Author's Note: Here we go, though not as soon as I had hoped (as usual). Again, thanks so much for reading. This story has quite a road ahead of it to lead up to where Resurrection began. I hope you enjoy the journey.

Chapter 7

The day had ended in accordance with Tobias's wishes. Jennifer was not ready for it to be over, though. The study time in the lab had passed so quickly that she hardly realized that eight hours had gone by since she was first given access to the probe device.

Jennifer walked through the halls of Alaceda, pleased with herself that she had been weaned from the medication to help her with the claustrophobic reactions she had when she first arrived. It felt like an accomplishment, proving that she was of good stock and of value to the Dread Youth corps of cadets. She was on her way to becoming a leader in her own right. All her commanders had told her that, infinitely pleased with her disciplined approach to her destiny. Memorization was no longer a task but a practice. She learned to absorb and retain what she read or saw or heard without trying. Jennifer far exceeded her classmates in that area, and it had begun to reap proper rewards.

The tunnel leading to her quarters was dimly lit as Alaceda began winding down from the day's operations. Only critical areas remained fully powered. Non-critical areas went to a standby mode in order to decrease the tax on base power generators. She was alone in the corridor, left to organized thought about her assignment. Doctor Tobias had given her quite the task. It was the opportunity to be a part of a crucial turning point in history – melding man and machine into one unstoppable entity. She silently wondered if her name would be associated with the accomplishment at all. It was not that she necessarily cared that it was, but it would be interesting if her contributions would be recognized alongside one of the greatest research minds the world had ever known. After all, she was not even out of the Youth yet and hardly recognized as a valid member of Lord Dread's forces.

The came to the door into her quarters and typed her pass code into the panel. The door slid open quietly and closed in the same way behind her once she was inside her room. She was shocked to see it in such disarray. All her attempts at harnessing Mercury lay strewn about the room. The condition of her quarters would have earned her severe punishment by an overunit had she been subject to audit or inspection. However, she was on her own now, and the only eyes she had to worry about were Doctor Tobias's. She doubted the doctor would find the condition of the living quarters a sparring point.

Jennifer looked around the room, suddenly remember that Mercury had been giving free reign. It was not visible on any of the open surfaces. She began to search for the rat, worry setting in when she had moved all of the clutter and had still not located it.

She got down on her hands and knees and began searching in earnest under the bunk and in the closet. Unable to find it, she looked in the last place in the room – under the desk. Sitting in the corner in the back was Mercury, It rose up when it saw her, sniffing the air with curiosity. Carefully, she reached toward it. The rat stayed, unafraid. She gently grasped its torso and pulled it out from under the desk.

Her communications station was still lit up with the documentation from the probe project. Jennifer sat down, placing Mercury on the highly polished surface of the desk. She ordered food tablets from the dispenser and placed them on the desk in a small pile. After that, she began to study the reports from the probe project. Before long, she felt manic whiskers on her arm and the tiny fingers of Mercury's cold paws on her forearm. She pushed it away toward the pile of food pellets and returned her concentration to the data files. After a few moments, Mercury returned to her arm, touching her, craning its neck to look up at her. She pushed at it again, but it was to no avail. Mercury padded over to where her arms were resting on the desk.

Jennifer remembered that the rat enjoyed crackers. Perhaps that would occupy it long enough for her to get some work done. She got one from the dispenser and gave it to an eager Mercury. This time, though, Mercury rejected it, tossing it aside. Her frustration rose in intensity. She was tired and had no energy to figure out what a rodent required at that hour. Mercury sat up on its haunches, elongating its body. Tiny forearms looked like grotesque miniature hands.

Her mind quickly went to her daily routine of care for the animals. It wanted something, and without an ability to speak, it was her responsibility to decipher what that was. It was part of the assignment given by Tobias. The rat was supposed to thrive, not die or want for anything. When it hit her, the answer was one that made her angry. She had forgotten to provide the most basic necessity to a mammal – water. At once, she filled a cup and placed it in front of Mercury. It immediately began lapping up eager amounts of it.

A sense of relief washed over her at having found the answer. The rat seemed satisfied and occupied with its new source of sustenance. Jennifer returned to her chair and began reading the project information once more. After a while, Mercury seemed to take interest in the information, too. It waddled over again and sat near her arm, looking up at the screen. It had brought the cracker with it and was turning it in its hands, biting off clean edges as it went.

