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When lunch rolled around, he joined me on a patch of dormant grass as we watched the vehicles leave with all the volunteers.
“How many do you think we’ll get from this batch?” Steve asked, joining us.
Roni and Brandon followed with the cooler of sandwiches. They started passing them out as the rest came over. We all waited for Molev’s answer.
“Twenty-six,” he said. “If they all accept.”
He would have spoken to the ones he wanted before they left, giving them lunch to think it over and make their decision. After that, Waurlyn’s people would try to entice the ones they wanted into staying.
I took a bite of my sandwich as a vehicle with soldiers pulled up for the afternoon training.
“That’s a decent number from one group,” Roni said. “Will Waurlyn have housing for them?”
“She said she would make arrangements for whoever stayed,” I said after I swallowed. “I’m not too worried.”
“Hey, Molev,” one of the soldiers called. “Waurlyn sent us to pick you up if you have time.”
Molev and I shared a look. It had been days since the last trial ended. However, Waurlyn didn’t typically summon us during training for trials or samples. She tended to wait until the evening for both so she didn’t interrupt our day.
“I guess we won’t know what’s going on until we go,” I said with a shrug.
“Want company?” Roni asked.
“Nah. If you don’t hear from us in a few hours, you can start looking for us.”
“You know we will,” Brandon said.
We left them to eat lunch and made our way to the hospital where Waurlyn waited for us. Stress emanated from her.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” she said briskly.
She led us down the hall to the conference room without hinting at why we were there.
“We need to talk,” she said as soon as the door was closed behind us.
She took a seat at the table, but the energy radiating from her would have been better suited for pacing the length of the room.
“I’ve shared your ideas regarding additional samples and sending the volunteers you requested in increments to ensure your people can care for them. The response wasn’t favorable. They liked the idea of additional samples but not losing you. They fear you’re going to leave on your own as you’ve done several times already, which is why they would like me to take you into custody.”
“Please tell me you’re smart enough not to try that,” I said.
She gave me a sharp, frustrated look. “Of course I am. However, disregarding their orders isn’t going to help our cause. If I’m unwilling to listen, they will bring someone here who is dumb enough to try. And then where will we be?
“We need to mitigate this situation before things escalate.”
“What do you propose?” I asked.
“I was hoping you would have some ideas. Something more than samples to offer them to convince them you’re not trying to leave. That you’re truly trying to help us.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It didn’t matter that Waurlyn was only the messenger. I still couldn’t believe that the people above her weren’t yet satisfied with everything that Molev had already done to help us.
“Do they even understand what the word volunteer means?” I asked. “No one forced him to come here. Why do they think they have any right to force him to stay?”
“I understand. Please believe me. I really do. But desperation knows no reason. I tried for hours. Do you know what their answer was? They told me to use your family as a means to get you to help me convince him, Andie. I am so far in a corner that I can’t see the hope that brought me here, and I know they can’t either.”
The threat to send my niece and nephew back here didn’t sit well.
“All of this just because he wants to see his family again? How is he being unreasonable?” I asked. “It’s been two months since he left them.”
