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She stared at Morrison, her gaze going from one to the other.

Yet it was obvious that she wasn’t even picking up on the conversation.

Morrison stuck his hand in front of her face and waved it back and forth.

She blinked several times and frowned at him but didn’t say anything. “Do we need to get the food to go?”

“Damn,” Gage whispered, staring at her as she seemed to almost be in a fugue state. “I’ve never seen this happen.”

“No, neither have I, and I don’t like it. I don’t like anything about it.” Morrison hopped to his feet. He caught the attention of the waitress and quickly changed their orders for takeout, plus doubled up on coffee to-go. Within minutes, they were loaded up and on their way.

Morrison drove back to the hotel. After they’d parked, Morrison pulled Gage aside. “Do you think it’s safe?”

“I think it is at the moment. I think their attention is on something else.”

“And yet, if we go up there, is somebody tracking her?”

“Yes,” Gage replied, “another valid point.” He quickly made a phone call to Terkel. “We need some camouflage.”

“Okay. Why?”

He quickly explained, and Terkel’s breath caught in the back of his throat. “As soon as you get her up there, I’ll come in and do some work. I’ll get Cara and Clary to give us a hand too. We have to disconnect before she can’t.”

“Yeah, that was our reasoning,” Gage agreed, “and we’re moving as fast as we can.

All we’re getting now is bits and pieces, but there is no doubt that something’s got her.

She’s not even really conscious at this point.

She’s going through the motions, but she’s not talking or reacting in any usual way.

It’s as if we have a zombie on our hands. ”

“Don’t even say that,” Terkel ordered, yet his voice was quiet. “You have no idea how much of an effect that can have on people.”

“The terminology?”

“No, the fact that there even is a zombie state,” he corrected. “We don’t want that to come out in public, and we certainly don’t want whoever is doing this to her to be aware of the control he has over her and what that could mean in terms of what he can do.”

“So, we’re really thinking somebody is doing this to her?” Gage asked.

“You don’t think so?” Terkel asked curiously. “I mean, you’re the one who can see her. Are you saying you can’t see any energy around her?”

“Not very well,” he muttered, but, as they headed up the elevator, a weird staticky sound filled the air.

Terkel added, “I don’t know who is doing this, but it’s the same one taking out the security cameras. You’ll need to check this hotel afterward and confirm no images of us are available at all,” he stated.

“Which also means he’s doing it remotely—or not so remotely,” Gage added, turning to look up and down the hallways.

“For all we know, he’s in here, waiting, and picked up the signal of her presence.

We also don’t know whether maybe Don got a phone call at the hospital—or made one himself,” he suggested.

“I mean, if Don called Darren—or just spoke telepathically, for all we know—it would have alerted Darren that Sadie was at the hospital. However, what’s worse is that Don could have told Darren that Sadie is potentially also an energy worker and a powerful one. ”

Terk noted, “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you guys have a visitor.”

“ Great ,” Gage muttered. “Just what we need, an attack when we’re vulnerable.”

“Which is the best time for an attack,” Terkel stated, with a note of humor in his tone.

Morrison glared down at the phone. “Glad you find it funny.”

“Not funny at all,” Terk noted. “Remember that this is our life and that this is what happens. Not to mention, this is what we do,” he added for emphasis, “so stay focused, and ensure nobody snatches her.”

“What would they do with her if they do get her?” Morrison asked. “I mean, they can’t force her to do energy work, and she’s still trying to figure out what it even means to her.”

“But remember, when you have somebody who can do something, it’s pretty easy for them to train her and quickly.

If they found any other energy workers over this time period, I wouldn’t be at all surprised that they’ve been constantly searching for people like them because it works so well in committing these crimes. ”

“That would be the purpose of the beacon then,” Morrison noted, groaning.

“That’s what I’m thinking too,” Terk confirmed.

“I think the beacon is to find more lost souls, energy workers like them, so they can find that connection they seek in a group, which this crew can bring. But, at the same time, it’s easy to manipulate these people into doing something because they might not even know what’s happening.

It’s not that they aren’t smart. No, it’s more about they are good-hearted, don’t think others have evil intents,” he explained.

“That’ll be the challenge with her brother, Don,” Morrison suggested.

“I don’t know how much he even understands about what’s going on, and now I’m wondering if he’s really been in some fugue state himself when these robberies were happening.

… I know that’ll just give Sadie an unfair sense of relief, thinking that maybe it wasn’t his fault, yet I don’t know that that part is true. ”

“Again, we don’t have enough information.”

“Which was what was driving her crazy the whole time.”

“Sure, but if she didn’t see this coming, what are the chances that someone is blocking it, and if they’re blocking her from getting messages or from receiving, they may have abilities to do things we are not necessarily in a position to easily fight,” Terk pointed out.

“So we must stand strong and ensure she gets out of this. I don’t want to stop the jewelry heists only to turn around and see that she’s been taken. ”

“God no,” Morrison cried out. “We’re at the hotel now.”

“Get up there, lock the door, and realize that the locked door won’t do anything much if they’re energy workers,” Terk stated. “They’ll make minced meat out of that door in no time. Gage, are you there?”

“Yeah, Terk, I’m right here. I can put up somewhat of a smokescreen, but, if they’re energy workers, it won’t help. I can put up a bit of an energy guard too. Otherwise all I can tell you is, I’ve got cops on the way.”

And, with that, Terkel was gone.