“Very well, Mr. Burke,” she said at last.
He handed Aline a new phone number, and it was at least comforting to know her approval took us past an uncomfortable discussion of what would happen if she didn’t agree. I knew we would have to go away regardless but doing so under a mutual understanding and the effort to cooperate suggested Burke’s proposal had been made with sincere intent. They all knew what she’d do to them if they busted the deal, and short of assassinating her, his group’s compliance was likely a matter of course all along.
Aline drove us home, and we spent the time discussing conditions and processes from Burke’s proposal. I made myself let go of the persistent anger with Hurd and his poisonous influence that ended the lives of two soldiers, but the tragedy left questions. I asked about them before he boarded his plane, but Burke’s answer was given with a sober expression of regret.
The life of the first commando who raised his gun to shoot was ended in a searing vortex of fire that consumed the oxygen around him and destroyed his lungs. Gruesome, but not unexpected. The second soldier’s fate was no better, and I cringed to hear he suffered from what Burke’s medical staff reported as “liquid respiratory impairment.” A detached, clinical way of putting it to the rest of us he choked and drowned in a river of saliva Aline compelled his body to produce. I didn’t need to recount the details because she already knew.
At home there was no more talk of separating so that I would be spared the ordeal, but we had work to do when the last phase of the process became clear. Once complete, the interviews, tests, and demonstration experiments would send Burke and his team off to analyze and do whatever it is they did after such a strange and indescribable event, but we needed to prepare.
Jeremy would have to be told at least some of the facts, we knew, but not enough to get him into trouble if Hurd’s people ever came sniffing around. We decided to tell him only that we were off on a romantic worldwide tour, and I made arrangements for a monthly administration fee to be paid into his account to hire a property management firm. In this way, our homes would see regular activity and maintenance to keep up the grounds and check things inside so that nothing would change while we were away.
It was a sudden, sad experience knowing it would be a while before we saw home again. Burke asked that we not delay more than a few weeks and a month at most; an obligation to update his Minister (and Hurd) when the interviews were finished meant questions about Aline’s location. It made me feel better when she decided we should treat our extended absence as a new and grand adventure instead of forced exile. I suppose you could say it was both, but she looked at me and said, “It doesn’t matter where we go or what we do when we get there; we’ll look the world over a bit, and then we’ll come home.”
ONCE more at Lennon Airport, we stood beside the apron watching a student and his instructor preflight a Piper Aztec. Aline sipped slowly at a cup of tea as we waited, and she seemed no different than a passenger about to board a train for her morning commute. A Citation business jet was idling when we arrived, and I watched with detached interest the shimmering heat distortion swirling out from its engine exhausts as it pivoted and trundled slowly for the taxiway. Aline wondered where it would land at the end of its journey, and the parallel to our own condition made her look at me and smile. When Burke’s King Air appeared minutes later, the strange week ahead of us was finally underway.
Barely an hour later, after a bumpy descent through heavy clouds, our pilots taxied to an empty corner of the ramp at RAF Waddington. A tiny staff member from Burke’s team called Mairead Murphy met and steered us quickly toward an idling van, and after a short ride across the flight line, we walked past air police guards who behaved as if we were somebody important. I watched them for signs of caution or stern readiness, but it was clear they had no idea who we were or why we were there. Unburdened by details about Hurd’s dead commandos and the truth of Aline’s nature, the guards saw only two more credentialed civilian visitors among many.
A narrow, brightly lit corridor led to another and another again until Mairead ushered us into an open area manned by two men in civilian clothes we guessed correctly to be part of Halliwell’s security contingent. Beyond them, three doors led to private quarters and one was set aside for us to rest during breaks. Burke arrived at last, signaling to one of the attending officers to arrange for refreshments, and when I wondered to myself when the session would begin, he answered before I could ask.
“If you’re up to it,” Burke began, “perhaps we could start in ten minutes’ time?”
Aline nodded her agreement and asked if we could wait outside on the grass. Burke nodded with a polite smile and Mairead pointed us toward a door between the bathrooms. It was chilly but the sun felt good on my face as we loitered near an inner fence. I know she could feel it, but my relief at her calm invited another more troubling question, and I leaned close to whisper.
“You’re not going to say anything about Tegwen or the other lives, right?”
“Not in a million years,” she said, snorting.
“I just wanted to make sure.”
“And anyway,” she continued softly, “I don’t think it would matter even if they did believe.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” I replied. “This is a place built to study the supernatural, and I can’t think of anything in the category that tops reincarnation.”
“Burke’s thoughts are easy to read; there’s nothing more interesting to him than my ability to hear or project thoughts.”
“To him,” I noted softly, “but what about Hurd and the Whitehall crowd?”
“They are one and the same, Evan; Mr. Burke is simply more polite about it.”
I nodded at the image, but we agreed the mandate had been created and given for no more important purpose than keeping the United Kingdom safe. Beyond his polish and smarm, Burke’s goal—and Halliwell’s, too—was at least honorable and proper. Hurd, on the other hand, remained far beyond the borders of my trust zone.
“Burke didn’t seem distraught over the deaths of those two commandos,” I said softly.
