“Marci he-he’s not a nice man.”
“I know,” Marci nodded again, her dark lovely face lovelier in the wake of added years and the extreme contentment residing across her features. “I know what has to happen to him. Brogue said-”
“Everyone thought he was dead.” Persephone blurted.
Again, Marci nodded, smiled a little. “I at least knew that much. He hasn’t been here long-not as long as me, but Mr. Shelanon’s kept him close, probably because he’s a Tesano. We haven’t really had the chance to talk much.”
Persephone didn’t know what to make of the unmistakable light in Marci’s eyes then, so she decided not to question it. “There’re people here to help you,” she said instead, “people you can talk to.”
Marci laughed a little. “Around here I’m the counselor. These kids have been abused- mind and body. Some in ways they’ll never recover from.” Her contentment showed signs of distress then.
“Some have been shamefully altered, Perry. There aren’t many of that group here- only about fifteen or so. The others they...they’ve been acquired.” Her lashes fluttered down until they were dusting the tops of her cheeks. “There are some truly abominable people in the world, Perry.”
“You’re right,” Persephone’s voice was quiet just seconds before she hissed an obscenity. An agonizing sound was screeching through her earpiece.
“Persephone! Persephone! Come in, dammit!”
“Hill-?”
“Where the hell are you?”
“Down here-”
“Where?”
“Dammit, the ground level.”
“Ground level? Persephone, goddammit-”
“Just stop your growling and get your ass down here! Out!” She snatched away the piece and massaged her ear.
Marci was smiling approvingly. “You and Hill are together.”
Persephone returned the smile. “Not for a long time-we...found each other again.”
“I’m happy for you. Happy the island didn’t stop you from being able to love and be loved in return.”
“I can see you haven’t lost that ability either. I can see it when you talk about the kids.”
The softness in Marci’s gaze shadowed with a haunted element. “I don’t know how many of them will ever come back from what’s been done to them. Many of them have never known love and they’ve got nothing to go back to.”
“But you do.”
“No. Not me either.”
“I don’t think that’s true.”
“It is. There’s nothing out there for me. You should leave, Perry. Whatever you guys are trying to do-it won’t work. He’s going to make us destroy it-destroy ourselves.”
Persephone moved closer to give Marci a shake. “Not you. Not you, you hear? You have a life- people who love you- who want to love you.”
Marcella shook off the image of Brogue Tesano flashing into her mind. “I’ve got nothing.”
Persephone held Marci’s shoulders tighter. “You have a brother out there somewhere, don’t you?”
“I-” Marci began to blink rapidly. “I’ve got three.”
“Is one of them named Bashir?”
Marci’s gasp filled the room. “How?”
“He’s here, honey.”
“Here? How? That-that’s not possible.”
“It is, Honey. He’s part of the rescue-that’s why we’re here. It’s what he does. I think he devoted his life to it after he lost you. He’s here and he loves you. It’d kill him to know he came so far only to lose you again.”
Marci turned away, her fingers shaking at her lips as she absorbed the news.
The thunder of footsteps echoed along the stairways and corridors like a dull roar.
Persephone gripped her rifle and drew Marci behind her as they left Jacob Shelanon’s enormous bedchamber and entered an equally grand main room/study/command center. She raised the barrel of the gun and kept it aimed at the top of the stairs. There was a boom akin to a knock as a door burst open.
“Sef?!”
Hill. “Down here!” Persephone lowered her aim when she saw him.
In less than a minute, the room had swelled with bodies. Brogue was among the last to enter. His expression softened when he saw Marci.
