Her stomach rose and she spun away, heading for nearest curb. By the time she'd finished heaving the little bit of food she'd eaten during the day, the splashing had stopped. The only sound to be heard on the whispering wind was the distant beat of traffic.
King had gone. She couldn't say why she was so sure of that, especially when she had a hard time getting any real sense of his presence.
But Joe was here. Watching. Waiting.
She wiped a hand across her mouth, took a deep, shuddering breath and turned around. He still wore Blaine's form.
"You killed him to take his place?"
"I've been taking his place for years. It was useful, while it lasted."
She remembered a teenager saying, in that same sort of dead voice, I have plans for him, never fear.
The same teenager who said he had every intention of going back to that place once he'd taken care of her, because there was still too much to be done at Hopeworth.
A chill that was soul deep ran through her. Yet she kept her thoughts to herself, saying only, "And is that why you killed Kathryn Douglass?"
His smile was gentle, amused. "She decided to play both sides of the fence. That is always an unwise decision."
"Why go back as Blaine afterwards? To gloat?"
"Partially. I also wanted to see how Lloyd took the warning." His sudden grin was fierce. "Neither he nor the military took it well."
"But that Lloyd is not the real Lloyd." She hesitated. "I killed him the night Penumbra was destroyed."
"If you remember that, then you should remember that that Lloyd was yet another replica. The real general donated his body for scientific purposes on his death years before, and his replication became the military's first real success."
But not their last. "And what were we, Josh? Their fourth?
Tenth? Fiftieth?"
He smiled, and this time it was a smile she remembered. A smile that echoed all the way through her, bringing tears to her eyes.
He began to change, shift, his body seeming to fade into the night for several heartbeats before it regained form. Became an older version of the boy who'd haunted her dreams for so long.
Part of her was fiercely glad to see him again.
Part of her feared him, because she suddenly remembered the conversation she'd had with Gabriel in the car. Her comment that Sethanon was waiting for Hopeworth to breed him an army. His comment that Sethanon was someone she knew in Hopeworth, someone who had been involved in the project.
No, no no, she thought. No Josh. Not her brother.
Yet the more the thought lingered, the more it made sense.
"We were never considered a successful creation," Joe said, "More of a frustrating one. They never could control us— not totally."
He studied her for a moment, and the sadness she'd often noted in her dreams of him was back in his eyes. Only it was deeper this time. Much deeper. Then he looked up, and his expression changed, became hard.
"I can feel you up there, Assistant Director. Please come down and join in on the discussion."
There was a flutter of wings and a soft thump. Then footsteps coming from behind her. Gabriel stopped beside her, close enough that his warmth washed over her, yet not so close that he was touching her. His gaze met hers. "You okay?"
She nodded. "Josh won't hurt me."
His gaze moved to her brother. "I wouldn't be so sure of that."
"You would be if you knew anything at all about the two of us." Josh's gaze was every bit as cold and hard as Gabriel's.
"And you'd certainly not consider firing the laser you have in your hand."