It was the routine that began to take shape over the following days. As long as Mercury had run of the room, she would be subject to the rat's constant interruptions. Theirs became a scheduled set of actions. Several times, she tried to house it in a secure box of some sort, but the rat became vocal and distractive until she would eventually free it from its containment and put it on the desk with her. It had become a losing battle of sorts. It was much easier to appease the rat with simple acts than to endure elaborate setups to simply ignore it. Besides, she reasoned, many animals relied on socialization to thrive. She could not find any data on rats and their need for it, but there was existing data on other species that required it for successful living. She was not about to take any chances. Mercury would not be allowed to rejoin its brethren, so she would have to act as a surrogate. She found a large, clear container and constructed quite a comfortable abode for a rat using old materials around the base that had been discarded, including an old wooden box that fit perfectly in the corner. The top lid was gone, providing a small room for it. If it was possible for a rat to display happiness, Mercury did.

The probe data was always at the fore of Jennifer's mind. During the day, Doctor Tobias would go into more detail of certain aspects of the project. At night, Jennifer returned to her quarters to review everything she could find of that point, all with Mercury sitting at her side on the desk. It began to seem as though they studied together. On days when the doctor was particularly sharp or Jennifer failed in a task, it was Mercury who seemed to be the constant at night. The rat did not require explanations or the recitation of doctrines. It never chastised. It never praised vocally, for that matter. It did, however, have a sense of camaraderie with the cadet. At first, Jennifer thought it imagination that Mercury purposely came out of hiding in its box when she entered her quarters at the end of the day. After the third night in a row of the same result, she knew it was not. The rat was actively seeking her presence, even though she had made sure to leave plenty of food and water for it while she was gone. They began reviewing the data together on a nightly basis.

One night, as they sat together at the desk, Mercury seemed particularly restless. While it usually was content to sit on the desk, that night, it began trying to climb on to her arm. Jennifer gently picked Mercury up and put it back down to where its cracker lay abandoned. The rat would have nothing of it and continued its attempts to climb. Finally, she picked Mercury up in her hand and stared into its face.

"I have work to do," she said.

Mercury blinked, its nose twitching wildly. It did not struggle in her grasp. Instead, its body curled up as if to make more contact with her. She had no idea what to do. It was clear it would not stay on the desk, but she needed her hands free to correlate data. The only solution she could muster was to put the rat on her shoulder. The sensation of its whiskers on her skin was strange and unexpected. Mercury was soft and gentle, skirting her collar to the other shoulder. In all, it seemed to be happy. She picked up a piece of the cracker and handed it to the rat. The tiny munching sound was loud in her ear, but there was a sense of calmness to it. The warmth of touch was strangely comforting to Jennifer. Her discipline said that it was all wrong. Pets were not allowed. They were strictly forbidden, in fact. If this were Volcania, she would have been severely punished.

However, she was not in Volcania. She was in Alaceda. She had literally been ordered by Doctor Tobias to assume the care of Mercury. An order was an order, and Tobias was certainly high up in the chain of command. An order should always be obeyed.

The project, itself, was moving rapidly. Jennifer's prototype program for probe insertion was getting praise from Doctor Tobias. The next morning would be crucial to moving forward in the project. It would be tested on a new cadaver, which was scheduled to arrive at first light. Since coming to Alaceda, only the original twelve bodies had been used for the project. Now, they would be getting a fresh experiment with which to work. There would be no evidence of prior insertions, and all the research that had been conducted on what resources were currently available would be put to the test with a fully clean subject. It was an exciting thought, though Jennifer noted silently that Tobias did not seemed as thrilled with the prospect. More than once, it seemed the doctor was angry or resented that she had to do the work. Her enthusiasm for what she had accomplished thus far did not seem adequate. Jennifer had not yet worked up the courage to ask why, and instinct told her she might even regret asking.

The time for sleep approached, and it was something she felt she needed in great supply for once. Jennifer carefully extricated Mercury from her shoulder and placed it in its habitat. She readied herself to rest for the night and turned out the lights, leaving only the glow of the communications console. As she lay in her bunk, she stared over at Mercury's box. It was routing around, finally standing on its hind legs to take one last drink from its water bottle. Her mind drifted over the events that had brought her to this place. She always knew the overunits had more freedoms than the cadets, but she never imagined what it would be like to be so independent. Even though she was under the command of Doctor Tobias, she felt the latitude she had been given in her studies and work. She had been given choices to make, right or wrong. It was a sharp departure from the Dread Youth, where the regimentation was a way of life. She found herself looking to Tobias as a role model – strong and sure. Still, there were things about the doctor that she could not reconcile, one being her less than unwavering loyalty to Lord Dread. She had no idea why Doctor Tobias could not see the large vision of the empire, nor could she understand how the doctor could not revel in the fact that her work was a part of bringing about the revolution.

