The Fixers hustled him out of the building and ran to the shelter formed by the parked truck. There they turned him around and leaned him back against the vehicle. Eve hurried over and watched as Abel quickly checked the prisoner for injuries. Then Cain removed the blackout helmet to reveal a white man with a scraggly beard and terrified eyes.

“We verified ID with fingerprint and retina scan,” said Jedidiah. “This is he.”

Eve smiled like a happy kid on Christmas morning. She bent forward and kissed the man on the mouth, which shocked the prisoner but not the Fixers. They were used to her random impulses by now.

“Dr. Dejan Brozović,” she said, mangling the Croatian pronunciation. It came out as Broozoveek. The man blinked in fear and uncertainty.

“Who … who are you?” stammered Brozović. “What is this?”

“This is a rescue, sugar.”

“I don’t understand…”

Even leaned close. “We’re the white knights come to save you from the deep, dark dungeons.”

“Who are you?” demanded Brozović.

“Let’s just say Kuga sends his regards.”

Brozović’s eyes widened. He echoed the name, then smiled with tremendous relief. “Thank god.”

“Thank me,” corrected Eve.

“I thought they were going to let me rot in there.”

“Oh no, sweet cheeks, we need you,” Eve said. “We’ve had some issues with the R-33.”

“You’ve been using it?” he gasped. “It’s still unstable.”

She beamed. “Well, no shit, Sherlock. Why do you think we’re galloping to the rescue? It’s not your boyish charm.”

Brozović looked at the building and then at Cain and Abel. “You’re Fixers,” he said, peering at their faces. “You’re not using R-33. Your eyes…”

Abel ignored him and touched his coms unit.

There was another explosion inside the processing plant.

“Jubal is offline,” Abel said.

“Dipshit,” said Eve, then turned back to Brozović. “We’re getting you out of here, honeybuns. Kuga and Daddy have very big plans for you.”

“‘Daddy’?” echoed Brozović.

Cain gave the scientist a small shove. “She means Rafael Santoro. Now shift your ass.”

Eve just laughed.

CHAPTER 107

DAS VERARBEITUNGSZENTRUM

Ghost and I hurried through the smoke back to the door through which we’d first entered. A good portion of that part of the prison was in ruins now, so we simply exited through a hole in the wall. We ran low and fast for the fence, and I only paused when I saw a group of three people standing outside the main entrance. Two Fixers—big ones, real brutes—and a slender blond woman.

I skidded to a stop and turned, clawing my binoculars from a pouch on my belt. My fingers were trembling so badly I dropped it. But then I had it pressed to my eyes as I adjusted the focus.

It was she.

Eve. God damn.