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The gun had been holding down a piece of folded paper I picked it up with ia--

This is all the protection we can give you right now We’re still working on an exit plan Trust Dr Shaw She’s been working withThey can’t know you’re planning to escape You have to keep trusting , and stopped breathing for the second tie:

I have received confirmation from my West Coast contact: Shaun Phillip Mason is alive I repeat: Shaun is alive He’s been off the grid for a little while, for reasons I hope to have the opportunity to explain soon, but he is alive, and he will be waiting e get you out of here Whatever they say, whatever lies they try to make you believe, believe me: Shaun is alive All we have to do now is keep you that way long enough to get you back to hi at the letter My fingers were creasing the paper, rendering soible, but that didn’tbehindup a darkness that I hadn’t even realized was there

Shaun was alive I wasn’tenuinely alive That, or the CDC had planted Gregory to earnI paused, turning h to eject the clip and check that it was loaded It was Those tiny bullets made all the difference, because noto un

"There you are" Dr Shaw stepped around the screen,with a silence thatthe sound of her footsteps before She plucked the paper fro to mind when she ripped it in the process "Thank you for cleaning up the lab, Georgia I’ll just go feed this through the shredder while you finish undressing You can leave your clothing here No one will disturb it"

My eyes widened as I glanced froaze and nodded understandingly

"I appreciate that you have little privacy in your current circus while you’re here I take privacy concerns very seriously" Her s the way she’d first presented herself "You have ory said I could trust her, and she wasn’t sounding the alarm over my possession of a weapon I sed to clear et ready"

"Thank you Call for Kathleen when you want the robe" She paused, as if onehad just occurred to her, and added, "You ht youon the floor, as if to illustrate that outside this s by the CDC’s rules

Iby other people’s rules, but I’ve had enough experience to be good at it I slid off the stool, putting the pistol back where I originally found it, and disrobed, piling un If any of Dr Shaw’s technicians weren’t in on things--and I had no real reason to believe that any of thes--they’d need to actively look before they found anything awry

While I stripped, I heard the oddly reassuring sound of a shredder co the truth about disposing of Gregory’s e I just hoped she’d have the sense to take the trash with her when she left

Kathleen aiting when I stuck my head around the screen She held a plain white robe out topleasantly "Dr Shaw is ready for you now"

"Tell Dr Shaw I’m almost ready for her," I said, and ducked back behind the screen to shrug into the robe With one last, regretful glance toward the pile of clothing concealing un, I turned to head out into the roohtened as she saw that I was dressed "This way," she said, beckoning "We’re going to begin bywhat?" I asked, following her

"Meaning we’ll be applying electrodes to your scalp, asking you neutral questions and watching to see how your brain waves change as you respond Dr Shaw has been petitioning for permission to do a sleep study, but so far, they’ve refused" Kathleen frowned, like the refusal was somehow a personal insult She led"I’ranted permission sooner or later For the moment, conscious brain wave studies will have to do"

"For today," said Dr Shaw, snapping a connector into place "Georgia So glad you could join us If you would be so kind as to take a seat, we can begin getting you ready Please remove the robe"

I froze "Please what?"

"Reive it to me if--?"

"Modesty and science are not always compatible," said Dr Shaw "Kathleen?"

"Yes, Dr Shaw," said Kathleen, and took hold of h to make sure I knew she was there "If you would be so kind?"