And that's the angle she needed to attack from.
"We got your details from a General Frank Lloyd. Seems they've been watching you for quite some time."
He jerked slightly. "They don't know nothin' about me. You're lying."
His lips were like jelly, and they continued to wobble after he'd finished speaking. It was a God-awful sight. No wonder Orrin was a mass of anger — he'd probably grown up the butt of many jokes.
"On the contrary. It was the military who gave us your name and address. They know you've been breaking into their system. They know it was you who stole the Generation Eighteen records. They've requested we hand you over to them once we've finished."
"You do that, and I'm dead."
She raised an eyebrow. "You think I care?"
Orrin regarded her balefully. "Why are you doing this? You're one of us. You should understand."
She crossed her arms. "One of what, Orrin?"
"A reject. A castoff."
"And that's what you are? A military castoff?"
He nodded. "You think nature is this cruel? This face is man-made. And the bastards deserve to die."
On that, she had to agree. "Then why attack other rejects? Why not attack the military themselves?"
"I needed help. That was the price."
"Whose price, Orrin?"
He opened his mouth, then shut it and continued to glare at her.
She tried a slightly different tact. "You know Orrin, if you don't cooperate, we'll have nothing to hold you with. I'm afraid we'll simply have to hand you over to Hopeworth."
He scowled. His bottom lip dropped, almost touching the end of his chin. It was not a pretty sight. "You can't do that. You know they'll kill me."
"And why would they want to kill you Orrin? You just said you were a reject."
"A reject who knows too much about their projects. They've wanted to get their hands on me for some time."
He was obviously paranoid, if not psychotic. "Orrin, Hopeworth have known all along where to find you. They could have picked you up at any time."
"Not true." But he licked his lips and regarded her just a little fearfully.
"Very true, I'm afraid. Hopeworth bugs its rejects, you see." She stepped forward, and pressed two fingers against his side. "Feel that lump? It's a microchip capable of sending voice and movement."
Orrin growled. He lunged forward, teeth bared. She jumped back out of reach. The chains creaked as Orrin's full weight fell against them. They held, but she wondered for how long.
"You lie," he hissed, flexing his massive shoulders again. "They would have picked me up if they had known."
She shrugged. "Maybe you rate yourself a higher threat than what they actually think you are."
"I know things."
"So do I." She started pacing, more to settle her rising nerves than anything else. "I know for a fact Hopeworth has been monitoring both the rejects and the retired scientists. I know for a fact that they've been aware of your involvement in the murders for quite some time. I know that each of the victims evolved from eggs taken from Emma Pierce. I know Rose Pierce is responsible for those deaths. I also know Rose Pierce and Michael Sanders are one and the same person."
"You know nothin'."
She stopped and quirked an eyebrow. "I know that the military want to get their hands on you. I know that you don't want to go. But unless you start cooperating, to Hopeworth you will go."