Chapter Thirty-Three Faith

An hour later, Faith had resolved to do all she could to escape.

Susie had settled her into the tiny ward. After a short conversation with Sanders via her wristclip, she had left Faith without a sedative. Instead, she had made her eat a large bowl of porridge, loaded with honey. Leaving Faith with a large glass of water, Susie had told her to rest. The sustenance had rid her of the lightheadedness, but she was dreading the medic's return. The minute her blood pressure returned to normal, it was all over.

The ward was horribly familiar. Faith was even lying in the same bed that Sophia had been kept. The machines which administered the drugs had been pushed back, but were still there, waiting to be put to use.

Faith had been racking her brains for a way out. The ward was restricted and self-contained, with a bathroom and even a small kitchen unit. Faith knew without testing the theory that she was locked in. But she had to do something. Pushing herself up off the bed, she walked to the door and eased it open.

The lobby outside was empty. Slipping into it as quietly as possible, Faith made her way to the door labelled Office. Susie was staring at some figures on a screen, completely absorbed, Until Faith knocked.

"What are you–?" She jammed a finger on the datadev and the screen went blank. "Are you alright?"

Faith nodded, trying not to look too well-recovered. "I finished my water. Wondered if I could–"

Susie jumped to her feet. "You want some more?"

"I… could I maybe have a sweet tea?" Faith's eyes longed to roam the room around the medic, but she forced herself to wait, keeping them focused on Susie. "Might help my energy levels."

"Good idea." Susie hurried towards her. "Get back in bed. I'll make you one right away."

Pausing until the door into the tiny kitchen had swung closed, Faith moved back into the office. She tapped the button on the datadev, which lit up. Thanking her lucky stars it hadn't logged Susie out, Faith peered at the screen.

It was a report. Sanders' name was at the top, next to the title Lead Doctor. Below that, Susie Price, her current jailor, was listed as Sanders' assistant. With shaking fingers, Faith tabbed through the various pages, trying to take in the major details.

The first section appeared to detail the laboratory tasked with producing femgazipane and metraxilone. Huge amounts of them, by the looks of it. Faith shuddered as she recognised the name: BellaLab Corp. Memories of her disastrous mission with Evelyn came flooding back. Had the trucks leaving the premises that day been filled with the drugs?

Following her theory, Faith read on. Sure enough, beneath the BellaLab information, two warehouses were listed. Once the laboratory had created and packaged the drugs, this was where they would be stored until they were needed. Faith recited the warehouse locations in her head, trying to commit them to memory. If she could find a way to pass on this information, the Resistance would be far better armed to act.

On another tab, Sophia's name caught her eye. Clicking on her friend's report, Faith noted the dosages she had been given and scanned the notes the medics had made about the way her body had reacted. Words like feverish, shivering, extreme temperature occurred repeatedly. The results from Sophia's various scans were also detailed. Clearly, Sanders had kept a careful eye on her guinea pig.

Below all this was a section entitled Next Steps, which contained a table. The first column was simply a list of names. Faith recognised them with a start. They were all seniors from her class at the academy. Girls she knew well. The second column was titled femgazipane and the third metraxilone. An alarming number of girls were now being given both drugs.

At least Sanders believed they were. The placebos had been keeping the girls safe, so far.

When Faith reached the next column, her heart stopped. The header simply read Academy Pendant. Some students had a Y in that column. Others, an N. Clearly, someone had suggested that the necklace might be having an effect on the trial. Ever the scientist, Sanders was keen to test the theory.

Faith already knew what the results would be. Girls with the pendants would remain unresponsive to the femgazipane. Those without would respond well. And after her success with Sophia, Sanders would expect pregnancies. When they didn't occur, questions would be asked. After that, it wouldn't be long before the medics discovered the placebos.

Once the girls were started on the metraxilone for real, it would all be over. There would be lots of pregnancies. Danforth would deem the trial a success. But how many more girls would die?

Faith's eyes flicked to the door. In the kitchen, the kettle was boiling. Susie would not be gone for much longer.

Faith glanced around. Spotting a pile of papers in the corner, she hurried over and grabbed a few from the top. Scanning the desk, she prayed that someone in this office still used a pen. It was rare to find anyone writing physically these days, but there were still some people that preferred them.

Yanking open the top drawer of the desk, she rifled through it. When her hands closed around a long, slender object, her heart leapt.

Quickly, she slid the papers and pen into the waistband of her underwear. Reactivating rest mode on the datadev, she hurried out into the lobby. She had barely taken three steps when Susie reappeared, cup-in-hand.

She narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing?"

Faith gestured to a door on the left. "Needed the bathroom."

"Next time, wait til I can help you," she scolded. "You're still weak." Following Faith back to her bed, she placed the steaming cup of tea on the table. "Rest, now. You'll need your strength."

Settling back against the pillows, Faith closed her eyes. Feigning exhaustion was the best way to get rid of her shadow. But when the door to the ward closed behind Susie, Faith's fingers slid under her gown and closed around her contraband.

The risk had been worth it. Now, at least, she could warn them.