Michelle paced, watching the crowd, while Mei huddled with two members of a local node, forearms clasped, sharing. The Silver Lake Mall bustled with lunchtime traffic. Stores selling household goods and food did brisk business, people hurrying to stock up before the civil unrest worsened. Others watched the news feeds of the escalating tensions and violence. As Mei suggested, the prayer meeting occupying the far half of the food court seating area provided adequate cover. She had to admit, Mei knew what she was doing.

Michelle didn’t see Adam until he was almost in front of them. It struck her how much he had changed during their years apart, now a middle-aged man, scruffy beard, blending with the crowd of elderly mall walkers, teenagers, and shoppers. If not for his lack of eye contact and flat expression, he was just another person in the crowd. Her baby brother.

She embraced him in a wordless hug which he did not reciprocate. Michelle could feel the tension in his body, smell the nervous sweat. She led him to the seating area. When he saw Mei with the other members of the node, he bolted.

“Adam, wait…” Michelle said, running after him.

“No, no,” he rasped. He kept walking and Michelle hurried after him. She caught him near the exit to the parking lot. Channeling her older sister authority from long ago, she held his arm firmly and spun him around.

“Adam, stop!” She steered him away from the exit and began the touch talk.

What are you doing, Adam? Where is Bina? 

They need to be stopped. All of them.

They will never leave us alone.

Stop who?

All the people trying to kill us.

The ones who killed Caramel.

Caramel? What does she have to do with this?

And Anirudh. And all the others.

They must be stopped.

Is that what this is? You getting revenge?

Not revenge. Justice.

What does that have to do with Bina?

Do you know what’s happened with her?

Adam’s fingers went still and Michelle could feel the cool sweat from his hands on her skin. His hands tensed and Michelle saw Mei striding toward them.

“Why did you separate from the yunk?” Mei called out. Adam hesitated, then answered to Michelle.

They use us, like animals. We want to live our own lives.

“We know you are still merging. Through Archie. Why? Where is he?” Mei reached out to grasp Adam’s forearm. He jerked away and ran out the door to the parking lot.

“Adam!” Michelle yelled after him. She started to follow but Mei held her back.

“We have to go. I have to get these people back to their node. There are things I have to tell you.”

“About this? About Bina and Adam?”

Mei nodded.

They gathered the members of the groupmind and exited to the parking lot. Adam was nowhere to be seen. They drove a short way to the edge of Couer d’Alene and dropped off the HI members.

“Where are we going?” Michelle asked when they were alone in the car.

“The government people will be calling shortly. The yunk just shared through this node that it is telling them what it is learning. Bina and a young grendel female were captured and are being held somewhere around this area. Somehow Adam arranged this and…”

“Adam did what?” Michelle shouted.

Mei held up her hands. “I don’t know the details. Either the yunk doesn’t know or it wouldn’t share. Either way, the grendels are coming, in force. When the government figures that out, it’s going to escalate fast. It’s not safe here, for any of us. The yunk is evacuating this node and others nearby.”

Michelle shook her head, unable to grasp how Adam could be involved in this spiraling crisis. As if on cue, her device trilled. She looked down. “It’s the Bilyk woman.”

“Take it,” Mei said.

Michelle picked it up and touched the screen.

“Ms. Shank, how far are you from Boyington Airport in Couer d’Alene?” 

Michelle glanced at Mei who nodded.

“Not far.”

“Get there as quickly as you can. We’ll pick you up there. We’ll bring you to a secure location. We have news.”

“What news?”

“We know where your daughter is.”

***

At the airport, they were met by uniformed military and rushed through security. They boarded a small military jet for the flight south to Mountain Home, unaccompanied except for the pilot and copilot. As they lifted off, Mei held out her arms. Michelle gave her a questioning look but joined.

They are listening. Why do you think Adam is so resentful? Mei asked. 

It was hard on him when we separated, 

but I insisted, to keep Bina safe.

They were so close, I’m sure it upset him.

But we had to.

He did such great work with her.