The communications console suddenly lit the room with indications of an incoming transmission. Jennifer bolted out of bed, knowing it could only be from one source. She sat down at the desk and tried to compose herself before answering.

Lord Dread's face filled the screen. His stern look sent ripples of anxiety through her.

"My lord," she said, forcing confidence to her voice.

"Report," he ordered.

"The project is making progress. Doctor Tobias is preparing to test the new probe insertion program on a fresh subject in the morning."

"Dead or alive?"

Jennifer knew what he meant. "She is not willing to test it on a live subject yet, my lord. She is insisting on a cadaver until all criteria have been satisfied."

Lord Dread mulled over information. "What is your opinion of the readiness?"

"I'm confident in my program and the insertion process," she said. "Tomorrow is a matter of confirmation."

Lord Dread's red prosthetic eye glowed intensely in the screen, reflecting down on the shiny surface of the desk like a red ball.

"And you're confident it will be a successful test?" he challenged.

She was aware her answer must be careful and diplomatic. "Doctor Tobias will be the final word on the success of the test."

It was not the right choice of words. Lord Dread leaned forward, agitated. "I'm asking what you think, Youth Leader Chase."

He left her with no choice but to commit to an answer. "I believe the process will be successful, yes."

He sat back, pleased. "Very well. I want a full report tomorrow evening of the results."

"Yes, my lord," she answered, her head instinctively bowing at his command. "My lord," she said, hesitantly, "you there is something else you should know."

"Yes?" he said warily.

"Doctor Tobias is able to monitor your transmissions to me."

Lord Dread was not pleased. He leaned forward, looking menacing. "Are you certain?"

She looked downward. "Yes, my lord. She showed me a playback of my last report to you."

"I should have expected this," he said more to himself than the cadet, disdain hard in his voice. "Continue as planned. I'll deal with this situation personally."

"As you wish, my lord."

The screen darkened again as the transmission was ended. She was now wide-awake and knew sleep would not come for her. She pulled up the project data again and began reading through her contributions to it. She had already checked it countless times for accuracy, and so far, Tobias had not dissented on any of it. Still, it would not hurt to check again. Tomorrow was a monumental day in history if all went well. It would be a complete waste if something as small as an error in mathematical equations defeated it.

She heard Mercury in its box wanting to get out, but this was one time she would not oblige the animal. Her concentration had to be solely on the project and her portion of it. She studied the equations over and over again through the night. She ran every simulation she could, entering every variant possible that might sabotage the project. Jennifer even accounted for a loss of power during the procedure and determined that the probe machine would stop immediately and hold its position, causing no further harm.

The machine, itself, was not entirely impressive on the outside. It was a steel cube on the surface. However, it was what was inside that made it groundbreaking. Precision calibration guided its movements. Automated surgical implementations were positioned in cylindrical fashion inside and could be accessed as needed in every part of the procedure. Completely computer guided, it satisfied the doctor's requirement of steadiness during the probe implantation. Jennifer had found the portion of the program that drove the instruments was easy. It was ensuring the probe entered where it had been predicted each and every time. All of the current experiments had been a success so far.

Despite that success, Doctor Tobias seemed frustrated or even angry that the project was proceeding so well. Jennifer could not understand the doctor's reluctance to celebrate in the achievements made. Then again, Jennifer reasoned, perhaps Doctor Tobias was disappointed in other things with the project that were not yet known.

For just a moment, Jennifer closed her eyes to alleviate the burning in them. The next thing she knew, her waking alarm was sounding. She had fallen asleep at the desk, the screen still on the last piece of research she had been reviewing. Her back was sore from having slept in an awkward position. Tiny snapping sounds tickled up her spine as the vertebrae realigned. She stretched, looking over at Mercury's habitat. Unlike Jennifer, the rat did not enjoy the morning. It was nestled in its box, curled around and sleeping.

