Karl had said that walkers came as a pair. Had to, or they were lost in the very power they were destined to control.
Was that the reason she and Joshua had survived when the others hadn't? Because they were twins? Yet, if Joshua was her base, why then did she appear to have a connection with Gabriel?
And if Hopeworth had studied walkers, and were intermixing walker genes with those of other races, how could they not know that walkers had to come as a pair to survive?
"So we were the only twins they bred?"
"They didn't breed you as twins. It just happened. One whole became two."
A chill went through her. Two halves of a whole. Joe had said that, too. Another clue she hadn't taken note of.
God, who was he?
And was he friend or foe? Or something else altogether?
"So, once the project was destroyed, you left?"
Mary nodded. "I went on to work for several adoption agencies."
"And the military haven't tried to contact you before now?"
Mary shook her head. "Haven't even sighted them."
That being the case, why would they bother to contact her now? But even as the question went through her mind, she remembered Blaine's reaction as he'd come out of Wetherton's office. Remembered his certainty that they'd met before, that she knew fully just who he was and what he did in the military.
She was the reason he'd come to see Mary.
He'd wanted to confirm his suspicions, and Mary was the one person left alive who seemed able to connect her with that red-haired child bred and raised in Hopeworth.
Mary couldn't stay here. Blaine would be back, and if there was one thing she was certain of, it was that she didn't want Blaine knowing anything more about her. Mary might be living in the past most of the time, and her memories might not all be true, but what she did remember was enough to confirm any suspicions Blaine might have. And once that happened, they would come after her full force. She'd been bred to be a weapon. It didn't matter if her abilities were buried along with her memories, they'd want her back.
Maybe that was why Joshua had come here to give Mary permission to tell all. Maybe he was trying to speed up Sam's memory so she could escape Hopeworth's clutches once again.
She glanced around as Gabriel walked into the room. "Any success?"
He shook his head. "I saw a raven fly away from the window, but by the time I shifted shape and flew after it, its lead was too great."
She raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't have thought a raven would be faster than a hawk."
"Neither would I." He stopped beside the sofa and gave Mary a smile. "Are you all right?"
"I don't know you," Mary said, somewhat crossly. She glanced at Sam. "Do I know him?"
"This is my new partner, Mary. His name is Gabriel, and he's going to arrange a nice place for you to stay while we track down Blaine."
Gabriel raised his eyebrows, but he didn't refute the statement. "Somewhere nice and safe."
The mobile half of Mary's face lit up. "A holiday would be nice. Gets boring, this place does."
Sam patted the older woman's knee and rose. "We'll just go talk to the nurses and arrange it, then."
"Lock the damn window," Mary said. "Don't want that bastard coming back to visit me while you're gone."
Sam obeyed, locking the window and closing the curtains for good measure. When they were out in the hall, Gabriel asked, "What was that all about?"
"Mary was screaming because she saw Blaine." She glanced back at the room to ensure Mary wasn't moving around, and then looked back at him. "And if Blaine was visiting her, it's because he wanted to confirm his suspicions about me."
He frowned. "The nurses said she had no visitors."