No one has come close to her level of 

integration and still maintained their individuality.

Michelle thought back to those early years, Bina on Adam’s lap, deep in the trance, then her happy prattling afterwards, sharing all she’d experienced, her little mind dancing with the stimulation. It provoked mixed emotions for Michelle, the love and happiness seeing her brother so in love with his niece, the feeling of family closeness despite the circumstances, but also the twinges of concern, even a little foreboding, wondering what they were exposing her to, where it would lead. She was right about that.

What did he mean, using us like animals? Mei continued.

Michelle hung her head. 

He got that from me, from my anger.

It’s the breeding, the manipulation.

Even though the goal is different, it still feels like eugenics, 

like all the awful things humans have done in the past

 to people with disabilities or anyone who was different.

Trying to perfect the species based on some warped idea.

But that’s not what this is.

This is more like self-improvement.

Improving the parts to improve the whole.

We’re still people!

We have rights. And choices.

Why don’t we get a say?

Michelle remembered her angry conversations with Anirudh. Adam was there for some of them, listening but not participating. How much had he soaked up? After a while, the happiness of Bina’s birth and childhood submerged the anger sparked by the realization that her liaison with Trey Isaac was all planned, part of some larger effort to improve the collective. Anirudh’s love and support, and his reassurances, never really erased it.  And how had it affected Adam?  Michelle felt another twinge of guilt at what the ripples from her anger may have unleashed.

Who was Caramel? Mei asked.

Our cat. Adam’s cat, when he lived with us.

He and Bina loved that cat.

It was killed when they attacked

 the house and burned it down.

I still don’t see the whole thing, 

but this has something to do with Adam and Bina and the yunk. 

Maybe he knows how valuable Bina is to the yunk

 and was going to negotiate something? 

I don’t know. And I don’t see how it connects to his ‘plan’ to keep you safe.

What does the yunk say?

Not much. But it’s clear Adam is doing things 

the groupmind isn’t aware of, but still using the resources. 

Like schizophrenia? I sense fear. Of fragmentation.

And Bina? What does she have to do with it?

I don’t know. I suspect she is both the solution and part of the problem.

I don’t know what to say.

You Shanks and your individualism.

We were warned about that.

***

 The flight was quick and they were escorted to a hastily assembled temporary structure bristling with antennae just off the runway. Unlike the last time, there was no security procedure or metal detectors, and soon they were in a conference room bustling with uniformed military and civilians. Michelle and Mei stood off to the side with their MP escort until Bilyk entered the room, spotted them, and gestured them over. They followed her to a smaller conference room where they took seats around a table. Bilyk spoke without preamble.

“We have intelligence indicating your daughter is being held by extremists in western Idaho, in the Couer d’Alene area. The name they used in a video they released is Bina Danvers, but we believe it’s her.”

“Danvers?” Michelle asked. Everyone turned to her.

“Yes.”

“That’s my daughter. It’s a message. She knows she is in extreme danger.”

“Go on.”

“Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel. She loves those movies. We talked a lot about her abilities and what it might mean someday, why some people are scared of us.”

“We believe she and her escort were intercepted and detained several days ago. We first noticed a spike in civilian drone activity, then corroborated with intercepts of some of the communications. Our contacts with the Entity confirmed.”

“What escort?” Michelle asked, suddenly suspicious that there was another game being played. Bilyk said she works closely with the Entity, yet Mei still tried to conceal her role. She assessed Mei with new skepticism. Mei avoided her gaze. Michelle saw Bilyk studying the wordless exchange. Michelle turned back to Bilyk. 

“A young grendel female.”

Michelle swallowed, trying to grasp why Bina would be with a grendel given all she knew from Michelle about the lab and subsequent events. Bina had no direct experience with them, but also had never expressed particular interest.

“The HI told you this?” Michelle looked at Mei again, new suspicions blooming.

“We have multiple contacts with them,” Bilyk finally responded. “None are terribly informative by themselves, but collectively, we can piece together what it knows, in addition to what it shares. Here’s one now.”

