Part 82 (2/2)

”Then keep them upstairs.” He was striding out of his office, flipping on the lights in the hallway.

”Oh s.h.i.+t,” Ally whispered. She opened a door and pulled Stone into the examining room, where her mother had first been admitted. Just as she did she heard the ding of the elevator and caught a glimpse of Debra and David Van de Vliet's senior researchers, getting off.

When she closed the door, the room should have been pitch black. But it wasn't. A candle was burning on a counter and there was a figure at the far end of the room.

He was sitting on the examining table, in the lotus position, his eyes closed.

”Are you ready?” Kenji Noda asked. ”I think just about everyone is here now.”

Oh my G.o.d, Ally thought. What are we going to do?

She watched helplessly as he reached over and touched a b.u.t.ton on the desk. A red light popped on above the door. A moment later, it opened.

”What are you doing here?” Debra asked, staring at them.

”Getting some exercise,” Stone said.

Then Winston Bartlett appeared in the doorway behind her.

”How did they get up here?”

”Ally, I'm not going to let them do this to you,” Stone declared, seizing her hand. ”We're going to--”

”Ken, please get him out of here,” Bartlett said. 'Take him back downstairs, anywhere.”

”You shouldn't be out of your wheelchair,” Debra was saying. She turned to Ellen. ”Would you get--”

”I'm not getting you anything,” Ellen O'Hara declared. ”I've just submitted my resignation. Effective three minutes ago. I don't know a thing about what's going on here and, from now on, I don't want to know.”

She got on the elevator and the door closed.

”Ken,” Bartlett said, ”first things first. Go after that woman. Don't let her leave the building.”

Now Debra was rolling in a wheelchair. David had appeared also, deep disquiet in his eyes, and he helped her in.

”There's very little risk to this,” he said. ”Believe me.”

She felt him giving her an injection in her left arm.

No, don't ...

As the room started to spin, she reached out and grabbed Stone's arm and pulled him down to her.

”Downstairs,” she whispered. ”Look around. There's--”

She didn't get to finish because Debra was whisking her out the door and toward the laboratory. Stone had just grinned confusedly, seemingly not paying any attention to what she was saying. Instead he ambled toward the open stair door and disappeared.

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