Psion Delta Read Online Free PDF Page B

such a bad thing.
    Not
more than a minute later, the door opened and Dr. Rosmir reentered the room.
    “Finally!”
    “Sorry
for the delay,” the doctor said in a harried voice as he brought the wheelchair
over to the bed. “It turns out they want you in another room so more people can
observe you.”
    “How
many people?”
    “I
don’t know,” the doctor answered. “Keep in mind there will be several doctors
working on your case over the next few days. They are all interested in you, so
they’re all interested in seeing your test.”
    “You
mean because of my double anomaly?”
    “That
might have something to do with it.” Dr. Rosmir’s tone told Sammy that his
double anomaly had everything to do with it. “We have a long walk ahead of us.
Relax.”
    The
doctor pushed Sammy out the door and farther down the long corridor. They had
just taken a turn down a new hall when the speakers on the ceiling began to
blare:
    ATTENTION
ALL STAFF, PATIENTS, AND PERSONNEL. WE HAVE A SECURITY BREACH CODE BLACK. WE
HAVE A SECURITY BREACH CODE BLACK. ALL PERSONS ARE TO LEAVE THE BUILDING
THROUGH THE NEAREST EXIT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. SECURITY BREACH CODE BLACK.
SECURITY BREACH CODE BLACK.
    Dr.
Rosmir had stopped pushing Sammy as soon as the announcement had begun. His
face was pale and his eyes darted in all directions.
    “What
does that mean?” Sammy asked. “Code black?”
    “It
means . . . combative person or persons. It means attack—we’re—we’re under
attack.” His voice was barely audible over the uproar that commenced when the
announcement ended.
    Nurses
and doctors and janitors alike scurried from their workstations, heading for
exits. Someone running past knocked into Sammy’s wheelchair and nearly sent him
onto the floor. Whoever it was stumbled, caught his balance, and ran on, never
glancing back. Dr. Rosmir slowly began to step away from Sammy as if Sammy were
a poisonous snake.
    “Where
are you going, Doctor?” Sammy asked.
    The
doctor didn’t respond to the question. His eyes continued to shift wildly as he
picked up his pace.
    “Please,
don’t leave me!”
    But
Rosmir turned and bolted for the nearest door.
    “WAIT!”
Sammy called after him, but to no avail. Coward! Several more people
sped by him, oblivious to his plight. A group of nurses came by leading a train
of children all wearing hospital gowns and bracelets. One of them was the boy
who’d had the bouncing ball. He saw Sammy and waved, showing off a toothy grin.
    An
explosion went off in the distance, too far away for Sammy to know from where
it came. The floor shook and rattling sounds mixed with screaming surrounded
him. Sammy forced himself to stay calm. He locked the wheels on his chair and
pushed himself up into a standing position. His injured leg quaked under his
weight, forcing him to favor it almost entirely. All the kids were crying; one
of them lost all control and ran straight into a wall, knocking herself out
cold. Two more ran back toward the children’s wing. The nurses tried to cope
with the bedlam, but there were only three of them helping more than twenty
children.
    Sammy
limped over to help as the security alarms went off again. The same
announcement began again until the speakers shut off with a loud CLICK! Sammy muttered to himself as he reached the nurse who seemed to be in charge.
    “There’s
a staircase down the hall and to the right.” He pointed back the way Rosmir had
brought him. “I’ll help you take them that way!”
    The
nurse nodded and helped those children who would still listen to her. “Follow
her,” Sammy told them as he tried to keep up with the group, but his leg
couldn’t do it. The nurse paused for him, but he waved her on.
    “Go!
Go! I’m fine.”
    Within
minutes, the hallway was deserted save for himself and a few stragglers. Sammy
told them where to go and what to do, and most of them took his advice. He had
barely reached the main lobby of the psych ward when someone met him at