Chapter Eight
“Are you okay?”
Elizabeth exhaled slowly and tried to school her features. Sawyer’s slack body was being dragged away, and she wanted to rush after him.
Don’t. Stay in control.
“Uh, Dr. Parker? I…I’m Cecelia Gregory. I’m the psychiatrist here at the facility. I was told you were coming here—only I certainly didn’t expect to meet you under these circumstances.”
Elizabeth turned and found Cecelia Gregory staring at her with a wide, nervous stare. She knew Cecelia was the shrink who was supposed to be monitoring all of the Lazarus subjects. Sawyer had been in the room with Cecelia before he’d come rushing out into the hallway, his body tight with tension.
What happened in that room?
Elizabeth nodded to the other woman. “I’m fine. Thank you.”
Cecelia looked down at the weapon she still held in her hand. “Landon told me to keep this, just in case. I always feared the moment when I’d have to use it—” She turned and went back into her office, and Elizabeth followed her. Cecelia put the weapon on her desk. “Just a tranq.” Cecelia’s shoulders were stiff. “I was assured all weapons in the facility were only loaded with tranqs. Subjects aren’t to be killed, just contained.”
Elizabeth’s stare swept over the office. There was no missing the video camera and its little green light. Always watching. Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder. The unconscious guards were being moved—a new team had swept into the area as soon as Sawyer went down. She had no doubt that Landon would be rushing to intercept her at any moment. So she’d better ask her questions, fast. “Has, um, has One ever exhibited aggression like this before? Has he attacked the guards?” Please say no, please—
“I think they’re all becoming a bit more…aggressive.” Cecelia exhaled as she faced Elizabeth. Cecelia propped her hip against the side of her desk. “It’s only to be expected, really, given the way we treat them here. We can’t tell them that they’re free men, but treat them like prisoners. We can’t keep them in cages and send them out just to hunt and expect them to be perfectly behaved when they return. We can’t give them numbers and strip them of their identities and expect—” She broke off, clamping her lips together. “Sorry. I—it’s been a rough morning.”
Elizabeth sidled closer to her. The shrink didn’t like what was happening at Lazarus, that was obvious. Good. Maybe the woman could be an ally. Elizabeth made sure to position her body between Cecelia and the video camera. She made her voice as quiet as possible as she asked, “How much do you know about Lazarus?”
A furrow appeared between Cecelia’s brows. “What?”
“I—”
“Elizabeth!” Landon’s voice boomed from the doorway, making her jerk in surprise. “Dear God, I saw the security feed!”
Why couldn’t the guy have waited a few more moments before appearing? She schooled her features and glanced his way. “I’m okay.”
Landon rushed into the room. He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her toward him. “I thought he was going to attack you!” His cheeks were stained red. “It was just like before! I knew it could be dangerous if you were put in his path—”
Cecelia cleared her throat. “Um, excuse me? Does anyone want to tell me exactly what’s happening here? Before? Before what? I thought Dr. Parker was new—”
Landon’s gaze flew to the video camera. His lips clamped together. In an instant, he yanked his hands away from Elizabeth and straightened to his full height. “Dr. Gregory.” He glowered at the shrink. “You were supposed to report any aggressive instances immediately. Your sole job here is to monitor the test subjects. For us to have an incident right after a subject left your office for a session…that’s inexcusable.”
Cecelia jumped away from her desk. “Hold up. You’re blaming this on me? Me? I’m operating in the dark here! You and the other jerk in charge have barely given me enough information to work with my patients. I keep telling you that they need to be given normal rooms, not cells. That they should have access to the outside world, and not just on their missions! They are all like ticking time bombs because of this unnatural lifestyle.”
“Subject One was a bomb who exploded today.” Landon was grim. “This cannot happen again. If it happens again…” His gaze darted to the camera, then back to Elizabeth. “We certainly don’t want to have to end this research project.”
End it? Was he saying—was the guy threatening to kill the test subjects?
