In Irina's Cards (The Variant Conspiracy #1) (5 page)

“Kind of a dark way to look at things, isn’t it?”

“My mom’s a dark lady, but hilarious. I hope you don’t mind, but I also invited Cole and his sister. You’ll love this little restaurant. It’s got awesome food and live music, but not too hipster-ish,” said Jonah.

Something dropped in my chest. If Cole brought his sister, we were just a group of friends going for dinner. I felt silly for having thought that we were going on a date. We turned another corner and Jonah pulled the car over next to a brick building with a 50’s style neon sign that read ‘Cymbals’ next to a caricature of a drum set. I followed Jonah through the wrought iron gate and looked up at the oak tree on the lawn next to the patio. Tiny fresh leaves and new buds covered the gnarled old tree. It was also home to dozens and dozens of sneakers, canvas shoes, skate shoes, oxfords–basically any kind of shoe with laces to tie together.

The air felt warm enough to linger, so I walked over to the tree and looked upward. I smiled. I reached up to one of the lower branches and touched one of the shoes. The yard and the tree melted away. I saw the face of a girl with faintly bluish skin and platinum hair. She turned and I saw two leather-like wings flex and relax. Her shirt had been cut to make room for her wings which stretched out past the frayed edges of the fabric. She was standing in a sewer or catacomb.

Faces milled around the winged girl. It wasn’t quite like a party, maybe more like a camp. An older lady standing next to the winged girl reached down to the ground. She pinched the concrete and plucked something, maybe a stone, off the surface. The stone wriggled. It was a camouflaged beetle, exactly like the one I’d seen on my first day in the city. She lifted the beetle to her mouth and I reeled back.

The yard outside Cymbals surrounded me again in a blink. Jonah stared at me. I noticed my arm had stayed raised beneath the shoes and withdrew it.

“Are you all right?”

I heard fear in his voice.

“Rubin mentioned that you were psychic, but I never knew what it actually looked like. I mean, I’ve never witnessed anyone ‘see’ something if that makes sense.”

“Oh, I . . . what
does
it look like? It’s still pretty new for me. I’ve always been alone when that happens, but I hadn’t even wondered what somebody watching me gets to see.”

“You looked sort of, gone. And then your eyes rolled back for a moment. I thought you were having a seizure.”

I looked around the yard and fortunately, we were alone. Still, I didn’t want to keep talking about this stuff where we could be overheard. More importantly, what was Rubin doing sharing my personal information while giving me his best poker face?

“Let’s go inside. I’m hungry.” I didn’t much feel like sitting down to a social night anymore.

Cole waved from a table on the other side of the building. Sitting next to him, a girl with purple dreadlocks looked up from her purse and smiled.

The restaurant was full and the combined conversations created a loud chatter. Dim candlelight, a few glass chandeliers, and an antique-looking piano in the corner set a romantic atmosphere that sparked another twinge of embarrassment. On the other hand, the abstract and industrial mixed media wall décor had me looking around for art and film students. Aside from a few biker bars, the edgiest hangout I knew of in Prince George was an indie coffee shop–and it had only been open for a few years when I left.

We made our way around and between tables. Everyone in the restaurant looked like an artist or an intellectual. I felt like an ugly duckling in my plain, boring clothes, but I was glad for the first time since starting my new job that not all of the blue dye had gone from my hair. Jonah reached the table and pulled out a chair for me. We sat down and Cole scowled.

“Dude, what’s up with the timeline fail? We’ve been here for like, half an hour,” said Cole.

“Ignore his attitude. I’m Faith,” the girl said as she extended her hand to me and grinned happily. The flickering light glinted off a stud in her nose and a ring in her eyebrow. She wore dark makeup on her eyes and mouth. She had the same coffee brown eyes as Cole. I couldn’t tell if it was her features or the eyeliner and lipstick, but she looked striking in a bold, exotic way. As we shook hands, her gaze shifted over to Jonah.

We looked at our menus in awkward silence, waiting for a server, sipping our water. I sighed and put down my menu. I could feel Cole’s eyes on me as I watched Faith stare at Jonah, the only person still looking at his menu. I gave in and glanced back at Cole briefly with a small smile. This was all heading in the wrong direction. The time for tact expired along with my patience.

