Page 135 - Hunter - The Vigil

TO
TO: Alicia Magnum (a_magnum@cheirongroup.com)
ch
ch
TO : Al i ia M ag nu m (a_mag num@ ch ei ro ngro up .com)
TO
i
Al
Al
:
:
ic
n
l
ly
FR OM: Gwen d l n Ba rt he s (g _b arth es @c he ir on gr oup.co m)
FROM: Gwendolyn Barthes (g_barthes@cheirongroup.com)
n
d
g
g
do
t
SUBJ EC T: T es t Su bj ec t 77 A- 3
t
ec
ec
bj
SUBJECT: Test Subject 77A-3
bj
u
u
es
pl
k
h
it
no
n
t
ev
do
k
en
we
nd
ol
is
,”
G
yn
s
ai
d,
ar
th
es
wh
at
i
em
t
w
t
bi
ub
r
er
h
ng
ra
“F “Frankly, I don’t even know what it is,” Gwendolyn BBarthes said, rubbing her temples wwith
he
s
ed
he
o
fi
n
r
n
-a
le
ng
ur
ha
ic
rp
gu
Al
rs
m,
M
ia
an
ic
ta
xt
ne
t
n
in
nd
g
ge
nt
he her well-manicured fi ngers. Alicia Mangum, s standing next to her in t the sharp-angledd pants suit, ,
s
it
u
pa
r
oa
took a gander at the clipboard. .
at
t
i
a
pb
de
an
he
rd
ea
ks
s
ea
m
he
a
.
p
er
th
t
ha
es
d
,
t
on
ei
d
“T “The researchers don’t seem to have a solid idea, either. It bleeds. It has a heartbeat. It speaks
tb
li
s.
so
ea
ar
ea
s
I
t
d
id
he
r
’t
English. It had a pocket full of thorns when we brought it in, and we’ve seen that before.”
En gl is h. I t ha d p ck et f ul l o t wh en w e br ou gh t t n, a nd w e’ ve s ee n th at ef or e. ”
l
oo
ll
pu
e,
rs
e
in
ar
g
d
ru
mm
ax
ag
an
st
y
en
d
Gw
Gwendolyn fi nally started rummaging around in her purse, looking for pills. Bingo. XXanax. .
a
ou
ng
o.
g
Bi
na
i
ls
p
il
.
f
or
ng
do
le
Mm
a
,
pe
i
th
d
h
gh
co
pp
nd
Ha
he
ri
dr
nt
r
um
ha
y.
o
he
ed
m
Happyy. SShe ddumped a couple into her hand and swallowed tthem dry. ““Mm, thorns, right, right.”
ns
up
“
Th The socialite shudderedd. “Any use for the thorns yet?”
et
e
y
e
y
sh
so
?”
An
de
it
e
fo
th
r
ud
re
al
ic
We
nt
f
er
e
a
be
n
ot
e
to
ed
er
nt
a
th
e
o
us
gh
la
b
ug
me
t
“Not s so far, though there might be an enzyme in there to be used as an anticoagulant. We
mi
zy
a
.
h
i
o
“N
n
tu
he
bj
s
ec
th
e
ow
e
ac actuaally might test them on the subject next, go past the monkeys and the rats and see how she
t
mo
ey
an
s
d
nk
h
s
xt
,
nd
t
ne
a
p
ra
as
go
ee
ts
ht
th
n
th
t
y
e
t
es
o
su
em
ig
m
— er , it — r ea ct s. ”
— er, it — reacts.”
we
il
“Do you ever…” Gwendolyn’s voice trailed off.
“D
ce
.
yo
u
oi
ol
ed
G
t
er
…”
o
nd
ra
ev
’s
v
yn
ff
o
Fe
ad
wh
el
y.
wa
a
ut
el
sh
ne
ht
ow
k
s
s?
a
ok
ut
Al Alicia knew where shee was going. ““Feel bad about this? Absolutely. Right nnow, you look at
hi
ig
b
t
ic
go
t
in
ol
g.
bs
bo
w
yo
R
e
lo
A
er
ia
up
An
e
lo
th t e subject, and it looks like aa young ggirl.” And she did. Socks ppulled up high. Dirt-smudged
ks
di
d.
ok
o
S
i
s
d
d
le
ul
t
su
sh
bj
h
ir
ke
ou
ig
l.
t
ec
ng
ud
sm
e
ge
-
”
nd
d
y
li
h
,
ig
an
ma
br
ey
s
he
ro
d
n
A
ru
dd
so
e
ch cheeks, round and ruddy. Big,, broad eyes. A torn sundress. “She looks human, but tthen some- -
un
h
n,
d
.
es
rn
B
to
s
s
e
y.
me
d
oa
b
ok
un
hu
dr
s
ge
h
w
s
ti times…well, you saw the video. Sad little girl in Cheiron cage one minute, but then you gas her
yo
ut
n
he
t
b
s…
e,
ut
u
,
ne
u
o
we
ga
ll
sa
n

yo
gi
e
vi
ad
me
tl
o.
S
e
th
ei
Ch
rl
ro
n
i
n
it
d
l
and it’s like, for just that one second, everything changes. Skin like autumn leaves. Weird little
an d it ’s l ik e, f or j us t th at ne s ec on d, e ve g ch an ge s. S ki n li ke a m n le av es . We r d li tt l
mu sh ro om s al l ov er b od y. nd ho se e ye s — hy pn ot ic , re al ly h yp no tic. ”
h
hy
ic
mushrooms all over h her body. A And those eyes — hypnotic, really hypnotic.”
al
al
ic
hy
pn
ly
ly
n
ot
,
h
ot
re
yp
pn
yp
n
re
t
t
h
t
N
eh

he
’s
ey
.”
h
in
vy
ha
th
t
ry
ea
P
g
ak
in
ld
at
gl
c
ou
th
om
fr
pe
ea
r
ot
he
r
“S “She’s trying to sspeak.” Not that they could hear her from behindd that heavy P elexiglas.
b
a
sh
ha
“What has she been saying?”
t
ha
”
be
en
ay
“W
g?
in
s
s
e
gi
ng
of
e
e
Le
f
on
e
s
h
ol
al
a
ca
si
l
ts
“S “Same old, same old. ‘Let me out,’ lots of begging, lots of pleadiing. The occasional threat.
hr
ot
oc
‘
d,
a
o
e
,
t.
lo
s
me
am
ng
.
ea
eg
am
ea
ol
pl
d.
,’
o
Th
di
di
ea
g
ng
ut
b
g
ea
But she’s not human. Whole lot of things out there that aren’t human, but they have their uses,
h
e
Bu t sh e’ s no t hu ma n. W ho e l ot o f th in gs o ut t he re t ha t ar en ’t h um an , b ey h av e th ei i r us es ,
r
e
ju ju
sh
—
s
e
a
sh
st
a
s
s
s
ju just as she — ” ”
n
do
Gw
ec
“I “ t,” Gwendolyn corrected. .
ly
en
c
ye
t
s
ha
ye
“T “T “T “T “T “That’s the spirit, yes. Itt has use , to
it
sp
,
I
it
it
ir
it
s.
s
es es, too.”
th
ye
ye
,
ha
e
us
,
Ours is not to reason why.
y
r
.
n
w
h
e
t
o
a
s
o
o
t
a
s

f
a
Ours is a fan t a s t i c p e n s i o n
i
r
n ntastic pension
n
s
t
n
h
e
h
a and health package,
t
l
a
e

a
g
d
k
p
,
a
c
.
r
w
o
v
e
e
h however.
134
134