Page 105 (1/1)
We’d caught the male radio hoststateue--"
I looked down atin froht behind them The woman’s face was pale as she opened her h the speaker pro we carried out an assault on one of Gray’s rehabilitation camps located in Oasis, Nevada We have taken the victims of his cruelty, the children interned there, and will release thenation Should these deet’ Powerful words If you’re just tuning in, we have a breaking news update about the i by several noted papers"
"They can’t do this!" Zach shouted over the chatter buzzing around us "They had nothing to do with it! They’reus look like terrorists--"
"Is this real?" Senator Cruz asked Cole "Would they clai to pin it on them to justify another attack on the a need to inject a cal fray "Gray doesn’t need another excuse to attack the to float the theory that everything was doctored I guess it doesn’t et on their backs now, not us"
Colelook--or at least da another undeserved feather in their cap But Ruby’s right This is a good thing for us"
The anchor continued, undaunted "--fifteen Psi Special Forces officers sustained mild injuries and were treated on-site All declined to comment on the treatment of the children and the rehabilitation ca military officials As of yet there has been no response froton reh
Lillian was not only ae unlocked the door and cath of the roohts off, save for the one at her desk Compared to earlier, she looked a little ht her wipes to clean off her face, a hairbrush, and a clean set of sweats I’d seen her in press clippings wearing the costume of a First Lady--suits, perfectly coiffed hair, pearls--and I’d seen her in Clancy’s memory as a scientist, crisp and clinical in her white lab coat Here, dressed like this, she could have been anyone And that made it easier to approach her--easier to do what I had to
"Hi, Dr Gray," I said "Do you remember me and Chu--Charles?"
Vida and Cole had both wanted to watch, but I’d been worried about overwhel Dr Gray with too many people around her I needed her cal withto herself as she continued that careful stride back and forth, back and forth, not breaking pace as she glanced over at her bed and the papers strewn over it Suddenly, she stopped and pointed at the around each sound she was trying to make Her entire body shook with her frustration as she pressed a hand against her throat, rubbing it
In that moment I understood Clancy hadn’t just wanted to silence her fro able to tell others about the cure He wanted to punish her, in the exact way he kneould hurt her the worst He’d taken her brilliant ht, ant to talk about the research you did"
"Chhaaaa--" She sed and tried again, looking as hue to take her hand when she raised it toward us "Chaaaart"
"Right, the charts" I carefully took her shoulders and guided her toward the bed I don’t know if she remembered what had happened the last tile until I tried to force her to sit
"Ruby," Chubs said "Are you ready?"
Her shoulders bunched up, theherself She knehat I was
Diving into her mind the second time was no less painful than the first Dr Gray turned herriver I couldn’t cross--a stream of landscapes, homes, roads, children’s toys, textbooks, flowers, silverware--anything and everything she could think of to protect the important memories
But ere connected That was all thatbehindto me from outside in the hall "Ruby, what’seryour favorite color?"
"My favorite color," I repeated, letting the word take shape in h the word One er than a fraction of a second The next, it felt as if I’d been thrown against a wall of glass shards I recoiled, physically and mentally
"Tell me what your ht me up closer to the pain, the sharpness of it This part of her mind was so dark, so unbearably dark It must have been painful for her every time she tried to speak, to use this part of her mind He wanted her to hurt Hurt