When she got to Zane's room, Tachs and the doctors were arguing. Tachs had a powerful hand on the oxygen mask, while his body was placed in front of the machine the mask was connected to. The doctors were almost screaming at him to move, calling for back up and security just as Shay made a dramatic entrance through the window. She jumped off her hoverboard and landed perfectly on both feet without even blinking.
"Don't move, don't touch, don't talk." She commanded in a steely voice.
"We agreed last night that this bed was needed!" a doctor protested.
Shay walked over to him, towering an almost 11 ft tall. She looked down at him, eyes full of pure hate.
"We won't make this as hard as it has to be." She said, every word dripping an icy authority that she learned from her Cutter days.
"We won't be needing your precious bed." She glanced at Tachs. He looked confused, but held his tongue, knowing that Shay had a plan. He easily accepted her as the leading role. "All we need," Shay continued, "Is that oxygen tank, and those food and fluid carriers. We'll take them whether you want us to or not, so don't protest. We don't want to hurt you, but we will if we have to." The familiar words slipped off her tongue before she could stop them, but she saw instantly that they worked to her favour.
The Doctors—middle pretties who had kept their original surge—faces turned an ashen white. They blinked, shock and fear easily read across their faces. With shaking hands they began to hand the medical devices needed over to Shay. To Shay's relief, they were all run on solar energy, and therefore didn't have pesky cords to hold them back.
One terrified looking doctor handed Tachs a few booklets.
"What are these?" Tachs said, voice empty of emotion, knowing that this was all Shay. It was just like Cutter times. She had him by strings.
"Manuals on how to work the devices." He answered, his voice shaking as much as his hands.
"Good." Shay said. "Tachs. Get a bag. Make a bag. Doesn't matter. Find something to put all this stuff in. Has to be light and easily manageable. Disposable when we're done, but not city recyclable. Got it?"
"Yup." Tachs moved with sinister grace out of the room to get a proper carrier.
"Ho." She sent through her skintenna.
"Yup." Came Ho.
"I need you here, stat. And I need you to bring six or seven Cutter boards, and at least four other former Cutters that are willing for a full time job."
Ho hesitated, thinking, Shay sensed, about the duty he held to Diego and Town Hall. But the pills hadn't erased his loyalty to Shay, or the bond they had through their adventures as Uglies, Smokeys, Pretties, and Cutters alike. "I'm there." He replied.
It was almost too easy for Shay to manipulate the ones around her. It was as if her entire purpose was to be a leader. To guide them, help them make the decisions they didn't even know they had. Lead people on the path to the choices that were right.
She was very glad today that she had this talent. Most days she repented it, even was ashamed of it. It seemed to everyone one else that she was a controlling freak. That she had way too much power and was only hurting people. They didn't understand. Nobody understood. But even after all of the assumptions and stereotyping, Shay still came back. Shay always helped her friends, always guided, always piloted the ones she loved to happiness.
Like Tally.
Shay gave an inwards sigh. She loved Tally but she hated her so much more than she'd ever hated anyone else. She was the center of the world. She was the most important. She had to get what she wanted no matter who she hurt. And maybe that's why her and Shay had became friends in the first place. Tally was dangerous. She harmed people without knowing it to get what she wanted. It was only fitting she have a friend like Shay to lead her on the right course.
But ARGH! Sometimes Tally drove her absolutely insane! Not to mention she had wounded Shay so much that it felt she would never be fixed again. She would never admit...not to Tally...not to anyone...but David had meant something to Shay. Still did. And she still couldn't have him. Because Tally had it all.
Another thing she wouldn't admit was that deep, deep within, it wasn't all that she had been through with Zane that had her coming to his rescue in the end. It was because of the hope that perhaps if Tally had Zane then one day David would finally see Shay. He would move on and they could be happy together forever....