The flames licked at Korrie’s body. Her clothing, soaked in the chemicals, acted like an accelerant. As she burst into flame, Athan raced to her. The scent of burning flesh filled his nostrils as he beat out the destructive flames, but her body was already covered with murderous third-degree burns. He had lost her.
He picked her up and carried her to the center of the room, dropped down and cradled her in his arms. He no longer cared what happened to him. He had lost the final precious thing in the world that could have given meaning to his life.
He rocked back and forth with her in his arms as the fire ate hungrily at the floor and the walls. Soon it would gather momentum. The last time he’d made certain it didn’t extend beyond this room. There were reasons back then, but not this time. He could smell the smoke as it swirled around him, filling his lungs. He deserved to suffer for failing her so bitterly.
Athan, she’s not dead.
His head snapped up. It couldn’t be.
You have to get her out. And Cathcart, too. Get them back to the lab.
“You’re wrong,” he screamed into the smoke-filled room, his lungs searing from the smoke. “She’s burned beyond belief. I can’t help her like this.”
But I can help you. I will help you. Get them out. Now.
He knew the voice, had always obeyed. He could do no different now. Unable to see clearly, he used his instincts to find his way toward the door. Once there, he held the lifeless, burned body of the woman he loved against his chest with one arm, then leaned down to grab Paul’s shirt collar with the other to drag them both out, the hungry flames of the fire licking at their heels.
“Now what?” He had no idea whether he’d get an answer or why he should expect one.
Take them to the lab. There will only be one chance to save her.
“But I can’t do it. You know what will happen.”
Just do it. I am here to help you, but I can’t stay for long. You have to hurry.
Just then, Korrie moaned. The vibrations of sound emitted were ones of agony beating against his throat, her head flopped against his shoulder. Dr. Sheba was right; she was alive, just barely.
Knowing that she still lived infused him with energy and he quickened his footsteps. If Dr. Sheba was going to ask him to do what he thought she was, he wasn’t certain he could agree.
“Athan,” a hoarse voice whispered against his chest.
Athan hesitated for one moment and looked down at Korrie. One eye was opened and focused on him, the rest of her face was red and swollen, some parts blackened, unrecognizable, bits of her beautiful hair burned away.
“Korrie, I’m going to help you.”
“No. Just let me die. It’s no use.” Her eye closed and her head dropped forward against his chest.
His grip tightened around her and his other hand clenched on Paul’s collar. He pushed determinedly to exit the house, the suffocating smoke clinging to his lungs.
In one moment, he knew clearly what he had to do. He’d never thought it was possible for him to consider it after all they had been through. All he had seen. But right now there was no other choice.
“All right, Sheba. I’ll do whatever you tell me I must.”
Coughing in fits from the inhalation of smoke, he stumbled down the main staircase and out the front door. He didn’t know why he obeyed the voice, but he didn’t have the will to deny her. He only knew he could smell Korrie’s burnt flesh and the thought of her pain gave him no other choice.
Chapter Fifteen
Having taken time to quickly dress, Athan descended to the lab. He looked at them both as they lay side by side on the tables. Korrie had not regained consciousness.
She will not live long, Athan. You must prepare.
“I don’t think I can do this.” He’d assisted Dr. Cornelius with many experiments, but to attempt this alone and with someone he had grown to love was a different matter entirely.
I am here to help you. Relax and I will provide the knowledge you need to succeed.
“What of the elixir? You weren’t able to duplicate it before.”
The knowledge I have now far surpasses what I had in that other life. Trust me, Athan. Take a deep breath and let me do this one last thing for you.
He tried. He desperately wanted to succeed. He needed Korrie to live. Resting his hands on the counter, he closed his eyes and tried to focus.
Think of your love for her, Athan. Let it be the only thing that fills your mind and your heart.
He thought of her, of the way they were that afternoon, wrapped in each other’s arms, so closely bound together almost as one, shockwaves of passion still quivering inside them, linking them. He remembered the strong beat of her heart, her breath against his moist flesh, her lips caressing the pulse at his throat.
She must live. He could not go on without her.
She is here with me, Athan. She wants this. She needs to be with you.
