Page 85 of CHOICE Lover
He clears his throat. “I do. As I mentioned on the call, CHOICElover’s resources are at your disposal. Your threats are unnecessary.” Res6 and the inspector stare at each other for a long moment before she finally looks away. The corner of his mouth tips up. “I’ll need a table for my equipment. Marshal, please be seated and I’ll be with you in a moment.”
Wanda leaves them in the reincarnate room to fetch a table. As soon as the door closes, Electra spins to face Res6. “You’re helping her to protect your company, aren’t you?”
His eyes widen. “Did you not hear what I just said, or are you intentionally being obtuse?”
“These people are traumatized, not to mention they’re probably terrified out of theirminds—”
He leans down, pressing his lips to hers. When he pulls away, he whispers, “Cameras, Electra.”
Her stomach dips. She didn’t even consider that they were being watched. Well, not them specifically. The reincarnates. Is someone watching their exchange right now? NHOS is evidently rounding up reincarnates. Are manupartners like her being scrutinized? Anxiety shoots through her, but she clenches her jaw and forces a smile.
“Be a good girl and go sit down.” He points to a chair. She does as he asks without hesitation.
A few minutes later, Wanda rolls a metal table into the room. Res6 opens his silver case and retrieves a now-familiar scanner.
It takes him two hours to interview and scan every reincarnate. Thankfully, when they get to the shivering woman, Res6 confirms she isn’t sick, just cold. By the time Wanda escorts them out of the room, Electra’s tailbone aches from sitting and her cheeks are pinched from her asinine smile. Still, it doesn’t waver.
Wanda guides them to an upper-level floor—her office? A few screens sit on a sleek stone desk. Several gray metal cabinets line two walls. A third wall is a large particle pane displaying a flat concrete-texture background.
When they’re seated across from Wanda, she sets her tablet on the desk, tapping the screen. “Our conversation is being recorded.”
Electra doesn’t blink.
After a few pleasantries, Wanda says, “Now that you’ve interacted with them, in your expert opinion, would you say we’re dealing with faulty manupartners, or are these indeed people from the past?”
No blinking, Electra. Smile. Show your teeth. Not that much teeth! Act like a manupartner—like Chryl.Oh God. She points to the gray concrete in the particle pane. “I like that texture. It feels soft!”
The corner of Res6’s mouth tips up. He pats her hand. “It’s very pretty,like you.”
Wanda’s eyes brighten, and she points to Electra. “See! They’re nothing like a normal manupartner.”
She has to force herself not to melt into the chair. Don’t lay it on too thick. Stop while you’re ahead. She sits motionless.
“True enough. And to answer your question, yes, I believe we’re dealing with something unprecedented here. I’d like to do a little more research, but I believe the eight people in that room are experiencing reality as if they’re from the past.”
Wanda’s warm skin goes ashen. “How could this happen? Considering the testing . . . and I know the Consumer Rights Protection Agency would have . . . There are protocols, aren’t there?”
He offers her an easy smile. “Of course, Inspector. This is my area of expertise. I’m happy to work with NHOS as a liaison during this challenging situation. And believe me, I’m dismayed that a competitor would have such a concerning issue. I’m a champion of proper protocols to prevent such mishaps.” Wanda nods appreciatively. “As for the issue of how this happened, I’ll need more time to study the scans, but my initial guess is they tried to push out their Realer Than Real advancement before they were ready. Each company’s NAM suppression sequence is patented, and I can’t speak to their proprietary electrowave oscillation pattern, but it seems instead of repressing, their technology caused an expression event.”
“Okay, but answer this. They all claim to have been born prior to 2050. Why?” she asks.
“My best guess is GROW’s Realer Than Real update had an adverse reaction because of the purity of the DNA in combination with the collection standards of the time. That was prior to the birthing industry, which began tampering with DNA to achieve specific outcomes, and modern DNA preservation techniques. These are the only variables we’ve come up with.”
That’s basically what he’d told Electra when she first woke up. Perhaps he’ll find something different after he studies the scans.
“And you say CHOICElover has never had such a mishap?” Wanda prods.
Res6 smirks. “Never, and I assure you, we won’t. Manupartners are perfectly safe. The issue with GROW appears to be a quality control issue. I’d suggest investigating them as soon as possible.”
Wanda stiffens. “I know how to do my job. Must I remind you that you’re a consultant on this investigation?”
He shakes his head, giving her another amiable smile. “No. Only a suggestion.”
Wait, is he pretending she’s a manupartner? Is that his technique for dealing with social situations that make him uncomfortable, like giving a speech and pretending your audience is naked?
“Great. Please have your team study the data you’ve collected, and if you find anything significant, I want to know immediately.”
“I’ll make sure that happens.”
