“No!” I rush to the bed and clutch Jeremiah’s hand. The boy I grew up with is pale and his fingers are limp within mine. I rub his arm in one of the only spots that isn’t bandaged or injured. “Jeremiah?”
“He won’t wake,” Charlie says. “It’s better to keep him sedated for the first part of the healing process.”
“Why was he in the woods? What is he doing here?”
“We don’t know. You knocked him out when you attacked him. Frankly, he’s lucky to be alive. David said you might have killed him if he and Korwin hadn’t intercepted and sedated you.”
Tears spill over my bottom lids. “I’m so sorry. How could I?” I sob and can’t catch my breath. “How could I do something like this?”
Charlie sighs. “It’s like I’ve been telling you, Lydia, the side effects of the Nanomem are altering your reality. When the wolf takes over, your mind can’t process the world as you normally would. It’s clear to me that you didn’t know you were attacking Jeremiah last night. Not only did you hurt someone you obviously care about, you ripped your feet apart in the process and risked exposing us to the flasher drones. Those aren’t things you would do in your right mind.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” I mumble.
“The reason I brought you in here is not to make you feel guilty about what you’ve done, but to make you see how dangerous your condition can be. To warn you.”
“Is he going to be all right?”
“I don’t think there’s any permanent damage. His bones will need to heal. It will take longer than yours. A week or two on bed rest. Six to eight weeks before we take the casts off and can let him go home.”
“What should I do? How do I stop this from happening again?”
“To be blunt, you’re a ticking time bomb. It’s not only the loss of your power. Your brain’s reaction to the Nanomem is getting more frequent and severe as the scar tissue spreads. My feeling is that if it continues unchecked, one day the wolf will take over completely and the person we know as Lydia Troyer will be no more.”
“There must be a way to fix me. I’ll try anything.”
“It might be possible for me to create an injection, similar to the serum I take every day, to turn those white spots red. I’ll need time. This is theoretical science.”
“What do I do until then?”
“We have to tell the others what’s going on. The people around you need to know the risks. Imagine if you would have sparked out last night? Jeremiah might be ash rather than injured. After pulling you off him, David and Korwin suspect the problem is worse than sleepwalking. It’s time they knew the truth.”
I nod. “Fine. We tell them.”
“One more precaution. Until we figure this out, I don’t think you should be unattended. We can lock you in your room if you need to be alone. You’ll stay safe and so will the others.”
Looking at Jeremiah, hardly recognizable under the bandages and swelling, it’s hard to argue with his logic. The thought of being locked up like an animal bothers me, but I can’t risk doing this to anyone else. What if I’d attacked Korwin in his sleep? “Okay. Is that it?”
“Rest and relaxation are the name of the game. Do not push yourself. Try not to use your power. No missions. No hard-core training with Simi.”
I lean my head back and moan toward the ceiling.
“I mean it, Lydia. You’ve got to trust me on this one. The scar tissue doesn’t just impede the flow of electricity out of your body, it also works the other way. Too much scarring and you won’t be able to recharge. When I say you could lose your spark, I mean it. Another incident like last night, and you might do damage no serum can ever fix.”
“No stress on Lydia until I can get this under control,” Charlie tells the council. “No missions. No hard-core training.”
Mirabella Grant scowls. “This couldn’t come at a worse time. We need her in the field.”
“While I can appreciate your frustration, she’ll be no good to you if you burn her out,” Charlie says.
Ever his wife’s perpetual cheerleader, Warden Grant shakes his head and says, “Show them the clip, David.”
David types on the console and a news clip displays in a hologram at the center of the table. Alexandra Brighten, dressed all in black, looks into the camera. “We are grieved to report that the rumors Chancellor Pierce was brutally murdered last night have been confirmed. Pierce, who died of multiple stab wounds to the back, was found alone in his home. No fingerprints or DNA were detectible on the weapons or the body, but it is widely assumed the attack was an act of terrorism. Pierce’s daughter, Trinity, is missing and authorities worry that her abduction will result in further threats and coercion from the rebellion.”
“Was it us?” Korwin asks as Brighten continues her babble.
“No,” Laura says firmly. “We had nothing to do with this. Our best guess is it was an inside job. Unfortunately, our informants are as clueless as we are.”
“Sources at the Capitol say that provincial leaders are convening to elect a new chancellor, a position needed more than ever after this unprecedented terrorist attack by the Liberty Party. In the interim, Vice Chancellor Elias Fitzgerald has taken the reins to ensure a seamless transition.”
“Whoever it was took Trinity,” I say worriedly.
