Huck cut him short. “I don’t need the details. Between all the travel arrangements…when could you get to the location?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

“I want you to go with them,” Huck commanded.

“My team is quite capable of leading a rescue mission without me,” the General replied. Then he added, “sir.”

“It’s more complicated than that.” Huck wagged a finger. Then he turned to Scott. “Tell him his orders,” he instructed and the General shifted his attention to Scott, his eyes narrowing.

“My son…Ethan…I’ll give you my address, I believe he’s still at home. But my daughter said he was injured badly…hit by a car. We don’t have any other details…”

The General nodded, waiting for the rest.

“Go on,” Huck said. “Tell him about the variables.”

Scott looked at Huck, his jaw tightened, and he swallowed. “There might be others…a woman for sure, and her child…”

The General looked to Huck and then to Scott. “How many survivors should we prepare for?” he asked.

Huck put his hand up to stop the conversation. He looked at Scott expectantly and then turned back to the General, “Bring back only Ethan. Kill the others.”

“We’ll take care of it,” he said swiftly, without a hint of surprise. Then the General pivoted, poised to leave.

“Wait!” Scott yelled and he took a giant step toward Huck. “Wait.”

Everyone turned to him and stopped. Scott put his hands out toward Huck, pleading.

“You having a change of heart?” Huck asked with a sneer.

“Bring back Ethan and the child,” Scott answered. Then he looked to the ground.

For a long moment, the room was quiet. The room hummed and then Huck turned to Scott. “You heard him. Ethan and the boy. No other survivors. Are we clear?”

“Yes, sir,” the General replied. “We’ll kill the mother and any other survivors on sight. Bring back the boy and the child. Easy.”

“You are dismissed. Let me know when you leave and I expect a full debrief when you return,” said Huck and with a nod the General spun and left the room.

After the door had shut behind him, Huck turned to Scott. “You’re weaker than I predicted.”

“I know.”

“I believed more of you.”

“It was a momentary lapse.”

“This child will be your responsibility…”

“Of course,” Scott mumbled. He had no idea how Maxine would react to him adding a seventh child to their brood. But he rested in the comfort that she would stand by his side in the decision to bring the boy back. He didn’t know why he felt compelled to offer the boy a chance at life. Something inside of him couldn’t stomach the idea of killing another child. His hands were bloody enough.

“I do admire your compassion,” Huck continued, slumping down into his chair. “Don’t get me wrong. You are an admirable man, Scott…but in times of great war and great change, there are hard decisions. The end will justify the means, I believe that and so do you. We have a cause and we have a plan. Do not waver, and do not hesitate. Remain strong.” He put out his hand, palm down, and motioned for Scott. He reached, grabbing Huck’s hand in a side-shake.

“Of course,” Scott replied again and he tried to pull back, but Huck held on.

They stood there, with outstretched arms, Huck locked on to Scott.

“You are one of my most trusted colleagues,” Huck continued. He looked close to tears, his chin wobbled. “It hurts to think you didn’t trust that I would take care of you.”

“I’m sorry.” Scott looked to the floor. He admired the brown speckled carpet. He could still feel Huck watching him, assessing his every move. And Scott felt his hand go cold. The prolonged handshake felt more ominous the longer it continued.

Then Huck released him and Scott hesitated for a second before letting his hand drop to his side.

“I will let you know when the planes leave,” Huck added with mechanical and businesslike air. “We shall welcome Ethan home like the prodigal son. And we shall spin the story of the child…we’ll find a way. Leave the details to me.”

Scott nodded. Frozen.

“And…Grant…our stowaway,” Huck said as a reminder. “I expect to be notified when the results are in. And continue to work on our second virus. No matter the outcome with Grant, I still intend to follow-through with a second release. I won’t take any chances before we move to the Islands. Do you understand? I’m done cleaning up all of your messes. Lucy. Grant. Ethan. This child. Make it right or suffer the ultimate consequence. Is that clear enough, Scott?”

With his eyes steely, cutting into Scott like a saw, opening him piece by piece, Huck sat in his chair. He turned his body away, and after a lingering moment of awkward silence, Scott nodded, turned, and let himself out. Once in the hallway, a safe distance from the man he had followed into the underground System, Scott took a shaky breath. He put his hand out against the wall to steady himself and let all the ramifications of his choices wash over him.

He knew what he needed to do next.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Cass and Lucy sat on the couches in the Center and watched the others around them with idle curiosity. They looked like the picture of teenage apathy: faces drawn in tight-lines, nary a smile in sight, their slender legs hanging over the edges of the cushions, swinging and bouncing to imaginary music.

While the energy of the other System occupants filled the room with the sound equivalent to a hive of tireless bees, the girls sat in silence. A book from the lending library, next to the movie theater, lay open on Lucy’s lap, open and cracked along the spine. She tried to read and reread the first paragraph at least a dozen times, but her mind drifted to her breakfast with Huck, her fight with her family, and her last moments with Grant. Everything continued to slip into an even more unreal version of itself and Lucy just closed her eyes and tried to pretend that she was back at her real home, in her own gym at Pacific Lake; in this reality Salem was by her side, and they were listening to the boys play basketball during lunch.

She had just captured the perfect level of transcendence, when she felt the shift around her; there was a disruption in her daydream. Lucy opened a single eye and saw her father standing a few feet away, watching her.

Cass didn’t move from her spot on the couch. She too looked up at their visitor and before she could say hello, she yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Good afternoon, Mr. King,” Cass said. “Pop on down for a bit of darts?” she added with a wink.

“Lucy?” Scott questioned ignoring Cass’s question, and Lucy rolled her head to look at him. “I was heading to the lab…” he paused and ran his fingers through his hair, then he looked to Cass and then back to Lucy. “Do you want to come with me?”

Swinging her legs down off the edge, Lucy turned. “To see Grant?” She caught a glimpse of her friend in the corner of her eye, who offered her a sly smile.

Her father nodded.

She pivoted again and looked at Cass for permission, and the bubbly beauty blew her a kiss.

“Amuse-toi bien,” Cass said. “Give the boy an extra hug from me…from a friend he’s never met,” she added. And Lucy swung off the couch, her book tumbling to the ground. Tossing it back to the couch, she reciprocated the air-kiss – smacking her hand and waving goodbye to Cass. Lucy’s heart pounded with excitement and an ounce of trepidation—could this be the moment she had hoped for? Had Huck’s words carried any power with her father? Or was her father merely allowing her a proper goodbye? She reserved celebration until she knew for sure, until Grant was free.