?Those types of test results can be falsified,? Joe said. ?We did the best we could.?
I nodded grudgingly. Under the strict interpretation of the law, the CDC would have been within its rights to come into the valley, shoot us, sterilize the surrounding area, and deal with our remains. The fact that it took us alive for extensive testing was unusual, because it represented an unnecessary risk on its part?no one would have questioned it if the CDC had killed us.
?What made you take us alive?? I asked.
Joe smiled. ?Ain?t many people who can make a call that drastic to the CDC and sound that calm about it, Ms. Mason. I wanted to meet anyone who could do that.?
?Our parents taught us well,? I said. Raising the bundle of clothes and gear, I asked, ?Is there a place where I could get dressed??
?Kelly!? Turning, Joe flagged down a passing woman in a doctor?s coat. She was fresh-faced and wide-eyed; she couldn?t have been any older than Buffy, and her long blonde hair, clipped back with a barrette, created the illusion of resemblance. A knot formed in my throat.
Joe gestured from the woman to me. ?Georgia Mason, Dr. Kelly Connolly. Dr. Connolly, if you could please show Ms. Mason to a changing room??
Shaun slid off the counter. ?C?mon, Rick. I?ll show you the men?s room.?
?Much obliged,? said Rick, snagging his own clothes from the counter.
?Certainly, Dr. Wynne,? said Kelly. ?Ms. Mason, if you?d come this way??
?Sure,? I said, and followed her.
We walked down a short hallway, this one painted a warm yellow, and Kelly opened a door leading into a small locker room. ?The nurses change here,? she said.
?Thanks,? I said. Putting my hand on the knob, I glanced to her. ?I can find my own way back.?
?All right,? she said. Hesitating, she looked at me. I looked back. Finally, she said, ?I read your site. Every day. I used to follow you on Bridge Supporters, before you managed to schism off.?
I raised an eyebrow. ?Really? To what do I owe the honor??
She reddened. ?Your last name,? she said, sounding abashed. ?I did a report in medical school on human-to-animal transmission of the Kellis-Amberlee amplification trigger. I found you when I was looking for information on your? your brother. I stayed for the writing.?
?Ah,? I said. She seemed about to say something more. I waited, watching her.
Her blush deepened. ?I just wanted to take this opportunity to say that I?m sorry.?
I frowned. ?About???
?Buffy??
It felt like all the blood in my veins had turned to ice. Careful to keep breathing, I asked, ?How did you know about that??
She blinked, surprise unconcealed as she said, ?I saw the notice that she?d been added to the Wall.?
?The Wall?? I said. ?But how would they know to? oh, Jesus. The cameras.?
?Ms. Mason? Georgia? Are you all right??
?Huh?? At some point, I?d looked away from her. I looked back, shaking my head. ?I just? I didn?t realize she?d already be on the Wall. Thank you. Your condolences are appreciated.? I turned and walked into the changing room without waiting for her to respond, closing the door behind me. Let her think I was rude. I?m a journalist. Journalists are supposed to be rude, right? It?s part of the mystique.
Thoughts chased themselves through my head like leaves tumbling in the wind as I stripped off my CDC-issue pajamas and began getting my own clothes on. It took longer than normal because I had to pause every step along the way to get the appropriate recording devices, cameras, and wireless receivers into their assigned pockets. If I didn?t, I wouldn?t be able to find anything for weeks.
Buffy?s death was on the Wall. I should have known it would be, since her family would have been notified, which meant there would have been an obituary, but somehow, knowing that simple fact?that she?d joined all the other victims of this endless plague on the Wall?made her death all the more impossible to deny. More, it reminded me of one crucial fact: We were connected to the rest of the world, even when we were isolated. The cameras were always rolling. And right now, that was what concerned me.
I slid my sunglasses into place, removing the UV blocker as I shoved them up the bridge of my nose. They made me feel less naked than anything else. Reaching up, I tapped my ear cuff. ?Mahir,? I said.
Several seconds later, Mahir?s sleep-muddled voice came over the line, saying, ?This had better be good.?
?You realize your accent gets thicker when you?re tired.?
?Georgia??
?Got it.?
?Georgia!?
?Still got it.?
?You?re alive!?
?Barely, and we?re in CDC custody, so I need to make this fast,? I said. Mahir, being the good lieutenant that he is, shut up immediately. ?I need you to download the footage from the external cameras on the van and my bike, check to make sure it?s complete, and then wipe the originals.?
?I?m doing this because???