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When he entered the lab, Dr. Gaul was waiting for him. University classes ended an hour ago, but Coriolanus had stayed late with his classmates for a drink in Pluribus’s nightclub. It was the last day of the semester. Winter smelled fresh in the cold air.
“Hurry up”, waved Dr. Gaul from the opposite corner of her lab. “I have the end-of-semester surprise for you, Mr. Snow, and you’re already missed the unpacking.”
A mysterious surprise from Dr. Gaul was the last thing he wanted, but Coriolanus obeyed. Not that he had any choice, he thought. He went through long rows of cages with birds and monkeys, which seemed too normal for this place, and stepped to Dr. Gaul. He'd never been this far into the lab before.
“You’ll give me a monkey to carry my bag for me?” asked Coriolanus.
“I'd like to see that,” Dr. Gaul grinned, “but maybe next time. Right now I have something definitely more useful.”
He followed her gaze and saw a girl in the cage. The girl sat with her back to them, but even so she looked so familiar, that Coriolanus thought it was another of Dr. Gaul jokes. But this one wasn’t a joke. It was a surprise to him, wasn't it? His girl. Just like before, her long dark hair curled on her shoulders and her rainbow dress clung to her slender figure.
No. He swallowed. It wasn’t a well-fitted dress. Hundreds of snakes covered her bare legs and torso.
When Dr. Gaul knocked at the cage bars, Lucy Gray jumped to her feet and turned around, then opened her mouth in a soundless scream. Coriolanus saw the ugly bullet scar on her shoulder. Disturbed snakes hissed all around her.
“Is she…” He wanted to say “an Avox”, but hesitated. Lucy Gray is an Avox – how is it possible to be?
“She sang all day long”, said Dr. Gaul with a smile. “It’s pretty annoying, don’t you think?”
Coriolanus nodded, still staring at Lucy Gray.
“How did you find her?”
“You're not as good a hunter as you may think you are, but you’re not hopeless. Especially when you’re hunting for your future. You made the mistake of not finishing her, but I decided you deserve encouragement.”
Encouragement? His girl with snakes instead of clothes and her severed tongue? Coriolanus took a deep breath. If it made any sense, it must be another test for him that he couldn't fail.
He looked at Dr. Gaul.
“What about Lucy Gray?” he asked.
“She isn’t good at hunting either.” Dr. Gaul chuckled. “You feel compassion for her, Mr. Snow? Anger at me or regret, perhaps?”
“Actually I don't.” Coriolanus frowned, because it was an unpleasant truth. What happened to Lucy Gray in the Citadel was horrible, but strangely he realized that he didn’t care much. Dead or missing, Lucy Gray Baird was a ghost like her namesake from that stupid song. Alive, Lucy Gray became a dangerous witness. All that matters was why Dr. Gaul had captured her and who else knew about that. The lab staff? The Peacekeepers from Twelve? Coriolanus clenched his teeth. Of course Dr. Gaul could have ruined his life with a flick of her hand, but she had invested time in him.
“Pardon my curiosity, but why did you take her to the Citadel?”
“I don't like a black spot on white, Mr. Snow, especially when it is about my assistant’s reputation,” replied Dr. Gaul, and his heart was beating faster. “Plus, more importantly, after your little trick with a handkerchief, her smell and body warmth make my pets comfortable.”