The Awakening by Michael Carroll Page B

hand you over to one of the helpers. You stick with them, do exactly what they say, OK? If any of the other kids give you trouble, try to get to one of the helpers. If there’s no one around, whatever you do, don’t accept anything from the other kids. You got that?”
    Colin nodded.
    “I’m serious. Don’t eat, drink or smoke anything they give you, no matter what they say. The bad kids tend to hang around in gangs of three or four. They’ll want to check you out. Best thing to do is say as little as possible. Don’t make eye contact if you can avoid it. They call you any names, don’t respond.”
    “OK,” Colin said. “Thanks.”
    “Let’s go, then.”

16
    D AVISON HANDED F AÇADE THE LEAR JET’S satellite phone. “It’s Victor Cross.”
    Façade carried the phone toward the front of the plane, out of earshot of the passengers. “What do you want, Cross?”
    Victor Cross yelled, “How the hell did you let him get away from you? He’s just a kid!”
    Façade said, “He’s smart, and I think he’s more than just that. When we got to the Wagners’ house, they already knew we were coming. And he got away from Davison. Consider who his parents are.”
    “You still have them, right? You’re not going to tell me that they escaped as well?”
    “They’re here. And Danny.”
    “So you think that Colin has inherited?”
    “His parents deny it, but considering that Colin is the off-spring of two superhumans, well, you do the math.”
    “That would make him more important than any of them. You realize that? What are you doing to find him?”
    “We’ve still got the airport staked out, but it’s unlikely he’s still there, less likely that he’ll return. If we knew what his plans were, we’d have a better chance of finding him.”
    “Do I have to think of everything? Interrogate his parents. Find out from them where he might go.”
    “They don’t know he’s missing yet. They think he’s following us on another flight. If I tell them he’s missing, they’ll be even less cooperative.”
    “Façade, the chances are that they’ve already figured it out. The other boy will have told them.”
    “No, I’ve kept them separate. Look, don’t go dumping this on me. They’re your people. You hired them. If they’re as good as they’re supposed to be, they’ll find Colin.”
    “They’d better. If he talks to the authorities, he could destroy this entire operation. Certain people will not be pleased about that, you understand me? And I’ll make sure that they’re aware that you’re responsible. You were undercover for eleven years. No one knows you and no one will care if your corpse turns up in a Dumpster somewhere.”
    Façade paused. “When this is done, Cross, you and I are going to have words. Do you understand me ?”

    “You have to eat,” Rachel said to Joseph. “You’ve barely touched your soup!”
    Joseph pushed the tray of food across the desk. “It tastes like crap. I had better food in the prison. I feel like I’m going to throw up.”
    I’m not surprised, Rachel thought. I’d be sick too, if I was forced to eat that garbage . “It’s loaded with proteins and vitamins, Joseph. You need to get your strength back. Just eat it.”
    Joseph looked at her, then at the tray of food. He pulled the tray back and resumed eating.
    Since his rescue from the prison, Joseph had grown stronger and more focused, and had begun to question Rachel’s orders. Now, in order to keep him docile, everything he ate or drank was drugged with a low dose of thiopentone sodium. It had the added effect of making him very obedient.
    A device on Rachel’s belt beeped twice. She unclipped it, flipped open the cover and examined the tiny screen.
    “What’s that?” Joseph asked.
    “It’s a palmtop.”
    “A what?”
    “A computer. It’s a progress report from Victor. The last of the equipment has arrived.”
    Joseph said, “So who is Victor Cross?”
    “He’s smart. He’s exceptionally good