“If not us, who could be responsible for the murder and abduction?” Korwin asks.
“Konrad,” I say absently, puzzling it out in my head. “Pierce fired him. It could be an act of revenge.”
Jonas shakes his head. “Konrad hasn’t been allowed near Pierce in weeks. None of our informants have seen him since the explosion. It’s a matter of motivation. Konrad wants to keep his nose clean and earn his way back into the fold.”
Mirabella clears her throat. “Follow the power, dear girl. Who benefited most from Pierce’s death?”
I shrug.
“Elias Fitzgerald,” Jonas chimes in. He taps the monitor and a hologram of the torso of the heavyset, balding man I’d shaken hands with at the Ambassador’s Club hovers over the table. “Elias isn’t simply vice chancellor. He’s the chief executive of New Generation Ag and was a contender for Pierce’s position when the Republic became a military dictatorship. Rumor has it, he was disappointed when he was passed over and Pierce was selected. The senators feared Elias would be too heavy-handed, but with the violence they’ve endured, the Greens may elect him out of desperation, and that would have far-reaching consequences.”
“Farther reaching than Pierce’s election?”
Warden leans back in his chair and presses the tips of his fingers together in front of his light blue sweater. “Elias is an absolutely brutal, soulless man. Pierce was a puppy compared to Elias. Pierce was content to leave well enough alone. All these months, he’s never pursued us, not in the way he could have. Now, with the bombing and Pierce’s murder, the Liberty Party is being painted as public enemy number one. With Elias in command, the Greens will retaliate. It’s just a matter of when.”
Laura straightens in her seat. “The Liberty Party has the largest and most organized rebellion in its history but we are drastically outnumbered. A direct attack on our headquarters could be catastrophic.”
“Our only hope is that Elias’s interim leadership ends quickly and they elect Dorian Brandish instead,” Jonas says. The hologram changes and a decrepit man, terribly thin, with knotted hands and a hunched back, hovers over the table. “But at ninety-three, it is unlikely he’d be suggested for anything but replacement.”
“We should try to find Trinity,” I say. “If she’s still alive, she’ll know who is behind this. By redirecting the Greens toward the real culprit, we might be able to avoid direct conflict.”
“If it was Elias who murdered Pierce, I’m not sure we have a prayer of finding Trinity,” David says. “He’ll want to frame us for the murder and abduction. His permanent election depends on the Green Republic believing they are under attack by the Liberty Party. She could be anywhere. But you’re right about one thing. If we could find her, we could stop Elias from gaining more power.”
“So where do we start?” I say.
Charlie slaps the table, surprising a small jump out of me. “Do you remember how this conversation started, Lydia? You can’t help with this. You need to stay here and rest.”
“But—”
Korwin silences me with a knee knock under the table. “She’ll stay, and I’ll stay here with her.”
Jonas groans and grabs his head. “Why don’t we all stay here and care for Lydia. We can toast marshmallows and wish on the first star of the evening that this all goes away.”
“You need to take this seriously, Jonas.” Charlie points at me. “She could lose her power. She could lose her mind.”
Korwin shakes his head. “She stays and I stay. What happened last night was a tragedy. Lydia shouldn’t be alone. She needs support right now while Charlie works on a stabilizing agent.”
“Surely a nurse can spend time with her,” Mirabella says. “Charlie will be here caring for his other patients if there’s an emergency.”
“No. I’m staying with my fiancée. We go together or we don’t go at all,” Korwin says.
My heart quivers at his words. Is he sacrificing himself for me? Does he want to go on the mission? He knows Trinity and would be an asset to the team. Am I holding him back and possibly costing Trinity her life?
Mirabella and Warden frown at me.
David gives Jonas a dismissive look. “It’s probably better we travel light on this one, anyway. Laura and I will investigate the crime scene. I don’t believe for a second the Green detectives found no DNA or protein markers. They could be covering for Elias. Laura and I will sneak into the place and collect our own samples. No confrontation.”
“You’ll have to go quickly. Every minute is opportunity for someone to pollute the crime scene,” Jonas says.
“I’m in,” Laura says, glancing at me. “With just David and me, we’ll be in and out in no time.”
Jonas’s eyes dart to Mirabella, who arches an approving eyebrow.
“Agreed,” Jonas says. He slides a folder across the table to David. “Go. Be careful.”
The room clears, and I stand up to follow the others, but Korwin’s hand shoots out and grips my wrist. His eyes are dark and his mouth pulls into a straight line. “You’ve got some explaining to do.”