Landon pointed his index finger at Cecelia. “I want a full report on my desk immediately—and be ready to come in and brief Wright via teleconference within the hour. You know after this situation, he will want to talk directly with you. We can’t afford these mistakes, not if we want this facility to succeed.” His hand dropped. Once more, he looked back at Elizabeth. “You’re…you’re sure he didn’t hurt you?”
“I’m fine.”
Landon leaned in close to her. “See, Elizabeth, it’s just like I told you. He’s nothing but a weapon now. Aim and fire. The man you knew is gone.”
She flinched.
Landon backed away. “I need to go and check in on One. Subject One and the guards who were taken out.” He marched out of the office, his lab coat flapping behind him.
Elizabeth pulled out her phone. No service, of course, not in this place, but she didn’t really want service. She typed out a quick text, and then, instead of trying to send it, she just lifted her phone toward Cecelia. She didn’t know how sensitive the audio surveillance might be in that room, so she figured she’d better play things safe.
Is there a place we can go and not be watched?
Cecelia’s head inclined in the briefest of nods. Without saying a word, Cecelia hurried from the office, and Elizabeth followed right on the psychiatrist’s heels.
***
“That didn’t last long.”
Sawyer opened his eyes and found the asshat, Dr. Landon Meyer, glowering at him.
Landon’s brows were pulled low over his eyes. The glasses were slightly tilted on his nose. “The tranq isn’t keeping you under for as long now. Not as long as it should be keeping you sedated.”
Sawyer lunged up toward him—only to be jerked back by the chains around his wrists.
No…not chains. Handcuffs are around my wrists. But those cuffs are connected to the wall by a chain. Fuck. He was back in his cell, and he’d been secured. That was the term the bastards at the facility used whenever anyone got out of line. The subjects were put back in their cells and locked down with the cuffs.
“Definite high aggression,” Landon muttered. His gaze raked over Sawyer. “I hope this is just a fluke, One.”
I have a name.
“You took out quite a few guards today. You attacked men who are here just to keep you and the others safe.” He opened the black bag at his feet and pulled out a stethoscope. “How can we possibly trust you to keep leading missions, if you are attacking those on your own side?”
They aren’t on my side. “Tired of being a prisoner.” Each word was guttural. “You said I was a fucking volunteer…then why am I caged?” He jerked up his hands, and the handcuffs gleamed under the light. “Why am I in these?”
“For your protection.” Landon’s hold on the stethoscope tightened. “And for the protection of the employees who work in this facility. Do you even remember how out of control you were before Dr. Gregory administered the tranq? I mean, you were terrifying Elizabeth Parker. She’s new here, and she certainly never expected to face your fury—”
“I didn’t attack Elizabeth.”
Landon blinked.
“I would never hurt her.”
Landon’s lips twisted, as if he’d just been told some joke. “Really? Are you quite sure about that?”
What in the hell?
Then Landon’s body straightened. “Sit back on the bed. I need to perform an exam on you—check your heart rate, get a blood sample, find out why you’re responding so differently now to the tranq—”
“Good luck with that shit,” Sawyer cut in. “I’m not in the mood to be poked or prodded.”
A guard stood just behind Landon. A guard who already had his weapon pointed right at Sawyer. Sawyer gave the guy a go-to-hell grin. “You gonna shoot? I bet you won’t.” He turned his grin on Landon. “If I’m unconscious, those test results just won’t be the same, will they? The tranq will slow down my heart rate, it’ll—”
“I don’t want you unconscious.” Frustration boiled in Landon’s voice. “I’m on your side. We are all working together here at the Lazarus facility.”
He didn’t buy that shit, and Sawyer decided to push the guy. “Really? If we’re all on the same team, then get Dr. Parker in here to perform my exam.”
Landon’s eyes widened. “The woman you just attacked?”
I didn’t attack her!
“You actually think she wants to be anywhere near you now?”
