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DOCTOR CAMPBELL PAUSED before exiting the Citadel for the evening, her hand poised over the security keypad. She ran through her mental checklist one last time. She knew Sterne would like nothing better than to replace her with his own hand-picked physician. She doubted he was capable of finding one as efficient as she was.
And she wouldn’t put it past the fawning Ethan to pull some stunt to make her appear vulnerable.
Idiots. The Givers need my expertise.
She jabbed an angry finger at the keypad. The door opened, and she raised her umbrella as protection against the rain.
The power outages painted the surrounding area with an odd patchwork palette—lights were visible in some buildings, while others were cloaked in darkness. The doctor shivered, clamping down on her over-active imagination.
The early-evening commute would be more sparse than usual, she predicted. The storm would urge the average Citizen to think twice about venturing out. The power outages added another depressing layer to the general sense of malaise in the Enclave after the terrorist bombings.
No thanks to the Infomedia. She pursed her lips in silent disapproval. Their fear-mongering may have helped with the Initiative, but they don’t know when to quit.
The doctor shivered as she crossed the lawn to the above-ground parking lot. The cold wind was partially responsible, but it was the Enclave’s haphazard blackout which she found the most disconcerting.
She put it out of her mind as she fumbled with her keys. She managed to open the door and ducked inside, muttering curses as she wrestled with her dripping umbrella.
The surviving Council members were already arriving for their precious meeting. She’d made use of a different staircase for her exit, having no desire to see their sanctimonious faces.
If you’ve met one Councilor, you’ve met them all.
She glanced up at the featureless Citadel as the engine roared to life. The floor-to-ceiling windows of the conference room were ablaze with welcoming light, in stark contrast to the darkened levels below.
She threw her vehicle into gear, scorning them all in her thoughts. Gouts of water fountained from her tires as she sped out of the parking lot.
If she spied the lurking invaders in her rear-view mirror, she never spoke of it.