The Pyramid Chronicles: Fortuna Guard (#2)

Chapter Forty-Three: Frozen

It was a risky plan, going to the Fortuna after everything Willow had said to Adam, but she needed the intel they'd stolen from Scorpion. And the fragment. She could lie through her teeth about joining them, steal what she needed, and escape before they could think twice.

She didn't want any more part in this stupid war, but she wasn't going to walk away from Scorpion's tech. Staying on the inside was getting dangerous, so she'd simply take them down from the outside and move on to something else. Shouldn't be too hard, now that they were weakened and she knew how all of their tech worked. If she could steal their blueprints on the way out, all the better.

But first, she had to deal with the Director.

He was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs leading down from the roof. When Willow reached him, he started walking down a hall to the left, not bothering to explain where they were going.

"So, this Zodiac thing..." Willow began as she caught up. She cleared her throat. "Is your lab one of the other branches?"

The Director nodded. "Figured that out quick," he said. "I'm in charge of Zodiac's science division, Maiden."

"Will we go there after this?"

"Your devotion to your work is admirable," the Director said. "Though I don't think you're quite as devoted to Scorpion."

"Well, a job's a job," Willow said. "But I'm still happy to do anything you need me to do."

"Were you planning to ask for a chopper out of here?" the Director asked.

Willow hesitated. "If you're worried about my commitment, I promise you that fight hasn't deterred me. I want to continue my projects here."

The Director stopped in the middle of the hallway. In the silence that followed, Willow strained her ears for any sign of life. No voices. No footsteps. Had everyone else gone off in a completely different direction? Who else was in the building?

"Scorpion was responsible for your kidnapping as a child," the Director said plainly.

Willow blinked. "I...why?" Should she tell him he already knew? No, he might question her motivations if she did.

"You'll find out soon enough." The Director held up a hand. Snapped his fingers. A door swung open. Soldiers emerged from the room on the other side and surrounded Willow.

Willow stared. If the illusion of cooperation was shattered, she may as well ask. "What really happened to Wren Cartwright?"

"We needed her for the new project you're being assigned to." The Director turned away. "Of course, you won't be working on it. You'll return to your old status as test subject fourteen."

The moment the words left his mouth, a sharp pain sliced through Willow's head. Something long forgotten tried to surface. She grasped at the memory. She was in a room, in a tank, drowning—

"Neutralize her," the Director said.

Something cold pricked Willow's neck, and the world faded away.

~

When Willow opened her eyes, her first thought was that she was drowning. Submerged in a tank of water. Everything dark. She instinctively held her breath.

Through the fog of exhaustion, she realized that she'd been breathing just fine. She went against her instincts and inhaled. No choking, no drowning, no sensation of water flooding her lungs. Whatever liquid Willow was in, it wasn't water.

Willow pounded a fist against the glass in front of her and tried to shout, "Hello?" All that came out was a gurgling noise.

Something brushed up against her arm, making her jump. It was too dark to see what it was. She moved her hand and found something that felt like a thin tube. Was she hooked up to an IV?

Her eyes stung. The walls of the tank were closing in on her. She closed her eyes and willed her mind to cooperate, willed logic to overrule panic. There had to be a way out.

Then the lights came on.