by Amy DuBoff
“I’ll see you later,” he acknowledged, trying to hide his worry but not quite succeeding.
“Where should I meet the Director?” Ava asked the guard.
“Head through the B Wing arch. Someone will meet you inside.”
This is why I shouldn’t bother making plans. Ava nodded her understanding and strolled across the lobby to the other arch positioned next to the reception desk.
“The Director asked for me?” she questioned the guard at the B arch, and he gestured her through.
She held her breath while she passed underneath the scanner, but it didn’t seem to flag her cloaking module. Small blessings.
Ava continued walking forward, and a set of double doors automatically opened for her with a hiss, revealing an all-white hallway similar to the others she’d encountered in the rest of the facility.
A lone man with short, brown hair and gray eyes was walking toward her down the hall. “Ava?” he called out.
“Yes, hi.” She recognized him as the scientist she’d seen in the cafeteria the previous day, whom she’d tried to follow into D Wing. This can’t be a coincidence.
“I’m Jared,” he greeted, extending his hand when he was close enough. “I work with Andrea.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” she lied, and pumped his hand. “Andrea wanted to see me?”
“Yes, she’d like to chat with you later about your test results. But first, I wanted to conduct a follow-up examination.”
“What for?” Ava’s tone had more bite in it than she intended, and she took a deep breath, putting on a smile that she hoped was friendly. “Sorry, didn’t get sufficient caffeination this morning.”
He chuckled. “We’ve all been there. I can get you a cup of coffee to sip on while we meet. This way.”
Jared spun around and walked back in the direction he’d come from.
“Have you been with NTech long?” Ava asked while she fell into step beside him.
“Going on twelve years now,” he replied. “This is my first opportunity to work with Dr. Mason, though. She’s something of a living legend in this industry.”
I guess it makes sense, when you can live for hundreds of years and acquire the knowledge of multiple lifetimes. Ava thought it best to keep that speculation to herself until she confirmed Jared knew about the Unknown World and its vampires and Weres. “But I take it you like working for her?”
Jared nodded. “She has a commitment to fulfilling her vision unlike anyone else I’ve ever encountered. It’s infectious.”
This guy’s all-in—no leaked information coming from him by choice. Fortunately, I don’t need his consent. Ava nodded. “I appreciate someone committed enough to do whatever needs to be done.”
They halted outside a door, and Jared swung it open, revealing a windowless room with two chairs on either side of a table—similar to the first room where Andrea had taken her.
“I’ll get you that coffee while you get settled,” Jared offered.
“Nah, don’t worry about it.” Ava stepped inside. “I’m supposed to be on vacation, after all—I’ll just take a nap.”
Jared gave an abrupt nod. “Very well. Please, have a seat.” He took the chair on the far side from the door for himself.
Ava eased into her chair. “So, what kind of testing is in order for today?”
“I’d like to run a detailed blood analysis. I believe that your telepathic abilities might be tied to a form of nanocytes we’ve never been able to detect before.”
“What makes you say that?”
“When I went over the results from your test involving the guinea pig—”
“Yes, that…” Ava grunted.
“—I was surprised to see a… connection between you and the rodent. While we knew such connections existed between life on Coraxa, the mode has been a mystery. This latest analysis used some new experimental visualization technology. It revealed a sympathetic resonance between a unique structure in your and the rodent’s brains, which I believe is responsible for telepathy.”
That explains my hankering for carrots. Ava crossed her arms. “What does that have to do with nanocytes?”
“I analyzed the guinea pig, which was raised here, in comparison to those bred offworld. That structure isn’t present in life not native to Coraxa—and upon further examination, the structure did not have the same markers as the other organic material in the creature. This suggests that perhaps the structure is formed as a result of nanocytes existing throughout this ecosystem.”
“Wait, you dissected him?” Horror spread across Ava’s face. She’d done her fair share of killing in the FDG, but Mr. Fuzzers… Her hand clenched into a fist under the table.
Jared cocked his head. “Don’t tell me you actually developed an affinity for the creature?”
No one talks about Mr. Fuzzers that way! Ava barely kept her fury in check. “I’m not big on killing creatures in the blind name of science. For food is one thing, but—”
“Oh, it was far from a meaningless death. The data we collected was very illuminating.”
“I’m sure it was.” Ava slipped the cloaking module from her pocket and set it in the center of the table so it could begin recording. “Now, what were you saying about this nanocyte structure?”
Jared ignored her question, staring at the device. “What’s that?”
Just need to buy some time while it records enough to loop. Ava tried to sit as still as possible. “It’s my optical stimulator for light therapy—space can get pretty depressing, you know. I need my treatment mid-morning and don’t want to forget.”
“A walk outside in the sun might do you well.”
“Oh, I’m sure it would, but there’s something I wanted to show you in here.”
Jared’s eyes flitted to the device. “Is it that?”
