Shades of Gray - By Jackie Kessler & Caitlin Kittredge Page 0,48

well.”

Jamie nodded, understanding. “Maybe you should cut back on your late nights.”

She stared at him, waiting for the rest of the joke.

“What?” he said, a nervous smile playing on his face. “You’ve been going out every night. I have seen it.”

Her head started to pound, and she felt the blood drain from her face. “Oh,” she said, her voice sounding queer and strained. “Yes, I suppose I should.”

Jamie went over the day’s events—Glamique photo op at ten, a lunch event with New Chicago’s Grandes Dames at one, training exercises at four—and then he left her alone so that Holly could grab a shower before heading uptown to her sponsor’s headquarters.

Holly stayed in her chair.

Something’s wrong with me, she thought. Sleepwalking, now, on top of the bad dreams?

Shivering, she rubbed her arms and debated what to do. She knew she should suck it up and go to Mental, get checked out. But the thought of getting examined by Dr. Moore made her sick.

One more night, she told herself. If she woke up tomorrow still feeling distracted and exhausted, she’d call Moore. Getting up to start her day, Holly Owens sincerely hoped that she’d sleep well tonight.

Holly didn’t know where she was.

She stood ramrod straight, her mind cartwheeling, as she tried to analyze her situation. There was a man standing in front of her, but his features were blurred, as if her eyes couldn’t focus properly. He was a smear of color against a backdrop of white.

Had she been captured? Why couldn’t she remember—

“Yes,” a man’s voice said. “It’s time for you to take an interest in Blackout. He fancies you, and we need to keep him happy. You’ll do nicely, Angelica.”

Holly’s eyes widened.

Behind her, Dr. Aaron Moore continued, “You’ll have to make the first move, of course. He’s so painfully shy around you. You can do that, Angelica, can’t you? Kiss him, let him know you find him attractive, and let nature take its course?”

She spun to face him. “What the hell are you talking about? Where am I?”

His eyebrows raised in surprise. “Oh, awake, are we? Interesting. Hal, would you, please?”

Hands pinned her arms by her sides.

She glared at Moore and reached inside herself to push Light into him, enough to turn his mind to putty …

… and then she screamed as every nerve ending lit in agony.

“Well, the conditioning works,” another man said. Holly heard that, even through the pain. “That’s good.”

“Indeed,” Moore replied. “That was the first command, even before the Corp branding. Self-preservation, little brother.”

“You’re only two minutes older.”

Corp? Holly thought, or tried to think, but then her brain caught fire.

Eventually, the pain ebbed, and Holly slumped in her captor’s arms. When she could speak, she whispered, “What have you done to me?”

A hand lifted her chin. Dr. Moore was peering into her eyes.

“Hmm? Oh, we’ve been doing all sorts of things, Angelica. My brother and I are turning you into the perfect Squadron soldier. You’ll be completely dedicated to Corp. And to me, of course.”

“There’s got to be a way to do this without relying on Hypnotic’s power,” the other man said. “And without tech. Something we can distill, distribute widely …”

“One thing at a time, Martin.” Dr. Moore smiled a toothy smile. “The tech is just the first step. Well, second step, now that we have both Hypnotic and Angelica under control.”

Angelica struggled, but the man holding her was huge, and Earth-power strong. “When I get out of here, I’ll tell the Executive Committee what you’re doing!”

Dr. Moore let out a tittering laugh. “Even if you did, they’d never believe you. I’m their dedicated chief scientist. Besides, you won’t remember any of this, so don’t worry your pretty little head.”

“You’re insane!”

“No need for insults. Martin, since she’s up, let’s give the earpiece a trial run, shall we?”

Holly stomped on her captor’s foot, and was rewarded with a masculine grunt of pain.

“Stop that, Angelica. Don’t take your frustration out on poor Hal,” Moore said. “It’s not his fault you woke up. You’re a stubborn thing, aren’t you?”

Hal?

“Ah, thank you, Martin.”

“If this works,” the other man, Martin, said, “you think Corp will give us a raise, based on all the money they’ll save not having the Runners lacing their food?”

“One can only hope. Hal, if you would? Give the lady a kiss, there’s a good boy.”

Holly was spun around, and yes, there was Hal, in sweats and a T-shirt, looking completely blank, as if he were sleeping with his eyes open. Still pinning Holly’s arms, he leaned