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To one side, Yuri sat in a chair. He had pulled Sasha from the brink of death, proving his skill. He seemed as relieved as Kat at the girl's recovery.
Satisfied and exhausted, he sat slumped in his seat, chin on his chest, lightly drowsing.
Kat turned and nodded to the guard. He had already unlocked the door and swung it open for her. She crossed into the room. McBride still sat in the same chair.
He had only moved to make a few phone calls and to use the restroom, always under guard.
On the other side of the bed from Yuri, Lisa and Malcolm stood, both with charts in hand. They compared notes and numbers, as cryptic as any code.
Lisa smiled at her as she joined them. Her recovery is remarkable. I could spend years just studying the treatment regimen.
But it's only a stopgap, Kat said and nodded to Yuri. Not a cure.
Lisa's expression sobered and turned back to the girl. That's true.
Yuri had related the long-term prognosis for Sasha. Her augment shortened her life span. Like a flame set to a candle, it would burn through her, wear her away to nothing. The greater the talent, the hotter the flame.
Kat had asked how long Yuri expected the child to live. The answer had turned her cold. With her level of talent, another four or five years at best.
Kat had balked at such a pronouncement.
Contrarily, McBride had seemed relieved, expressing his assurances that American ingenuity could surely double that life span, which still meant Sasha would not reach her twentieth birthday.
Lisa continued, The only hope for her is to remove the implant. She would lose her ability, but she'd also survive.
McBride spoke up behind them. She might survive, but in what state? The augment, besides heightening her savant talent, also minimizes the symptoms of her autism. Take the augment away, and you'll be left with a child disco
That's better than being in the grave, Kat said.
Is it? McBride challenged her. Who are you to judge? With the augment, she has a full life, as short as that might be. Many children are born doomed from the start, given life sentences by medical conditions. Leukemia, AIDS, birth defects. Shouldn't we seek to give them the best quality of life, rather than quantity?
Kat scowled. You only want to use her.
Since when is mutual benefit such a bad thing?
Kat turned her back on him, frustrated with his arguments and justifications. It was monstrous. How could he rationalize any of this? Especially with the life of a child in the balance.
Sasha continued to work in her coloring book. She drew with a dark green crayon.
Her hand moved rapidly across the page, filling in one spot, then another, totally at random.
Should she be coloring? Kat asked.
Yuri stirred, roused by their talking. Some release is good after such an episode, he mumbled, clearing his throat. Like opening a pressure valve. As long as the augment is not activated remotely, triggering her, such calm work will ease her mentally.
Well, she does seem happy, Kat admitted.
As she worked, Sasha's face was relaxed with a faint ghost of a smile. She straightened and reached a small hand to Kat. She spoke in Russian and tugged at her sleeve with her tiny fingers.
Kat glanced to Yuri.
He offered a tired grin. She said you should be happy, too.
Sasha pushed her book toward Kat, as if she wanted Kat to join her in coloring the pages. Kat sank into a seat and accepted the book. She frowned when she saw the girl had not been filling in lines but had been working on a blank page.
With amazing clarity, she had drawn a scene. A man poled a wooden raft through a dark forest with a faint suggestion of other figures seated behind him.
Kat's hands began to tremble. She saw who ma
Sasha must have sensed her distress. Her smile wilted to confusion. Her lips trembled, as though fearful she had done something wrong. She stared from Yuri to Kat. Tears glistened. She mumbled in Russian, apologetic and scared.
Yuri scooted closer and reassured her with the soft voice of a grandfather. Kat forced down her reaction for the child's sake. Still, her heart pounded. She remembered seeing Yuri stiffen when he saw the child's earlier picture. At the time, for a split second, she had thought maybe he had recognized the face on the paper, but that was impossible.
McBride climbed out of his chair and approached the bed, plainly curious.
Kat ignored him. It was none of his business. Instead, her gaze fixed on Yuri.
The man met her stare over the top of Sasha's head. Like the child, he wore an apologetic expression.
Why would
A muffled explosion rocked through the facility, echoing down from above. Alarm bells rang out. All eyes turned toward the ceiling, but Kat leaped to her feet.
She was a fraction of a second too slow.
McBride lunged out and grabbed Dr. Lisa Cummings by her blond French braid. He pulled her toward him while he backpedaled to the wall. Kat Bryant grabbed for him but missed. He slammed back into the corner, out of direct sight line from the door and the window.
His other hand pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket. He pressed a button on its side, and the top half flipped in his fingers, revealing a small barrel.
He shoved it hard against Lisa's throat, pointing it up toward her skull.
Don't move, he whispered in her ear.
Cell phone guns had become the scourge of security forces. But the device
Mapplethorpe had given him was state-of-the-art. He could even take calls on it.
It had passed through the security search and sca
Chambered in .22-caliber rounds, there was unfortunately a limit to the weapon.
I have five bullets! he shouted to the stu
A guard leveled a weapon at him, but he kept shielded behind Lisa's body.
Drop your gun! he boomed at the man.
The guard kept his position, weapon never wavering.
No one has to die! McBride said. He nodded his head upward. We only want the child. So put down your pistol!
Kat straightened from her tumbled grab. She had come close to nabbing him. He would have to watch her closely. In turn, she eyed him, studying him like a book. Still, the woman motioned for the guard to lower his weapon.
Drop it and kick it over here! McBride ordered.
With another nod from Kat, the sidearm skittered over to his toes.
McBride's mission was simple: to secure the child until Mapplethorpe and his forces arrived.
All we have to do is wait! he said. So no sudden moves, no heroes.
As the explosion rocked though the subterranean bunker, Painter instinctively turned to the wall monitor on his left. The large screen displayed a live feed from Sasha's room.
Painter shot to his feet. His heart pounded, and his vision narrowed with fury.
He brought up the sound with a blind punch to his keyboard.
No sudden moves, no heroes!
Sean rose on the other side of the desk. Gunfire echoed down to them. Painter brought up the camera feed from the top level of Sigma and displayed it on the screen behind his desk. He tore his eyes away from Lisa and checked the other monitor. Smoke filled the passageway. Helmeted figures in Kevlar vests and face masks ran low through the pall, rifles on their shoulders.
I can't believe the bastard's goddamn nerve, Sean said.
There was no need to guess who he meant.
Mapplethorpe.
They're going for the girl, Sean growled out.
A bullhorn echoed from the topmost level of Sigma. EVERYONE DOWN ON THE FLOOR!
ANY RESISTANCE WILL BE MET WITH DEADLY FORCE!