"Or maybe you could tell me what this is about first. What’s the problem?"
"That’s none of your business. You’re leaving, now," he snarls.
He glances nervously at his watch, then lifts a finger to his ear, where he clearly has an earpiece. But if he thinks whatever is being said won’t reach an alpha’s ears, he’s wrong.
I hear a voice through the headset. "Mr. L. is pulling up to the building. Is the entrance to G2 secured?"
"Who’s Mr. L.?" I ask, tilting my head with a mocking smile.
The beta lets out an angry huff. "Not your business, alpha. Get moving."
"That wasn’t a polite request."
"I don’t care. Get out."
"And how exactly are you planning to throw me out, beta?" I shoot back just as rudely, folding my arms over my chest. "I’ll leave if you tell me who that is."
He practically starts foaming at the mouth.
"This doesn’t concern you! Get out right now or I’ll tase you," he snaps, putting a hand on his hip.
I laugh. "Funny threats. You know perfectly well that even two tasers wouldn’t do much to me. You’ve already seen that."
The beta looks like he’s about to boil over, but he must realize he can’t handle me, because he glances around nervously. Another voice comes through his earpiece.
"Is corridor H27 clear?"
The beta raises his hand, switches off his headset, then looks at me with obvious reluctance.
"Mr. Blue Lowen has arrived on the island for an inspection."
"Umm… what? Inspection?"
"The recent events here, which you’re obviously aware of since you ended up in the hospital because of them, have… concerned him." The beta clears his throat. "He wants to assess the situation with his own eyes. Participants are filing requests en masse to withdraw from the program, which you probably already know."
I stand there for a moment, staring at him wide-eyed.
In my head, a version of my plan suddenly pops up that’s even crazier than before, but at the same time it also feels so much more real.
Maybe I could use Blue Lowen’s visit to our advantage?
"Okay, we’re leaving," I say, putting on an exaggeratedly humble expression as I quickly retreat back into our room.
"Salt," I say quietly, "come here."
Salt is sitting on the bed, pulling on his socks. He stands up and walks over, looking like he’s expecting something dramatic.
"Listen to this. You won’t believe it, Blue Lowen is coming here in person! He’s about to do ‘an inspection’." I make air quotes. "They’re clearing the area right now, and I’m guessing he’ll be walking straight through this corridor. A full facility check is ongoing."
Salt raises his eyebrows. "Oh, wow! That’s unusual! The main architect of the program himself? Crazy. Though, honestly, with everything that’s happened on this island, I’m not surprised he wants to see what the hell is going on. But what does that have to do with us?"
"It has everything to do with us! I want to talk to him. I believe he might help us, at least hear us out and take a closer look at our situation."
Salt stares at me for a second.
"You kidding me! You want to go straight to the guy? The big CEO?!"
"Why not, if he’s already here?" I grin. "Dream big!"