At that, the door opened and Sahar Burhan rushed into the room clutching a handful of printouts, unaware of who was at the table. Michelle saw the scene unfold as if in slow motion.

Sahar appeared eager to share the information she carried, then read Christine’s expression and turned toward Michelle. The flash of recognition was followed by a slight turn and side glance to Mei, who sat away from the door on Michelle’s side, out of view from the doorway. Michelle could see clearly Sahar not only knew Mei, but had a relationship, something deep. Mei looked down, blushing, unable to conceal her response. Michelle could see Christine recognizing the same thing Michelle saw, with surprise, anger, and even a touch of fear.

Michelle tried to master the shifting array of emotions emanating from all three while containing her own turmoil. There was a clear spike in threat and menace from Christine, far beyond her prior stated hostility to the Entity.  Michelle also sensed that Christine’s feelings about her had shifted, not in a positive way. Because of her association with Mei? Did she suddenly understand who Mei was, that she was a member of the HI, and have a new appreciation for her threat potential?  She also picked up from Christine new ambivalence about Sahar. 

Michelle saw Christine cycling through a range of emotions, the conflicted feelings Christine’s assessment of Sahar provoked, and the naked hostility to Mei, and by extension, herself. Sahar was the key, the leverage point. She also saw that Christine sensed Michelle’s mounting agitation, the two of them locked in a feedback loop, a non-verbal resonance of each assessing and responding to the other’s intuitions. Christine’s hand moved to her communication device indicating the crystallized determination of some decision.

Michelle stood quickly, slipped the pistol out of her purse and stepped toward Sahar. She lifted the weapon to the young woman’s temple, her hand visibly shaking.

“Stop! Right now!” she rasped at Christine, locking eyes with her. Christine froze. Sahar and Mei both radiated terror. “I don’t know what you think is going on, but I want my daughter alive. All the rest of this, all your games, all your angry fantasies about the…the… Entity…” she spluttered.

Michelle saw Christine go calm with a terrifying icy stillness. Sahar trembled and Mei’s face crumpled, fighting tears. Michelle saw Christine assessing her confidently with the merciless efficiency of someone practiced in applying lethal force. Michelle saw herself in Christine’s eyes: She’s not a killer. She’s scared.

“It’s time we all start telling the truth,” Christine said, voice soothing, eyes locked on Michelle. “I will go first.” She waited a beat to ensure Michelle made no sudden moves. Sahar broke out in a fine sweat. Mei was a statue. “The national security crisis is my first concern. I intend no harm to you or your family. Someone, something, some group managed to compromise one of the most sensitive national defense systems we have. We still don’t know how it was done. That investigation continues. In terms of capabilities, the Entity is always on the top of the list for any unexplained, unusual phenomena these days. It’s just the world we live in. But I, for one, do not jump to conclusions and make rash decisions. I need data. I need you to help me.”

Michelle took a deep breath and her hand holding the revolver wavered. “Go on.”

“Several events have occurred that on the surface seem separate, but our hunch…” she looked at Sahar, “…is that they could be related. Your daughter’s disappearance. Our incident, the activity of the HiMECs, the grendels, the military provocations of the separatist groups. There is a through line somewhere, and it keeps coming back to touch your family. And your family touches the Entity. And now, it seems…” she looked back and forth between Sahar and Mei, “…this investigation involves the Entity in ways I did not fully appreciate.”

“I can explain,” Sahar blurted, stepping away from Michelle, heedless of the gun. Michelle lowered it to her side.

“Later. We need to answer Ms. Shank’s questions. Now,” Christine commanded.

Despite her distress, Michelle knew Bilyk told the truth. Michelle stood still, the gun at her side, feeling the energy drain out of her. “I just want my daughter back. I need to know what you know and how you are going to…”

“Everything I told you is true, and most of what we know. She’s being held by a coalition of heavily armed separatist groups. They seem most interested in their HiMEC captive. So far, there’s no indication they know who your daughter is. But that raises a question. Why is the Entity so interested in her? Is it something beyond concern for you and your family?”