Jennifer prepared for the day. She took special care in her appearance. It was a monumental day in the life of the cadet, and she felt it appropriate that she should look her best. Once she had passed her own inspection, she stepped out into the corridor of Alaceda and began walking toward the lab. Her strides were confident, as though everyone should be made aware that she was about to graduate at the top of her class with the Dread Youth, that she had been chosen to work in the mountain complex because she was that dedicated to Lord Dread and the will of the machines. She doubted even overunits enjoyed personal communications from their leader, and in private quarters, at that.

Doctor Tobias was already waiting for her at the lab's door.

"We have a delivery at the hangar," the doctor said, foregoing any pleasantries.

She did not appear at all happy that the fruits of their work would be reaped later that morning. Instead, Tobias seemed unusually surly.

They walked to the hangar at a fast clip. Tobias was angry at something. Jennifer had to practically double time it just to keep up with the doctor's purposeful strides. Base workers stepped aside when they saw the doctor charging down the hall. For the first time, Jennifer saw a significant line of demarcation between those who worked at the base and the one person who was in charge of it all.

A cargo ship had docked in the hanger next to the slot where Jennifer had secured the first cargo ship. Workers were offloading an elongated box. She immediately recognized its shape and correctly associated it as cadaver storage. Tobias walked up to it and looked down at the unit that had been placed on a transport lift.

"Open it," she commanded of the closest dock worker.

He was not much older than Jennifer, but he was no elite member of the Dread Youth. He was a utility worker, a necessary tool in the chain of command in the new empire. His dark hair contrasted with the white coveralls he wore that were stained with hydraulic fluid.

He quickly snapped open the clamps on the side of the container and lifted the lid for the doctor's inspection.

She peered into the unit. She reached down and touched the cadaver, pressing two fingers firmly into its neck. Her jaw became steel as she pulled her hand out of the box. Tobias glared at the dock worker.

"Who sent this cargo?" she demanded.

He quickly pulled out a data pad from his pocket to confirm the information. His voice was weak and stammering as he relayed information to the doctor. There was a slight tremor in his fingers as he recalled the information.

"Th-the c-cargo was s-sent from Volcania," he finally managed. His stutter only revealed more of his imperfections and why he would rise no higher than manual labor in the destiny of Lord Dread's empire.

"Who sent it?" she demanded.

He struggled even more under her scrutiny. "There is – isn't a n-name listed. Just w-where it came from, D-Doctor."

"Get it back on the ship," she said sharply, pointing her finger at the unit. Then she turned to Chase. "You – get in that pilot's seat and get us ready for take-off."

Tobais turned from them and stomped up the ramp into the cargo hold. She waited and watched as the dock worker guided the transport's forks until the cargo unit was back in its place. The worker knelt down and began securing it to the rack as Jennifer did a pre-flight sequence. She had no idea where they were going, and it did not really matter. She was getting a chance to fly again, and this was the most excitement she had seen all week.

"Get rolling," Tobias ordered, peering into the container unit.

Jennifer closed the back hatch to the carrier and began powering the engines to depart the hangar. She cleared the doors with the ease and precision that was expected of her. The cargo ship followed her every command, at one with her wishes. Instead of the exhilaration she felt the first time she had transported Tobias to Alaceda, Jennifer was now preoccupied with the doctor and her attention on the cargo pod in the back of the transport. Tobias was speaking into the container at the body.

The cadet could not help herself. Her curiosity was getting the better of her. In any case, she needed all the information she could gather to report to Lord Dread.

"Doctor?"

Tobias appeared distracted. "Fly to these coordinates – one-one-four, mark two-seven-eight."

Jennifer obediently entered the coordinates into the flight computer and set it on its way. She watched Tobias begin to administer to the corpse. After a moment, Jennifer realized the body was not dead. Tobias was talking to the man, opening medical supplies from the onboard stores. Her actions were purposeful and quick, reaching down into the container to minister to the man's injuries. When she was finished, she joined Jennifer on the flight deck and took her place in the right hand seat.

Jennifer had questions, but she knew she had to be careful in which ones she asked and in what manner. Tobias took control away from the pilot before any questions could be asked.

"How long until we land?"

Jennifer checked the navigation controls. "Forty-five minutes. Doctor, may I ask . . ."

"No," Tobias said shortly, cutting her off mid-sentence. "Just get us to those coordinates like I asked."