“So I take it we’re all mutants here,” I said casually.

Jonah sprayed water onto his menu and coughed. Cole looked at me urgently. Faith’s mouth made a small ‘O’ under her confused frown.

“Seriously, I came here, to Victoria, because I started having visions of this place and I wanted answers. All I’ve gotten is cryptic nonsense. Other than meeting you people, I’ve learned next to nothing. Rubin is all vague double-talk. It’s getting old. I want to know what you all know.”

Jonah looked at me and took a breath as if to say something. He decided against it and looked around our corner of the restaurant. Nobody paid any attention to us. He placed his hand over the droplets of water on his laminated menu. The water coalesced into puddles under his palm. As he concentrated on the small pool, it lifted off the menu and spread into a donut shape. The circle broke and the stream became a spiral, getting thinner and thinner until it evaporated into steam, absorbed into Jonah’s hand.

Faith’s frown turned into a smile as she looked at Jonah. She picked up one of the unlit candles on our table and pinched the wick between her thumb and forefinger. As she released it, a flame sprang to life.

“Well, I’m not breaking this table, that’s for damn sure,” said Cole.

“That’s okay. I saw your street-fight with that bouncer when I first got to town,” I said.   Cole rolled his eyes, but I couldn’t worry about his temper. I wanted to keep talking about Innoviro and Ivan. “So, now that we’re making progress, albeit moving into some surreal comic book world, tell me what’s the deal with Innoviro. What the hell does this company really do?” I felt my adrenaline rise.

“I’m not risking my job so you can get a head start on whatever Ivan has in mind for you. You’re acting like there’s something bad going on here. He helps people like us.” Cole looked over at Jonah. “For some of us, being different
is
actually a health risk.”

“Dude, leave it alone!” said Jonah.

Faith frowned again. “You’ve met Rubin. He’s like a recruiter. He told you that much at least, didn’t he? He works with Ivan to find people like us and help, if they need it.”

“And what if I don’t need help?” I said.

“You may help others. We’re not all different in the same way. Some of us were born this way and some of us were . . . made,” said Faith.

“Ivan will talk to you about all of this soon enough. We’re really not allowed to and I think the reasons for that will start to be obvious. It’s not the kind of research the government likes. You can’t put this kind of stuff in a job posting and you definitely can’t chat about it at parties.” Jonah looked around the room again.

“So they’re doing tests on people.” I felt the unease in my gut churning faster. “On us.”

“It’s not like that. We
are
doing research and development work, but it varies. Sometimes we’re looking at mutation in other animals or plants. We look at weather and geography to understand how a person’s gifts are advantageous or dangerous, depending on where and how they live. Imagine me living in a desert, for example. And we’re not catastrophically testing on people. Sometimes we’ll take a small tissue or fluid sample from a person, but nothing barbaric,” said Jonah. “We’ve also got to make money. Innoviro takes research contracts from public and private firms doing anything from environmental research to mining and industrial development. Ivan keeps a low profile under the guise of confidentiality for his legitimate clients.”

“Are you guys even qualified for this? Or are you all older and more educated than you look?”

“Hey, we’re not screwing around here! Jonah and I were recruited directly from our graduate programs. I was working on a master’s in geology and Jonah had nearly finished his thesis in microbiology. Don’t you think research like this is best conducted by someone who understands it first hand? Could you imagine trying to convince a serious scientist to take this on, in lieu of a real career? You’d have to divulge every secret Innoviro has just to get them to believe the work can be done, let alone get a commitment.” The table crunched under Cole’s grip.

“And how about you?” I nodded at Faith, “Are you some kind of brain surgeon?”

“I’m an IT technician. I specialize in network administration and hardware integration.”

“Wow. I feel like a complete dunce.” I had nothing unique or meaningful to contribute to Innoviro. Nothing but a tissue sample.

“Don’t be intimidated. Remember that you were recruited for a reason. You probably won’t get to know everything the company does. We don’t discuss the details of our work with anyone but our supervisors,” said Faith.

“Lots of projects are shared on a need-to-know basis. But it’s not bad,” said Jonah. “You’ll understand more when Ivan gives you a full tour. Let it happen on his schedule.”

