breath punched outofher.
"There's your tinder strike," Gemma said grimly. "There's your match to an oilypuddle."
"Blood and ashes," Malloryn swore. "How the hell did I notseethis?"
Ava exchanged a glance with Gemma, who grinned unrepentantly. It was rare one got one over onMalloryn.
"Well, you were distracted, Your Grace, what with your upcoming marriage, and frosty relations between you and your soon-to-be wife," Gemmareplied.
"I can't afford to be distracted." Malloryn paced shortly, rubbing his hand across his mouth. "Fear means there'll be blue bloods from the Echelon swarming to Ulbricht's ranks, and from there they'll start muttering against the queen. I thought we cut the head off the snake of the SOG when Zero died, but Ulbricht's... cleverer than I suspected." He looked genuinely baffled. "He's never been this patient or thoughtful before, and Ishouldknow."
"Unless he's not the one behind the plan," Ava suggested. She felt emboldened by the sudden belief in her theories. "You said you suspected someone was pullingdhampirand SOG strings last month. Some hidden mastermind we don't know about. Maybe whoever that mastermind is, he's set this plan in motion? Maybe Ulbricht's still apuppet?"
"But what we do know," Malloryn said grimly, "is that London is one riot away from going up in flames. And Ulbricht has the most dangerous weapon I've ever heard of in his hands, and is mad enough touseit."
"But how?" Kincaid demanded. "He needs to inject the poison, doesn't he? Which means getting close to a Nighthawk, and they're highly trained. None of his SOG are fighters, not like theNighthawks."
"Get moving, everybody," Malloryn snapped. "Gemma, I want you to make a move on the SOG suspect we think we have. Break him if you have to, but make sure he tells you everything. We need to know what Ulbricht is planning. Charlie, go with her to watchherback.
"And you two"—Malloryn pointed a finger at both him and Ava—"make your way to the Nighthawks guild as swiftly as possible and alert the guild master. Our first priority is stopping the Nighthawks from making a dangerous mistake. Then we can figure out how Ulbricht's going to use theserum."
Twenty-Four
THE RUMBLEOF a steam engine thrummed beneath her, and Ava clung to Kincaid's broad back as he wove in and out of the stream of traffic in a deft line, maneuvering his velococycle as though he had some wish to die a fierydeath.
"Slow down!" she yelled, burying her face against his broad back, the wind whipping past her ears, and her split skirts flapping against her calves and thighs. She wasn't human, and could probably survive a fall, but he wouldn't. Not at thisspeed.
"Can you hear that?" he yelled over his shoulder, indicating the rumble that undercut the velococycle'snoise.
It sounded like a roll of thunder on the horizon... or a whisper of mutiny echoing through thestreets.
And it was gettinglouder.
"It's already happening," Ava breathed, her goggles pressing tightly against her cheeks as she bumped intohisback.
