"Her name's not Samara." That was Kade. "It's Samantha. Samantha Cataranes. She had some way of hiding it. Her memories were a mask somehow. The group meditation messed it up for her."
They know my name, she thought to herself.
"She's awake," Ilya said.
Sam's muscles rebelled, then. Against her will, her head jerked up, her eyes opened. Someone was in her mind, controlling her body. That realization snapped her to alertness, sent a jolt of fear up her spine. These were very dangerous people.
She was in a cluttered storage room, sitting in a straight back chair, arms tied or strapped behind her back, ankles tied to the chair legs. As if those restraints were necessary when her Nexusdosed brain was splayed open to those around her. Her left side ached where Wats had landed his blow. Internal bleeding likely.
Eyes shifted to her at Ilya's pronouncement. Rangan stood above her and to her left, arms crossed in his ridiculous Sufi robe, eyes angry and intent. He was the one in her mind. Ilya had fists clenched at her sides. Wats was to her right, an ugly bruise already covering one side of his face where Sam's boot had slammed into him. His eyes were cold and hard.
Behind them, slumped in a chair, ice pack to his head, was Kade, staring at the floor.
Rangan spoke again, "You'd better start talking, girl."
She felt a jolt of pain as he spoke, and a compulsion to speak. He was twisting something in her mind. All four of them were opaque to her. Sam could feel the hard external shells of their minds, and the hard tendril inside her own, but nothing more. She felt a brief longing for the communion she'd felt at the height of the party. It nauseated her.
Sam cleared her throat and wet her lips. She tasted blood. "Rangan Shankari, Ilyana Alexander, Watson Cole, Kaden Lane – you're all under arrest."
Wats shook his head slowly, the corners of his lips turning up slightly in admiration of her audacity. Rangan made a small noise in his throat. Ilya just stared.
"You're under arrest for the crime of trafficking in an ERD Alpha Class Prohibited Technology and a DEA Schedule I controlled substance. In addition to that, development and use of a coercion technology, attempting to construct an unlicensed NonHuman Intelligence in violation of the Chandler Act, kidnapping, and interfering with an officer of the law."
Rangan blanched.
"No Miranda rights?" Wats asked. "No right to remain silent? What if I want to see a lawyer?" He sounded coolly amused.
Sam locked eyes with him. "Those don't apply. Your research is designated a potential threat to humanity. You have no rights in that situation. Your best option is to give up now. It'll go easier on you if you surrender. If my support squad moves in, I can't guarantee your safety. They won't hesitate to use force."
Wats' eyes narrowed. He turned to his compatriots. "See what I mean?"
Rangan cut in, speaking to Sam, "Your transmission didn't make it out of the building. There's no cavalry coming. You're stuck here with us."
Sam tried to shake her head, found that Rangan's vice-like mental hold wouldn't let her. She spoke firmly, with more confidence than she felt.
"Think it through. The ERD knows I'm in this building with Kade. They know that you're here too. By now they know everyone that's gone in and out of this building for the last week. Eventually my backup will come knocking. And if I disappear, they're going to tear this place and all of you apart looking for me. The kid gloves are on right now. They won't be on for long."
Always project confidence, Nakamura had taught her. Even when they have the physical upper hand, you can have the psychological advantage.
Ilya turned to Rangan. "What can you do to her memories?"
Rangan thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head and turned behind him. "Kade?"
Kade didn't reply. His eyes stayed glued on the floor.
"Kade," Ilya snapped. "Focus. Can you erase her memories of tonight? Fuzz them out?"
Kade looked at Sam for the first time. Their eyes met. Sam wished again that she could feel his mind. She hated that fact.
"Nothing subtle," he said. "Probably nothing very effective. And it might do some other damage along the way."
Sam didn't like where this was going. That cold chill was creeping further up her spine. She broke Kade's gaze, looked hard at Ilya. "I thought nonconsensual mindfucking was rape? Isn't that what you wrote last year? The worst kind of violation possible?"
Rangan rolled his eyes. "Oh, this bitch is good."
Ilya looked at Sam. She looked hard and aristocratic. "I'd rather wipe your memories than kill you. Be grateful." Her Russian accent was flaring up.
"There will be no killing here," Wats pronounced.
Kade spoke up. "It doesn't matter. They know she's here. They know who we are. We're made."
"So what's the alternative, Kade?" Ilya asked.
Wats cut in. He spoke slowly, firmly. "We need to evac according to our plans. Her memories are irrelevant. It's time to do what we've prepared to do – leave here for a safer place."
Ilya laughed nervously. "You're kidding, right?"
"No," Wats replied. "Kade is right. This woman isn't here on her own. She was sent. Secrecy has been compromised. That means we're all in danger right now. At this point, every second counts. If we act immediately, we might slip the net. The longer we wait, the worse our odds."
Sam spoke up. "Listen. Just stay calm, OK. You're not going to make it out of here. This place is under a magnifying glass right now. My team has been tracking me constantly. There'll be stealthed ERD scopes aimed at every exit. Running is not going to help. Give up, and it'll go easier on you. Try to run, or mess with my memories, you'll get the book thrown at you."
"She's lying," said Rangan.
"I'm not lying."
"Then you're holding something back. What is it?"
Sam took a deep breath.
Rangan pushed against her thoughts. Something in her mind bent.
He's doing something to my mind…
She found herself speaking again.
"It's Kade," she told them. She looked at him. "My superiors want you to do a job for them. My mission here was twofold – to get intel on what research you were really doing, and to get leverage that could be used to compel you to take part in an upcoming ERD mission."
Kade looked surprised. "What do they want me for?"
Again she felt the pressure from Rangan. She tried to resist. Words tumbled out. "We want him to get close to someone. Someone building a mind control technology, possibly based on Nexus."
"I won't do it," said Kade.
Ilya rounded on him. "Wait, Kade, think about it. If they want you for something, that gives you leverage. You can negotiate to get the charges dropped."
"What about everyone else here?" asked Kade. "All the people who came to the party?"