“What do you propose?”
The detective looked at him coolly. “Termination.”
Apparently listening more attentively than George realized, Leland swiveled around in his chair and stood. “The children are not rats to dispose of when one bites you.”
Angela ignored the tech and addressed the doctor. “They are bred for scientific research, born from genetically modified eggs and sperm in test tubes. She has proven herself a threat and is thereby dangerous.”
“There has not been a termination for over thirty years, and that was only under extreme circumstances. Ellyssa is the first of her type. It would prove detrimental to my work if she were to be terminated.”
“Have you thought of what could happen with her being free in the population?”
“I assure you she will not hurt any citizens.”
“You don’t know where her capacity for violence stops. You failed to recognize her ability to attack me.”
“Self-preservation.” He shrugged. “She must have seen you as a threat.”
“Nonsense. I offered to escort her home.”
“That is what you said verbally. Maybe you had other plans. Things she saw as threatening?”
“No,” she answered, stiffly.
The doctor studied the young detective. Her chin jutted out slightly, and her hands rested on her hips. Although Angela’s attributes would supersede those of many living outside The Center’s walls, her imperfections, especially the emotions, were all too noticeable to him.
“It is too bad your genetic deficiencies have rendered the training The Center has to offer pointless. That is something I will need to rectify,” Dr. Hirch pondered, his eyes settling to a point above Angela’s head. After a moment, he focused back on the detective. “Petty emotions like pride would not interfere with your judgment.”
Angela flinched as if he had slapped her. “Pride?” she said, through clenched teeth. “This has nothing to do with pride.”
“She challenged your authority. You are not accustomed to that.”
“Because of your reassurance, I was not expecting the attack. No fault of my own.”
“Detective Petersen,” he said, “you are exceptionally skilled at your job, but you have to realize that Ellyssa is a special situation. Besides her brilliant skill, her intelligence surpasses even mine, and her prowess is beyond the Renegades your job usually entails. A challenge for you. I will release her profile to you. Study it.”
“You’re making a mistake,” she said.
George moved closer to Leland. “Regardless of your opinion, Ellyssa will be brought home safely. She is…needed,” he said, while staring at a recognizable face hovering on the monitor.
The hair was different. Instead of long and flowing, like colorless ribbon, it was shorter, feathered along the sides of her pale skin, and slightly offset to the side. Her eyes were off, murky sea-colored rather than pure azure. Peering closer, he noticed the alterations she’d made to the photo. She must have been in a hurry, because the lines didn’t quite match. Good enough to pass inspection by ordinary citizens, though.
Even with the short hair, he would recognize the face of his daughter anywhere. Large eyes, which seemed defiant, as if taunting him, framed with long, dark lashes, shelved over a straight nose and angular cheekbones, stared back at him. Next to the picture, written in black, read the name, Vada Owen.
“Besides, there she is.”
“Very nice, Ellyssa. Now, can you tell me what is on this card?”
As soon as Ellyssa closed her eyes, she reached into the head of the research assistant, Mrs. Tucker, plucking from it an image of the mountains with white, icy caps stretching across the limited borders of the rectangular card. She opened her lids and gazed at the assistant. Mrs. Tucker’s face looked excited, and expectation wavered within the depths of her imperfect blue eyes.
“The Rocky Mountains,” she answered.
Mrs. Tucker nodded, looking pleased, and Ellyssa smiled.
Then, Ellyssa’s father, Dr. Hirch, stepped up and slapped her. The unexpected impact whipped her head to the side, and she brought her chubby hand up, covering the place where he had hit her. The coolness of her palm did nothing to stop the growing heat, and the taste of blood flooded her mouth. She blinked back the tears that threatened to spill over, and hardened her face into expressionless stone.
“Remember, Ellyssa, certain emotions only bring pain and, possibly, death. They cloud the judgment and will render you useless when you need your wits about you,” he said. His expression was passive, but anger flickered in his eyes.
She nodded while he towered over her three-year-old body.
“We are done for the day. Go to your room.”
She obeyed.
Ellyssa heard people walking, their steps short and hurried, long before she opened her eyes. She heard snippets of conversations in her half-awake dreams; people with unknown faces flickered in and out of her mind, saying strange things like “dangerous female” and “security breach”.
It took a moment, but the meaning sank in and the haziness of disjointed images evaporated. Fully awake, Ellyssa jolted off the berth, her feet landing with a light thud.
She grabbed her bag and went to the door, pressing her ear against the thin paneling. Another person rushed down the corridor. Opening her mind, an image of her floated within a male’s thoughts. He was looking at a picture. The image was of poor quality, the colors blended together, but the words printed below gave an accurate description of her. She closed the link as the murmuring thoughts of all the passengers barged in and swept away the image she’d just held.
Her father had taken the next step—one that he must be infuriated about. He’d contacted outsiders to help detain her.
Uncertain of the time, she crossed the compartment and looked out the window. The sun was out of her range of sight but, judging from the brightness, she determined late afternoon. A rolling landscape and a forest of densely packed trees zipped by. So unlike the flatness of Central Illinois.
Missouri.
Her eyes lingered on the lavish greenery before her—ash, oak, hickory, and pine. Intertwining branches reached toward the heavens. Directly next to the tracks were blackened rocks. She regarded the dangerous streaks of black skeptically. When she jumped, she’d have to make sure to clear the patch.
She calculated the possibilities and settled on a crouched roll at impact.
At the door again, she waited with her hand on the lever and listened for any other urgent activity. Not including the muffled musings of people in the adjoining compartments, the car remained quiet. She slid the door open and stepped into the hall. A worn red carpet spread the length of the car from one doorway to the next. Both ways remained empty.
She searched for the male who had been holding her picture. Through the windows of the adjoining cars, she saw him talking to another attendant. She moved to her right, and then froze at the sound of hydraulics moving, the fine hairs on her neck twitching.
Without turning around, Ellyssa let her barrier drop briefly and grazed the thoughts of an older male who was thinking of a pretty female…his daughter holding a baby. Air whooshing from her lungs, she turned and looked as an older man with thinning hair stepped into the car. He gave Ellyssa a quick grin before he entered his compartment.
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