The doctor stared out at the cockpit window. Her face was red with anger. In the rare sunlight that lit the earth above the clouds, she leaned back against the headrest and closed her eyes. Her mouth was tightly closed, jaw set with anger. Then, she appeared to have fallen asleep, though her eyes were still active, as though dreaming.

The coordinates were in the middle of the continent. A large settlement came into view, one larger than any Jennifer had seen on any of the training missions in the Dread Youth to date. Unlike the squalor that she was used to seeing with the rebels, the people at these coordinates were thriving.

Tobias perked up as they approached. She looked out the cockpit toward the ground. "Land behind the second building on the right."

Jennifer saw where Tobias meant. The settlement had two main rows of buildings. The second closest to their approach was large and seemed to be avoided by the crowds who otherwise roamed the streets quite freely.

The shuttle set down on the ground smoothly and without any jarring of its passengers. Tobias ordered the back hatch open as she exited the cockpit. Her walk was swift and angry as she tromped down the ramp and onto the dusty ground of the settlement. A receiving bay was open in the back of the building where they had landed. Jennifer quickly secured the ship with a pass code, powering down the engines. Then she was on her feet, walking to the back of the ship but not leaving it. Instead, she waited at the top of the ramp. She felt an uneasiness as she stood there, quite aware that they had set down without backup in what was probably a rebel stronghold.

An older man appeared in the receiving bay. He wore the dirty tunic of those who would some day serve the empire of the machines. His face was dirty and tired, stubble on his chin that seemed to match his short-cropped dark hair. Jennifer saw Doctor Tobias walk a quick clip toward the man, her robes trailing in her wake.

The man was bigger than Tobias by a foot. His gangly frame seemed to tower over her, yet his body language was not aggressive. Rather, he seemed nervous at the woman making a quick pace toward his position.

Jennifer crept forward, down the ramp, both a show of backup to the doctor and an effort to satisfy her own curiosity about the conversation taking place.

"What are you trying to pull with me?" Tobias hollered.

The man was taken aback. "Nothing, Doctor Tobias, I swear."

"Nothing?" she asked sharply. "I order cold bodies from you, and what do I get on the most important day I need them? I get a living, breathing specimen. Not only that, he's so damaged, he's useless to me!" she said, thumbing back toward the cargo ship.

"Damaged?" the man asked, as though trying to calm her down and buy time.

"Yes, damaged," she snapped. "A broken leg, multiple burns – where'd you find that one? In a garbage dump?"

The man shifted his weight from one leg to the other. His hand pushed his hair forward toward his forehead nervously. "I don't know what to tell you, Doctor Tobias. The order was changed first thing this morning."

"Who changed the order?"

The man looked down at the ground. "Lord Dread's overunits came here personally and changed it."

"My standing order with you is for corpses," she chastised. "Dead people. That one in the container is alive. So, here's what you're going to do."

The man was eager to oblige. "Whatever you want, Doctor."

"You're going to get that living, breathing body out of my cargo ship, and you're going to swap it free of charge for my usual order from you."

He was eager to rectify the situation in lieu of her ire. He called for two workers to remove the container from the ship and replace it with a corpse. In a matter of minutes, the containers were swapped, and the cargo Doctor Tobias wanted was secured aboard the ship. As the living specimen was brought into the receiving bay, Jennifer saw the doctor take one last look inside the container. Her eyes followed it until the workers turned the corner and were out of her sight.

"I'll be back, same time next week. You better have a more quality selection than what I've been getting from you lately."

"I'll have my best foragers on it immediately, Doctor," the man said quickly, relieved the confrontation was over.

Tobias gave him a stern look. "You do that." Then she turned and began a brisk pace back to the shuttle. "Get us out of here," she ordered Chase.

Jennifer complied immediately, sealing the cargo hold and activating the ship's thrusters to bring it airborne. She reversed her course and began the journey back to Alaceda. The entire trip was spent in silence as Tobias brooded over the change in plans. She was fuming as they arrived in Alaceda's hangar. Her only words were to the dock workers to bring the new container to the lab.

Jennifer kept up with the doctor's quick stride back to the lab. The workers pushed the container into the probe lab and transferred the contents to an empty gurney.

"Sterilize the body once they get it on a table," Tobias ordered, "and get the preservation chemicals prepped."

The doctor sat down heavily behind her desk, brooding. Jennifer looked at her for a moment, unnoticed. She had never seen Tobias so angry and disconcerted.

