Page 43 of M.A.Y.A
“No,” she replied. Her answer was immediate. “I patched her up.”
Isaiah closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. He hated the thought of his mate coming back here, reliving her nightmares, but he was grateful there was at least one person on the inside who helped her. Since he couldn’t smell any deception in the woman’s voice, he relaxed against the cot.
There was a soft hitch of breath, and then in the smallest whisper, “Is she okay?”
Isaiah turned to look at the woman. “Who, Maya?”
“Yes. She was so strong, stronger than I’ve ever been. I’d hate if she didn’t make it.”
“She made it,” Isaiah said, his voice filled with pride. “And she’s already loved and respected by many.”
“That’s good,” the scientist whispered. “I’m glad she got out.”
“You can help me,” he said.
She glanced around again then tucked her fists in her pockets. “Help you with what?”
“Help me prevent Darwin from taking over my dimension too. Help me stop him from continuing to hurt other people. That’s what you and Maya planned, isn’t it? Tell me, do you know where he would be right now?”
The woman tugged at the ends of her vibrant hair. “He must be giving his report to the government authorities that fund his lab if he just brought you back.”
“How long will he be gone?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know, a few hours?”
Isaiah mulled the information over. Hopefully that was enough time for his pack to execute phase one of their plan to close the portal. If not, then he’d have to make an escape. He looked around the glass box, and then back at the scientist.
Motioning to her with a tilt of his chin, he said, “Get a tablet. Whatever you use for notes. Pull up a chair, doctor. We’ll find out how much you know, and if you’re useful.”
“I lead this lab,” she said, bristling. “If anyone has information that’s useful, it’s me?—”
“Good.” He was Alpha, and his power resonated in every word he spoke. “Tablet. Chair. We have two hours to waste, and in that time, you’re going to tell me what they did to my mate, what I need to know to take care of her, and if there is any other information you have about alternate realities so that I can protect my people. By then, reinforcements should arrive.”
He was tempted to pull his wrists apart to snap the cuffs, but he didn’t want to give away his trump card until he was ready to break out of this glass cage.
Instead, he looped his hands behind his head and laid back against the tiny bed. His feet hung clear off the edge, but that didn’t matter. To any onlooker, he was the picture of relaxation.
The doctor waited for another moment before wheeling a chair closer to the cell, a tablet tucked under one arm. She removed a stylus from a discrete pocket at the back of the tablet, and after settling in, ankles crossed and stylus poised, she spoke.
“If I help you, will you…will you take me with you?”
Isaiah smiled. “Your name?”
“M-my name?”
“Yes,” he said. “What do people call you?”
“I’m Doctor Margaret Sullivan,” she said. “Ah, nice to meet you?”
“Isaiah Star,” he replied. “You saved my mate. I’m in your debt. If you want to escape, I’ll help you make that happen. Now, let’s talk automatons. What are some of Maya’s limitations and some of her strengths? What can I do to help her maintain her computer chips?”
Her eyebrows furrowed. “She’s human. She doesn’t need fine tuning like a car.”
“I knew I liked you.”
* * *
Margaret turned out to be a wealth of information. Whether or not she believed it, she was working on her own exit strategy by hoarding details that she could use in one way or another to buy her escape. She just didn’t know how all the pieces fit together.
