Whisper (Whisper #1)(63)
I’m too afraid of what his answer might be, so I don’t ask again. I keep my lips sealed and try to steady my raging thoughts, bracing myself for whatever might come next.
We traverse a spiral path downward until we’re walking through the center of the cavern. Some of the inhabitants glance at us as we pass. They are all different ages and genders and cultural backgrounds — as diverse as the people of Sydney itself.
“This way,” Kael says, yanking me through an archway and down another tunnel. At the end is a single door that he opens with his free hand and pushes inward with a booted foot.
“It’s about time you guys got here!” Jet cries upon our entry. “We’ve been waiting forever.”
I glance around the room and take in the large, semicircular desk facing what appears to be live newsfeeds broadcasting across numerous screens mounted to the stone walls. Other screens show real-time surveillance of the zoo, and I immediately hone in on the footage of Abby sitting in my replica’s lap and watching the after-dark seal show. I want to shout at the imposter to take her hands off the child, but I know there’s no point. Even if I could Speak, she still wouldn’t hear me from here.
“Jet’s right,” says a new female voice. “I was beginning to doubt you’d made the swap, despite what she claimed.”
The owner of the voice is someone I haven’t yet met. The girl is a few years older than me, but she barely reaches five feet. Purple hair parts in the middle to form pigtails on either side of her asymmetrical face, with a nose too small and eyes too large, adding to her childlike appearance.
“What’s up, Creator girl?” she says with a wonky grin. “I’m Pandora. It’s about time you stopped by for a visit.”
Fear creeps along my spine at the casual way she mentioned my Speaking ability, proof that they all know what I can do. None of them seem afraid of me, but Sneak … he lets out a strangled-sounding gasp at the revelation.
“You make it seem like I had a choice in coming,” I say to Pandora, ignoring Sneak’s reaction. If Ward didn’t want anyone else at Lengard to know about me, then he shouldn’t have sent along a spy.
I nod to the screens and ask, “If you can run electricity down here, then what’s with all the fire?”
“We don’t exactly want to broadcast our position to Lengard,” Pandora answers, as if the answer should be obvious. “This room is tapped into the zoo’s electricity feed, and its output is low enough to travel under the radar. But to light up the entire catacombs? For sure someone would be sent down to investigate.”
That makes sense. It’s also unfortunate, since I wouldn’t mind Lengard knowing about this place and swooping in to retrieve Sneak and me right about now. Despite what Dante and Kael both said about not being terrorists, I know better than to trust them. Manning even told me that’s what the rebels say to the new breakout Speakers they find first — that Lengard is evil and the Remnants are good.
“Take a seat, princess,” Kael orders, and if that’s not enough, he shoves me into a chair. “Judging by the look on your face, it’s time to correct your education.”
Liana, Jet and Pandora fan out around the room, taking up positions around us, while Dante continues to keep a grip on Sneak.
“I’m going to jump straight in here,” Kael says, straddling a chair backward and resting his arms across the top. “Lengard has lied to you.”
I raise my eyebrows and barely hold back a snort. “It’s a secret government organization. Emphasis on the secret. And on the government. Of course they’ve lied to me, even if I don’t know the specifics.”
He shakes his head. “Lengard’s not a branch of the government — secret or otherwise.”
I just look at him, not comprehending. “Of course it is.”
“I’m guessing Falon told you that once the first round of Xanaphan teenagers began exhibiting supernatural powers, the government rounded them up and locked them away to carry out tests on them.” I nod, and he admits, “That part is true.”
“Then why —”
“It’s everything else he told you that’s a lie.”
I’m willing to hear him out, if only so I know exactly what kind of brainwashing threat I’m dealing with here. “Go on, then. Set the record straight.”
He doesn’t react to my tone, just continues his story. “The testing the military carried out on the first-generation Speakers was highly trial and error, since supernatural abilities were — and still are — beyond the scope of human understanding. The experiments were painful, violating, and more than once resulted in death.”
“I know all this,” I say. “Falon told me. Manning, too.”
Kael continues, “When they’d had enough of the routine electroshock sessions and waterboarding —” I wince at this, since I’ve experienced both at the hands of Vanik during my time at Lengard “— and when they were sick of mourning over their friends and wondering if they would die next, the Speakers rallied together under the leadership of a man named Jeremiah and planned a coup. Together they managed to overthrow their guards and take control of the facility.”
“Jeremiah,” Sneak whispers, and I turn to find his face ashen. With wide, terrified eyes he repeats, “Jeremiah! He’s —”