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He lifted his hand like he planned to strike me. A familiar voice rang out, saying, “None of that. Not in here. I don’t know much, but I’m sure Clarke didn’t send her in here for you to damage his property more than she already has been.”
The enhanced man lowered his hand. “He says no med machine. She leaves in a month. Maybe she’ll be used before that. Maybe not. If she gets away, he’s taking it out on you.”
She nodded. “Fine. Get out. Now.”
“You can’t throw me out.” He snarled. Whoever he was, he had a lot of anger issues. Still, he turned and left. Apparently, although she couldn’t technically throw him out, he left anyway. I giggled. Dang. I was really out of it from the strike to my cheek.
The woman looked down at me. “Hi, Raven. Do you remember me? We met a few times when you were younger.”
“Yes.” She wasn’t technically a doctor, but she did her best, and I knew there was a story there. Stone probably knew all about her. He knew everyone’s tale of woe. “Your name is Lydia, right? Lydia.”
She took my hand in hers. “That’s right. Here, let me help you sit up. I want to get a good look at you. Where have you been? Never mind. Don’t tell me right this second.”
Super Soldiers carried in Cambree, who was out cold. They dumped her unceremoniously onto a med table. Lydia touched my arm and left me for a moment to run over to Cambree. “What did you do?” She shouted at the man, but he left without a backward glance. I hated this place. It really wasn’t a strong enough word. When had I gotten used to this kind of crap?
“Well,” Lydia said, but I didn’t think it was really to me. “He didn’t say I couldn’t put you in the med machine.” She felt all over her body, pulling things out of her pockets. “This can’t go in with you. Oh.” She saw the silencer that let us talk without being heard, and she put it in her own pocket. “Come on, Cambree. I’m going to make you okay.”
She pressed a button to lower the machine and then gently rolled Cambree into it. With smooth moves, she programmed it and then hit a button which made the machine buzz and whir.
Without another word, she grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and came over to me, placing it on my cheek. The cold hurt more than it helped, so I tried to push it away, but she held onto it, keeping the pack in place.
“How badly do you hurt?” She sighed. “I’d put you in, too, if I could.” As I watched, she lifted the device that made us silent to the enhanced in the area. “I know you have no reason to believe me, but Cambree is a good person. She really is.”
I didn’t actually doubt it. She just grabbed me when I’d been struck. She was in an impossible situation, but I let Lydia talk. My cheek hurt, so I didn’t want to waste words.
“But she’s brought you back here, and we only have seconds. Here is what I’m going to do. Number one, I am going to tell them that you have a bad flu and can’t see clients for a while. It’ll let me keep you in here, safe. It is the smallest thing, but I can do that much. I also want to tell you Stone and Amias are alive.” When I jerked up, she held my arm and continued. “I’ve hidden them in cryo. Clarke has so many people in there, he doesn’t even know who he has anymore. I don’t have them labeled as Stone and Amias, they’re under B12 and B13. I still have to heal them. They’re just both in there as they were, almost dead, like when they got to me.”
My pounding head increased but for other reasons. “What? Why did you do that? Are you…setting me up to make me complicit? What are you…?”
She shook her head. “No. Just the opposite. I’m sick of him winning. I could have saved Stone, and Amias would never have lost him and gone to kill anyone. I wanted to tell you, but then you were gone. I need you to know now. Whatever happens, I’ll keep them hidden. I’ll keep them safe, and if there is ever a time I can bring them back, I will. I promise you that.”
I threw my arms around her and then groaned. Ouch. That really hurt. I did need the ice. “Thank you.”
She put the device back in her pocket then placed her finger over her mouth to indicate I needed to be quiet. That was fine. I had plenty of things to think about, lots to contemplate. My brother and Amias were alive, sort of. They were still in bad shape, but they could be saved if we were lucky. Could we be? I lost everything when I lost the guys, but at least I still had something. I found the impossible, that which had permanently left.
I wiped at my tears. There were small, beautiful moments even in this mess. Whatever happened from then on, I had to believe that someday, they’d be okay.
A Super Soldier ran into the med bay. “Why can’t we hear in here?”
Lydia blinked. “I have no idea. Do you want me to look at you? See if you’re okay? Check your ears?”
He stared at her. “No. Two of us couldn’t hear. Something…”
She shrugged. “Let me know if you want an examination, but for now, I have a patient. She might have the flu. Get out.”
How did they keep her there? She was inked like the rest of us. Surely, if someone as brilliant as her couldn’t get out, there would be no escape for me. I wanted to ask her but not with various Super Soldiers listening. We probably couldn’t push the button again so fast.
Instead, I held the ice on my face and tried to think about my brother and Amias. The guys would be so happy to hear Amias was okay. Maybe he’d come home to them someday. Maybe he’d just walk into their bar and tell them hello. They could explain to him that I’d been taken and…
I closed my eyes. In that scenario, I wasn’t home with them. Why couldn’t my daydreams at least be happy? Lydia rushed around the med bay, and I watched her, remembering suddenly that Stone mentioned she was ten years older than me. Dark haired with brown eyes and high cheekbones, I thought her lovely, although she nervously gnawed her bottom lip a lot.
I owed her. If I lived through the next months, I’d try to find a way to thank her.
18
JUST TRYING TO SURVIVE
Eventually, Cambree came out of the med machine. She didn’t have anywhere to be, either—Clarke could send her out on any number of miserable missions any time, but the three of us—Cambree, Lydia, and myself—were all together in the medical facility. We couldn’t say much because we couldn’t afford to have them discover the device that made them unable to hear us. Which meant we made pleasant small talk, and my anxiety ramped with each and every fake sentence.
