“So you’re using her as a human shield.”
“We must use every tool at our disposal,” said the Grafter. “That is also why we brought Alessio here. His presence is not a sign of good faith for the Checquy, or, should I say, not only a sign of good faith for the Checquy. He is here for us to hold as hostage against Odette’s loyalty. There is no one she loves as much as her baby brother. Not even Pim and the others.”
“But this is your family,” said Felicity, aghast at the extent of the manipulation that had just been revealed. The Checquy used its people, of that there was no doubt. That’s why they call us Pawns, after all. But this level of control and deception was something else entirely. “You are using their affection — their love! — as a weapon.”
“As insurance,” said the graaf. “As a shield, like you said. But if it comes to it, if the only way to win is to sacrifice Odette and Alessio, even if both of them are innocent, I will do it.”
“This is the way it has to be, Clements,” said the Rook sadly. “We have to use every tool we have, even if we hate doing it. That’s the responsibility of our positions. And now it’s yours too.”
Felicity’s mind was reeling. It was loathsome. She wanted to say that she couldn’t do it, that she wouldn’t do it. But she just nodded.
“What are my orders?”
“You’re not going to like them,” said the Rook.
*
The needle itself was no longer than any normal hypodermic, but it seemed as if it ought to be huge, because the syringe attached to it was so very large. In it, a milky blue liquid sat expectantly.
“Now, once I have injected this into you, you absolutely must not get pregnant,” said the graaf seriously. “Not for at least seven months. This is not a suggestion.”
“Well, I hadn’t planned on it,” said Felicity wryly. Her tone was an attempt to cover up her increasing unease.
“Planned, unplanned, it must not happen.”
“I’m on the pill.”
“That is not a hundred percent,” he said. “You must be one hundred percent certain.”
“And what is this stuff again?” Felicity asked nervously.
“The Antagonists have proven their willingness to use viral and bacterial weapons,” said the graaf. “If they come for Odette, or if she makes a break for it, you must be able to resist such weapons.”
“But what is it?”
“You wouldn’t understand the answer if I gave it.”
“But it’s Grafter-tech, right? Some bacteria you’ve cobbled together or a hormone you’ve twisted about?” She looked at the Rook pleadingly. “Rook Thomas, please, you know what this means. It’s everything we’ve been brought up to despise. Please, please don’t ask me to do this.” The Rook chewed her lip thoughtfully, and her brow furrowed.
“Pawn Clements?” she said finally.
“Yes?”
“Do it.”
“...Yes, ma’am.”
*
“So why aren’t you just inoculating everyone?” asked Felicity as she squeezed the rubber ball the graaf had given her. The veins in her arm were coming to the surface.
“Because the contents of this little syringe cost about half a million pounds to manufacture,” he said carelessly. “And even if we had enough for everyone, I think the members of the Checquy would be uncomfortable having Grafter materials injected into them.”
Felicity watched as the needle slid into her vein. A dull ache spread into her muscles. Am I becoming a Grafter by letting him do this? she thought, and felt sick to her stomach. Despite herself, she tried to read the liquid with her powers as it flowed into her, but she found that she wasn’t able to. It’s alive, she thought. Alive, and inside me.
“It’s creepy, I know,” said Rook Thomas. “They shot it into me as well.”
“You?” said Felicity. The Rook grimaced, and Felicity remembered that the Grafters had performed an entire surgery on her. An injection’s not very pleasant, but at least they’re not elbow-deep in my abdominal cavity.
“The Antagonists seem to be pretty irritated with me for some reason,” said the Rook lightly. “Whoever that blond guy was, he was apparently very focused on killing me, so we thought it best not to take any chances.”
“Now you’ll have a fighting chance,” said the Grafter.
“So what exactly is it that you want me to do?” asked Felicity.
“That’s the problem, Clements,” said Rook Thomas. “We can’t plan for every eventuality, so we must rely on your personal judgment. Watch her. If you believe Odette is going to do anything on behalf of the Antagonists, if you witness her trying to escape your guard, or if she harms a civilian, an operative of the Checquy, or a member the delegation, then you will do whatever proves necessary to resolve the situation.” The Rook’s voice was mild. “Personally, I don’t believe that will happen. I trust her. She’s saved my life twice. But Ernst here thinks it’s still a possibility, so keep it in mind.”
“Right,” said Felicity.
“If the Antagonists come for her,” said Ernst, “then you must do everything in your power to stop them. Once they have her, there will be nothing left to prevent them from striking at the Checquy without restraint. And then negotiations will fail. They must not get her.”
“And if the opportunity arises,” said the Rook, “it would be great if you could acquire one of the Antagonists for us.”
Oh, absolutely, thought Felicity. If I see one, I won’t hesitate to snatch him up and put him in my handbag.
“If we have even one of them,” the Rook was saying, “we can extract the information we need from him or her.”
“But if you think Odette might be a traitor, why don’t you just interrogate her?” asked Felicity, frowning.
“I am gambling on that point,” confessed the Grafter. “I truly hope Odette is not a traitor. Not only is she a valuable and brilliant Grafter, but I love her. She is family. The interrogation that the Checquy has in mind would not be gentle. And the fact that we interrogated her at all would be enough to destroy her loyalty to us.”
“If she actually does have any loyalty to you,” the Rook remarked to Ernst helpfully. “We’re not certain that she does.”
“Exactly.”
My God, this is getting confusing, thought Felicity. “May I just review this, please?” she asked. “We don’t know whether Odette is a traitor.”
“Correct,” said Ernst.
“If she is a traitor and tries to do something evil, I should stop her.”
“Correct,” said Thomas.
“But regardless of whether or not she is a traitor, I should stop any attempt by anyone to get her out of Checquy custody.”
“Correct,” said the Rook and the graaf together. They exchanged glances.
“One final thing,” added Rook Thomas. “Please don’t kill her if you can possibly help it. Wherever her allegiance lies, her death will leave the Antagonists open to strike at us. And it might actually spur them on.”
“Well, it helps that I don’t actually want to kill her,” said Felicity.
“I appreciate that,” said Ernst.
“And I also have a present for you,” said the Rook. “Since it seems to be the evening for that sort of thing. Mine is less creepy than an injection of alchemy into your veins, although still wildly inappropriate.” Mrs. Woodhouse brought in a small case, and the Rook removed an item covered in bubble wrap from it. She handed it to Felicity, who set about unwrapping it, peeling off the tape and unwinding the plastic until it sat in her hand, small and hard and clever.