“So, then, you’ve found it? The key your father stole?” Emil’s voice was eager. That sour e-cig stench wafted out on his breath, contaminating the already stale air of the hallway.

“I didn’t find anything. I wasn’t looking for you,” I hissed. I started to back away, looking over my shoulder for help, but the hallway was deserted. “What did you do with David Hassan?”

Emil cackled, his laughter turning into a wheeze. “I didn’t do anything with him. I am David Hassan.”

I froze, looking back at him. “What?”

“Of course, I haven’t gone by that name for decades. Too much baggage associated with it. Emil was my father’s name. I figured he wouldn’t mind if I borrowed it, being dead and all.”

“I—but—how?”

Emil rolled his eyes. “For God’s sake, don’t just stand there yammering. Get in here. You never know who’s listening out there. And if you’re looking for David Hassan, my guess is you want to talk about something we probably don’t want GSAF overhearing.”

I nodded mutely, clutching my backpack straps as Emil guided me forcefully into his apartment. He slammed the door and locked the deadbolt behind him. I shot a glance over at the fire escape. I wanted to be able to get away quickly if I needed to.

Emil sat at a small folding table in the kitchen and gestured for me to sit across from him. “All right, then,” he said after I finally lowered myself into the chair. “If you didn’t bring me the key, then what do you want? And stop looking over your shoulder like that. I’m not going to eat you.”

I crossed my arms. “Answers would be nice. You keep demanding this key from me, but I don’t have any clue what it is, what it looks like, or where to find it. You say you knew my dad, but I’ve never heard of you. I haven’t even seen or heard from my dad in over two annums. No one even knows where he is. So why should I trust you? How do I know you didn’t kill him yourself?”

Emil frowned, running a calloused thumb over his chin. “Why did you think David Hassan would be able to help you find those answers?” he asked.

“Answer my questions first,” I said.

“Fine.” He sighed. “I take it, since you know my real name, you’ve heard of my work with GSAF.”

“Not really. I only just found it last night on an alien conspiracy website. They didn’t have a whole lot of information, though.”

He snorted. “Why am I not surprised? The only people who will give you a straight answer these days are wingnuts.”

That was pretty rich, coming from a wingnut himself. I kept that opinion to myself, though. “So, what happened?” I prodded. “With GSAF?”