Page 45 of Legion

“Yes.” St. George stepped forward, his expression hard. I glanced at his face and realized that whatever stood between him and Ember was probably going to die. “Let’s go.”

EMBER

We need to speed up the process.

Lowering my arm, I gazed around, shivering as the disembodied voice echoed from a cloudless sky. I stood at the edge of a sandy beach, white cliffs looming behind me, a red sun sinking into the waves and sparkling off the water.

Is that wise? Her mind is already under a lot of stress. We could do irreversible damage to her psyche if we go much faster.

As long as her memories are extracted, it won’t matter if her psyche is damaged. But the Elder Wyrm wants this done today. Dig deeper.

Anger and horror stabbed at me, and I turned in a circle, trying to pinpoint the voices that faded into the wind.Stop it, I tried telling them, though my voice was frozen inside me.Whatever you’re doing, whatever this is, please stop.

More voices caught my attention. I turned, discovering that the beach wasn’t empty. A few yards away, a group of six—three boys and three girls—clustered together at the water’s edge. I looked closer, squinting against the sun, and my heart jumped as I recognized them all. Lexi, Kristin...and I...stood talking to a trio of older college guys whose names I had mostly forgotten. One of them—Colin, I abruptly remembered—kept trying to put his arm around me, and I kept squirming away.

I drew in a slow breath as the memory became clear.This is Lone Rock Cove,I realized. And it’s...thatevening.My heart turned over.The day I met...

I looked over, and Garret Xavier Sebastian walked past me, striding toward the group at the water’s edge.

Dread bloomed in my stomach. I was suddenly terrified, filled with a horror and desperation I’d never felt before, though I didn’t even know why. I only knew I had to stop this, keep him from reaching the group and setting those chain of events into motion.

Wait!I lunged after him, reaching for his arm.Garret, wait!

My fingers passed right through his body, and he continued toward the group in the distance, followed by Tristan.No, I thought in despair, hurrying after them.Garret, stop. Don’t go.

Her mind is retreating. She’s struggling to hold on to that memory. Increase the dosage and the current, now.

Sir, the procedure is at near max. Any more and we’re pushing the limits of what she can take.

Do it. This is a linchpin memory. Something significant happened to her on this day, that’s why she’s fighting so hard to keep it. Once we remove it, the others will become much easier to...what? Who are you? How the hell did you—no, stop!

Thunder boomed overhead, and everything fractured.

GARRET

“Ember!”

I leaped across the room, past the bodies of the two guards, shot dead before they knew what was happening. Four men in white coats cringed away from me, but I ignored them. My body ached, protesting the movements, but I barely felt the pain. My whole attention was riveted to the scene in the middle of the room.

Ember lay strapped to a gurney in the center of the floor, wires and electrodes connecting her to a large computer in the corner. Her eyes were closed and her skin was nearly white as I rushed to her side. Heat blazed through my veins, turning the air in my lungs hot as I yanked the wires from her face and neck and began unbuckling the straps tying her to the bed.

“Stop!” One of the scientists came forward, hand outstretched, glaring at me. “Don’t touch that!” he ordered as I contemplated putting a bullet through his shiny skull. “You have no idea what you’re doing—”

With a growl, Riley shoved his gun into the man’s forehead, his eyes dangerous. “Keep talking,” he snarled as all color drained from the human’s face. “Give me a reason to blow your brain through the back of your skull.”

The scientist froze. From the corner of my eye, I saw Mist direct her two clones to guard the doors before motioning the remaining scientists against the wall. The men obeyed, holding up their hands. They didn’t look like they would try to stop us, which was good, as my entire focus was getting Ember out of here.

The last of the straps were removed, and I gathered her in my arms, lifting her shoulders off the mattress. “Ember,” I murmured, and pressed a palm to her cheek. It was cold, ashen, and my heart gave a violent lurch. I felt for a pulse, nearly collapsing with relief as I felt the faint flutter of life beneath my fingers. Whatever had happened to her, whatever horrible things they had put her through, at least she was alive. “Hey,” I tried again, shaking her gently, desperate for her to open her eyes. “Ember, wake up. Can you hear me?”

There was no answer. The girl remained limp and unresponsive in my arms, and my desperation grew. “Ember...”

Against the wall, the lead scientist shook his head. “She can’t hear you,” he said, making Riley turn on him with a growl. “I doubt she can hear anything now, and don’t snarl at me, dragon. I’m not the one responsible for this.” He glared at Riley and myself, his thin face taut with anger. “You fools don’t know what you have done,” he snapped. “This was a delicate procedure, and you’ve gone and blundered into it without knowing what was at stake. You can’t just yank the plug without risking permanent damage to the subject’s mind.”

“What were you doing to her?” Riley asked in a hard, dangerous voice.

“I don’t think I can tell you that.”

“No?” Riley pressed the muzzle of the gun harder to the man’s forehead, his eyes glowing yellow in the brightly lit room. “Then I guess we don’t need you, do we?”

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