She looks confused as she asks, “So, Iamaffected, then?”
“Yes, and no. This type of auditory manipulation is much harder to produce. You’d need headphones on, for one. And for two, the manipulation is merely an illusion created by the mind.”
“Uh-huh,” she says, taking off the headphones and handing them back to me. “What does any of this have to do with my safety again?”
I move toward her to remove the cap, wiping away the excess gel. “Well, if Sabel finds out that the frequencies can’t influence you, I’m afraid that she might come after you.” I pause. “I have no idea what Sonus and Sabel are planning with phase two, but I don’t have a good feeling about it.”
She swallows. “Might?”
“She’s not a good person, Sloane. I think these people are up to something much worse than influencing a few human emotions. We think that they are attempting to experiment with mind control on a much bigger level.” I pause, considering how much to divulge. Especially because right now, this is all theoretical. “Outliers are dangerous. Outliers would pose a risk to mass manipulation. You can’t manipulate the masses if the masses can’t be manipulated.”Fuck, I don’t even know if that makes sense now that I’ve said it out loud. I need to get to the bottom of this shit.
She swallows again, harder this time, causing my eyes to flick to her throat. I grind my molars.
“Oh. Um, wow. It’s much worse than I thought,” she says, staring blankly.
“Than you thought?” I ask, already knowing the answer but needing her to share it herself. I need to know that she trusts me …us.
“Yeah,” she says, looking up at me. “I’m working on a story about it. I thought something might have been going on with the fan base. I’ve been looking into something along these lines, but I never could have imagined it could be this …bad.”
I nod. “Yeah, well. I’m going to need you to stop looking and take another story. We can’t have this getting out.”
I see the red slowly taking over her green irises again as she says, “And what are all of you going to do about it? Why haven’t any of you stopped her yet? Don’t you realize how screwed up it is … what you’redoingto people?” She pauses. “If it’s true that Sonus wants to potentially manipulate masses, don’t you see what they could do with that kind of power?”Of fucking course I do, that’s why I’m doing all of this.
I start to speak, but Callum beats me to it. “Look, Sloane, we know how serious this is, and we’re working on a way out. But it’s going to take some time. This isn’t the way we need to go about this. Sabel will have people looking into you since you’re now an outlier and a potential threat to her plans, if she doesn’t already. Your life could be in danger, and if you come out with this in the press and she catches wind that someone is trying to expose her … even more so.” Cal pauses, his next words barely audible. “You don’t know what that bitch is capable of, and you don’t want to. Trust me.”
Sloane seems to consider him, taking it all in as she says, “Okay, fine. I get it. I’ve done my fair share of research on manipulative, corrupt leaders, and I understand the potential threat.” She pauses. “What about Lydia? She was there today. Doesn’t that mean she’s also an outlier?” Callum stiffens at the mention of Lydia’s name.
“Sabel personally had her invited to ensure that you showed up. Lydia isn’t an outlier. I think you already knew that, though,” I say.
She assesses me for a second before hopping down from the chair. She brushes her hands over her hair. “So, what now? How do we keep this from Sabel?” she asks.
“I’m working on it. I’m switching your data to look like the data for a person who isn’t an outlier. Sabel won’t be able to detect anything,” I say back, typing a code into the monitor to delete Sloane’s files.
“Done,” I say, hitting the enter button on the keyboard. “Now. Let’s get you home.”
14
Sloane
“An outlier.”
“Unaffected by the frequency.”
“This method is harder to produce.”
Van’s words echo in my mind the entire drive back to my apartment. I glance over to examine his new clothing. Before leaving, Van changed into something more comfortable that still concealed his identity. He’s now wearing a black ski mask that hides his eyes with a mesh covering. I trail my gaze down to the black fitted T-shirt that outlines his toned arms, continuing down to his black sweatpants that outline … anotherlargepart of his body. I quickly avert my gaze, staring out my window to watch as the trees pass by. I study the redwoods like they’re the most fascinating trees I’ve ever seen. It’s suddenly too hot andtoo small in here. I press the automatic window control until a small crack appears, letting in the spring breeze. I suck in a deep, cleansing breath.
“Everything okay?” He clears his throat.
“Mhm. Just thinking about everything,” I say, partial truth.
“Sloane, I …wewon’t let anything happen to you. Sabel won’t find out. Change the angle of your story to avert her attention. Everything will be fine.” He’s now half turned to face me. The way my name sounds coming out of his mouth in that deliciously deep, low voice has my stomach doing cartwheels.Stupidstomach.
“How do you know that? Are you going to keep tabs on me or something?” I question.
“If that’s what you want. I can have a friend keep an eye on things, make sure you aren’t in any danger. I’ll give you my cell in case of emergency, but I won’t bother you again, unless you ask me to.” He says that last part almost like it’s an invitation. I gulp. Do I want him to? No, no, definitelynot.
“Um, sure. As long as no one is interfering with my work or personal life. Whatever needs to be done,” I say, as we pull into my driveway. I open my door to climb out, one foot making it to the pavement, when he grabs my wrist and tugs me back in. I gasp, turning toward him.