“I can go along for the ride here, but you’ve got to see how this looks from my point of view, getting drawn to a strange city by visions–which are an entirely new phenomenon to me. Have I mentioned yet that I got jumped the other night?”

“What?” said Cole and Jonah in unison.

“And you know why I didn’t get a look at him?” I said.

The boys had quizzical looks on their faces, but Faith looked anxious.

“Because there was nothing to look at,” I said. “Some enormous
thing
picked me up off the ground and threatened me.”

“You need to tell Rubin. Or Ivan, but not everyone in this restaurant.” Faith scanned the room tensely.

“No kidding.” I lowered my voice. “But since I don’t have a way to get a hold of Rubin, I have to keep my fingers crossed that he’s keeping tabs on me.”

“I’m sure he is. It’s his job to keep us safe,” said Jonah.

Chapter 5

Cole insisted on driving me back to the motel. Even though it was dark, he wanted to take the scenic route. He drove back out to the seaside road Jonah had taken to get to Cymbals. However, instead of heading south, the way we’d come, Cole went north.

The restless Pacific Ocean lapped at the sea wall on my right, brilliantly lit by a bright white moon. The tide was out leaving expansive stretches of driftwood, sand, and stone in front of the foam-trimmed inky surf. A handful of stars twinkled overhead as I took in the wall of cliff side homes on the other side of the road.

The drive felt more like something off a British postcard than the far side of Canada’s West Coast. We rounded another corner and came to a gap in the residential landscape. As we approached the thick wall of dark cedars, I saw gravestones in the gaps between each trunk. The graveyard sat patiently in the dark. Cole pulled over on the gravel shoulder across the street.

“This is Ross Bay cemetery. There’s a whole bunch of touristy crap downtown, but the cemetery is one of the more interesting spots.”

On his side of the car, the graveyard whispered at us as giant evergreen branches and other dark shapes undulated in the powerful coastal wind. On my side of the car, the ocean lapped at the beach below, glittering with reflected pieces of moonlight.

Cole looked at me, looked back at the cemetery, and pulled a U-turn back onto the road. He must have noticed the apprehensive look on my face. “I realize it’s a bit sketchy to bring a girl here at night. You don’t really know me. But, there is cool shit to see there. We could come back during the day and take a look at the statues and carvings. Or we could go for a drive and find other stuff worth checking out. If you wanna take some classes up at the university, that’s something to see. There’s a college here too. If you’re on foot downtown, then you’re stuck riding the bus to see the rest of the city. There are more beaches, a couple of castles, lots of parks. I could show you around if you’re into that.”

I hesitated, but Cole sounded so sincere, yet so aloof at the same time. I didn’t want to give him the idea I was interested in a date and I didn’t want to be rude. Cole had the worst combination of strength and temper I’d ever seen. I remembered
“a master’s in geology”
and the idea still didn’t fit. I remembered the crunch of our dinner table under his grip. And then the memory of being hoisted in the air behind a garage popped into my head. Whatever else Cole might be, a makeshift bodyguard was in my best interest.

“I’d like to do a little sightseeing. I wouldn’t want you to go to any trouble though. I don’t need to rush back to PG, but I’m not sure if I actually want to live here for long. I can’t shake the fear every time I think of that guy who jumped me.”

“Don’t worry, you’re safe with me. And it’s no trouble to take you around town. Maybe after you see the best parts of the city, you’ll want to stay.”

We passed under a white-orange streetlight and the glow highlighted a dimple in his cheek when he smiled. Cole grew on me with his calmer, more charming side.

By the time we got back to the motel, my eyelids felt heavy. I noticed a figure standing at the bottom of the outdoor stairwell. Rubin waved at us and Cole waved back. Exhaustion poured over me. Where had Rubin been last night when I needed protection? What would he say to my hanging out with my co-workers? I didn’t want to share my thoughts with him, so I tried to clear my mind. I thanked Cole for the ride and hopped out. He paused, eying Rubin before he drove away.

“You’re out a bit late for a work night, aren’t you?” said Rubin lightly.

“It’s Friday.”

“No reason you can’t get some work done tomorrow,” he said in his infuriating matter-of-fact tone.

“The office is closed, so I wasn’t planning to work.” I walked past him up the stairs. I heard his footsteps behind me.

