This kind of operation, there's always risk. People can get hurt. Things can go wrong in ways you can't anticipate. Are you prepared for that? What I'm not prepared for is doing nothing while a child is tortured in the name of science.
Fair enough. I'll be in touch.
While Marcus Webb conducted his surveillance, Harrison tried to learn more about what was actually happening to Lydia inside Brightwater. He couldn't visit officially, but he made contact with two other nurses through the network of abolitionist sympathizers, women who were troubled by what they witnessed, but afraid to speak openly. From them, he pieced together a picture of Lydia's daily existence that made him physically ill. She was confined to a single room, 12 ft by 12 ft, with a bed, a desk, and a chair. She was allowed no books, no paper, no writing implements except during testing sessions.
Her meals were brought by staff who were instructed not to speak to her beyond basic necessities. She was examined daily by Dr. Thorne or his associates, examinations that ranged from standard medical assessments to psychological tests designed to measure her emotional state and cognitive function under stress. The nurses reported that Thorne was particularly interested in determining whether Lydia's abilities would remain stable under conditions of isolation and deprivation. He wanted to know if her mathematical genius was robust or fragile, whether it could be broken by breaking her spirit. He talks about her like she's an experiment," one nurse whispered during a clandestine meeting in a church basement, not like she's a child.
He takes notes on everything. How many hours she sleeps, whether she cries, how quickly she solves the problems he gives her, whether her performance degrades over time. He's not trying to help her or understand her abilities to benefit her. He's trying to understand them so he can explain them away. He keeps saying that if he can prove her abilities are unstable, emotional, prone to collapse under pressure, then he can argue they're not genuine intelligence, but some kind of aberrant condition.
Has he hurt her physically? Harrison asked, dreading the answer. Not in ways that leave obvious marks, but the isolation is hurting her. She talks to herself constantly, reciting mathematical proofs like prayers. Like she's afraid if she stops thinking about mathematics, she'll forget how she barely eats.
She startles at sounds. Last week, Dr. Thorne brought in another researcher, some specialist in brain anatomy from Philadelphia. They discussed her skull measurements in her presence, debated whether her cranial capacity could explain her abilities, speculated about what an autopsy might reveal. They talked about dissecting her brain like she wasn't in the room, like she was already dead. She didn't cry until they left.
Then she sobbed for hours. Harrison felt rage building in him, the kind of cold, focused anger that makes men capable of things they never imagined. How much longer can she endure this? I don't know. She's strong.
Stronger than most children would be. But everyone has a breaking point. Another month of this, maybe two. Then I think you'll have a girl who's too damaged to ever fully recover. Even if you get her out.
We're working on extraction. It will happen soon. It needs to happen very soon, Professor. Because I've heard Thorne talking with his colleagues. He's planning something he calls the definitive test.
He won't say what it is, but the way he talks about it suggests something extreme. Whatever it is, it's scheduled for the end of June, 2 weeks from now. Harrison felt ice in his stomach. Do you have any idea what this test involves? No.
But, Professor, you need to understand something about Dr. Thorne. He's not just a scientist pursuing knowledge. He's a man whose entire identity is built on proving Black inferiority. This girl threatens to destroy that. And men like Thorne, when they're threatened, they don't admit they're wrong.
They eliminate the threat. I don't know what his definitive test is, but I don't think it's designed to prove she's brilliant. I think it's designed to prove she's broken.
Harrison met with Marcus Webb. The following day, the investigator had completed his surveillance and had news. Some good, some troubling. The facility has security, but it's not particularly sophisticated, Marcus explained, spreading hand-drawn maps across Harrison's desk. Four guards on rotation, but they're not military.
They're local men hired for intimidation value, not actual defense. The perimeter wall is stone, 8 ft high, climbable with minimal equipment. Most importantly, there's a service entrance on the east side used for deliveries. It's locked, but the lock is simple. I could open it in under a minute.
When can we go? Hold on. There are complications. First, we need to know exactly which room she's in. The facility has 30 rooms.