The Grendel Affair

“Yes, it is.”



“And this thing is so perfectly me that it replicated my handprint well enough to get in and out of headquarters?”



“A doppelganger assumes not only the appearance of its victim, but all of its mannerisms and thought processes as well,” Moreau added. “A perfect copy.”



“Thankfully for me, minus the powdered sugar.”



“An experienced doppelganger can easily convince even a victim’s closest associates,” Sagadraco said. “We’ve been infiltrated more cleverly than I ever suspected.”



“If the traitor is a shapeshifter who looks like me, then who took that picture in the break room of me eating cookies?” I asked. “I think I would have noticed if my twin was standing ten feet in front of me clicking away with her phone. Someone else would have noticed, too.”



“The angle at which it was taken suggests that the photographer was standing outside the door,” Moreau said, “just to the left—an area that is not covered by the security camera. It is doubtful that is a coincidence. This thing knows our security system.”



“So, my doppelganger has an accomplice?” I asked. “Or another stolen identity. Could someone here have gotten themselves a new body for Christmas, and decided that yesterday they needed to be me?”



“Fortunately, that’s not possible,” Ian said. “Doppelgangers are at the top of the shapeshifter food chain, but they can still change into only one person at a time.”



“What do doppelgangers look like normally?”



“Amorphous blob pretty much covers it.”



Ick.



Ian’s expression darkened. “Doppelgangers usually kill the person whose appearance they replicate to avoid discovery. If you’re going to make a copy, it’s risky to leave the original behind.”



“Apparently my being alive to take the blame was worth more to the thing than the risk of it being caught.”



Ian brushed his finger across the tip of his nose.



“Doppelgangers are perfect for spy and infiltration work,” Moreau said. “I had heard rumors that the CIA had recently begun using them. Simply replace the person and act in their stead. Spies, CEOs, political and world leaders—the perfect infiltrator with endless possibilities.”



I blinked. “The CIA is using supernaturals?”



“Another rumor.” Moreau glanced down at the photo of me and the vampire ex-CIA handler. “One that seems to have just been verified. Another benefit to using doppelgangers is that doppelgangers are exceptionally strong, supernaturally so. That strength is not diminished regardless of the form they take.”



“Why have a doppelganger impersonate me? I don’t know or have access to anything that would be useful to the CIA or anyone else.”



“Perhaps it is not what you know,” Vivienne Sagadraco said quietly, “but what you are.”



“A seer.”



“The only seer in our New York office, and one of only five in the entire company. Aside from yourself, we have one seer in our Canadian, Scandinavian, British, and South American offices. The Scandinavian seer will be accompanying Director Anderssen. The Canadian, British, and South American seers are unavailable. The Canadian is still recuperating from a Sasquatch encounter gone extremely wrong. The British seer is assisting in a rabid gryphon outbreak in Wales, and the South American is somewhere in the jungles of the Amazon on vacation and out of contact.”



“So aside from the Scandinavian, I’m all we have. And if you thought I was a traitor . . .”



“There would be no seer available in all of the Americas on the eve of what could be a world-altering, catastrophic event. Monsters are real, and billions of people will witness it as it happens live on television or the Internet on New Year’s Eve.”



Ian leaned back and his chair creaked. It was the only sound in the room. “That’s not a coincidence, either.”



“No, I don’t believe it is, Agent Byrne,” Sagadraco said. “These two grendels are somehow veiled against sight and sound. Our teams would never know what hit them. But at midnight on New Year’s Eve the world could witness it all. Alain, we must determine what damage the doppelganger has done to our security while masquerading as Agent Fraser—and any other form it may have been using. Determine if it brought any kind of package into this building. Review the hand scan records for agents arriving or departing early or late for anything that stands out from their normal routine. Any sickness or offsite appointments that were requested at the last minute or that ran longer than requested. Start with the senior security and science staff and work your way down until you find any anomalies. Personally select a few nonhuman agents to assist you.”



“What good would—” I began.



“Doppelgangers can only duplicate humans,” she told me. “For some reason, supernatural physiology impairs accurate duplication. Unfortunately, our uninvited guest has probably already eliminated the person they originally used to gain entrance. I imagine they’ve been with us for some time. Alain, have all of the security tapes been reviewed?”



