Burn (Pure #3)(50)

Arvin grabs his arm. “Shut up!” he says in a hoarse whisper.

“I know what I am now,” Partridge says. “I haven’t processed my father’s lies, what we were all complicit in—the guilt.”

Arvin leans in close and whispers in Partridge’s ear, “Shut the hell up!” His face is rigid with anger. “Did you let her get to you? Jesus.”

Partridge swings around to Weed, confused by his sudden anger. “I’m just realizing that I’m—”

“You want to go home? Is this too much for your delicate constitution?”

“Back off, Weed.” But actually, Weed’s nailed it. Partridge doesn’t want to see his father’s next generation: rows of clones. He can’t stomach it.

“I’ll call you a car so you can go. That what you want?”

“No.”

“You have to want to know. I can only take you where you demand to be taken,” Weed whispers. “You know what I’m saying?”

Partridge isn’t sure. Is Weed under someone else’s command—a command that only Partridge’s demands can override? “Okay,” Partridge says. “Let’s keep going. Take me to the babies.”

Arvin calls to Beckley, and together without talking, they make their way down corridors and then to an elevator to another floor.

They step into a hallway that’s lined with guards—one every fifty feet. Partridge remembers the smell—sweet, and like bleach. “Why are there all these guards?”

Beckley eyes the guards and stays close to Partridge’s side.

Weed says, “This floor is reserved for special cases.”

“Special how?”

“People who deserve a second chance!” Weed’s voice sounds forced. Does he think he’s being recorded? Weed stops then and says, “Do you want to turn back, Partridge? It can be arranged.”

Partridge feels like this is staged. He says what Weed’s told him to say. “I demand to see the babies.”

Weed nods without any hint of emotion.

They walk down a corridor lined on one side with windows. Partridge walks up to the glass, and there he sees the rows of tiny incubators. The babies are so small they’d fit in a man’s palm. Some are sleeping; others kick. Some of their mouths are open, squalling, but the windows must be soundproof, because he hears nothing. Inside of the babies’ incubators and above them, there are screens showing human faces. The faces stare at the babies intently. They smile and blink. Their mouths are moving too—as if they’re singing.

A nurse walks down one row and up the next.

Partridge touches the glass and it’s warm. “What’s going to happen to them?”

“They’ll be raised in a perfectly structured environment where they’ll receive the best education and physical fitness and affection.”

“And parents who love them?”

Weed doesn’t answer. He glances over his shoulder as if someone else is with them. “Are you ready to be escorted out?”

Partridge thinks of Lyda—their baby. He feels like he’s on a train barreling away from them—an engagement, a wedding… How’s he going to get off the train?

And then from far away, a scream echoes down the hall.

“What was that?” Partridge says.

“What was what?” Arvin says. “I can have someone escort you out,” he says again.

Partridge ignores him and starts walking quickly toward the sound. Beckley keeps up with him. The guards stiffen and put their hands on their guns, but they don’t draw them.

As Partridge rounds a corner, a guard reaches out and grabs his arm. A few others block the hall, side by side.

“Hands off him,” Beckley says to the guard.

“Sir?” one of the other guards says to Weed. “Should we bar him?”

“His word overrides all of ours,” Weed says. “If he demands to go forward, he can go forward.”

There’s another scream.

“Goddamn it!” Partridge says. “I demand to go forward!”

The guard loosens his grip. The other guards part.

Partridge turns to Weed. “You’re still torturing people? Is that what you meant by giving people a shot at a second chance?”

“Your father’s protocols are still in place. We can’t stop everything now that you’re in charge—just have the Dome come to a screeching halt?”

“Goddamn it, Weed! No more torture.”

“Your father’s enemies could become your own.”

“I don’t care. This is over. Shut it down. Does Foresteed know about this?”

Weed nods. “He’s overseeing the day-to-day until you get through your”—he pauses, looking for the right word—“grieving process, not to mention your upcoming wedding. You’re busy.”

“I’m not a figurehead to be propped up for weddings and memorial services, Weed. I’m in charge, okay? I’m in charge of everything! Tell Foresteed I want another meeting.”

There’s more screaming up ahead. Partridge starts running toward it. He passes large empty rooms, their shelves filled with Tasers and small, strange implements he doesn’t recognize. Some of the rooms have cameras; others are bare. Some have syringes lined up on metal trays and cuffs attached to the wall.