"Doctor?" she dared.

Tobias looked at her. "You have your assignment, cadet," she said pointedly, dismissing Jennifer in one fell swoop.

Chase turned into the lab in time to see the dock workers placing the new cadaver on a table next to subject number twelve. She immediately set to work getting the preservation chemicals and the sterilizing wash from the supply cabinets. Then, she rolled up her sleeves and began cleaning the cadaver as ordered. Her mind was not on her work. Something significant had just occurred, but she had no way of deciphering just how serious it was. Then, she heard an incoming message sound out at Tobias's desk.

Her ears perked up as she heard Tobias answer the call.

"Well, well – Lyman, how good of you to visit."

Who was Lyman? Jennifer's curiosity was piqued. Then it became cold shock as she heard Lord Dread's voice answer.

"Helene," he said icily. "I'm told you rejected the gift I sent you this morning."

At the far side of the lab was a set of consoles that monitored the outer lab area. Tobias used them to see who was at the door if the probe lab was sealed. She keyed up the lab and was shocked to see Lord Dread, himself, standing in front of the doctor's desk. No one had announced his arrival at Alaceda. Surely, the base should have been made aware that the leader of the empire was making an appearance.

"Gift?" Tobias said, incredulous. "You call setting my project off by yet another day a gift?"

"I would have thought you grateful for a live test subject."

She was undaunted. "My research is calculated, Lyman. I was specific in my parameters for test subjects. I don't need you meddling in my work." Tobias leaned back in her chair and propped her feet up on the desk.

Jennifer expected Lord Dread to display his wrath at such insolence, but the conversation continued without any such act.

"You've had plenty of time to complete this project. I need you to finish this work."

Tobias picked up a stylus off the desk and flicked at Lord Dread with defiance. It sailed right through him, causing his image to shimmer. He was nothing more than a hologram in the lab.

"Is that really necessary?" he said, unimpressed and annoyed.

She smiled quaintly. "At special moments like this, yes. I created most of the communications systems used around here. Allow me a little fun with them from time to time."

"Like intercepting privileged communiqués?"

"Oh, please," she said, waving him off, "like I didn't know you'd be doing that? Youth Leader Chase is your personal set of eyes on me. Of course you're going to have her tell all on a regular basis. And for the record, I don't give a damn what she thinks this project is ready to do. She's little older than a child. She's not ready to play with the big kids yet. I'll tell you when the project is ready to proceed."

"Helene," he said, sounding tired of her games, "you will comply with my orders. You're being given all you ask for on my good graces. Don't test me. You will step up your testing schedule to a live subject by the end of the week."

"Or else?"

"Or," Lord Dread said, "you'll find out just how much control I have over your life and of those around you."

She scoffed at him. "Don't threaten me, Lyman. I don't take kindly to it."

"Then don't test my patience," he countered. "You will learn once and for all that I hold power over everything, including you."

"I'm not one of your test tube constructs. Save your threats and posturing for them. You'll get your live test soon enough, but not before I fully test on the subjects I've requested."

"I've sent you hundreds of live subjects for all your projects, yet you bargain with that wretched dealer for cadavers for your most important work yet. It's rather insulting."

"The rebels are living in squalor, subject to bacteria and disease. It would be a waste of test subjects to simply forge ahead with live ones, knowing the test will fail because of the possibility of rejection by the body of the device. Besides," she added, "I get you your share of information. You've made good use of the intelligence."

He mulled her comment. "It has been valuable, I will admit. However, my patience with the rebels is waning. I want results. The time to end this so-called war is now."

"You do realize," she said, "that the live tests will ultimately produce fatalities? I will require quite a few live subjects when I actually am ready to fully implement the project."

"You'll have what you need. I've already assured you of that."

She sat up straight in her chair, her feet clapping onto the floor. "Fine. Then we understand one another. I give you the numbers I need once I have the final figures."

"Alaceda has the proper holding facilities up to standard? The prisoners can be quite resourceful."

Tobias looked bored. "Of course they are. They're not going anywhere once they're in lockdown, which is more than I can say for your little operation's track record."

Lord Dread did not find humor in her words. "I expect those numbers soon, Helene."

There was no goodbye, no farewell. Lord Dread's image shimmered away into nothingness. Doctor Tobias reached out and picked up another stylus. She flicked it where Lord Dread's image had been.

"And the people in hell want ice water," she said.