Page 64 of Lion's Share
And then I realized who it was.
Before I could say anything, a slim figure stepped out from behind a large oak tree about twenty feet ahead of us. Even in the dim light of that foggy dusk, I could make out the outline of a woman in dark clothing, her hands visible and empty.
“Ms. Lowell? Mr. Sanders?” The voice was calm, professional, but not threatening. “It’s Agent Morse. I need to speak with you.”
While her presence here wasn’t entirely surprising — after all, I knew that Rosenthal must have had her team looking for Ben and me — the way she’d spoken had.
She definitely didn’t sound like someone planning to make an arrest.
“We’re listening,” I replied, although we remained where we stood, Ben clearly understanding that it was better to hang back and see what the FBI agent had to say.
Agent Morse took a careful step forward. Still in that low, calm voice, she said, “Dr. Rosenthal has received authorization for enhanced interrogation protocols. She’s planning to take you both into custody within the next few hours.”
Enhanced interrogation. The euphemism made a chill that had nothing to do with the damp, cold air flow over me. Still, I tried to sound calm as I said, “And you’re telling us this because…?”
“Because I became a federal agent to protect people, not to help the government weaponize things it doesn’t understand.” Now she sounded worried…and regretful. Not exactly a combination I would have expected from the coolly efficient woman who’d come into my shop a few days earlier. “What I saw on the surveillance footage last night…what Dr. Rosenthal is planning to do with that information…it’s not right.”
I studied her through the darkness, using both my normal senses and the telepathic impressions I was picking up. As far as I could tell, her emotions felt genuine — troubled, conflicted, but sincere. She really was having second thoughts about DAPI’s operation.
“What did you see on the surveillance footage?” Ben asked.
Rebecca Morse was quiet for a moment. “Energy fields around Ms. Lowell that our equipment can barely detect, let alone explain. Dr. Rosenthal thinks you’re some kind of human electromagnetic generator. She wants to study how you do it, then figure out how to replicate the phenomenon for military applications.”
Ben’s voice turned dry. “And I assume you have a problem with that?”
“I have a problem with treating a human being like a lab rat.” Morse moved closer, and I could see her face more clearly now. She looked tired, eyes shadowed, mouth tight with all the things she knew she’d never be able to say to her superiors. “Ms. Lowell, can I ask you something?”
I set my hands on my hips. “I suppose that depends on the question.”
“Are you generating those electromagnetic fields intentionally?”
The question hung in the air between us, loaded with implications. The way I answered could determine whether Agent Morse remained an ally…or became another threat.
“Not intentionally,” I said at last. “Not at first. But I’m starting to figure out what’s happening, even though I have no idea how to control it.”
Agent Morse nodded slowly. “I thought so.” She paused before adding, “Dr. Rosenthal doesn’t care whether you’re doing all this on purpose or not. She sees a weapon to be developed, not a person to be protected.”
“So, what are you proposing?” Ben asked. His expression appeared open enough, but it seemed clear to me that he wanted to know exactly what Rebecca Morse had in mind before we promised anything.
Without hesitating, she responded, “I need you to help me sabotage the surveillance data before it can be transmitted to DAPI headquarters. Without that evidence, Dr. Rosenthal’s case for enhanced interrogation falls apart.”
A surge of hope went through me, quickly followed by a flare of suspicion. “What’s the catch?”
Some people might have been offended by the implications of such a question. Agent Morse, on the other hand, only replied calmly, “The catch is that we have to move fast. Dr. Rosenthal has discovered that you’ve left the Henderson farm. She’s mobilizing a full search team to locate you.”
My heart sank. We’d been so careful about sneaking out of the casita and then approaching my house…but clearly not careful enough. “How did she find out?”
“Thermal imaging drone. It detected your exit from the guest house and tracked your movement toward town, although it lost you in the forest.” Agent Morse’s jaw tightened. “But she still knows you went to your house, and she’s assuming you’ll return to the farm at some point. She’s positioning teams to intercept you.”
Ben and I exchanged glances. We were trapped between the forest and the farm, with federal agents closing in from both directions.
“If we help you sabotage the surveillance data,” I said, “what happens after that?”
“I’ll buy you some time,” Agent Morse told me. “Create false reports about equipment failures, media leaks, legal complications…whatever might work. But even all that won’t hold Dr. Rosenthal off indefinitely. She’s determined to get her hands on you.”
“Then we need a more permanent solution,” Ben said. He, too, seemed almost preternaturally calm, but I could sense the tension in his lean body. His hands had half curled into fists where they hung at his sides, as if he was just holding back his fight response.
I could only hope he would continue to maintain control. This was no place for heroics, not with an armed and trained federal agent standing only a few paces away from us.
