‘Danya, you’re not actually helping.’
‘But they are rare, so little is known.’
‘Why?’
‘Why what?’
‘Why are they rare?’
‘I heard many die young.’
‘Can you help me un-redact these parts?TheProject Spectrumreport.’
‘Is photocopy,’ Zaitsev points out like Lachlan is deeply stupid.
‘Then who was this woman, F-8?’he asks Zaitsev.‘Did you know her?’
‘I knew her.’
‘Was she powerful?’
‘Extremely.’
‘Did you see her?’
‘I saw her.’
‘Did she make it out alive?’
‘I heard she did not get far.’
‘Do you know her name?’
‘They never let us use names.We were lab rats to them.I was M-3.’
‘What were they testing?’
‘Stress and pain to test power.’
‘Why?’
‘I wasrat, Tanner.You do not tell rat why he runs.’He lifts the handset, looks over his shoulder.‘Time is up.’
Lachlan’s head ispounding.‘Thank you, Sergei.’
Danya lingers with Lachlan after Zaitsev leaves.
It’s quiet, warm and safe in here, but sometimes Lachlan thinks he sees snakes in the corner of the room.‘You are struggling.’
‘I’m fine.’Lachlan closes the laptop.They sit on the end of his bed, side by side.‘Just not sleeping great.’
‘I punch you so you sleep?’
Lachlan cracks a grin.The man has a vicious right hook.
‘Fuck you.’
‘I sadly do not swing that way,’ Danya sighs, nudging Lachlan’s shoulder with his own.It reminds him so much of Roman that it hurts.‘And I think your boy would kill me.’