Michelle took a deep breath. “My daughter is…”

Christine interrupted. “Can you give me the weapon, please?” Michelle complied. Christine expertly ejected the clip and the chambered round, then handed it to Sahar, a gesture of trust to reassure her, but she pitched her tone to show there were still consequences ahead. “Get the MPs. Dispose of this. Bring them here.” She turned back to Michelle. “Go on.”

“My daughter is what we call a Voice. She can merge completely with the groupmind, but preserve her individuality and communicate freely with the outside world. Mei is one also. My daughter Bina is apparently very good at it. So good, the yunk, the Entity, wants her back very badly. I’ve been preventing that.”

“Why?”

“What mother would want that life for a child? I want her to be free, to make her own decisions, to build her own life, choose her own way.”

“What was she doing with the HiMEC? Has she associated with them before?”

Michelle shook her head vehemently. “No, absolutely not. She knew of them, knew about my past, the lab, how they escaped. Not the details. She was too little. I think in the past few days she’s figured out what I didn’t tell her.”

“What were her feelings about them?”

“Generally sympathetic, that they were hunted and persecuted like us, but only in the abstract. They were just a part of our world, my past, neither good or bad. Beyond that, she wasn’t particularly interested in them.”

“Why would she leave with one?”

“I don’t know.”

Christine saw she’d reached the bottom of Michelle’s useful knowledge on that subject.

“What about your brother?”

Michelle looked at Mei, who refused to meet her gaze. She looked back at Christine.

“He’s in some sort of conflict with the groupmind. Mei came to me ostensibly to help find Bina, but she…they seem very interested in Adam’s activities and whereabouts.”

“What kind of conflict does your brother have?”

“I don’t know the details, but oddly, it sounds very similar to mine: autonomy and self-determination. Basically, it looks like he’s rebelling against them and causing some distress.”

“With the groupmind? How?”

Michelle shook her head and looked at Mei. “I don’t know. I don’t think Mei does either.” 

Christine turned to Mei. “And?”

Mei shook her head. “That’s all. My instructions are to help locate Bina and find and mesh with Adam. I haven’t succeeded at either.” She put her face in her hands and sobbed silently. Michelle stepped to her and put an arm around her. They all turned as Sahar returned with three MPs.

Christine pointed at Michelle and Mei. “Take these two into custody. I want them secured nearby, under guard 24/7.” She pointed at Sahar. “You. Come with me.”

The MPs escorted Michelle and Mei away. Christine and a chastened Sahar followed.

***

Christine lead Sahar to an empty office and closed the door.

“Tell me everything. Now.”

Sahar trembled more than when the gun was against her head.

“We…I love her. I never betrayed you or the Agency. She is my source, how I know so much about the Entity.”

“How long has this been going on?”

“We met after the Genome Research Institute breach. She made contact during my investigation and we met just before it went public. At first, it was just professional, but then…”

“You were compromised. You became the asset.”

Sahar flinched. “No, no, I trust her. We…”

Christine struggled to contain her rage, at Sahar for betraying her, at the situation, but mostly at herself for missing a leak right under her nose. She had ignored her intuition, the subtle hunches that something was amiss. Why? Because she valued Sahar’s input? She liked the young woman, even admired her brilliance, and enjoyed mentoring her. She saw something of herself in her and wanted to guide her to avoid the mistakes Christine made in her own career. Was this the blindspot, her own vanity and pride?

She felt a wave of vertigo, standing on the precipice of paranoid speculation, gazing into the hall of mirrors inside herself, second guessing her own motivations, flirting with mental paralysis. She took a deep breath and shook her head, interrupting Sahar.

“I believe you. You’ve made a horrible mistake, but I believe your intentions. If you are an asset for the Entity, let’s put you to work. You’re going back to Fairchild.”

Sahar nodded and opened her mouth to speak. Christine stopped her, raising a finger and jabbing at her face.

“Know this: you’ve got zero margin.”

NEXT