Kira paused, studying his face. She thought she could feel his worry through the link, and if she could feel it, it must be powerful. “You’re really nervous, aren’t you?”

“You’re not?”

Kira glanced around; they were still being watched, and Calix was still waiting impatiently by the door. No one was close enough to hear them—at least not with human senses. She leaned in closer and whispered. “This is a group of people who are alive, who have found a cure, and they’re living around the building that holds the secrets to RM, expiration, and whatever the hell I am, Samm—this is what we’ve been looking for.”

“Something’s not right here.”

“No one has threatened us—”

“And where’s Heron?” he asked. “Heron went ahead of us, to investigate this exact place, and yet she’s not here—that means she either saw something she didn’t like, and she’s holding back, or they saw her first and took her down. That is, they couldn’t have done anything good with her if they’re pretending to us that they’ve not seen her. And I do not want to meet the enemy that can see Heron first and take her down.”

He’s right, thought Kira. This is suspicious, and dangerous, and too good to be true, and yet . . . “They have the cure,” said Kira. “Whatever they’re lying about, they’re not lying about that—there are children everywhere. And if they have that, they might have more. I have to go into that building, Samm, I have to. If you want to wait outside, that’s fine.”

“I’m not leaving you alone,” he said, and looked at the glowing hospital before them. “I guess we’re going in, then.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Calix led them through the halls, and Kira discovered that the hospital was not a converted warehouse but a converted laboratory, full of state-of-the-art equipment—this must have been part of the old ParaGen facility as well. The halls were relatively empty, but Kira’s heart leapt into her throat at the sound of crying babies—not sick, screaming infants like she’d always known in East Meadow, but healthy babies and happy, cooing mothers. She wanted to run and see them but blinked back her tears and followed Calix. She needed the cure first; then she could get some answers.

Samm stiffened suddenly, his head jerking around to look for something, and Kira instinctively dropped into a combat stance, ready for attack. Samm breathed deeply, scanning the hall, and finally caught Kira’s eye. She started to speak, but he shook his head and nodded toward Calix. The blond girl had stopped by an office door and was looking back at them oddly.

“Is everything okay?” Kira couldn’t help but notice that she was asking Samm. He started to answer, but Kira cut him off.

“Is that his office?”