Bill juggled embarrassment and compassion.
“He didn’t think that. He regretted leaving your mother.”
“Same thing.”
“Theena…” Bill chose his words carefully. “Your husband, he wasn’t a very good man.”
Theena took a while to respond.
“I know. You won’t believe me, but I didn’t know anything about the fetal experiments. I also had no idea Manny was this bad. I showed him his CTs, tried to get him to quit. But Manny was just as obsessed as Nikos. Blind. Both of them were blind.” She let out a slow breath. “Me too.”
Maybe it was because he’d felt her husband’s thoughts, but Bill wasn’t angry at Theena anymore. He couldn’t condone what she’d done, but he hadn’t ever truly forgiven himself, either.
“You can make it right. We can make sure this drug is never put on the market.”
“We can’t go up against Albert. He’s too powerful.”
“He may have some friends in high places, but if we go to the media with this, the public will demand recourse.”
“How about Manny?”
How about Manny? He was truly screwed up, possibly beyond any help. Bill pitied him. But he’d also seen the cold blooded way he killed Dr. Nikos.
“We have to let the authorities take care of Manny.”
“It’s all my fault.”
“We can’t handle him ourselves, Theena. He’s too far gone, and too dangerous. You know what he’s capable of, physically. It would be like trying to catch the Terminator.”
“THEENA? BILL? YOU AWAKE?”
Bill jumped at the sound. A man’s voice, coming over the intercom speakers. Mannny. But Bill knew that even though the voice matched, this wasn’t Manny at all.
“YOU’VE GOT TWO WAYS OUT, THE ELEVATOR AND THE EMERGENCY STAIRS. I CAN ONLY WATCH ONE. SO HERE’S THE GAME. IF YOU CAN MAKE IT TO ONE OR THE OTHER, YOU’LL GO FREE. BUT IF I CATCH YOU… TELL THEM, JULIA.”
The shriek was the most frightening thing Bill had ever heard. It went on and on, raw terror and extreme pain, like the bleat of a tortured animal.
The awful sound was cut short with a gurgle and some bubbly coughing.
“IF I CATCH YOU, YOU GET TO JOIN DR. MYRNOWSKI HERE. THE CLOCK IS TICKING. GOOD LUCK.”
“Julia…”
Theena was two steps to the door when Bill caught her wrist.
“Hold it. We have to think.”
“He’s killing her.”
“She’s already dead, Theena. We go rushing blindly into the hall, we’re next.”
Theena’s face was distilled anguish. Bill could guess his expression was the same. They both fought to keep cool heads.
“Okay…” Theena’s brows scrunched up. “The elevator is down the hall, to the left. The emergency stairs are to the right.”
“Where is Manny?”
“He could be anywhere. Every room has an intercom next to the door.”
Bill looked around the room, saw the phone. Theena intercepted him.
“Doesn’t dial out. It’s a direct line to the lab.”
He took out his cell phone, but again Theena shook her head.
“Too far underground. No signal.”
“Are there any damn phones down here?”
“No. Nikos wanted us to be isolated, shut off. No interruptions.”
“How about security?”
“The lab has a link to the security desk, but Manny knows that too.”
Bill wanted to rip out his hair. “How about a fire alarm?”
“There’s a box in the kitchen. It can be pulled.”
“Then the fire department would come?”
Theena nodded, but neither of them moved. They weren’t anxious to go out into the hallway. Bill scanned the ceiling for a sprinkler. There was one over the bed, but he had no way of setting it off. For this first time in his life, Bill wished he smoked.
“Maybe I can talk to him.” Theena chewed her lower lip. “Manny and I have an understanding.”
“That’s not Manny.”
“I can try anyway.”
“First let’s do something about this door.”
Theena helped him push the dresser up against it, snugged tight underneath the knob. For good measure they put the desk behind that. Bill gave the door a firm tug, but it didn’t budge.
“That should be okay. Now what?”
Theena pressed the intercom button on the box next to the light switch.
“David? It’s Theena.”
“HI, THEENA.”
“We want to help you, David. We want you to get better.”
“I’M TOUCHED.”
“I mean it. I know that this experiment hurt you. It’s not your fault.”
“I’M GLAD YOU THINK SO. OPEN THE DOOR, WE’LL TALK.”
Theena threw Bill a desperate look. He joined her by the intercom.
“David? It’s Dr. Bill May from the FDA.”“
“HELLO, BILL. HOW’S THE INVESTIGATION GOING?”
“It’s over. N-Som won’t get approval in this country.”
“TOO BAD. WE’VE ALL WORKED SO HARD. MANNY WILL BE CRUSHED.”
“Can we speak to Manny?”
“I DON’T KNOW WHERE HE IS.”
Bill took a shot. “David, you’re Manny. He’s inside you. You’re the same person.”
No response. The silence stretched. Theena tapped Bill on the shoulder.
“Is it smart to confuse him like that?”
“As far as we know, Manny’s not a killer. Only his alter ego is. Maybe a catharsis will snap him back to normal.” Bill hit the intercom button. “Manny? Are you there? Hello? Manny?”
“I JUST PICKED UP A NEW CD. WANNA HEAR IT?”
A groan came over the loudspeaker. It was feminine, undeniably sexual, and Bill could identify it from experience.
Theena looked mortified. The female voice was joined by a male one, the sounds of two people making love filling the entire underground complex.
Bill was confused. Was it a recording? How?
“I REALLY NEEDED THAT.”
Theena’s voice. That was what she’d said after she and Bill had sex the first time. But the voice that answered didn’t belong to Bill.
“MARRY ME, THEENA.”
It was Manny. Out of breath, vulnerable.
“YOU’RE SO SWEET, MANNY.”
Theena blushed furiously. She lowered her head, refusing to look at Bill.
“PLEASE, THEENA. YOU’RE THE ONLY REASON I STAY HERE. THE N-SOM-SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME CRAZY.”
“YOU KNOW IT’S SAFE, MANNY. DR. NIKOS AND I WOULDN’T MAKE YOU DO THIS IF THERE WERE ANY POSSIBLE DANGER.”
