Prologue

"You don't have to believe me, just come with me." El held his hand out to Shirl. His fingernails almost glowed in the blacklight. She shrank away from it, as if it radiated hate.

"Yes, it sounds as ridiculous as you think." Shirl took another step back, tripping over a pile of textbooks, and flopped onto her bed. Were it not for her, the black sheets would have blended in with the black carpet, blackout curtains, black wallpaper. She ran her black-tipped fingernails through her bright blonde hair, the dark roots peeking out. It spilled across her shoulders, and the broad black trench coat covering them.

"Yeah, I can read your mind. Nothing special. Trust me, everyone gets as depressed as you. You're not the only one. Now, come on. We don't got all day." El rolled his eyes, the whites glowing unnatural, pale, almost electric. Still, Shirl refused to move. Her near-translucent face started to draw away, and she backed up on the bed. The covers ruffled beneath her, bunching up around her feet.

"It is. What else do I have to tell you?" He tapped his watch, his fingernails clicking against the fine crystal. El smoothed his loafers against the backs of his pants, and watched Shirl bang against the headboard, then attempt to fall through the headboard.

"Why would I lie? Why would I bullshit you with such a ridiculous story? I'm telling you, the government wants you to fight terrorism. Now, just put those Doc Maartens on the floor, walk over to your closet, get some clothes, and let's go." He mimed these actions with his right hand, walking with his index and middle fingers. The initial leer hadn't left his face, but El couldn't quite pull it off, as if there was something holding him back. Probably all the saltpeter he'd eaten before coming here.

"Look, Shirl." He drew out her name like taffy. El's lips twisted when he said it. "We need you. That what you want to hear? We need you. I need you. Oh, baby, I need you. Now let's go." He threw his thumb out over his shoulder. Shirl started shaking. She'd now raveled herself through her sheets, becoming entangled. Sinewy blue strands started orbiting her body, coalesced from the sky around them, burning bright despite the black light.

"Oh, crap. Damn it. Kid, stop it." Despite being only a few years older than Shirl, El greeted everyone as "Kid." This was mostly because he didn't want to remember names, and so few people constantly thought about their own names. "Fuck." He removed a long cylinder from his pocket, pointed it at Shirl, and pressed the button. Two electrodes shot out and planted themselves on her chest. He flicked the button, and twenty thousand volts scored through Shirl, blasting her unconscious. The blue tendrils went flying off in whatever direction they were headed in while orbiting her, and splashed against the walls. One lazy bolt smacked into El's arm, and he dropped the taser, cursing his job.

Rubbing at the burn, he touched his finger to his earpiece. "Ten to One. Ten to One. I've collected the package." El waited for a few seconds, mouthing "blah blah blah" during the response. "No." He rolled his eyes, then flapped his fingers as if they were a duck's bill. "She was getting all glowy. What did you want me to do?" El metronomed his head from side to side. "Sure, yeah, I tried that. Talk is cheap, and the bitch wasn't about to listen. I had to knock her out." Eyes closed, he breathed, then went over to turn off the blacklight. "I did it. Now get me out of here. And, no, I don't care how."