“I meant work of another sort. It’s time we found you a proper apartment. Particularly because I’m not convinced that your assailant from the other night hasn’t been following you.”

“So you did know! And you waited a day to come check on me. Thanks, I’m overwhelmed by your concern. But since I haven’t cashed my first pay-check, I kind of hoped I could keep this room a bit longer,” I said. “Then again, I still have enough money to make it back to Prince George and at this point, heading home looks pretty good.”

“Innoviro prefers that you stay here in Victoria. The company paid for this room and we will cover your apartment as well. We cover room and board for all employees. I’m surprised Melissa hasn’t mentioned this yet. I see your new friends didn’t bring it up either. Discussing inappropriate topics instead from the sounds of it.”

“Get out of my head! I’m tired as hell and you show up here to . . . what, kick me out?” I felt my fatigue turning into frustration and anger.

“You’re not being kicked out. And I understand that you’re tired, but I’m afraid this can’t wait.”

I sighed and invited him in to make arrangements for looking at apartments.

The next morning, Rubin waited for me again when I came down to the diner for breakfast. I wasn’t surprised to find him eating dry white toast and drinking black coffee. Naturally, he’d ordered me a plate of crepes.

“Does anyone ever get used to you knowing their every thought?” I asked sarcastically.

“It goes in phases.” He spread jam on his toast. “Disbelief, awe, fear, and irritation, usually leading to avoidance.”

I felt gratitude for his honesty and resolved not to do that to him.

“Yes, eventually, you will avoid me.”

“We’ll see about that. So what do you have lined up for us to look at?”

“I’m placing you in one of the company-owned properties, with a focus on our more secure buildings, in light of the circumstances.”

“Do you know who my attacker was?”

“I believe you were assaulted by an ex-employee. We cannot be certain, but as I’m sure you’ll realize as you begin to work more closely with Ivan, that we are a very special organization, dealing with some very impressive technology. Unfortunately, not everyone we welcome into our little family is worthy of staying for the long haul.”

“What do you mean by that? Was he fired? Were you testing on him and something went wrong?”

Rubin shot me a dark look. “We do nothing reckless, malicious, or irresponsible and I won’t have you making statements that so much as imply we do,” he said in a quiet, yet angry tone. I felt my body tense, like I was about to get in trouble. “But back to your accommodation situation, I have several buildings in mind. You won’t have unlimited freedom. I’m afraid that’s no longer possible. However, these are still some very lovely living spaces.”

I stared back at him. I stayed frozen in my seat from his veiled threat. I wanted to know why he’d spoken to me like that, but I also wanted to see these security-oriented apartments. After all, the tone of voice was probably just Rubin being his eccentric self. And if Innoviro had the money and would foot the bill, I wanted to see what they offered. Maybe psychics were quite rare and they wanted to make sure I felt content and comfortable.

“Protecting staff that are in danger is the right thing to do. You must understand that the danger I’m talking about doesn’t come from the company.” He bit off a piece of toast, chewed, and swallowed. “Or from me.”

“How long has the company been around? How long have you worked there?”

“If you recall our earlier conversations, I’m not at liberty to answer each and every one of your questions. You’re starting to get a sense of where and how you’ll find all the answers you’re looking for, so I think we’re best served by moving on to today’s appointments.”

I smiled and nodded. I ate my crepes as Rubin outlined the tour of the city to view three different apartments.

Our first stop was in a neighborhood near the cemetery Cole showed me. We were still fairly close to the ocean in an upscale neighborhood. I saw a sign for a bus stop ahead where the sidewalk curved into a driveway which led to a gated entrance to underground parking. The tower above us was easily the largest on the street. Rubin said, “I agree that you should familiarize yourself with the city and if Cole wants to take you, I suggest you accept the offer.”

Damn it, Rubin, I’m going to lose my voice if you never let me say anything out loud. And for god’s sake, give me some privacy! Or at least pretend! Now I get what you meant about people avoiding you.

“I apologize. However, I am pleased that you’re still within the irritation phase.”

I glared at him.

Rubin stopped the car, but the glossy black gate didn’t move. He produced a remote from his coat pocket and pressed the only button. The gate retracted upwards along the parking garage roof.

