Anger glinted again in Spode’s eyes. “It’s true that the original intention was to create government assets that could be deployed strategically, but in the long run the potential of the serum and the machine was incalculable. Think of what can be accomplished if we take full advantage of our latent psychic abilities. There will be scientific breakthroughs in every field of human endeavor. Medicine. Space exploration.”

“Apparently the only thing it’s accomplished so far is to create a couple of assassins and get a lot of people killed. I am unimpressed. Speaking of me, what, exactly, am I doing here?”

“I’ll show you.” Spode snapped his fingers. Two young men appeared from the hallway. “Put the hood on her and take her to the entrance of the maze. I’ll bring the camera. We can’t risk waiting any longer.”

The two men moved toward the bed. One of them had a fabric hood. Panic shot through Olivia.

“No,” she said. “Don’t put that thing on me.”

The hood was pulled down over her head. The claustrophobia slammed through her. She started to shake. Frantically she tried to reach up and yank off the cloth covering. The two men restrained her.

She kicked out wildly and managed to connect with a leg.

“Take it off,” she screamed. In desperation she went into her oracle voice. “Take it off or all will die today.”

She thrashed about, twisting violently in an attempt to get rid of the hood.

“Shit,” one of the men said. “She’s losing it, sir. It’s like she’s on drugs or something.”

“Take off the hood,” Spode said. He sounded weary. “It doesn’t matter what she sees.”

One of the men yanked off the hood. Olivia gasped for breath, a toxic brew of fury and panic flooding her veins. Her mother’s words stormed into her head. She raised her voice.

“Dead man walking in a dying garden.”

“I know,” Spode said. “We’re all dying. That’s why you’re here, you see. You are the only one who can fix the problem.”

CHAPTER 45

Five steps into the topiary maze, Olivia realized she was already so disoriented she might not be able to find her way back to the entrance.

It was difficult to focus because the waves of paranormal energy were coming at her with the force of a river in flood. The vibes churned all her senses. She found it took concentration just to stay on her feet. If it hadn’t been for Spode’s bruising grip on her arm she would have stumbled and gone down.