Page 89 (1/2)

“You’re going to be fine,” I said, watching the lights They were still cycling, stillthe viral payload of her blood, but the cycle was beco back to green The test results were being confirmed, and they were not in Buffy’s favor

“You’re too attached to the truth, Georgia,” she said Her voice was serene, at peace with itself “Itfaster now “I swear I had no idea they were going to do those things No idea at all If I’d known, I would never have agreed to it You have to believe hts had settled on a steady red, as da as any doctor’s report The viral load Buffy picked up froh That wasn’t the only thingback next to Shaun, and pulled the gun froreed to what?”

“They said the country was drifting away froht of His desires for the nation, and that hy things are the way they are now And I believed theive s went the way they needed to go The way they had to go for this country to be great again All I had to do was let then”

Voice gone suddenly hard, Rick said, “When did you figure out what they were using that information to do, Buffy? Before or after Eakly?”

“After!” she said, opening her eyes and turning a plaintive look his way “After, I swear it was after It wasn’t until the ranch that I realized I realized ”

My hand shook, sendingand what it meant “Oh, my God With access to our databases, they’d known exactly where the senator was going to be, what sort of security he’d have, what tiiven location—”

“It gets worse,” said Shaun His own voice was flat “She had our databases cued to the senator’s databases Didn’t you, Buffy?”

“It seemed practical at the ti as we stayed out of the s,” I said “Like knohen the ranch would be most vulnerable You cut the theain, shuddering

“Because they’d have no other reason to try to kill us all” I glanced toward Rick and Shaun “We stopped being useful So Buffy’s ‘friends’ tried to take us out”

“My notes,” said Buffy, with an air of desperation in her tone Her tears were stopping Another classic sign The virus doesn’t like to give moisture away “You have to readI knew I didn’t know their names, but there are time stamps, there are IPs, you can try to try to ”

“How could you do this, Buffy?” demanded Shaun “How could you possibly have done this? To the senator? To us? People have died, for God’s sake!”

“And I’m one of them It’s time to shoot me Please”

“Buffy—”

“That’s not my name,” she said, and opened her eyes Her pupils had dilated until they were as large as mine She turned those unnaturally dark eyes towardher head “I don’t re his pistol into place I raisedhim “I hired her,” I said, quietly “It’sun Buffy continued looking up at me, her expression calm “I’m sorry,” I said

“It’s not your fault,” she replied