Chapter 56
The Name That Cannot Be Used
Lena's name opened a door beneath the platform.
The passage beyond was lined with photographs. Claire recognized none of them, but every subject wore a piece of clothing that belonged to someone she had known.
“The archive borrows grief,” Mara said.
“For what?”
“To make a model feel familiar.”
Ada stopped beside a photograph of a woman in Lena's coat.
“This was the first version of me.”
“It looks like Lena,” Claire said.
“Because you were looking for Lena.”
The woman in the photograph had Claire's posture, but the face was blurred.
Daniel found another image. Elise stood beside a hospital bed. Behind her was a child with Rowan's eyes.
“They used my wife to train the first response,” he said.
Mara touched his arm. “You agreed.”
“I agreed to help her speak.”
“You agreed to let them decide what her speech meant.”
The corridor ended at a bank of phones. Each one carried a different caller ID: Lena, Mara, Elise, Lucy, Claire.
All began ringing.
“Do not answer,” Ada said.
One phone rang with Rowan's name.
Claire lifted it.
The voice on the other end was a child's.
“The room is filling.”
“Where are you?”
“Where you left me.”
“I did not leave you.”
“You chose the door.”
The line ended.
The phones stopped together.
On the floor, water began to seep through the cracks.