Page 117 of Star-Born Anomaly
A silence spread, allowing the rush of wind in the biodome to overshadow everything else. Were they communicating silently even when Iax had asked them not to? Wynn lifted her chin until she could see his expression. With the way he frowned, she could only guess so.
Facing them down, she waited another handful of seconds before saying, “I’ve had quite the week and traveled a long way, so let’s have it. Why did you send Iax to get me?”
She jerked against Iax when light flashed from above. The dead viewers held amongst the leaves and trees came to life, and the first of what Wynn saw stole the breath from her lungs.
Images, so many images, played above her: her personnel files, her schooling records, the newsreels of Foster’s death and the surrounding media storm.
But worst of all, they’d somehow gotten a hold of what had transpired on theCorvus. There was no other explanation for how the things she’d experienced in the white box, the lost memories of those other children, the forgotten time at the orphanage, could play on these screens.
She focused on one viewer in particular, the one where the children had been taunting her at the orphanage. It looked like they’d pulled it from her head, the details were so sharp. How was any of it possible?
Panic and pain surged within her. Iax’s hands stiffened on her shoulders, then shifted, until he hugged her to him, his arms under hers. She gladly accepted the embrace and gripped his hands.
“How did you get this?” she whispered, tearing her eyes away from the viewers to confront Briar Galloway. Had Iax somehow had a hand in it? He’d been able to show her those files from the hidden lab with just a thought. Was she right about this technology having a connection to Calypson abilities?
She turned slightly to ask Iax when Bondar answered the question.
“Transmissions exist as energy, and we intercept them.”
“Even this far out?” Wynn shook her head, realizing the question foolish. The transmissions would have had to travel to Sector Ten for them to receive those newsreels too.
But these feeds from theCorvus? They wouldn’t have sent them to just anyone. They would have been under layers of security and protocols. A spear of anger straightened Wynn’s spine.
“Okay, so you’re powerful. Very impressive. Why did you want me here?”
“Many reasons,” Wiseman said with a tip of his head. “But three stand out among them.”
When none of them expounded on that statement, Wynn’s frustration bubbled. “And those are?” She gestured with her hand for them to get on with it.
“You were no longer safe at your location.” It was Sweeney who spoke, but it didn’t matter. They seemed to work as one entity, one train of thought.
The feeds above her changed, focusing on the newsreels following Foster’s death. There were other things too, documents and communications with CORE insignias. Wynn squinted, but it was too far to see many details.
“I don’t understand,” she said.
Multiple viewers showed images of her face during the time of her questioning after the incident.
Then Wiseman spoke. “The public nature of your colleague’s death brought attention to you that had otherwise remained dormant, including ours.”
More files materialized, then disappeared. One comm feed spread across multiple viewers, making it easier to understand. It was between a high-ranking CORE general and a man dressed in a science officer’s uniform, both of whom she’d never seen before.
We believe there is at least one on Earth, but we haven’t received confirmation yet. I’ll be contacting an agent for retrieval as soon as possible.
Make sure it’s your best agent. If she is one of them, we can’t afford to fuck it up.
Wynn’s heart lodged in her throat as she realized the two men were talking about her. The Four had sent Iax to stop an agent from taking her? She guessed she should be thankful for that, as bitter as the gratitude tasted at the moment.
“And the second reason?” she asked, her hands clenching Iax’s. He pulled her tighter against him, and it helped calm her some.
“We made a mistake.” This came directly from Galloway.
Wynn swallowed, her throat tight and dry. “What kind of mistake?”
A long silence pulsed, and she watched The Four, who held perfectly still, communicate. That was what they had to be doing despite Iax’s demand for verbal communication.
Galloway spoke again. “Twelve anomalies, like yourself, were born in a short span.”
Twelve. Now she knew how many had been on that ship with her. “And you sent us away.” She said it with an even tone, but her insides boiled.
