Technomancer (Unspeakable Things: Book One)

desk and stared at her. “You know who I am? You know what happened to Robert, don’t you?”
    “I know of him, yes,” Dr. Meng said. “Please sit down.”
    “No, I don’t think so,” Jenna said. “Not until you tell me—”
    Jenna broke off then. Her face had gone blank. Frowning, I stared from her to Dr. Meng, who had something in her hand now. I recognized it. A metal object of old bronze. It was the hood ornament. She lifted it up and placed it on the desk between us. I eyed the small figure of a woman in a gown with wings upraised.
    “I know you’re doing something to Jenna,” I said, digging in my pocket for my pistol. “Let her go.”
    “This is my place, Mr. Draith. I make the rules here. Don’t be rude and upset me.”
    I wasn’t entirely sure what she could do, but I recalled the time she’d somehow thrown me out of her building. Maybe my talisman would protect me from such things—but maybe it wouldn’t. It was untested. I decided to play it as coolly as I could.
    “OK,” I said, sitting down. “Is that thing supposed to be an angel?”
    Dr. Meng ignored me, turning to Jenna. “Now, my dear, for the third time,
sit down
.”
    Jenna immediately did as she was told. If the chair hadn’t been right there, she would flopped onto the floor. I saw the wooden way she moved.
    Jenna stared expressionlessly. Her anger was gone. She just stared at Dr. Meng.
    “An odd thing to witness, isn’t it?” Dr. Meng asked. “At first, I found it disturbing. But now I like the effect. It makes life more orderly. And much quieter.”
    I thought, in a rush, of the dozens of silent rooms that lined the halls. Who was inside them? Were they empty, or filled with staring zombies like Jenna? I was horrified by the idea. My hand squeezed around the pistol in my jacket pocket, and my thoughts turned dark. If I simply kept it out of sight in my pocket and tilted up the barrel, I could fire without warning. I could shoot Dr. Meng and free Jenna. I could shoot her before she could turn me into a zombie and put me in one of her cells with the rest of them.
    I sucked in a deep breath and tried to relax, thinking of the several objects I wore. I was a technomancer now—maybe as dangerous an individual as the good doctor herself. Her complete confidence was disturbing, however.
    “So that’s your power?” I asked. “To blank people’s minds?”
    “It’s more than that,” Meng said. “I can write new thoughts upon the walls of a blank mind.”
    “Did you damage my brain?” I asked. “Is that why my memory is incomplete?”
    “You were in such a state. Really, it was a mercy. We had to repair your body
and
your mind, you see. What do you do with a computer when it will not operate, Mr. Draith? Why, you turn it off and restart it. Please try to understand and don’t upset yourself.”
    “But when I left, I was transported out of here. You dropped me from this place onto a stairway in front of the exit.”
    Dr. Meng smiled and slowly shook her head. “No. That’s not what happened. I simply ordered you to leave, and when you reached the limits of my domain, my grip on you faded. I’m not surprised you fell down the stairs. That’s a common side effect when my grip suddenly lets go.”
    I gazed at her with growing alarm. I had been in her grasp from the beginning. “Why don’t you just blank me right now?” I asked.
    “I’m hoping you have information for me. You always do.”
    Those last words burned into my mind.
You always do.
I’d been here before, I thought. Maybe many times. Somehow, I knew that was true. My heart raced in my chest. I felt fearful and sick.
    “Aren’t you a little worried?” I asked. “Why don’t you order me to put my gun on the table, at least? You know I’m armed, don’t you?”
    “Of course you are. Your work is inherently dangerous. You often find a weapon and use it. But to answer your question, I can tell you I conditioned you long ago not to harm me. I was never in any danger from you. Not this time, or any other time you’ve been in my office.”
    I wanted, more than anything else at that moment, to kill her. Maybe I wouldn’t be able to do it, but I should at least try to free myself and Jenna. I looked at Jenna. I couldn’t stand seeing her that way. Meng was a monster.
    I stood up and pulled out my pistol.
    “What are you doing?” Meng asked.
    Was there the slightest tinge of worry in that voice? I hoped so. I hoped I made her