“What? Oh, no!” Ava forced a laugh. “That device has nothing to do with it—pretend it’s not there. Actually, I thought it might be interesting for you to experience some of my abilities firsthand. That seems better handled in one of your labs, so I figured I wouldn’t be outside at my normal treatment time.”
“That actually does intrigue me.” Jared leaned forward. “I’m curious about what you can do.”
“What’s easiest to demonstrate is a direct neural link.”
He sat upright in his chair. “On second thought, this probably isn’t the best time.”
That’s right, he should be worried. I can control him and he knows it. “Are you sure? I promise to be gentle.”
His gaze drifted downward, then back up to her face. “We should probably stick to my planned tests. Perhaps another time.”
“That’s a shame.” Ava had been counting the seconds. It wasn’t a ton of footage, but it’d have to be enough. “Well, I guess I can delay my treatment. I’ll put this away so we can get started.” She reached out for the device on the table and slowly drew it toward her, all the while covertly manipulating the dial on its side to trim the footage to the middle segment of the recording, from when they’d been sitting still. That way, the holographic projection wouldn’t begin or end with her arm extending. Once complete, she activated the cloak.
Her skin prickled as an electrostatic field radiated out from the device, and then a second wave as the holographic outer layer and noise cancelling effect initiated.
“What the—” Jared was about to bolt from his chair, but Ava lunged across the table and looped her right forearm behind his neck, slamming his head down on the table. He grunted, dazed from the impact.
Ava took the opportunity to dive into his mind, locking him in a telepathic vice while she returned to her chair. She leaned forward with her palms flat on the tabletop. “What is in D Wing?” she asked aloud and in his mind.
He resisted—more than most would be able to. Perspiration formed on his brow as he fought against the intrusion. “I won’t tell you.”
“I command you. What is in D Wing?”
His breath became ragged, gasping as sh
e tightened her hold on him.
“Tell me,” she ordered again.
“Research,” he replied at last. “Genetics research.”
“What have you done?”
“A new strain. The Hochste.”
The statement confirmed that the research was the same as that in the other NTech facility. Now all Ava needed was some tangible evidence so the FDG could move in. She may have been given authority to use any intelligence-gathering tactics necessary, but it’d be her word against that of a powerful organization.
“Where is the entrance?”
“There is one in each wing.” A shudder ran through him as he fought to regain control, but he was powerless in her grasp.
“How do I get in?”
“A code and scanner.”
“What is the code?”
He relayed a number string, then added, “But there is a biometric scanner. You’ll never make it through.”
Ava thought about her options. “Is there anyone watching us right now?”
He resisted answering, his eyes almost beginning to roll back in his head. “No, I was your designated monitor.”
A smile crept across Ava’s face. “Underestimated me again,” she muttered. “All right, Jared, we’re going on a little field trip.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Ava tightened her telekinetic grasp on Jared as he struggled in the seat across the table from her.
“Wha…” Jared’s words faded to a faint rasp. “What are you doing to me?” he questioned in his mind.
“Just controlling you the way I have no doubt you’ve been controlling your ‘subjects’ for stars know how long. And you’re going to help me get everything I need to bring you down.”
Hatred filled his eyes, accompanied by fear and worry. No, it was disappointment. This was a man who firmly believed in his work, however misguided it may have been. Ava could appreciate his dedication—she felt the same way about her own work—but that didn’t give him a pass. No one would get away with perverse experimentation on her watch.
“You’re going to do everything I tell you,” Ava told him, “and if you try to tell someone anything is wrong, I’ll command you to stab out your own eyes and then slit your throat.”
He nodded. With her inside his mind, there was no doubt that he believed her.
“Now stand,” she ordered, switching over to telepathic commands since they’d be stepping outside. She deactivated the cloaking field, now irrelevant after he’d confirmed that no one was watching at the moment, and returned it to her pocket. It might come in handy wherever they were headed.
Jared unsteadily rose to his feet and stumbled toward the door.
“Relax.” She tried to send him soothing mental tones. “No need to be concerned. I won’t hurt you if you cooperate.”
Ava checked over Jared’s appearance. Fortunately, the whack on his head didn’t seem to have left much of a mark, except for a little redness. It probably wasn’t enough to draw attention.
“Lead the way,” she instructed.
Jared opened the door and stepped into the hall, his movements appearing far more fluid than they had initially. His innate twitchiness worked to her advantage, should any security guard happen across footage of them walking down the corridor.
The halls were empty, and Ava walked just slightly behind Jared, as if he were leading her of his own free will.
He traced a path deeper into the facility, down two extended corridors.
Damn, how big is this place? The facility seemed entirely too large for the workforce she’d seen, or for the population of Tribeca, for that matter.
“What are all these rooms?” Ava asked telepathically when her curiosity could no longer be contained.
“Storage,” Jared stated.
At the risk of doing something out of character for someone on a tour, Ava tried one of the door handles, but it was locked. “Open it.”
Jared complied using his keycard and handprint, his face twisted into a grimace of resistance.
Ava’s chest constricted when she saw the contents of the room—racks of weapons. What the fuck? She glared at her informant. “What’s going on here?”
