In her surprise, she forgot what her name was supposed to be. He held out his hand and she shook it, tremendously aware of the weight of her poisoned ring.
“Hi, Daniel.”
“Hi…” He raised his eyebrows.
“Um, Alex.” Whoops, that was a few names back. Oh, well.
“Nice to meet you, Alex. Look, I never do this—ever. But… well, why not? Can I give you my number? Maybe we could have that quiet dinner sometime?”
She stared at him in blank shock. He was hitting on her. A man was hitting on her. No, not a man. A soon-to-be mass murderer working for a psychotic drug czar.
Or an agent trying to distract her?
“Did I scare you? I swear I’m harmless.”
“Er, no, I just… well, no one has ever asked me out on a train before.” That was nothing but the plain truth. In fact, no one at all had asked her out for years. “I’m at a loss.” Also true.
“Here, this is what I’ll do. I’ll write my name and number down on this piece of paper and I’ll give it to you, and when you get to your stop, you can throw it in the next trash can you see, because littering is wrong, and immediately forget all about me. Very little inconvenience to you—just that extra few seconds with the trash can.”
He smiled while he spoke, but his eyes were down, focused on writing his information on the back of a receipt with a no. 2 pencil.
“That’s very considerate of you. I appreciate it.”
He looked up, still smiling. “Or you don’t have to throw it away. You could also use it to call me and then spend a few hours talking to me while I buy you food.”
The monotone voice overhead announced the Penn Quarter station and she was relieved. Because she was starting to feel sad. Yes, she was going to have a night out with Daniel Beach, but neither of them was going to enjoy it very much.
There could be no room for sadness. So many innocent dead. Dead children, dead mothers and fathers. Good people who had never hurt anyone.
“It’s a dilemma,” she answered quietly.
The train stopped again, and she pretended to be jostled by the man exiting behind her. The appropriate needle was already in her hand. She reached out as if to steady herself with the pole and grabbed Daniel’s hand in a move designed to look accidental. He jerked in surprise, and she held on tight like she was trying to keep her balance.
“Ouch. Sorry, I shocked you,” she said. She released him and let the tiny syringe slide out of her palm into her blazer’s pocket. Sleight of hand was something she’d practiced a lot.
“No worries. You okay? That guy really knocked you.”
“Yes, I’m fine, thank you.”
The car started moving again, and she watched as Daniel’s face quickly lost its color.
“Hey, are you okay?” she asked. “You look a little pale.”
“Um, I… what?”
He glanced around, confused.
“You look like you’re going to pass out. Excuse me,” she said to the woman in the seat beside them. “Can my friend sit? He’s not feeling well.”
The woman rolled her enormous brown eyes and then looked studiously in the other direction.
“No,” Daniel said. “Don’t… bother about me. I’m…”
“Daniel?” she asked.
He was swaying a little now, his face dead white.
“Give me your hand, Daniel.”
Looking bemused, he held out his hand. She gripped his wrist, moving her lips in an obvious way as she looked at her watch and pretended to count to herself.
“Medicine,” he muttered. “You’re a doctor.”
This part was closer to the scripted version, and it made her more comfortable. “Yes, and I’m not pleased with your condition. You’re getting off at the next stop with me. We’re going to get you some air.”
“Can’t. School… can’t be late.”
“I’ll write you a note. Don’t argue with me, I know what I’m doing.”
“ ’Kay. Alex.”
L’Enfant Plaza was one of the biggest and most chaotic stations on the line. When the door opened, Alex put her arm around Daniel’s waist and led him out. He draped one arm over her shoulder for support. This didn’t surprise her. The tryptamine she’d injected him with made people disoriented, acquiescent, and quite friendly. He would follow her lead as long as she didn’t push him too hard. The drug was distantly related to a class of barbiturates that laypeople called truth serum and that had a few effects similar to Ecstasy; both were good for breaking down inhibitions and inducing cooperation. She liked this particular synthesis because of the confusion. Daniel would feel incapable of decision making and therefore would do whatever she told him to until it wore off—or unless she asked him to do something that really pushed against the walls of his comfort zone.
This was easier than she’d hoped, thanks to the unexpected tête-à-tête. She’d planned to stick him, then play the old Is there a doctor in the house? Why, yes, I happen to be a doctor! routine to get him to go with her initially. It would have worked, but he would not have been this docile.
“Okay, Daniel, how are you feeling? Can you breathe?”