Rachel was killed in the first year of Murphy's rule for writing an exposé that came too close to revealing the truth about the church's true purpose. Murphy called it divine justice and said that a changed human had eaten her as punishment for her blasphemy.
But Morgan had seen her body and knew that the wounds were very precise and had nothing to do with transformation and everything to do with murder. This time, he needed her to be alive and working for more than just her interest.
Morgan waited until she got up to get more, then he timed his own movement so they both got to the counter at the same time. "Sorry," he said, waving her to go ahead. "You look like you need it more than I do."
Rachel smiled at him, but it was a tired smile. "Is that clear?"
"I've seen that look before. I usually see that look on my own face during finals week." Morgan pointed to her table. "Are you working on something important?"
"Trying to. It's a story about the transformation cases and trying to figure out what the government isn't telling us." She ordered her coffee and then seemed to make up her mind. "You're Morgan Paxton, right? The kid who fought off that person who had changed a few weeks ago?"
Morgan's stomach dropped, but he kept his face blank. "Yes, that's me."
"I've been trying to get you to talk to me. Your father keeps saying you're not ready to talk to the press, but I thought you might have your own thoughts on that." Rachel's eyes were sharp, like a professional would look at someone to see if they were a trustworthy source. "Not on the record, just two people talking to each other to figure out what's going on."
The move was risky. Morgan needed Rachel on his side eventually, but if he pushed her too hard too soon, she might get suspicious, and Murphy might notice their connection.
"My father is probably right that I'm not ready for a real interview. But if you want to sit down and talk like people instead of a reporter and subject, I can do that."
They sat down, and Rachel instinctively took out a notebook, but then she realized her mistake and put it away. "Okay, off the record."
"What did you see that night? The news said that the boy had already changed and that you were defending yourself. But the way you handled it and how quickly you did it isn't normal teenage self-defense."
Morgan said, "I did what I had to do," carefully choosing his words. "The thing that used to be Claire's brother was no longer human."
"You could tell by the way it moved and the way it looked. And yes, I did it quickly because if I had waited, I would have died."
"You sound like you've put a lot of thought into this. It's like you got ready for it." Rachel leaned forward a little bit. "Do you know what's going on?"
"Are you keeping something from people?"
Morgan looked her straight in the eye. "I know that whatever is making the changes happen, is not random and it's not natural."
"I know that the official reasons don't make sense. And I know that my father is using people's fear to build something that will be more dangerous than the changes themselves."
Rachel's face became sharper. "That's a big claim about your father."
"It's an observation."
"Murphy Paxton is a smart guy who really thinks he's doing good things for people. But what he thinks will help and what really does assist aren't always the same thing." Morgan stopped for a moment, then took a chance. "You're searching for patterns in the cases. Have you looked at how geography relates to historical religious sites?"
Rachel's eyes widened, which told him she hadn't, but her journalist instincts were already putting things together. "Are you saying that the changes are aimed at religious sites?"
"I'm saying there might be a link that needs to be looked into. And I'm saying that when you find that connection, which you will if you're as good as I think you are, you should be cautious about who you tell about it." Morgan stood up and started to pack his things.
"My father can utilize information in ways not intended by the original source. Keep that in mind."
He left before Rachel could say anything, and he could feel her eyes on his back as he walked away. That talk would keep her busy for weeks.
It would give her a direction for her research that would take her away from Murphy's church at first, but then it would come back around in ways that could be helpful. More importantly, he had planted the idea in Murphy's mind that he might be dangerous. This idea would grow as she saw how much her father's influence spread.
The afternoon sun was already starting to set in the west, casting amber light on everything and making the city look almost peaceful. Morgan looked at his phone and saw another text from Claire.
"She cares about me. She says I remind her of her daughter. This feels like you're trying to control me."
Morgan said, "It's manipulative."
"But we're guiding her toward the truth, not away from it. That has to mean something."
This time, the answer took longer. "Does it really?"
Morgan didn't answer because he didn't know what to say to that question. He didn't go that way. Instead, he went to the church, where Murphy would be getting ready for the small group meeting tomorrow, which would be the first real meeting of his close friends.
Morgan had to be there to see how his father worked on a smaller scale and to learn how the conversion process worked so he could fight it more effectively. People were fighting for the future of humanity in coffee shops, libraries, and small group meetings, one conversation at a time.
Morgan was also building his own army, one person at a time, with careful truths. It was still unclear if it would be enough, but at least he wasn't fighting by himself anymore.