“EW-39 has requested visitation with EW-54,” Sr. Dir. Klaaus said once Max and I were settled in the chairs. “What do you two think of this?”

“If Ice makes Caspian feel better, it’s worth it,” Max said.

“Agreed, it would be beneficial for both of them,” I nodded. “But, should the people controlling Ice know of their meetings, they could use him to harm Caspian, or use Caspian as collateral to get Ice to do what they want. We should get the chip out of Ice’s neck before making any plans.”

“Unfortunately, that’s where things get a bit rocky,” Sr. Dir. Alton said. “If the microchip truly is fused to his brain, it will likely be very difficult to remove, and that’s not even bringing up Ice’s quick metabolism. Sedatives barely work on him.”

I thought for a moment, then said, “What if we use Michael? Ice is calm around him. If Michael can get Ice to sleep, which he barely does, then we can use anesthetics to make sure he stays asleep.”

“A feasible plan,” Jr. Dir. Swann nodded on the other side of the table.

“With a good neurosurgeon, it could likely be done quickly,” Jr. Dir. Thompson nodded in agreement. “Although, we will also need 54’s cooperation.”

I nodded, “I think I can do that. Disguised as a normal interview, I’ll ask him some questions and inform him of the plan.”

Sr. Dir. Klaaus nodded, “Then we are in agreement. Once the microchip is out of EW-54’s neck, we will discuss exposure testing with EW-39. You are dismissed.”

We both nodded, leaving the room. I quickly made my way to Ice’s room, mentally going over what and how I would ask.

When I got there, the guards restrained Ice, and I was left alone with him. I moved quickly, pulling the chair over from the desk and opening my tablet to a new notepad page. Ice stared at me curiously.

I wrote on the page: “Can they see us?”

I showed him the tablet, asking, “So, tell me about yourself?”

He glanced between me and the tablet, quickly catching on. “No thanks. I like you, but I know this conversation is going in your notes.”

I slowly nodded. I wrote on the page: “Can they hear us?” Then I held up the tablet and asked, “Do you like Caspian? He claims you protected and comforted him during the breach.”

He frowned, “Yes. Very much so.”

I nodded in understanding. I wrote on the page, pretending to take notes. I showed it to him. His eyes widened.

“How would you feel about some exposure testing with both Caspian and Michael?” I asked, letting him read the plan. “Caspian has requested to see you again. He wants you to teach him hydrokinesis.”

He stared up at me, eyes wide, “I would love that.” It was clear he spoke of both the exposure testing and the plan to get the chip out.

I nodded in satisfaction. I wrote another letter: “Soon. Keep talking, we need to lead them astray.” I commented, “So, have you taught hydrokinesis before?”

He quickly nodded, “Caspian may be a bit difficult to teach; his powers are weak, but I can sense he will get stronger. He just needs practice.” His head lolled to stare at his mechanical arm. His eyes grew distant and sad.

In a burst of confidence, I wrote on the tablet: “Do you personally know the people who made the cybernetics?” I carefully asked him. “He needs his heart?”

Ice’s eyes widened at the message. He raised his gaze to look at me. He took a deep breath, “Yeah. Yeah, he does. He’s smart.” There was little doubt he was talking about the scientist behind the cybernetics. “But, what’s important right now is that he’s safe. He’s safe and innocent and let’s try to keep it that way. He’s fragile, needs to rest. I will teach Caspian whenever he’s emotionally prepared.”

I nodded in understanding, closing my tablet cover. “I’ll talk to the directors and Caspian’s doctor. They’re already leaning towards letting you two meet. And, you’ll likely get to see Michael again real soon.” I stood up, putting the chair back at the desk.

I could only hope the neurosurgeon could remove the chip before the people controlling Ice became any wiser. And now, there was nothing to do but wait. Again.

Luckily, the wait wasn’t too long, barely a week. A week that was uneventful, thankfully. It seemed that the bad guys didn’t know about our plans, and, if they did, they didn’t care. The directors, me, Tadora, the neurosurgeon, and a few assistants were the only ones that knew what the plan was, and the neurosurgeon and assistants were sworn to secrecy and only given limited information.

When the day finally arrived, Tadora brought Michael to the testing chamber and I brought Ice, under the ruse that it was normal exposure testing. Michael was already in the reinforced glass chamber, and perked up when he saw Ice. I removed Ice’s cuffs, the muzzle, and the shock collar.

He practically ran into Michael’s arms once the door opened, knocking him down to the floor, tail wagging wildly. Michael wrapped his wings around Ice, stroking his hair. It wasn’t long before Ice relaxed, simply laying on top of the archangel, safe within a cocoon of white feathers.

It was heartbreaking to think about: Michael was the only friend that Ice had in the place, and he didn’t remember him. Michael had no idea why Ice loved him so, none of us did. It must’ve been hard, to see a once-loved friend unable to remember you, taking comfort in their being there yet knowing they didn’t understand why you loved them so. I was never one for praying, but I found myself praying to whatever deities were out there that Michael would get his memories back someday.

It wasn’t long until Ice fell asleep on Michael’s chest. It was far from surprising; Ice spent most of the day and night pacing or meditating, only sleeping for a few hours and most certainly not getting any good sleep.

Once Michael gave a thumbs-up, a few guards entered and gave Ice a rather large dose of sedative. He was moved to a gurney, and I followed all the way to the infirmary. I stayed near for as long as I could before they rolled him into the O.R..

Hopefully, we would both sleep better once the chip was out.