“I know,” she replied.
“They died in agony, Aline.”
She looked at me with narrowed eyes, and I could feel her disappointment at once.
“It wasn’t a hollow threat, Evan; they were going to kill us both.”
“When did you know for certain?”
“I heard it before we got out of bed; thoughts like that are hard to miss.”
There was nothing I could say; she was right, and the sobering truth of our near-death experience washed away my lingering concern for what became of two faceless mercenaries who crossed the line and paid for the mistake with their lives. I nodded, but Aline’s expression was changed again, that odd transformation I learned to recognize when she seems to become somebody else. I know it’s Tegwen’s influence, when circumstance demands, but the phenomenon takes some getting used to, even now.
After a few more minutes Halliwell led us to a standard conference room, positioning us on one side of a long table. On the other, four or five chairs we presumed were reserved for the various members of the investigation teams waited empty. One of Halliwell’s lieutenants, a rugby-player-looking brute called Terence, appeared first. He motioned for two armed guards to lock the door on their way out, and it occurred to me he wanted us to understand what could happen if things went wrong. I wanted to remind him what happened the last time they pointed guns at Aline, but it was certainly possible he didn’t know, so I left it alone.
“Can we bring you something while we’re waiting for Alan and the colonel?” His voice was nothing like his image: a higher pitch, plagued also by a slight but noticeable lisp.
“We’re fine,” Aline replied.
Terence moved to a corner and stood in polite silence with his hands clasped before him. I hate awkward pauses, but Aline made herself comfortable as though we were alone. A minute or two passed until the door lock clicked twice as H
alliwell made his grand entrance, nodding for Terence to get lost.
“Before we begin,” he said, “I wanted to cover some basic assumptions and operating rules so that nothing is missed, and you will be at ease here.”
Halliwell presented a confident face, but all the while Aline was inside his head and measuring him moment by moment. He seemed unaffected by our meeting in Somerset (and the knifing agony she’d swept through his head) but this time, she was only listening and Halliwell might’ve misinterpreted the pain-free condition as a sign Aline was at rest. I wondered if Burke had cautioned the colonel to avoid needless subterfuge, knowing Aline would see through it in a second. When he continued, the answer was obvious.
“First, let me reassure you both there will be no more of the unfortunate circumstances that ended so badly in your field; it was not our choice, and we will not allow anyone to threaten you here.”
“Thank you, Colonel.”
“There is one other matter I think we should address, however.”
“Go on,” she said with a nod.
“I believe Alan mentioned something about blood and tissue samples, but we hoped to get that part out of the way sooner rather than later. May we proceed?”
“Yes.”
Halliwell nodded and two female technicians, both of whom looked like librarians in rubber gloves, appeared with a yellow case filled with medical equipment. They worked quickly and efficiently until four small vials of Aline’s blood went into an aluminum box with gray Styrofoam separators. A moment later, another person walked in whom Halliwell introduced as an RAF flight physician called “Doctor Stafford.” She asked Aline for permission to administer a local anesthetic, followed by a small incision halfway up her left forearm to remove a tissue sample, and five minutes later, it was done. With only a butterfly stitch and a bandage no larger than a Post-it to show for the procedure, Aline returned to her seat beside me as Halliwell motioned for the others waiting outside after the medical team withdrew.
He seemed pleasant enough, considering the mother of all headaches Aline had given him at the Marine camp in Taunton, watching over the shuffling feet and movement until Burke led in two others we hadn’t seen before—a slight man and a severe-looking Indian woman—and they took their seats across the table. Burke waited until everyone was settled.
“This is Dr. Mohini Kambhampati and Gilbert Berezan; Mo heads up our life sciences section, and Gilbert is observing on behalf of your government, Evan.”
There was no need to introduce Aline, and it made me wonder how much Berezan knew and when he became involved. I watched him for a while and still he said nothing when Halliwell decided to get administrative details out of the way.
“After our previous encounter,” he began and looking only at Aline, “there is some concern for overall safety I’d like to address with you.”
“Safety?” Aline said.
Halliwell glanced toward the heavy door.
“We cannot have participants in the room who are not cleared for this sort of process, but I’m sure you already know they are maintaining position just outside in the unlikely event order must be restored.”
“Why do you believe order will be lost?” she asked. “We came here willingly and with the understanding there would be only conversation between us.”
“A mere precaution,” Halliwell answered confidently, but Aline wasn’t buying it.
“Your precaution is insulting and it tells us the trust Mr. Burke was so careful to mention yesterday is meaningless after all.”
It was all I could do to keep from giving her a high five, but the tension was rising and Halliwell leaned forward awkwardly in his chair while he thought of something to say. In a single moment, a thin pretense of cooperation had been washed away before the meeting even started, and it was fun watching the fierce warrior scramble for answers. I wondered if all of it would unravel completely, but Burke waited so that we would see the proper degree of good faith interaction.
“As Stuart said,” he began, “this is only a procedural demand and the normal method of conducting these conversations; there is no need for concern.”
“If that’s true,” she replied, “why are you concerned?”
Burke’s eyes closed slowly, and everyone noticed him nod very slightly when she continued.
