Indigo knew Pierce was in trouble. She still wasn’t back from her mission. It was already nine in the morning. At least twelve hours had passed since their scheduled meeting time; Pierce was never late for anything.
He slammed on the breaks of the solar-car, causing the driver behind him to honk crossly. Indigo ignored the pissed-off driver and swung the car around a sharp turn, eliciting a chorus of honks and swears aimed towards him from the surrounding cars. He commanded the smart-dashboard, “Set coordinates.”
An automated voice responded to his orders. “Latitude?”
“Forty point six-one-four.”
“Longitude?”
“Negative seventy-seven point five-oh-eight.”
“Latitude: forty point six-one-four. Longitude: negative seventy-seven point five-oh-eight. Confirm?”
“Confirm.”
The smart-glass window shield’s GPS glowed on and the route to Placeton from Indigo’s current location highlighted itself on the map. His foot never left the pedal the whole way back; the only time he decreased the speed was when he saw a speed trap coming up ahead.
“Where’s Pierce?” Dr. Spencer demanded.
Indigo threw up his hands. “I don’t know! I drove all over the city but couldn’t find her. I want to be on the search team for her.”
Dr. Claries tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “Who said we would be sending a search team after Pierce?”
“What do you mean?” Indigo sputtered.
Dr. Claries leaned towards him, the corners of her lips tugging backwards. “Pierce is expandable.”
Indigo turned to Dr. Spencer for backup. He knew Dr. Spencer had always had a soft spot for Pierce. After all, he had given Pierce the honor of having the Procedure performed on her first.
“She’s an important landmark of your research. She’s a valuable asset the Restorers—she’s a one-of-a-kind. Who’ll carry out your plans if not Pierce?”
Dr. Spencer thought over Indigo’s words for a few seconds before responding, “Yes, I know that Pierce is the result of many years of research. But the Restorer’s can’t risk sending a team after her. Besides, now that Walter is President, it won’t be long before everyone undergoes the Procedure. In the meantime, President Walter has given me permission to try the Procedure on the remaining Accidents not in the hands of the Revealers.”
There are Accidents in the Complex? Indigo wondered. But he pushed that question aside for now and said, “So basically what you’re saying is that you’ll toss her aside like a piece of trash.”
Dr. Spencer winced slightly. “That’s a harsh way to put it.”
Indigo clenched his fists. “She’ll die. You know Pierce will die soon if she doesn’t receive her daily dosage.”
Dr. Claries shrugged. “Casualty of war. Can’t help it. Just have to move on.”
Knock! Knock!
Indigo strode over to the one-way window.
“It’s Mason.”
