The voices drifted out of the darkness that enveloped her.
“Is she awake yet?” Dr. Blankenship asked. Anxiety and tension vibrated in his thin, reedy voice. “Jones will be searching for her by now.”
“Take it easy,” Hannah said. “Arcane has been looking for the lab for days and hasn’t come anywhere close. It’s not likely they’ll suddenly find it in the next few hours. We’ve got time.”
Sedona opened her eyes and found herself looking up at a quartz ceiling that glowed with acid-green light. That answered one question. She was back in the catacombs.
She took a deep breath and pushed herself to a sitting position on the cot. Hannah, Blankenship, and Hulk all watched her as if she were an unpredictable lab rat. She ignored them and turned her head, searching for Gwen. The girl was hunkered down in the corner as if trying to make herself so small that no one would notice her. She brightened a little when she realized that Sedona was awake.
Sedona smiled reassuringly. “Hey. You okay?”
Gwen nodded, mute.
Sedona turned back to the others. “What a bunch of dumbasses you guys are. You’re starting to feel some of the side effects of the drug, aren’t you?”
“The good news is that you’re here to fix that little problem.” Hannah walked toward her. “You’re going to unlock that gate and let Dr. Blankenship get the extra vials of serum and the crystal.”
“And if I don’t feel like opening the gate?”
“Then we won’t need you or the kid anymore, will we?” Hannah said. “We’ll send little Gwen off into the tunnels in one direction and turn you loose somewhere else.”
“You’re going to cut us loose without amber, regardless, after I open that gate,” Sedona said. “I’m not seeing a lot of incentive here. You know us gatekeepers, we’re all about the contract terms.”
“If you do as we say, there won’t be any need to kill you,” Hannah said. “Blankenship and I will disappear into the tunnels.”
Hulk jerked in alarm. “And me. I’m coming with you. That was the deal.”
“Yeah, sure, you’re coming with us,” Hannah said smoothly. She did not take her eyes off Sedona. “Goes without saying.”
Hulk did not look particularly reassured.
“You’re right about one thing,” Sedona said to Hannah. “Cyrus will come looking for me. And when he finds me, he’ll go after you and Dr. Bozo, here. Don’t worry, Hulk, I’m sure he’ll find you, too. You do know there’s a reason they call him Dead Zone Jones.”
“No talent,” Hulk said quickly. “That’s why they call him that. He’s a Guild boss with no talent.”
Sedona smiled. And said nothing.
Blankenship’s eyes burned with fury. “You have no idea who you are dealing with, Miss Snow.”
“Actually, I do,” Sedona said. “You’re the latest in a long line of idiots who believed that they could perfect the old Sylvester Jones formula. But there are side effects with your version, as well. I hear that there are always side effects.”
“I’m almost there,” Blankenship said, his thin voice rising. “The key is the crystal. I’m certain that with the properly calculated doses, the para-radiation can be used to stabilize the serum so that the side effects of the formula can be tolerated.”
“What a dork you are. I survived the formula because I’ve got some natural immunity, not because of the crystal.”
“Yes, your unusual genetics were the reason that you were selected for the study,” Blankenship assured her. “The goal was to identify the exact frequencies in your aura that allow you to survive the drug and then use the crystal radiation to stabilize the serum so that it does not affect those particular frequencies. It was necessary to give you several large doses of the drug over time in order to calibrate the crystal.”
“You think you’ve found the secret to making the formula work without side effects but you’re wrong,” Sedona said.
Blankenship glared. “I’m on the right track. I just need a little more time.”
“And the stone,” Sedona said.
“Which you are going to get for us,” Hannah said.
Sedona remembered what Cyrus had said when he gave her the necklace. If you ever disappeared, I would look for you and I would not stop until I found you.