Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
You think for me, I act for you. These words run through my head on repeat as I wait. Obviously, it’s part of her programming. And the person she’s referring to is her handler. When Collin asked what Penny knew about Olive, she was as forthcoming as she could be. She gave us a name, at least. Ambrose Sinclair. Some guy about my age who comes from a CORE legacy family overseas. But that’s about all Penny knew. Or, at the very least, all she was willing to tell us.
Collin had heard enough for one day, apparently, because he promised to burn the phone and ended the call with, “Thank you and talk soon.”
Then we came inside to check on Olive.
A door to my right, on the opposite side of the one that leads to the SCIF in the basement, opens and Amon appears, pulling me out of my reverie. “Hey,” he barks. “Collin wants to talk to you.” He nods his head at the door he’s holding open.
I get up and follow him into a dark hallway that leads to another door. It looks similar to the one they have on the SCIF, but it doesn’t lead to a room specially shielded from electromagnetic frequencies, it leads to a jail.
A very sterile-looking high-tech modern jail. And for the first time, I start to really wonder what the actual fuck these boys are up to. Why the hell do they need a jail?
Not that I’m complaining, because in these circumstances, it’s handy. But it’s not normal.
There are four cells, two on each side. And it’s not some old-timey jail with bars or anything like that. It’s polycarbonate glass and from the visibly bluish tint, it’s got some very serious bulletproofing. While I don’t know for certain, I’m guessing that it’s been modified on the inside so that the prisoner can’t see out. There are cameras set up inside the cells, but not anything an occupant might be able to tamper with because they’re very small and set up into the ceiling.
The floor is some kind of non-slip metal composite, and if I were to take another guess, I’d predict there are a lot of sensors in that floor. Probably measuring vitals and tracking movement.
Each room has a stainless-steel bed bolted to the wall and a toilet-sink combo unit, but that’s it.
Olive is on the floor facing into a corner. Her knees are pulled up to her chest and she’s rockin’ herself back and forth.
Collin looks at me and nods his head to his sister. “What the hell is this?”
“She won’t talk,” Amon says. “It’s like she shut down.”
“Did you hear what she was saying afterward?”
Collin shakes his head. “No. I wasn’t even capable of hearing.”
“I didn’t hear shit, either,” Amon adds.
Which isn’t surprising. It was a shock and they were both living inside that shock in the immediate aftermath.
“She was whispering these words. ‘You think for me, I act for you.’ I don’t know how it works—I really don’t. But she was not… here.” I point to the floor. “She was not in the moment with us. She was somewhere else. And these words—‘You think for me, I act for you’—it’s part of her programming.”
“What kind of programming?” Collin asks.
I can only shrug. “I don’t know.”
“But you were one of them. You’re like her.” Amon is angry now.
“I’m not like her, Amon. I mean, maybe the training was similar, but I don’t even remember much about what they did. I have lost a lot of years of memory. I don’t even remember my handler’s name, you guys. I don’t even know her name anymore. I can’t see her face. She’s nothing but a blur when I try and think about it.”
Amon doesn’t believe me, but Collin lets out a breath, fully understanding that I’m a dead end. He looks at his friend. “Can you call Penny back and tell her we need that MRI machine again? ASAP. Don’t tell her anything about what happened, she won’t want to know anyway. Just tell her we need it.” Then he looks at me. “We need to compare your brains. Go back to your bunk and have chow, or whatever. I’ll let you know when we get it set up.”
“But—” I hesitate.
Collin narrows his eyes at me. “But what?”
“Maybe I could stay with her. Talk to her. See if I can get her to snap out of it.”
“No,” Amon says immediately. “That’s a bad idea.”
But it’s Collin’s decision, not Amon’s. And he doesn’t answer. Just kinda gazes off into the distance for a few moments, like he’s thinking.
“It’s a bad idea, Collin,” Amon insists. “There’s something wrong with his brain.”
But when Collin turns back to us, it’s clear that he’s come to a different conclusion. “If I let you stay, you’ll be in there with her.”