“No, madame. Just the break room and the Saga Partners Investments cameras. I stopped once I found what I was looking for.”



Me making nice with my presumed handler.



“Have security review the tapes for the past forty-eight hours, looking for Agent Fraser,” the boss instructed. “Note the time and location of each instance. Agent Fraser, please provide Alain with your whereabouts for the same time period, both here and outside of headquarters. We will go back further if necessary. I want to know where that doppelganger has been and what it has done.”



“I’ll have a report for you within the hour,” Moreau said.



“I’d also suggest checking the Saga video further than Fitzpatrick’s meeting with Mac’s doppelganger across the street,” Ian said. “He could’ve left soon after—or he could’ve had a meeting with his handler or his employer.”



Sagadraco nodded in approval. “Excellent idea, Agent Byrne. Alain?”



“Added to the list, ma’am.”



“We need it done quickly, and we also should monitor the Saga camera overlooking the street in case Mr. Fitzgerald pays our doppelganger another visit.” She paused thoughtfully. “Get that new employee in Research to assist you, the one with four pair of eyes. Bob has reported that he’s very adept with them and is an excellent multitasker.”



“Yes, ma’am.”



Sagadraco turned to me. “For your safety, Agent Fraser, I want you to stay here until these issues are resolved.”



“With my doppelganger running loose?”



She raised an elegant brow. “And Mr. Fitzpatrick and an unknown phantom organization on the prowl out there? One creature inside SPI as opposed to an unknown number outside.”



“Good point, ma’am.”



“We can protect you more efficiently here. Agent Byrne will remain with you at all times. By the time Lars and his team arrive we will have the most probable locations for the grendels and begin our search. I need you to be with them. They are bringing their seer. You’ll deploy with the teams. I can’t risk having you abducted or murdered before then.”



“I wouldn’t like that either, ma’am.” I had a disturbing thought, even more disturbing than possibly running into my evil twin in the ladies’ room. “It’s dark outside. There’s been two killings in two nights. These things hunt when it’s dark, and our Scandinavian grendel experts are somewhere over the North Atlantic right now.”



Sagadraco glanced at her slender, diamond watch, as did her dragon aura. Dragons liked their sparklies. “On the contrary, they should be landing by nine o’clock tonight.”



“But in the meeting just now, you said—”



Her eyes glittered with a hint of humor. “I say many things, Agent Fraser—some of which are intentionally inaccurate.”



“I wondered why you invited me to a meeting if you thought I was a traitor.”



“I sincerely hope it is not the case, but the doppelganger could very well have been one of the other people in that room. They represent my best and most valued people. Everyone who was in that room is now privy to the fake time and place of Director Anderssen’s arrival.”



“The fake time five hours from now.”



“I am having all of them watched,” Moreau said. “If one of those in that meeting attempts to contact anyone outside of SPI within the next few hours, that communication will be monitored, intercepted, and if it is suspect, swiftly acted upon.”



Vivienne Sagadraco smiled, predatory and eager. “Meanwhile, I will investigate the CIA angle. I have a few contacts who should be able to provide the information we require on former-Agent Fitzgerald.”



She stood, as did Ian and Moreau. I kept my seat. After nearly being fired, killed, and knowing I had a doppelganger who’d damned near made both happen, my legs were a wee bit on the wobbly side.



Sagadraco nodded curtly and left the room.



Grendels without. Doppelgangers within. And my dragon boss chomping at the bit to sink her teeth into a vampire ex-CIA agent. This was shaping up to be one hell of a holiday weekend.



• • •



Ian stopped Alain Moreau outside the conference room.



“Mac and I are going over to the Full Moon for a quick bite to eat.”



“Madame Sagadraco requested—”



“I know what she wants, but my partner and I haven’t slept and have barely eaten in twenty-four hours. The Scandinavian team will be here soon. Between now and then, our seer needs food and rest. Any objections?”



“None, Agent Byrne. However, I must insist that you take at least one guard with you; preferably two.”



“I won’t need the help, but Yasha and Calvin are welcome for the company. Are they acceptable?”



“They will be adequate.”



The two men held eye contact for a couple of seconds, and then Moreau nodded curtly, turned, and went about his business. I guess in alpha male speak that meant Ian had won this round.