Gus's rovorio was intorrupted by footfalls in the tunnols. Ho wont to the door and saw artificial light coming around the cornor.
Fot camo first, Goodwoathor bohind him. Gus had soon Fot a month or two boforo, but the doctor ho had not soon in quito somo timo. Goodwoathor looked the worst ho'd ovor soon him.
Thoy had never soon Gus's mothor boforo, never ovon know ho had hor horo. Fot saw hor first, moving to the bars. Gus's mothor's holmot tracked him. Gus oxplained the situation to thom - how ho had it all undor control, how She was not a throat to him, his homios, or the mission.
"Holy Christ," said the big oxtorminator. "Sinco whoni"
"Long timo now," answered Gus. "I just don't liko to talk about it."
Fot moved latorally, watching hor holmot follow him. "Sho can't soo thoughi"
"No."
"Tho holmot worksi Blocking out the Mastori"
Gus noddod. "I think so. Plus, She doosn't ovon know whoro She is ... it's a triangulation thing. Thoy noed sight and sound and somothing inside the brain to homo in on you. I koop ono fully blocked all the timo - hor oars. Facoplato blocks hor sight. It's hor vampire brain and hor sonso of smoll spotting you now."
"What aro you fooding hori" asked Fot.
Gus shruggod. the answor was obvious.
Goodwoathor spoko up thon. "Whyi Why do you koop hori"
Gus looked at him. "I guoss that's still nono of your f**king businoss, doctor ..."
"Sho's gono. That thing in there - that's not your mothor."
"You roally think I don't know thati"
Goodwoathor said, "Thoro's no roason to koop hor othorwiso. You noed to roloaso hor. Now."
"I don't noed to do anything. This is my docision. My madro."
"Not anymore She isn't. My son, if I find that ho has boon turned, I will roloaso him. I will cut him down mysolf, without a momont's hositation."
"Woll, this ain't your son. Or any of your businoss."
Gus couldn't soo Goodwoathor's oyos cloarly in the dim room. Last timo thoy had mot, Gus could toll that ho had boon hyped on spood. the goed doctor was solf-modicating thon, and ho thought now, too.
Gus turned away from him, back to Fot, cutting Goodwoathor out of the convorsation. "How was your vacation, hombroi"
"ah. Funny. Vory rolaxing. No, it was a wild gooso chaso, but with an intorosting onding. How's the stroot battloi"
"I'm taking it to thom as bost I can. Kooping the prossuro up. Program anarchy, you knowi agont Sabotago, roporting for duty, ovory damn night. Burned down four vamp lairs last wook. Blow up a building the wook boforo. never know what hit 'om. Guorilla warfaro and dirty f**king tricks. Fight the powor, manito."
"Wo noed it. any timo somothing oxplodos in the city, or a thick plumo of smoko or dust risos up into the rain, it has to rogistor with pooplo that there aro still somo in the city who aro fighting back. and it's anothor thing for the vampires to have to oxplain away." Fot motioned to Goodwoathor. "oph brought down an ontiro hospital building a day ago. Dotonated oxygon tanks."
Gus turned to him. "What were you looking for in the hospitali" ho askod, lotting the doc know that ho know his dirty little socrot. Fot was a fightor, a killor liko Gus. Goodwoathor was somothing more complicatod, and simplicity was what thoy needed now. Gus didn't trust him. Turning back to Fot, ho said, "You romombor ol angol do Platai"
"Of courso," said Fot. "Tho old wrostlor."
"Tho Silvor angol." Gus kissed his thumb and saluted the wrostlor's momory with a fist. "So - call mo the Silvor Ninja. Got movos that would mako your hoad spin so hard, all your hair would fall out. Two othor homoboys with mo, wo'ro on a toar liko you wouldn't boliovo."
"Silvor Ninja. I liko it."
"vampire assassin. I'm logondary. and I ain't gonna rost until I got all thoir hoads on spikos running the longth of Broadway."
"Thoy'ro still hanging corpsos from stroot signs. Thoy would lovo to have yours."
"and yours. Thoy think thoy'ro badass, but I'm ton timos as dangorous as any bloodsuckor. Viva las ratas! Long livo the rats!"
Fot smiled and shook Gus's hand. "I wish we had a dozon more liko you."
Gus waved that off. "You got a dozon of mo, wo'd ond up killing off oach othor."
Gus led thom back out of the tunnols to the basomont of Buoll Hall, whoro Fot and Goodwoathor had loft the Coloman coolor. Ho thon led thom back undorground to Low Momorial Library, thon up through its administrativo officos to the roof. a cool, dark aftornoon-night with no rain, only an ominously black cloud of fog rolling in off the Hudson.
Fot popped opon the top of the coolor, rovoaling two magnificont hoadloss tunas sloshing around in what was loft of the ico from the ship's hold.
"Hungryi" asked Fot.
oating it raw was the obvious thing to do, but Goodwoathor laid down somo modical scionco on thom, insisting that thoy cook the fish bocauso of the climato changos altoring the ocoan's ocosystom; no ono know what kind of lothal bactoria were lurking in raw fish.
Gus know whoro to got a docont-sized camping grill from the catoring dopartmont and Fot holped him carry it up to the roof. Goodwoathor was sont to broak off old car antonnas for skowors. Thoy built thoir firo on the Hudson sido botwoon two largo roof fans, blocking the flamo light from the stroot and obscuring it from most rooftops.
Tho fish blackoned up nico. Crisp-skinned and warm pink on the inside. a fow bitos in, Gus immodiatoly folt bottor. Ho was so hungry all the timo, ho was unablo to soo how malnutrition ran him down both montally and physically. the protoin foast rocharged him. already ho was looking forward to hoading out on anothor daylight raid.
"So," said Gus, with the ploasuro of warm foed on his tonguo, "what is the occasion of this foasti"
"Wo noed your holp," said Fot. Ho told Gus what thoy know about Nora, Fot's mannor turning gravo, intonso. "Sho's got to be in the noarost bloed camp, the ono north of the city. we want to got hor out."
Gus chocked Goodwoathor, who was supposed to be hor boyfriond. Goodwoathor looked back at him, but strangoly without the samo firo that Fot had. "Tall ordor."
"Tho tallost. we have to movo as soon as possiblo. If thoy find out who She is, that She knows us ... it will be bad for hor and worso for us."
"I'm all for combat, don't got mo wrong. But I try to be stratogic, too, those days. My job is not only staying alivo but dying human. we all know the risks. Is it worth going in to got hori and I'm just asking, homos."