Paragon ✓

V. Revelation of a Nightmare

Scientific knowledge is an enabling power to do either good or bad - but it does not carry instructions on how to use it. - Richard Feynman.

She received no answer.

Instead, Jackson responded with frosty, unimpressed silence. He studied her until Delta-one returned with a set of clothing: underwear, cargo trousers, a charcoal shirt and tan combat boots. As soon as she did, Jackson stood up and addressed the men in the room; the two great hulks and Holden in the shadows.

"Gather the Paragons in Building 3. Delta-one will take her there once she's dressed. Two hours should more than suffice to debrief her. After lunch, the Omegas will both need to improve their appearance. Then Omega-one will guide her through the compound, and the rest of you will get back to work."

They left her alone in the room, but she kept her gown on as a covering as she pulled the clothing on, constantly aware of the mirrored window. She fidgeted awkwardly under the gown as she tried to pull her shirt on without revealing herself, until she realized that they'd probably all seen her naked by now. Still, she turned her back to finish dressing.

When she was done, Delta-one stepped back into the room and jerked her head impatiently. As Katia moved towards the door, Delta-one held out an elastic band.

"Get your hair out of your face."

Katia looked into Delta-one's lovely green eyes, more curious than offended by their hostility. Delta-one turned, and Katia followed her through the door.

As she'd suspected, the room behind it overlooked the cell she'd just exited. They passed through it and into a winding corridor. Along the length of it, double-doors were flung open to what resembled hospital rooms, each holding two curtained beds. They passed by six rooms, three on each side, until they reached a closed door on the far wall. Delta-one pushed it open, and they stepped into the day.

Katia blinked in the dim sunlight, pausing just beyond the threshold to orient herself. The ground at her feet was grey gravel; the sky above was grey cloud. The building from which she'd come was grey, too, a single-story concrete structure hung with the number 14 in black metal over the door. Katia followed Delta-one along the wide road as it tracked its way through the compound, passing by buildings of various size and material- wood, stucco, concrete- but similarly plain. Each one had a number hung over its door.

She glanced over and between the buildings, glimpsing bits of scenery as they walked. Judging from the position of the sun in the sky, she saw that immediately south of the compound lay a vast grassy field, at least three times the size of the sports pitch behind Haidala High School. A dry trench had been dug into the far end of the field, and obstacle course set up in the western corner. A dozen men in khakis and pale gray t-shirts were lumbering through and over it, red-faced with exertion, as a tall, powerfully built man shouted orders at them. They all turned to stare at Delta-one as she walked past.

To the east lay a sandy pit two hundred meters wide, with targets lined up at one end of it. Shooting practice, Katia guessed. Beyond that, a long strip of road appeared to lead to nowhere. It was only when she looked again and saw the enormous brown hangar at the far end of it that she realized it wasn't a road at all, but a runway for airplanes.

They turned a corner, and a new vista was revealed. Facing west, she saw low hills and a strange forest, its low-lying canopy waxing a pale, dying green. Some of the leaves were yellow, and a few were red. Katia stared at the alien landscape with increasing bewilderment: if the hills were west, and the foliage decidedly deciduous, then-