artificial sunlight; he was sweating under his lab coat.
She stumbled once as he led her down the path toward the waterfall: unlike the carefully tended running trails, the ground here was allowed to grow over with roots, making it rough and uneven. He reached out to grab her elbow to keep her from falling. Fortunately her attention was focused on what he guessed to be the Elysium equivalent of a chipmunk chattering at them from a branch above their heads, and she didn't seem to react to his touch.
Still keeping his grip on her elbow, he propelled her quickly down the path until they reached their destination. Half a dozen benches were situated around the edges of the clearing, each positioned so that anyone seated on them could watch the water tumbling off the fifteen-foot-high ledge into the pool below. He was relieved to see the benches were empty.
Lunch was still over an hour away, and it wasn't likely anyone would arrive before then. But he didn't want to take any more of a chance than he had to. Still gripping Gillian by the elbow, he led her over to one of the benches in the shade and helped her sit down, letting go of her arm.
Then he waited, giving her time to adjust to her new surroundings. He hoped the gentle splashing of the waterfall would have a soothing effect on her.
After a few minutes she muttered, 'Why did you bring me here?'
He realized she must have picked up on his sense of urgency. He chose his next words carefully. He didn't want to scare her or upset her; not after what she'd shown she was capable of.
'I need to check your readings, Gillian,' he said, keeping his tone professional.
She frowned, and his heart began to beat a little faster.
'Miss Sanders checked them yesterday.'
'I know you don't like it, but I need to check them again,' he explained. 'Because of what happened yesterday.'
Gillian chewed her lip, then nodded and bowed her head forward, exposing the nape of her neck.
He reached into the pocket of his lab coat and pulled out the vial Grayson had given him. From another pocket he produced a long syringe.
'This might hurt,' he warned her as he filled the syringe.
Pulling the back collar of her T-shirt down slightly, he eased the long needle into the flesh between her shoulders, carefully sliding the tip between the vertebrae.
As per the instructions from Cerberus, he had administered the last dose to her orally, mixing it in with a glass of water he had brought to her room. However, as part of their ongoing experiment, every alternate dose was to be administered through direct injection into the cerebrospinal fluid.
Gillian whimpered softly as he pressed his thumb down on the top of the syringe.
Jiro didn't know exactly what kind of drugs Gillian was being given, but he understood enough to guess they were some kind of neurological stimulant. The previous dose would have been diluted by passing through her digestive system before being absorbed into her circulatory system and then finally transferring across the blood- brain barrier. In contrast, an injection directly into the cerebrospinal fluid should have more immediate, and dramatic, effects.
'All done,' he said as he pulled the needle free.
Gillian brought her head back up, her gaze fixating on the waterfall. One hand absently went up to rub the back of her neck where he had injected her.
'Does it hurt?' he asked.
The girl didn't answer, though her hand fell away from her neck. It dangled at her side, limp and useless.
'Gillian? What's wrong?'
Her head lolled to the side, her eyes rolling back into her skull. Her body began to shiver, then tremor, then bucked hard enough to throw her from her seat. She toppled forward, Jiro just managing to catch her before her head struck the ground.
He turned her onto her side as her arms and legs began to twitch, gripped by the spasms of a fullblown seizure.
'Oh, Jesus!' he swore as her mouth began to foam.
Hendel's feet pounded hard on the dormitory floor, the sound echoing down the hall as he raced toward the atrium. Even as he ran, his mind was trying to evaluate the situation.
That didn't necessarily make him an enemy, but until Hendel knew what was going on he had to assume the worst. He pulled his gun as he ran, his hand snapping it free from the holster on his hip in one quick motion without ever breaking stride.
He debated calling for backup, then quickly dismissed the idea. Jiro didn't know his cover was blown; Hendel didn't want anyone sounding an alarm and tipping him off.
He didn't know how Jiro was connected to Gillian, or if he was somehow responsible for what had happened in the cafeteria. But he intended to find out. . one way or another.
Skidding around a corner, Hendel slammed into the wall, absorbing the blow with his hip and shoulder so that he lost almost no momentum.
He rounded another corner, sprinted down a short hallway, then took the corridor branching off to his left that led into the wooded serenity of the atrium. If Jiro needed privacy, he'd have to get Gillian somewhere off the paths. But he couldn't just drag her out into the woods: she'd freak out every time a branch brushed against her.
With Gillian in tow, Jiro would have to stay on the trails, following the long, winding path that eventually led to the clearing. Hendel didn't have to worry about that. Trusting his sense of direction, he veered off the trail, crashing through the brush as he carved his own direct path.
Branches slashed at his face and tore at his clothes. He swatted away a wiry limb from an Elysium fir, only to have it spring back so that the needles scratched across his cheek, leaving bright red furrows.
Hendel simply blocked out the pain, charging forward until he exploded in the clearing. Jiro was kneeling on the ground, over Gillian's body.
'Get away from her!' Hendel shouted, aiming his pistol at the young scientist.
The other man looked up, fear and confusion on his face.
'Stand up and back away!'
Jiro did as he was told, moving slowly, his hands raised. 'I don't know what happened. She just started having a seizure.'
Hendel dared a quick glance down at Gillian, who was convulsing on the ground.
'Over there,' Hendel said, gesturing with his weapon. 'On your stomach. Facedown. Don't move.'
Jiro did as he was told, moving quickly. When he was in position, Hendel stepped forward and dropped to his knees beside Gillian, his attention focused entirely on her.
Daring to shift his head slightly, Jiro could see the security chief huddled over the unconscious girl. Slowly, quietly, he reached down and undipped the stunner from his belt. When Hendel set his pistol on the grass beside Gillian to check her vitals, Jiro aimed his stunner and fired.
The shot took the security chief square between the shoulder blades, causing him to arch his back and cry out before slumping forward across Gillian's body.
Jiro scrambled to his feet and ran forward, crouching down to pick up Hendel's gun with his left hand, his stunner still clenched tightly in his right. As his fingers closed around the butt of the pistol, the security chief's hand shot out and seized him by the wrist.
Crying out in surprise, Jiro tried to pull away. Hendel — disoriented but somehow still conscious after a direct hit from 100,000 volts of electrical current — held on, twisting Jiro's wrist up and in, forcing him to drop the pistol.
Jiro kicked at his prone opponent. The first blow hit him squarely in the ribs, causing the bigger man to