“Or perhaps…”
They looked at her as she paused because everyone knew Aline was probing again. Before Burke could protest, she smiled and said, “Your guards are here at Mr. Hurd’s request; the demand is his.”
Burke returned his own grin to acknowledge the brief, effective scan, and it seemed he was privately delighted. I didn’t understand until Halliwell looked only at Berezan, and the weedy little man’s frown made it obvious Hurd’s clumsy play and show of power was a secret now exposed.
“Very nicely done, Aline,” Burke said with a smile, “but I’m sure you can understand Gregory’s worry after experiencing your abilities in Taunton?”
Berezan stood and approached from around the table with a finger to his lips and an elbow supported in his palm the way haughty people do when considering options dramatically in front of others. It was harmless enough, and he looked at us for a moment before taking a deep breath.
“So how does it work, exactly?” he asked, and it was obvious even to me his interest was being led by a sarcastic tone to let Aline know he wasn’t convinced. “Does the target always feel it when you’re starting to worm inside, or what? Is there some sort of…”
Before he could finish the question, Berezan reached for his forehead, cradling it in his palms with a loud moan when it began. I heard the same tone in my own ears, growing to a high-pitched screech as Berezan turned slowly in place until the pain was more than he could endure.
“Okay, okay!” he cried out. “I got it!”
Aline released, and he braced against the table to steady himself before sitting slowly while the intense ache subsided. My ears popped, one after the other, and I hoped they wouldn’t notice the invisible needles jabbed at me as well. There was no pain, but I promised myself to stay out of range the next time she opened fire.
“When I’m only listening,” Aline said softly, “they never know; when I want them to know, that is how it feels.”
Mo went to Berezan immediately and examined his eyes with one hand as she took his pulse with the other, and it occurred to me it was the first time Berezan had spoken. Halliwell stood, too.
“We hoped you might suspend your abilities for a while so that normal conversations can proceed.”
“He wanted to understand,” Aline replied.
“That is not for you to decide,” Burke interjected quickly.
“I didn’t decide,” she answered. “He did.”
Berezan waved Mo away and nodded.
“She’s right,” he said suddenly. “I asked, and she answered.”
“His heart rate is elevated,” Mo declared, but Berezan insisted her examination wasn’t necessary. When he looked again at Aline, his indifferent expression was gone: another message delivered.
“That’s what Greg felt the first time down in Taunton?” he asked.
Aline nodded, and Burke positioned himself in a corner.
“Now we’ve gotten the first demonstration out of the way…”
Halliwell returned to his seat and clasped his hands together on the table’s surface.
“There will be ample opportunity for the physical element later on, but we must have your word and assurance no repeat of this will occur if and when we find ourselves in dispute.”
“All right,” she replied simply.
I couldn’t recognize it in all the excitement, but when it dawned on me at last, it was obvious my discomfort was unintended and a by-product of Aline’s demonstration for Berezan. She’d never mentioned the possibility (or likelihood) before, but I was simply too close when her thoughts reached out and with them was enough of the mysterious power she projects that I, too, felt its terrifying ef
fect.
“May we proceed?” Burke asked at last.
Aline didn’t respond, but he was already moving and we knew the cameras would index the moment as our starting point.
THEY HAD A prescribed interview structure and a long list of questions, but following Aline’s answers, and an obvious need to keep her talking, any information she could offer was more important than a chronological process ladder to be climbed. I listened, and the focus Burke had demanded at the outset dissolved in the moment with an opportunity to learn what they could never get from others. Aside from blind tests with playing cards and numbers moving through a random generator at a slow, predictable rate, none of the earlier participants had come close to Aline and what she could do.
Halliwell and Berezan were subordinate to Burke’s authority, but they were given wide latitude and both wasted little time going straight to those most interesting aspects.
“How long have you been aware of these unique abilities?” Halliwell asked. I looked at her and waited with my own interest to hear the answer; there was no chance she could tell them the whole truth, so she simply replied from her present perspective.
“During my transition from adolescence to adulthood.”
Mo perked up and interjected a secondary question.
“Was your awareness gradual or sudden?”
“Gradual.”
“Did it coincide with your first menstrual experience?”
“No.”
In less than a minute they heard a predictable cadence to her answers, and I wondered if they would complain and ask her to expand. Brevity is valuable, but watching their patience slipping into frustration was amusing to me, and I said nothing when Halliwell asked her if she experiences physical discomfort when the mental probes become more purposeful and intense. I must admit it was a good question and seemed to catch Aline a little flat-footed, if only because she hadn’t considered it before. She looked away for just a second or two and said, “It’s never uncomfortable for me.”
Mo decided the question didn’t go far enough, and she muscled past Halliwell so that the events in Brugge would become the first point of focus. In her mind, there was no better place to begin, and since no one thought to challenge her, Burke nodded his approval. It was at this very moment I must’ve smirked because he wondered what I found amusing about the process. Aline glared at me, but I simply couldn’t stop myself and I said with gentle sarcasm, “Miss Persimmon takes control!”
The Seventh Life of Aline Lloyd Page 35
