His mouth curves beneath the mask.
Relief hits me so hard I almost sob.
“Vitals?” Mercy asks, loud enough for Clover and the camera to hear.
“Stable,” Gray replies evenly. Then, under his breath, he whispers. “We’ve got you, Vee.”
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from crying. They came for me. I don’t know how, but my sister and Gray are here. And nobody is sticking that thing in my neck. I can’t even imagine what they would make me do. They would turn me against my friends and family. Just like they did to Ender.
Mercy reaches for the implant, lifts it from the tray, and then deliberately fumbles it.
It clatters to the floor, rolling for a few seconds before it hits the wall.
“Damn it,” she mutters. “I’ll need a replacement.”
She straightens and moves to where Clover stands.
“Can you get the third technician?” she asks. “Tell her we need a new implant.”
“We’ll look after the girl,” Grayson echoes.
Clover sighs deeply before she slips out the door. The second she’s gone, Gray is back at my side. His fingers fly to the cuffs, releasing them with practiced ease. My wrists burn from the chaffing and the sudden circulation, and I rub them to bring back sensation.
Mercy is already at my side, pulling me upright.
“Can you walk?” she whispers.
I nod. Barely. I’m still sore from the fight.
Gray hands me a lab coat and a mask.
“Put these on.”
I shrug into the coat with shaking hands, buttoning it hastily. Mercy rubs my shoulder. The relief in her eyes is unmistakable.
“Let’s go,” Gray directs.
Mercy grips my arm.
“Keep your head down,” she says. “And don’t look at anyone.”
Gray opens the door. We trickle out into the corridor. If Ender is watching, which I suspect he is, it won’t be long before the alarms ring, and soldiers fill the area. Our pace quickens as we make our way to the staircase.
Thundering footsteps sound in the distance, and the screeching sound of an alarm goes off.
They are coming after us.
“Run,” Gray calls.
We break off into a sprint.
“Haven!” Ender roars. “Stop.”
I risk a glance back, unable to resist his voice. He rarely calls meHaven. I’m Warrick to him, first and foremost, but my surname is probably familiar to him, and Ender doesn’t want tobe reminded of me. I wonder how it works, if it erases all our memories, or if it remains, but they just hold no meaning to him.
It hurts to leave him behind. I want nothing more than to return to him and beg him to remember me. But I know it won’t change anything. He didn’t care in that room. He was going to watch them stick the Bind in me against my will.
The Supreme Director won. He took Ender away from me just when I wanted to make him switch sides.
