The Energy Room (The Elementum Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF Page A

door.
    Al and I walked in silence toward the elevator at the other end of the street. Past kids playing, and dogs pooping. Past women gardening, and men riding lawnmowers. Past what truly seemed like normal, ideal lives.
    “ So… your file didn’t mention that you have a boyfriend.” Al sneered as I pushed the up button for the elevator.
    “ Yeah… well… it probably didn’t mention that I have a birthmark shaped like Ohio on my left butt cheek, either,” I remarked, walking through the open lift doors.
    “ No… it did,” Al said blankly as the doors closed behind us.
    Our short elevator ride back to the lab was silent and uncomfortable, but the tension eased as soon as the doors opened to Eddie’s grinning face. I jumped slightly, almost running directly into him. It wasn’t typical for people to stand millimeters from the elevator doors when it was arriving.
    “What is that look for?” I questioned cautiously.
    “ I just had an interesting conversation with Emmy,” he replied, rocking on his heels. I rolled my eyes, shoving past him.
    “ I don’t want to talk about it,” I said plainly. Eddie turned to follow me, while Al trailed behind. I was in no mood to discuss my new ‘relationship’, with the father of my new ‘boyfriend’.
    “ Awwww, but why not?” Eddie mocked, swiping his ID card at the glass door to allow us back into the room with the giant water tank.
    “ What are we doing today?” I asked, completely ignoring Eddie’s question.
    “ Angie—” Eddie began, but quickly rethought his sentence when he saw the look of utter irritation on my face, “we’re doing ice.”
    I stopped dead in my tracks on my path to the walkway overtop the tank.
    “Ice? Is that a good idea… er… today?” I questioned, looking nervously from Eddie to Al.
    “ As good a day as any, wouldn’t you say?” Eddie’s eyes twinkled with a type of adolescent rascality.
    At that point, I was unsure what Eddie’s intentions were. As he glanced at Al, I thought perhaps he was just going for the largest shock value we had to offer.
    “Excuse me, what exactly do you mean ‘doing ice’?” Al queried, eyebrows lowered as his eyes shifted from me to Eddie.
    “ Oh, Angie here is going to make ice for us.” Eddie beamed innocently.
    “ Can I ask what the purpose of that is?” Al asked, entirely confused.
    “ So we can all have slushies later,” I joked dryly. It was an anxiety reflex.
    Eddie snorted for a moment in laughter, then straightened himself out as he realized Al didn’t find any humor in my words. The ginger-haired doctor cleared his throat awkwardly, as Al eyed him with curiosity.
    “Best to let you see for yourself, I think,” Eddie stated.
    Al was still clearly confused, but stood back as Eddie walked around to different computer stations, giving orders to various new workers whose names I would probably never take the time to learn.
    A plump, quiet woman placed sensors on my head and chest before I made my way up the walkway to stand directly over the center of the water tank. They had turned the heating element on for the metal, making it quite toasty against my pale feet. I kept my eyes trained on Eddie as he followed his invisible path around the room, observing, directing, and correcting the employees. Finally, he stopped and turned to face me, eyes beaming.
    “ Emergency systems on standby,” Eddie called to nobody in particular.
    “ Ready,” a faceless employee called back to him from somewhere across the room.
    “ Medics on standby,” Eddie called again, aimlessly.
    I glanced over at two men who had large first aid kits at their feet, and a dusty defibrillator behind them. It had only ever been used once, in an unfortunate scenario involving an elderly doctor with a heart condition, and an unexpected, stray fireball.
    “Ready,” one of the medics replied lazily.
    “ Security?” Eddie asked.
    I directed my view to a team of men in black suits who were, no doubt, carrying