Page 82 of Thorn

Arya licked her lips and nodded. She tightened her grip on Thorn. She wasn’t willing to let go of this anchor. He seemed to understand because he said, “I’m here. I’ve got you.”

“Can I sit up a little?” she asked. She put her free hand to her forehead and was surprised that her brow was cool.

Thorn pressed a button to raise her head, then spun around to sit next to her. They were shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, thigh to thigh. He left one foot on the ground. The other dangled off the edge of the bed, keeping things fresh and clean.

He never let go of her hand.

“Okay, the first two pictures. Do you know these men?” Lynx posted pictures of the men who kidnapped her.

“Dr. Petrov is the balding man. Dr. Sokolov is the other one. The blond.”

“When did you first meet them?” Thorn asked.

Arya swallowed. “Well, I was at a conference. I was meant to give a talk about whale communication, but these two kidnapped me before I was able to speak.”

“This was the Zoology and Animal Behaviors Conference in Sacramento, California?” she asked.

“Yes.” Arya paused. “That sounds right. Sacramento is right. I met George Matthews at the conference. He was taken by gunpoint at the same time I was.”

“This George Matthews?” Lynx put up another picture.

Arya stared at that one for a long time. Her brain stuttered. “This could be him. He was younger looking, the George Matthews I remember.”

“Do you know why they took you away?” Thorn asked.

“Then? No. Later, I learned that they needed help developing CHAMP.”

Lynx said, “I’d like to understand more about champ.”

“Explain it? Do you have a scientific background?”

Thorn focused on her with a steady gaze. “I have a fighting background. I worked for the Navy as a SEAL. Does this have to do with the Navy? Did they put you in danger?”

Arya scowled. “Why would you think that?”

He swept his thumb over the worry lines on her forehead. “Relax. Breathe.” He seemed to wait until he was satisfied that she had calmed the flood of anxiety a bit before he said, “You were going to testify in court about your whale studies, and how the Navy affected marine mammals with their sound waves.”

“That’s right, I was. But George and I were kidnapped before that happened. We were both supposed to report about our findings of how the naval soundings harmed the ocean mammals.”

“You were both kidnapped before the trial. And you were held. And George was not?” Lynx asked.

“He was a prisoner. We were there for a very long time. Years, it seems. But my time perspective is warped. We escaped together.” She tilted her head to the side. Something about that wasn’t quite right. “We were forced to work together on their projects.”

“Champ?” Thorn reminded her.

“CHAMP is Counter-electronic High-powered microwave Advanced Missile Project. But that’s not where we started.”

“Do you want to tell me what happened when you started?” Lynx asked. “What happened after they took you from the conference?”

“We were blindfolded and moved. There was a flight, I know that. We were taken to a place that was cold and very lonely. There were no other people or houses. It snowed all the time. They told me I was in Siberia, but I have no idea if that was right or not. I have no idea where I was.” Arya could feel hot tears dripping down her face. But she ignored them. “They wanted me to use my science to help them build a weapons system.” She laughed, and it tasted bitter next to the salt of her tears. “I’m not really a weapons kind of person. You might say that is rather opposite of where my heart lies. But they…hurt me very badly. And they had captured my sisters in Syria. They were holding them prisoner. If I misbehaved, they would not just punish me, but they would punish my sisters in kind.” Her chin wobbled. “They’re probably dead now. I wasn’t able to do what was asked of me.” Arya set her focus on a small stain on the wall. “Yes,” she whispered, “probably dead.”

“Can you tell me your sisters names?” Lynx’s voice pulled her back with a jolt.

“Polla was my older sister, and Habiba was the middle sister. They had been scientists, too. They were very bright, very lovely women.”

Lynx put up two pictures of women in hijabs.

Arya reached out to grab the screen and stared wide-eyed at the pictures there, drinking them in.

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