Sawyer’s muscles tensed. “I won’t hurt her. And you can keep a guard with us every second.” That guy with the gun didn’t have to leave. “Dr. Parker can exam me, and I can make sure she understands that she was never in any danger from me.”
“No danger…” Landon laughed. “If you’re not dangerous, then what about those guards you shot? Want to tell me why you went so wild?”
Because I wanted my name.
“No? No answer? See, that’s part of the problem, One. I feel like you’re holding back on me. I feel like all of the subjects have been holding back, and that just can’t happen.” He squared his shoulders. “As far as Dr. Parker is concerned, you don’t give the orders. You don’t get to dictate to me and say that she has to be brought to you. That isn’t the way things work here. You might lead in the field, but inside the Lazarus walls,” he stepped closer to Sawyer. “I’m in charge.”
A dull ache pounded inside Sawyer’s head. Rage ate at him, the dark fury that seemed to be growing stronger lately, but he didn’t let the emotion show. He kept his control in place. Sawyer’s gaze swept over Landon. Even with the cuffs binding him, Sawyer could knock that guy out in two seconds flat. The fool had gotten too close to Sawyer. It would be so easy to take him down.
But I can’t reach the guard. He’s too far away. He’ll shoot me, and I’ll be out until the tranq pushes from my system again. He was so tired of this shit. There had to be a way to end the nightmare. To get answers.
Elizabeth. Elizabeth is my key.
Landon smirked at him. “Ready for your exam?”
Are you ready for an ass kicking?
No, dammit, wrong response. He had to play this scene right. He had to think, and he had to plan. Sawyer lifted his bound hands. “Go the fuck ahead.” For now. But your time is coming, Landon. Sooner than you think.
***
Cold air filled the women’s locker room. Cecelia glanced around, her body tense, as if she were double-checking to be certain that she and Elizabeth were truly alone in that area.
They were.
“No cameras,” Cecelia said quietly. “Can’t be, you know. Since women are changing in here. It’s um, a workout space that Wright put in for us. I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to fully explore the facility yet, but the exercise area is—”
“I don’t care about that,” Elizabeth cut in. She didn’t give a damn about the Lazarus exercise program. “Tell me about Subject One. What happened to him in your office? Why did he go tearing out like that?”
Cecelia hesitated. “How do I know I can trust you?”
You can’t.
“I mean, all I know is that your name is Dr. Elizabeth Parker, and you were handpicked by Wright, just as I was.” She gave a bitter laugh. “Let me guess, he gave you an offer you couldn’t pass up, right?”
“Right.” No way would she have walked away from the chance to get in that facility.
“His offers sound good on the surface.” Cecelia’s lashes swept down to cover her gaze. “Then you realize that you’re in deep, and there is no going back.”
Elizabeth shifted her stance. “You want to help the test subjects.” Elizabeth sure hoped she was reading the other woman correctly.
Cecelia nodded. “They’re all here voluntarily, I get that, but surely they should be treated better—”
Don’t be too sure about them being here voluntarily.
“The confinement, the missions, the solitary life that has been created for them—it isn’t healthy. I keep being told to monitor them for aggressive behavior, and I am seeing more and more of that aggression. They need outlets. They need relief before the situation gets out of control.”
Elizabeth was pretty sure things were already at the out-of-control point. “How long have you been monitoring the subjects?”
“Two months. And they’ve become tenser during that time. A few of them…during our sessions…” Her hand rose to the base of her throat. “They’ve started to make me uncomfortable.”
That wasn’t good. “What do you mean?”
Cecelia held her gaze. “It’s in the way they look at me. Too focused. Too intense. And I…I feel like they may be lying to me when I question them.”
Elizabeth’s stomach was in knots. “If this is happening, why in the hell are they even sent out on missions? That doesn’t make sense to me! Why send them—”
“They’re suicide missions.”
Those knots in her stomach got worse.
