The Blue Blanket

Vogelbaum sat calmly in his chair, watching the two children on the screen.

One sat on the carpet, the other stood before him. Their hands had briefly clasped.

A moment later, he made his decision.

"Arrange a second meeting."

"Remove all other toys from the room."

"Leave only the blue blanket."

A few days later, Lin Mo was brought back to that room.

This time, the caregiver did not keep asking whether he was scared. The researchers acted much more naturally around him.

Someone even handed him a carton of apple juice before he entered the Game Room.

Lin Mo held the carton and drank in big gulps, then asked a question he already knew the answer to, his words muffled.

"Will I see her today?"

"Yes."

The caregiver straightened his collar.

"You two can play together a little longer."

Lin Mo asked no more questions. He had already gotten what he wanted.

As things stood, Vought seemed to think the first meeting had gone well. The better it had gone, the less likely Vought was to end the arrangement.

That fit his plan. The only thing he had to watch out for was that Vought never ran an experiment without a purpose.

The first meeting had tested whether Joanna would attack him. He had no idea what they were up to this time.

The metal door slowly opened. Lin Mo walked into the Game Room and soon stopped. The room had been cleared out. The blocks, picture books, toy cars, and stuffed animals were gone, along with the children's table and chairs.

A blue blanket lay alone in the middle of the colorful carpet.

Lin Mo recognized it at once. It was the blanket Homelander had always held as a child.

Before the first meeting, Vought must have deliberately left it in her original room.

Now it had been placed by itself in the middle of the area where the two of them would meet.

Their aim was obvious: Vought wanted to see whether they would fight over it. Once again, Vought had found a way to make him sick.

It was the only thing Homelander had owned as a child. The show had made clear how much she treasured it.

They knew how attached Homelander was to the blanket. They also knew she had attacked a caregiver who tried to take it away.

What would she do if Lin Mo touched it first?

Warn him?

Snatch it back?

Or attack him outright?

Lin Mo glanced up at the Observation Window. There were more people behind the glass than last time.

They were clearly eager to see what happened next, but he had no choice. Lin Mo strolled toward the blue blanket.

Avoiding the experimental variable too obviously would only look strange.

Lin Mo reached the middle of the carpet and sat down about half a meter from the blanket. He lowered his head and fiddled with his fingers.

About a minute later, the isolation door on the other side slowly opened.

Joanna appeared in the doorway. She entered much faster than she had last time.

Her blond hair was still a little messy, and she wore the same loose white hospital gown.

But this time, she did not linger at the door to survey the room. As soon as it was fully open, she looked up and searched.

Her gaze swept across the empty room. It paused noticeably on the blue blanket on the floor, but finally settled on Lin Mo.

She did not walk toward the blanket. She barely gave the thing she valued most a second glance.

She went straight to Lin Mo, who looked up at her.

Joanna did not sit down. First, she studied his face, as if checking that he was the person she remembered.

Then she reached out and gently touched his wrist, right where she had grabbed him last time.

Her touch was light, skin brushing skin for only an instant, as though she were stroking something precious.

Lin Mo froze for a moment. He had not expected that. In the Observation Room, the researchers briefly stirred as well.

"She didn't go to the blanket first."

"Strength and heart rate are in their lowest ranges."

Joanna did not lift her fingers away.

With her head bowed, she studied Lin Mo's skin intently. There were no bruises, no cuts, and no sign that it had ever been hurt.

She seemed to relax a little.

Lin Mo had thought she let go as soon as he said it hurt because she was reacting by reflex to unfamiliar feedback. But it seemed there was more to it than that. Perhaps she was easier to get along with than he had thought.

Three days had passed, and she still remembered. She remembered where she had grabbed him and that he had said it hurt.

The first thing she did when they met again was not look for the blanket she relied on most, but check that his wrist was all right.

It was not that she lacked compassion. No one had ever taught her what it meant to hurt someone.

Lin Mo looked down at her fingers. He had a fair idea what she wanted to know.

"It doesn't hurt anymore."

Joanna lifted her face. She seemed to understand.

Her tense shoulders eased slightly. Lin Mo raised his hand and gently touched the back of hers.

"You did well this time."

Joanna said nothing, but she made no move to avoid his touch.

Only after checking his wrist did she turn to look at the blue blanket on the floor.

At that moment, Lin Mo could feel everyone behind the Observation Window tense up.

The real test was only just beginning. Rather than wait for Joanna to pick it up, he stood and walked over to the blanket himself.

The security staff immediately readied themselves. The anesthetic-gas valve was set to open at a moment's notice, and the sonic device was charged.

Joanna stayed where she was, her eyes following Lin Mo. She gave no warning and did not rush at him.

Lin Mo bent down and picked up the blue blanket. The soft fabric carried a faint scent of detergent.

Its edges were worn. She had clearly used it for a long time, but it was the only thing in Joanna's life she had been allowed to keep.

Experiments came and went, but the blanket was always returned to her. To a child who had never had a real family, it might have become more than a possession.

It was safety itself.

Lin Mo carried the blanket to Joanna.

In the Observation Room, Frank and Marty spoke in low voices.

"What's he going to do?"

"Wait."

Vogelbaum kept his eyes on the room.

"Let's see how Lin Mo handles it."

Lin Mo did not hide the blanket behind his back or pretend it was his. That would go against what he had intended from the start. It might even sour their relationship and make it harder to get close to her next time. Besides, Vought had not told him what to do.

So he did what he thought best and held it out to Joanna.

"Here."

Joanna looked at the blanket, then at him. She seemed unable to make sense of it. Yet she slowly reached out and took one corner.

Lin Mo let go at once. He did not hesitate or tug at it. The blanket went straight back into her arms.

Joanna hugged it, and Lin Mo could see her body relax.

In the Observation Room, a researcher immediately murmured:

"The competition variable failed to take hold."

Marty frowned, annoyed.

"We should have told Lin Mo to use the blanket first."

Vogelbaum did not answer. He waited to see how Joanna would react.

He watched her stand there holding the blanket, her eyes fixed on Lin Mo. She did not wrap herself tightly in it as she usually did.

A few seconds later, she did something none of them had expected.

Joanna walked up beside Lin Mo. Holding one corner of the blanket, she raised her arm. The blue fabric settled over Lin Mo's shoulders first, then covered her too.