minutes passed before one of them opened.
The man who entered bore some resemblance to Kranzler—dark red hair tinged with gray, a broad and stocky build, flat nose, feral green eyes. He wore a dark blue military uniform with a starched white shirt and black tie, and he was followed by three guards in biohazard facemasks and body armor. The guards wore black from their helmets to their boots, with no flag or any other decoration.
This incarnation of Kranzler stepped up to the monitor bank just outside the wall, ignoring her and looking at the machines for a moment. He looked like some kind of Star Wars villain, she thought, with the masked stormtroopers standing in a razor-straight row behind him.
“Jennifer Morton,” he eventually said, still looking at the EEG machine. “We’ve been looking for you.”
“Who are you? And where are we?” Jenny asked, although she was certain she knew the answers to both questions.
“I am the one who finally caught you.” He looked up at her, smiling. “You make for dangerous prey, Jennifer. I hope you’ll forgive our use of tranquilizers.”
“Where are Seth and Mariella?”
“Safe. Secure. No need to worry about them.”
“I want to see Seth. And you can take these chains off me, I’m not going to attack you.”
“I’m supposed to take your word for that? I’ve studied the Fallen Oak outbreak, Jenny. I’ve seen what you do to those who get in your way. And, you may not believe me, but I respect it, I truly do. Because the world is shaped by one thing, Jennifer: force.”
“The Force?” Jenny asked, still thinking how the guards looked like stormtroopers.
“Force!” He slammed a large fist into the clear wall. “You have it inside you, but force must be used intelligently. It must have purpose and direction. I can provide that.”
“I don’t need purpose or direction,” she told him. “I need to scratch my nose.”
“Nobody’s ever died of an itchy nostril.”
“How long are you going to keep me in this bed?”
“As long as we wish. We have to keep our technicians and medical staff safe from you, don’t we?”
“Why are we here?”
“To protect the United States against all enemies...foreign and domestic.” He smiled. “You’re a threat to security, Jennifer. We can’t just have someone like you running wild, leaving hundreds of dead people in your wake simply because you don’t like them.”
“That’s not what happened! I don’t want to hurt anybody.”
“I’ve seen many photographs that say otherwise.”
“They were attacking me...and I’ve changed since then.”
He gave a cold laugh. “Changed how? Found Jesus? Born again? Or maybe those Mormon kids with the bicycles knocked on your door and changed your life? I’d like to hear the tale.”
“You couldn’t begin to understand it.”
“I’m sure it’s all very convoluted and dramatic. But I’m not so much interested in what you’ve done, Jennifer, as where you’re going now. You can work with us. I’m prepared to offer you that.”
“Doing what?” she asked.
“Serving your country.”
“Serving you. I know you, Kranzler. You’re a monster. I don’t know how you climbed so high in this lifetime, in this world. I guess cockroaches know how to survive in any environment.”
She could tell he hadn’t heard anything after the world Kranzler. He looked stunned for a moment, then shook his head as if to clear it.
“You must work with us,” Ward said. “Let us test you. Let us examine how your ability works. Your power could reach its full potential with my help.”
“I don’t want to reach my full potential. I don’t want to use the pox ever again.”
“Your choice is to accept your place and work with us, or to stay locked up in this cell for the rest of your life. All we want now is to test and learn. We’ll table any discussion of national defense applications until you’re comfortable talking about that. Do we have a deal?” He folded his arms and watched her face.
“I can’t do any testing now, anyway,” Jenny said. “With all these whirli-gizmos attached to me, I’m sure you’ve noticed I’m slightly pregnant. I can’t use the pox, it’s not safe for the baby.”
“You’re only half-term. We can’t wait months to begin testing.”
“Then I suggest you don’t go around kidnapping pregnant women.”
“Everything I do is for the greater good,” Ward told her. “When you see that, you will join us.”
“Whose idea of the greater good? Yours?”
“You will cooperate with us, Jennifer.” His eyes seemed to grow dark as he stared at her. “You will submit to testing when I order it.”
“I’m sorry,