“I won’t wait around for him to find me,” I snap. “People have to start putting themselves at risk.” I refuse to be ruled by fear. And I can see my mother is about to refuse to as well.
“His notes aren’t in his office anyway,” Dr. Samuels says. “They’re in the lab, in a safe. You need Level One Clearance and his personal combination. I think . . . I think I can help get the notes.”
My mother shakes her head. “It’s too risky.”
“What would I lose if I were caught?” Dr. Samuels asks, his voice heavy. “My wife is long dead. So are my children. I have nothing. I’ve already broken protocol several times. I’ll go. If I’m caught, you will be safe to figure something else out.”
“I’m going with him.” I turn to him. “I’m not going to let you risk your life alone. You’ll need protection.”
“Absolutely not,” my mother says, which almost makes me laugh. “It’s too dangerous.”
“I don’t know why you think you can still tell me what to do,” I say, more harshly than I intend to. Her face tightens. The pain is still fresh from Baby’s rejection of me, so I know how she feels. “I’ll be fine,” I say, more kindly. “I can take care of myself.”
“I’ll go too,” Kay offers. “It’s time to bring that bastard down.”
“There’s a problem,” Dr. Samuel tells us. “I don’t know the combination to Dr. Reynolds’s safe . . . and I know of only one other person who might.”
My mother nods. “Richard.”
Rice. We were trying to keep him out of danger, but there’s no way now. We need him. If Dr. Reynolds is out of the way, Baby will be safe.
“Call him,” I tell my mother.
She puts her hand to her ear. “Richard, will you please meet me in conference room 1B? I have some data I need to share with you.” She listens. “Okay, see you in five.” She drops her hand. “He’s on his way.”
“Good.” Finally all the pieces are falling into place. I’m actually doing something.
My mother moves to me, puts an arm around my shoulders, and I let her. The anger I felt toward her has deflated. I know she was in a horrible situation. At least now she’s trying to make it right.
When Rice steps through the door, he looks from me to my mother and back again. “I should have known you’d be up to something,” he says with a slight smile. He takes off his glasses and cleans them, then puts them back on. His blue eyes shine at me through them.
“Well?” he asks. “How can I help?”
Chapter Forty
Kay and I trail Rice down the hall. My hands are sweating inside the fabric of my synth-suit, even as its quick-drying fabric seeps the moisture away. I’m rubbing them together nervously when Kay tilts her head toward me, and even though her face is covered, I can tell she is giving me a look. I drop my hands to my sides and do my best to walk with confidence and look like a badass member of the Elite Eight.
It wasn’t hard to convince Rice to join us in our campaign to overthrow Dr. Reynolds. After hearing our plan, he agreed without hesitation. Still, I can tell by the pinched expression on his face when he glances back at me in the hall that he’s unhappy we waited so long to include him.
It was harder to convince Dr. Samuels that he was no longer necessary. Rice had the Level One Clearance we required, as well as the combination to Dr. Reynolds’s safe. Eventually he relented when Kay flat-out told him that he would slow us down. Blunt, but effective. Meanwhile, my mother is back at her office, organizing information, trying to decide the best way to present it all to the people of New Hope.
Rice gets us into the general lab area with no problem. No one questions Rice as we move through, as everyone knows he’s the assistant director and Dr. Reynolds’s pet. I’m beginning to think things will all fall our way when a familiar voice from the far side of the floor calls, “Richard . . . why are those Guardians in here?”
We freeze. Heads turn to us all across the lab as an older woman with blonde-gray hair pulled tightly in a bun moves quickly toward us. My stomach turns. It’s Dr. Thorpe, my doctor from the Ward. Though she didn’t agree with his diagnosis of my psychosis and Dr. Reynolds’s heavy-handed use of sedatives and experimental treatments, that didn’t stop her from helping Dr. Reynolds torture me.
“Miranda,” Rice calls to her, as though delighted to see her. Smiling too widely, he explains that Dr. Reynolds requested him to lead the Guardians through a routine examination of security measures.
Dr. Thorpe narrows her eyes and looks me and Kay up and down. “Marcus is responsible for security checks,” she says.
“Marcus was called away,” Rice tells her. “He had to check on the situation in Fort Black.”
“I see,” says Dr. Thorpe, nodding. “It’s interesting that you’re taking such an active role in security, Richard.”
“I needed to step away from my research,” Rice says. “Clear my head. Though what I really need is a night’s sleep.”