“Preparations.”
“For what?”
“For war.”
Well, yeah, that much was obvious. Ava bit her lip. “Against whom and with what army?”
“Anyone who resists,” was all Jared told her in his mind. A spasm wracked his body. She couldn’t push him further, lest she be unable to use him for the critical task ahead.
“What else do you have here?” she asked him, hoping for just a little more.
“Weapons, armor… soldiers.”
Now, soldiers… that was what Ava was really after. “Are those soldiers your test subjects?”
Jared swallowed. “Yes, in D Wing.”
“Take me to them.” Ava closed the door to the storage room, and it relocked automatically. If this many rooms are filled with armaments, how many soldiers do they plan to have? When she started doing the math, she didn’t like the answer.
They continued down the hall. At a right turn, they reached a seemingly dead-end corridor similar to what Ava had encountered earlier in A Wing. “Open it,” she commanded.
Jared accessed a concealed control panel and placed his palm on it, then tapped a code on the screen.
The back wall slid horizontally, revealing a corridor beyond.
“You won’t get away with this,” Jared managed to say in his mind.
“Spare me the cliché villain-speak. More leading, less hollow threats.”
Beyond the false wall, the architectural aesthetic took on a decidedly different feel. Rather than shiny, white surfaces, the corridor was bare concrete. This was clearly an area that didn’t need to keep up appearances about being a cutting-edge tech firm; it was strictly utilitarian.
Hesitantly, she followed Jared inside. The immediate interior was a four-way intersection, with sealed doors marked ‘A Wing’ and ‘C Wing’ to either side.
What concerned Ava about the bare-bones look of the place was that there were no signs of the supplemental amenities found in the rest of the facility, such as markings on doors to indicate maintenance crew storage rooms. It was entirely possible that the operations in this wing were wholly self-contained, and she’d be on her own if she became trapped. While she was confident the FDG would come for her, she had no way to be sure they’d arrive before NTech did… whatever it was they did to people who didn’t support their vision.
“Who has access to this wing?” Ava asked her informant, deciding that she’d rather know exactly how screwed she’d be if she was caught.
“Myself, Andrea, the Security Chief, and two caretakers,” Jared replied inside his mind.
“Are we alone in here right now?”
“Yes, Andrea is in C Wing, the Security Chief only responds to emergencies, and the caretakers only come in early-morning and night.”
She relaxed her mental hold on him just the slightest measure, knowing no one was about to barge in on them. “And who or what do those caretakers look after?” she asked aloud.
“The subjects,” he replied.
That’s the ticket. “Take me to them,” Ava instructed.
A grimace flitted across Jared’s face, but he sped up his pace down the corridor.
The featureless outer corridor continued for one hundred meters before it took a bend. Ten meters beyond the turn, the hall opened into a square room that bore closer aesthetic resemblance to the outer areas. An island of computer stations was situated in the center of the room, and monitors lined the side walls. Doors were centered on the left and back walls.
Ava’s heart dropped as her gaze passed over the monitors—those on the right wall provided a live feed of the activities in the outer facility, documenting all the places where Ava had spent time over the last day and a half. Whatever she had thought she’d gotten away with during her investigation, it was almost certain that they’d
been watching and waiting to see exactly what she had been sent there to do.
She glared at Jared.
He nodded. “We know who you are and why you’re here.”
“Then why let me stay?”
“Because you’re unique.”
Before Ava could ask him to elaborate, she noticed the images on the monitors mounted along the left side of the room to either side of the door. “You fuckers…”
The monitors displayed what must have been two hundred holding cells, half of which contained a person. Based on claw marks marring many of the plexiglass front walls, they weren’t just ordinary humans, but rather Weres.
“How many people are here?” she demanded. My team is going to lose their shit when they see this—probably Kurtz, too.
“We have one hundred subjects in this facility,” Jared revealed, unable to answer her requests with anything but the truth.
“And what are you doing to them?”
“Making them more.”
“Cut the mad scientist shit! What have you done to these people?!”
Jared took a step back. “We gave them a nanocyte treatment to enhance their innate abilities.”
That was the previous stage of research Kurtz indicated in the mission brief. So what are they really up to now? Ava glared at the scientist. “You’re holding back, Jared. This will get very uncomfortable for you if you aren’t honest with me.” She tightened the vice on his mind.
He cried out in pain, gripping his head. His knees buckled, but he managed to remain standing.
Ava eased off. “What are you planning to do with them?”
“We began by administering nanocytes that expressed vampiric traits into Weres, finding a way to merge the tech to allow expression of both abilities. The intent, though, was to develop a new strain of nanocytes that will provide both Were and vampiric abilities to someone with no previous abilities.”
Oh, fuck… So this new line of Hochste aren’t just enhanced Weres. They want to be able to turn anyone into a hybrid! Ava’s heart pounded in her ears. Jared had said they wanted her because she was ‘unique’—she had no interest in sticking around long enough to find out how they wanted to exploit her.