“This is the Oak Bay Tower. There are eighteen floors, each containing six two-bedroom apartments. If you select this building, it’s likely you’ll never use the underground parking. Since you don’t have a vehicle, the building’s management will not issue you a remote button.” Rubin pulled into a parking spot marked VISITOR with white stenciled letters.

I followed him through the dank concrete garage into the stairwell and up to the building’s lobby. He walked briskly to a panel of buttons near the large glass doors by the entrance.

“You gain access to the building with a key card. Each unique card is programmed for both the main door, and the apartment of the cardholder. Once inside, you enter a security code here. Forget to enter this code and your key card will not open the door to your apartment.”

I watched as another tenant entered the building using the procedure Rubin described. I felt the crease in my forehead deepen. I couldn’t imagine needing or wanting this level of security.

“I think this is a bit too intense for me. Are the other buildings this secure?”

“More so. The next building on our tour has an armed doorman. Not to worry, you’ll never need to tip him.” Rubin entered a code into the panel.

“Somehow I don’t think tipping would be my first concern in that scenario.”

We got into the elevator. We reached the top floor and walked along a white corridor with dark slate floors. We looked very out of place in such posh surroundings. Rubin swiped the card at apartment 1806. The suite was simple, but elegant. A regular sized two-bedroom apartment. The dining area had a basic table and chair set. The living room had a microfiber couch. Modern art hung on the wall. I could have brought my backpack and made myself at home with one trip to the grocery store. But a half-hour bus ride from work? Not ideal.

For the next apartment, we went back downtown, to a brand new building I recognized from my first day in the city. It wasn’t the largest building, but it had a distinctive atrium connecting two towers. The second apartment was much more beautiful with a leather sofa set, stainless steel appliances, and I felt heat coming from the floor. The square footage was noticeably smaller. Sure enough, the lobby included a doorman, but he didn’t look armed with more than an awful uniform. This building also had a receptionist and a front desk like a hotel. No matter how normal-looking, I couldn’t get past the prospect of someone carrying a gun where I lived every day and Rubin suggested we should see all three apartments regardless.

For the last building, we drove through downtown and crossed the blue iron girder bridge near The Market Square. We followed the left fork in the road along the coast of Esquimalt. We parked next to a mid-century brown tower with wood siding. The bottom few feet of the exterior had a coating of moss and mildew creeping up from the ground. I wasn’t sure what kind of security it provided, apart from being reasonably far from downtown.

Rubin pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked a mailbox on the side of the building. He took out two stone pendants hung on leather cords. He placed one around my neck and the other on his own. It wasn’t the weirdest thing I’d seen so far.

The décor reminded me of a slightly more modern version of my grandmother’s house. A velveteen sofa and chenille chair looked dated, but I sat down on the sofa and felt like Goldilocks on Baby Bear’s bed. Rubin smiled at me and I quickly stood up to continue the tour. At the end of the living room, the floor continued into an enclosed balcony sunroom, already adorned with ferns and a banana plant. I saw the Olympic Mountains in the distance. In the foreground, Victoria’s Inner Harbour lay to the left, slightly distorted by a curve in the thick glass. In front of me stretched a coastline of blue-green trees. A cruise ship came into view on the water.

“I like this one. Definitely. If it’s up to me, I’ll take this apartment,” I said.

“The security system here is slightly different, so you’ll need to come downstairs. If Esther isn’t home, we can’t get your ‘key’ to the building.” Rubin held out his runic pendant.

We went back to the lobby and I followed him down a long hallway with kitschy orange, yellow, and brown geometric carpet. He knocked on the door and asked me to wait outside. I didn’t hear or see anything and a few short minutes later, Rubin emerged with new shiny black stones carved with similar ruins, hung on leather cord.

“Wear this around your neck at all times while you’re in the building. You have an additional pendant for guest use. I realize this seems ridiculous to you, but take it seriously. I have no interest in having to undo a curse on you or anyone you chose to invite to visit. Needless to say, there are no keys or locks here. And like the other apartments, your accommodation includes a weekly housekeeping visit.”

Rubin placed the new pendant around my neck before removing the original stone. I held the new pendant and twisted the stone around so I could see the symbol. It looked like a ‘Y’ but the bottom stroke came up through the ‘V’. The shape reminded me of a fork. The polished black stone was cool to the touch like jade, but it didn’t start to warm as I held it.