فصل 22

Chapter 22: More Bad News

The Elgen helicopter landed around 7:00 p.m. atop the six-story Elgen building just outside of Rome. Bright orange lights flashed at the corners of the structure, silhouetting the waiting guards dressed in the Elgen black uniform.

“Welcome back, sir,” one of the guards shouted over the sound of the helicopter’s rotors.

Hatch shouted to Tara and Torstyn, “Get something to eat, then gather up the rest of the family in the conference room by eight.” He turned to the guard. “Where is Tanner?” “He’s in restraints in the basement detaining cell, sir.” “Where is Dr. Jung?”

“He’s in the basement with him, observing, sir.”

“Come with me.”

They took an elevator from the roof. Tara and Torstyn got off on the second floor while Hatch and the guards went all the way down to the basement level.

The marble-tiled corridor was dimly lit and the only sound was the echo of their footsteps as they walked. The observation room and detaining cells were at the end of the hallway. One of the guards opened the door, and Hatch stepped in.

Dr. Jung, the resident psychiatrist, was sitting in a chair facing a two-way mirror that looked into the adjacent room. He stood as Hatch entered.

“Dr. Hatch, I was just—”

Hatch raised his hand, silencing the psychiatrist. He leaned forward toward the glass to better comprehend what he was seeing in the next room.

Tanner, one of the seventeen electric children, was cuffed and curled up in bed in the fetal position, softly whimpering. His long, red hair was tangled up around his face.

Hatch studied him for a moment, then turned back toward the doctor.

“You incompetent worm. I told you to fix him. Do those letters before your name even mean anything?” The psychiatrist was red in the face. “I’m doing my best.” “And your best is in restraints curled up in the corner of his room.” “He’s not a machine, sir. He’s a boy. You can’t just go in and change out a few parts and make him better.” “But I can change out a few doctors,” Hatch said.

The psychiatrist took the threat seriously. He’d heard rumors about what happened to those dispatched from the Elgen service. Most became GPs. Some of them just disappeared. He began stuttering, “W-w-what do you want me to do?” “Why are you asking me? You’re the shrink. Give him a pill. Give him a hundred pills, just fix him.” “He has a conscience. If you killed a thousand people, you’d have trouble sleeping at night too.” Hatch leaned in toward him, his eyes narrowing. “I never have trouble sleeping, Doctor. And if you ever insinuate anything like that again, I’ll see to it that you never have trouble sleeping either.” The doctor swallowed. “I didn’t mean to imply . . . Tanner’s just really stressed right now. He’s been worked too hard. Children need downtime. We need to let him spend some time with the other teenagers. And his parents.” “His parents?” Hatch said softly. “You think he should see his parents?” The doctor looked terrified. “He said he misses them.” “Of course he misses them, you idiot. That’s why he’s been taken from them. So you think he should spend a little quality time with them? And what if he tells his parents what he’s been doing, and they tell him they would rather die than have him drop another plane from the sky? Add that to your list of mental problems.” Hatch walked across the room. “You’re on probation, Doctor. Don’t disappoint me again.” “I’m sorry, sir. I’ll figure him out.”

“You better. I’m taking both of you with me to Peru. I expect the boy to be heavily sedated. Heavily. I don’t want to be along for the ride when he decides to take his life again. We leave first thing in the morning, oh five hundred hours.” “Yes, sir.”

Hatch looked back at Tanner for a moment, then turned and walked out of the room. On the way to the elevator Hatch’s phone rang.

“Dr. Hatch, Captain Welch is on the line.”

“Put him through.” Hatch paused in the hallway. “Did you capture Vey?” “No. We lost him.”

“How do you lose a tracking device?”

“He must have discovered the RFID tracers in the GPs and disabled them.” Hatch’s anger reached a new high. “Find them now!” “Yes, sir. We’ll find them, sir.”

Hatch threw his phone across the hall. “Vey!”

The guard retrieved his phone and held open the elevator door. “Your phone, sir.” Hatch took it from him. “Fifth floor.”