His heartbeat is ratcheting up in his chest. He thinks it likely he’ll explode.
“Where is he? Where is Sean?”
Dr. King hesitates.
He’s filled with Mike’s terror. Greg’s rage. He lifts his arm. It’s still sickly thin, but it’s more than he’s done on his own since he woke up. It’s not enough, of course. His legs are still useless, and she’s sitting too far away for him to even come close to touching her.
Hitting her, Greg growls. We’re trying to hit her.
No, Mike says. No. No.
“The truth,” he says. “All I want is the truth.”
Dr. King pulls a flat black rectangular object from her coat pocket (Smartphone, Greg supplies) and puts it up to her ear. She waits a second, then, “Did you hear?” There’s a pause. “Fine.
” She puts the thing back in her pocket. “Dr. Hester will be joining us.”
“Fuck him,” Greg said. “And fuck you too.”
She flinches.
Greg glares at her.
She says nothing.
They wait.
Eventually there’s the telltale whirring of a motorized wheelchair coming down the hallway. Dr. King gets up from her chair and moves to open the door. The old man enters the room, eyes on Mike and Greg.
“The truth,” he says. “You want the truth.”
Greg says, “Yes.”
Mike says, “Now.”
“Turn off the camera,” he says.
Dr. King says, “But the board will be—”
“Turn it off,” he says. “I’ll deal with the board.”
She does. The blinking red light dies away. She sits back down in her seat and watches Dr. Hester.
Mike thinks, I don’t want this. I don’t want this.
Greg thinks, It’s the only way.
“You’re both there, aren’t you?” Dr. Hester asks. “Greg Hughes. Mike Frazier.”
“Yes,” they say.
He shakes his head. “I’m sorry. I am truly sorry for that. This wasn’t supposed to happen. You were never supposed to be Greg Hughes again.”
Greg’s voice shakes when he says, “Why?”
“Do you know what cognitive science is? It’s okay if you don’t. Most people in your position wouldn’t.”
“No.”