Cecelia gave a rough laugh. “Surely you realize that? The men here are the ones who volunteered to handle the worst of the worst. They are given the missions that have a low hope of survival. That’s why the men here are the only ones who can handle those cases. Because they are the ones who agreed their lives were expendable.”
They never made that agreement. Their lives ended. She forced out a slow breath. “If the men don’t want to stay here, why do they come back from the missions? Why not run—”
“Because they are monitored. Every single step of the way. A tracker is put on their ankles, one that only Landon can remove. He keeps a lock on their locations for the entire time they are gone, and then the crew is picked up once their mission is complete.”
Another piece of the puzzle slid into place. She’d wondered exactly what Landon had meant before and now she knew.
“The men are enhanced,” Cecelia continued flatly. “And I guess…maybe giving up their freedom was the price they paid for increased strength and speed. For a healing ability that blows my mind. But I don’t like this situation. I don’t like it at all.”
Join the club. “Tell me about what happened today with Subject One.” She needed to know what had sent Sawyer running from Cecelia’s office.
But the shrink shook her head. “I’ve already said too much. I know the nature of this job means I can’t give those patients the confidentiality they deserve, that I have to share my analysis with Landon, but I don’t know you—I don’t know whose side you are on here.”
Sawyer’s side, dammit!
“Maybe you’re just like Wright. After the bottom line. I can’t be like that. I need to try and help these men. This experiment—it changed their lives. No, it obliterated their lives. They were like robots when I first met them. Following the commands they were given, no emotions impacting them, but…that’s changing.”
“Changing how?”
“They lost their memories. The personal memories that made them into the men they were. They woke as blank slates, and I think that is the way Wright thought they would stay.”
Excitement had her pushing up onto the balls of her feet. “They’re not staying blank. That’s what you’re saying? They’re remembering their old lives?”
Cecelia’s lips pressed together.
“Don’t stop now!” Elizabeth was practically begging. “I want to help them, I swear, I do. I want to make a difference with these men. I am not the enemy. I truly want to make things right!”
And she’d just misspoke. Elizabeth could tell that Cecelia had caught what she’d said because the woman’s eyes narrowed to slits.
“Want to make things right?” Cecelia repeated as she backed up a step. “That would mean…just what did you do wrong?”
Elizabeth didn’t reply.
Cecelia’s expression shut down. “I have another appointment waiting.”
Dammit. “Dr. Gregory—”
“I think we’ve both said enough for the time being.” Cecelia turned on her heel and began to walk away.
“No, we haven’t,” Elizabeth called out. Cecelia kept walking. “I didn’t say thank you!”
Cecelia stilled.
“You thought Saw—you thought Subject One was going to hurt me, so you stopped him. You were trying to save me, and I won’t forget that.” Cecelia had helped her. And Cecelia legitimately seemed interested in helping the subjects at the facility.
Now Cecelia glanced back at her. Her brows had risen. “You weren’t afraid.”
Elizabeth wasn’t sure what the woman meant. She’d pretty much been living in a state of fear ever since this nightmare began. A nightmare I helped to create.
“When Subject One had you in that hallway, you didn’t try to run from him or fight him.” Cecelia spoke consideringly now. “Why? Running would have been a natural response. So would fighting. And you didn’t freeze. I saw you. You were staying at his side willingly.”
The psychiatrist apparently saw far too much. Elizabeth would have to be more careful. She lifted her chin as she strode toward the other woman. “Everyone responds to fear differently. Surely you, of all people, realize that.” She brushed past Cecelia. It was definitely time for this little chat to end. The shrink was too insightful with her observations.
But Cecelia’s hand flew out and curved around Elizabeth’s arm. “You’re not afraid of One.”
She remembered the thunder of a gunfire. The sight of a lab littered with the dead. “Trust me, I am. But fear can’t stop us, can it?”
Cecelia let her go. Elizabeth kept her spine straight and her steps slow as she headed for the exit. Elizabeth’s fingers had just closed around the door handle when she heard the shrink’s soft voice say, “It’s okay…I’m afraid of them, too.”