They Are Monsters (Deathless Trilogy, #2)

Chapter Twenty Two: A Fair Chance

"Daniel," I say, chasing after him, "Daniel, wait." He stops just outside the white sitting room while George Washington watches over us from his boat.

"What?" he asks.

"I was just trying to snap him out of it. It didn't mean anything."

"You don't just snap out of an implant, Isla. Why would you think that would work?"

"Because it did on Nate," I say, and I catch his lip quiver. "I know it was a different implant on him, but it worked on Nate, so... I tried."

"Even if it could have worked, he would have had to be in love with you..." Daniel sighs and looks away. "Have you seen Joe?"

"No, why?"

"Isla... Joe's the same as Ian. Cooper ordered the conversions to go more quickly since the Council's surprise visit is tonight, and Joe was included in that."

"What?" I ask. "What are we going to do?"

He looks around, and pulls my arm, "Go to the lab."

I follow him into the other wing of the estate, and close the door behind us in the Physics lab. We search the room to make sure we're the only ones here before he turns back to me, and says, "The New World Council is Roberts and Cooper, just re-imagined as an actual governing body. It's a bunch of leaders from around the world, and they're coming to assess our progress. They heard about Captain Jones, and were finally told about the Deathless attack and the bunker. They are nervous. They're coming to make sure we're still in control of things here, and here control means installing more implants."

"Why didn't you tell me before class? I just got blindsided by Cooper questioning me about what we've been doing at night."

"What?"

"Yeah. Thank God Celia and Nina were there to back up my story. But then they left and Cooper strangled me."

"He did what?" he yells.

"He grabbed me by the throat with his pincer, Daniel. I thought I was going to die."

"I'm going to kill him." He clenches his fists and turns on his heels, but I pull him back.

"No you're not. You're going to stay calm so you're not converted too."

He cups my face in his hands, and kisses me like he's saying goodbye. "What are you doing?" I ask as soon as I pull my lips from his.

"I didn't tell you about Ian and Joe, because... they're done converting the soldiers. They're going to start on the Workers and the Caregivers next. Then the Comforters and then the Scientists. We're all going to be converted. And there's something else, too...."

The slashing pain in my stomach returns, followed quickly by dread. "...What?"

"They found Ava at Lake McConaughy in Nebraska. She didn't have the pod, and my mom was gone. She told the soldiers she sent them both into the lake. She and my mom must have known they were following them, and created a diversion. But they got Ava."

"Well, where is she? Is she back in the Carrier's quarters?"

"No, Isla... they never brought her back. They left her there." I don't want to hear this, but Daniel says it anyway, "She's at the bottom of the lake. I thought it could be a lie, but Ian confirmed it last night before he was taken. I didn't know how to tell you. I didn't even know we lost Joe until about an hour ago when I went to visit him while you were in class." He looks at the floor and says, "I was coming to tell you when I saw you with Ian. I snapped."

"They're still with us," I say, trying to suppress my own anger and sadness. "They are—"

"—No, stop saying people are deathless," he erupts. "No one is deathless, all those people are really gone, and at the end of the day, the Deathless is just a bunch of glorified scientists."