Free Wake Up Missing by Kate Messner Page A

video files.
    â€œI’m leaving.” I headed for the door, but a deep voice that came from the computer stopped me.
    â€œNo! Not when we’re so close!”
    I shivered, even though the room was warm. I’d overheard those words hours ago; now I turned to the screen and saw the fierce look on Dr. Ames’s face that went with them.

Chapter 9
    â€œLet it play.” I rushed back to Sarah’s side. “This is what I heard earlier, standing outside the office.”
    Dr. Gunther stood next to Dr. Ames in the video, at the same desk Sarah and I hovered over now.
    Dr. Gunther was pointing down at images in a manila folder. “It’s clear Kaylee Enriquez’s tumor is growing. We have to contact her parents, Mark. We can’t justify—”
    â€œI said no!”
    I looked at Sarah. Her eyes were huge as she stared at the video.
    Dr. Gunther put a hand to his temple and rubbed in small circles. “I can’t,” he said, then mumbled something. I turned the video feed up louder to hear. “This has gone far enough. Think what could happen.”
    Dr. Ames put both hands flat on the desk then and leaned across, so far that Dr. Gunther pulled away and sank back in his leather chair. I would have done that, too.
    â€œ
You
think what could happen, Rudolph. Have you forgotten how we came to work together?”
    Now I remembered. Dr. Ames had threatened Dr. Gunther while I was standing outside his door.
    â€œAt that time, you were found to be violating federal laws that regulate genetic engineering research. At that time, you were charged with a felony. And at
that
time you were never going to set foot in a lab again. You were never going to finish your clinical research; you were never going to find your cure for Parkinson’s disease. And you. Were. Going. To.
Die
.”
    â€œDie? From what? That disease?” Sarah whispered.
    I put my hands up—
no idea
—and pointed to the video.
    â€œWe gave everything back to you, Rudolph. We kept you out of jail. We kept you in the lab. We provided everything you needed for your research. We kept you alive. We kept our part of the deal, and you need to keep yours.”
    On the video, Dr. Gunther reached for a file on the desk. His hands shook, and he looked up at Dr. Ames. “How much longer?”
    â€œNot long. We’re close. And things look much better with the other first-round subject, yes?”
    â€œPerkins. Trent Perkins.”
    â€œThe procedure has taken?” Dr. Ames tapped his fingers together.
    â€œIt seems so, yes. It’s early. Too early for cognitive tests to confirm, but we’re already seeing personality changes that would indicate success.”
    â€œI knew it!” Sarah couldn’t stand still any longer. She swiped tears from her eyes and whirled around to face me. “They’re
changing
him! They’re going to—”
    â€œShhhh!” I whispered. “We need to hear the rest.”
    Sarah’s face was red, but she took a deep breath and nodded. I started the video again, in time to see Dr. Gunther take a long, shaky breath, too. “Very well. We’ll proceed as planned,” he said. “But we must contact the girl’s parents. The rate of tumor growth is too dramatic to be contained. She’ll need surgery, and—”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œMark, the child is going to die if we don’t—”
    â€œNot yet.”
    â€œWhen?” Dr. Gunther’s hand shook as he wiped his brow.
    â€œWhen our work is done.” Dr. Ames leaned over the desk again. “And not a moment before.”
    â€œLord, have mercy. All right.” Dr. Gunther nodded and closed his eyes. Dr. Ames stalked out of the room.
    Sarah stared at the screen. Dr. Gunther wasn’t talking or even moving, but she kept staring as if she could see through to his thoughts.
    â€œSarah, we have to go,” I said finally. There was so much to