Captivated by Lauren Dane Page B

He had to continue to do so.
    Finally Ellis leaned forward. “I’m here … well, I suppose youmust know one of the reasons I’m here. I wanted to thank you in person for submitting to the brain scan. I know it was … difficult for you, especially given your history with the Imperium.”
    “Julian told me the scan works better when—well, when the person’s brain isn’t murky and sort of broken. I understand you need more from me.”
    Ellis flicked his gaze to Julian and Vincenz knew understanding passed between them.
    “Broken seems an inappropriate word for what your brain is, Ms. Black. To be blunt … as brains go, it’s quite impressive. But yes, because of the mental trauma you endured, the scan was less than conclusive. So the real question is—they had you for some time and yet they didn’t kill you. This is a good thing, obviously, as you’re alive and we like that. But it’s a puzzling thing. Do you know why?”
    She sat straighter. “Why didn’t they kill me? Why did they keep me alive on this side of the ’Verse line? You think I know something. Or that I’ve been implanted with something that poses a danger to the Federated Universes.”
    Ellis smiled and nodded approvingly. “You’re very smart.”
    “I am if all the letters behind my name and the certificates I’ve earned aren’t counterfeit. The treatment I underwent with Dr. Pesch mapped my brain. He tells me that while my brain has damaged spots, there’s no evidence that I’ve been implanted or altered.” She took a shaky breath and Vincenz handed her a mug of tea. After a few gulps she looked back up to them again.
    “He made the same report to me. I was glad to hear it. But the puzzle remains, doesn’t it? Killing you would have solved the problem if it was that you’d seen something you weren’t supposed to. They killed nearly everyone else; why not you?”
    Julian smoothly took over as Ellis settled into the background. “Indeed. Tell me what you think you know.”
    She sighed. “I’ve gone over it. The simplest answer is that it has something to do with my work. Communicable diseases. Some life threatening. But none of them were of a type I’d have recommended for biological warfare if that’s what you think.”
    “That’s good to know. I want you to add details like that if they occur to you. Did you get visitors from the Imperium?” Julian asked.
    “Of course. It was a joint project between both the Federated Universes and the Imperium. About half of our funding came from them.”
    “Like who? People who worked with you? Other doctors and researchers? People who came from the Imperialist territories to oversee grant funding distribution? Who?”
    She closed her eyes and Vincenz wanted to hold her hand, the one she had in a fist in her lap.
    Fuck it.
He reached out and took it, unfurling her fingers and placing it between his palms.
    “We had six researchers. Four from our Edge ’Verses and two from theirs. A staff of ten more as lab techs, administrative help. I was one of three researchers with an assistant. Total staff excluding security was sixteen.”
    “With security?”
    “Twenty-four.”
    Julian didn’t look up, but Vincenz knew he found that number as interesting as Vincenz and Ellis did.
    “That seems a lot. Is it a lot, Hannah?”
    “I never worked in a similar situation so I can’t say other than that I found it rather odd that they’d have so many guards. The building was well protected as it was. I had to show four pieces of identification just to get in each day. But it was politics.” She shrugged and Ellis nodded. “The foundation had Imperium visitors at least several times each quarter year. Usually other researchers. Sometimes they hadin-house training or lectures with guests from both sides of the ’Verses. Federation visitors on a regular basis as well.”
    Julian led her around through the story. He did it patiently and gently, backing off when Hannah got angry or upset and two