Free The Radical (Unity Vol.1) by S.M. Lynch Page A

more pink wall decoration. There were gowns of varying shades, lengths, styles and sumptuousness. Huge glass windows shielded them from harm and I recognized Eve must have erected such a space to showcase her work as well as give people something to come and see for free.
    Once past the gallery, we went through another door to enter a cold, windowless workshop of sorts. Camille flicked a switch and large spotlights overhead sizzled into life, revealing exposed brickwork and thick terracotta floor tiles. The room housed dozens of boxes of materials stacked up on high metal shelves, along with various heavyset worktables, on which sat industrial-sized Singer sewing machines. At the end of the room, a grey metal door carried the sign Fire Exit . Camille moved toward it and I followed, more curious with every passing minute, watching as she leaned forward to the retinal scanner.
    ‘ ID verified. Welcome Camille Honoré. ’
    The door clunked as it unlocked and after Camille heave d the entrance open, we entered a dark corridor. As the door closed with a thud behind us, hidden lights illuminated the brick tunnel we found ourselves in.
    ‘It was either a stroke of genius or pure luck that Eve obtained these buildings, which used to be butchers shops many years ago. Because of this, they all have underground cellars, and we’ve set up our fortified headquarters in them. We also have rooms like these in many other cities across the world, quietly watching those who think they are beyond surveillance.’
    I felt pure excitement as I prepared to enter my aunt’s secretive HQ. My heart pounded in my chest and I tried to prepare myself for what I was about to see. I followed Camille along the corridor and down a set of well-worn stone steps, hearing hushed voices in the distance, plus tapping on keyboards. We rounded the corner and found ourselves in a vast underground facility. The walls were covered in digital whiteboards with profile shots and various documents overlaying each other. Members of staff bounced up to touch screens and shift items around as they went about their work. There were three long rows of desks and each had piles of papers, equipment and garbage littered all over them. The team had probably been on high alert, eating whatever they could as they worked all hours. Presumably because of my arrival, I realized guiltily. I recognized most of the workers as members of the bridal shop staff I had met the day before. There were a few other male and female faces too that I didn’t recall meeting.
    ‘ But all this activity?’ I offered.
    Camille rapped a knuc kle knowingly against a wall, ‘Six inches of synthetic soundproofing, with our own-brand Pyros-D compound woven in. You could fill this room with lava and still emit no heat trace. And I assume you noticed the faint hum of our generator in the corner? How’s that for you?’
    Camille walked over to a woman sat at a control panel, a wall covered by several screens featuring images produced by CCTV.
    ‘Are they dealt with?’
    ‘Yes, we took them to our safe house and are keeping them there until further notice.’
    ‘Good. I don’t want their employers to know we’ve got them. Get their chips removed, put the safe house on high alert, and get them re-civilized. Those two could be handy once they’ve had all the rubbish pumped out of them.’
    Camille turned to me with a fire in her eye; this was her domain, her true occupation . I knew then, this was what she lived for. She was someone very much like me.
    ‘Officium use drugs on their emissaries to make them more pliable. On the odd occasion we come across these creatures, we try to normalize them and give them a chance to start afresh. It’s not always their fault that they ended up leading such lives.’
    I nodded in understanding, secretly wowed by the facility that had been set up, especially as it was beneath slipshod old buildings that once sold meat. I peered at the screens and saw the two