“Korrie.” His cry was one of anguish at his impotence when she needed him most. At the pain she suffered because of him. He touched the charred skin of her face and leaned closer. He could hear the rattling struggle for each breath, the lapse of time growing lengthier between each one.
“She will not understand. If this works she won’t know who I am. She’ll remember nothing.”
Nor will she remember the pain of these last moments in this body. Which would you prefer? Do you think she won’t recognize you? Is that what you fear most?
Was it? Was he afraid she’d remember nothing and flee when she didn’t understand what had happened?
He remembered what it had been like for him. The loss of self, not understanding the responses of his body, the flashes of disjointed memory that occasionally struck him, the unknown reasoning behind some of his actions.
You will be there to help her adapt. As we were with you. Prepare them now before it is too late. Her brain cannot be allowed to settle for long, this much you know.
He pulled away from Korrie and looked down at Paul’s corpse. He wanted to kill him all over again. Would he be able to deal with the look of the man who had virtually destroyed the woman he loved? And how would Korrie feel when she woke up housed in the body of a murderer?
But then again, she wouldn’t know. Wouldn’t remember. Not unless he told her.
Again, he closed his eyes and focused on Korrie and on his love for her. And then he felt the knowledge flood into his mind. He dropped forward as it overpowered him.
First, he undressed Paul. Then he attached the electrodes to Paul’s body and hooked up the IV lines to provide for nourishment and fluids when the time came. He shaved his head, as well as Korrie’s. Taking his time, he gathered what he needed. It had to be right. Exact. There could be no mistakes.
He pulled out the instruments necessary, the scalpels, forceps, needles and sutures, and other surgical requirements. Packages of gauze and bandages. And the glass container. He sterilized everything. He was conscious that Korrie’s breathing grew more shallow, the rattling more pronounced. He washed his hands. And then did it again.
He pulled out the special equipment that the doctors used and created themselves. It was as though someone else directed his movements, had taken control of his body and his mind.
It’s time, Athan. You must prepare the elixir.
He moved over to the cupboards where the herbs, chemicals, and other necessary items were kept. He removed the flask, extractor, and condenser from the shelf. As Dr. Sheba continued to instruct him, he pulled down containers including ones holding angelica, water lily, moonwart, southernwood, and several others. He also pulled down the alcohol base. And then one more jar.
He mixed them together and set them to liquefy. Then he returned to the tables where Paul and Korrie lay. He moved the tray with the instruments to Paul. He must prepare him first by removing the cranial bone flap and then the brain itself.
Slowly he did what he needed to do, careful not to nick or cut anything vital that could cause a problem late
r. Each cut must be clean and precise. His hands must be steady. Even with care, severing the cords would cause certain parts of the memory to be lost and in some cases altered. He willed his gloved hands to remain steady as he removed Paul Cathcart’s brain, preparing his body to receive a new source of life.
She is dead, Athan. You must hurry.
Quickly, he stripped off his gloves and donned another, fresh pair and moved the second tray to Korrie. He checked her pulse. God, how could he do this? What if it didn’t work? Suddenly, his hands shook.
Athan, control your emotions. You do her no good. You are her only hope now.
Carefully, he made the necessary incisions. He moved the glass container holding the special pinkish liquid and reverently placed the precious body part into the liquid.
He moved back to the body of Paul and began the surgery necessary to introduce Korrie’s brain. Sweat dripped down his brow as he did what was necessary to complete the task. Precisely what was required. Long hours later, he straightened and dragged an arm across his dripping brow. It was done.
Throw the switch, Athan.
He turned to the mobile panel and adjusted the settings. Praying for success, he flipped the switch. The electrical current zapped through the body, sending it into convulsive fits. The machine stopped. Athan quickly grabbed up a stethoscope and listened for a heartbeat. He checked for a pulse. There was none.
He flipped the switch again, then one more time, and hoped against hope that this time it would work. Leaning close, he checked for a heartbeat that he had no hope of hearing.
Seconds ticked by and then there it was, faint at first and then stronger. He checked the pulse, found it fluttery but still recognizable.
“They live.”
The elixir, Athan. See to the elixir. You must let it cool and then introduce it into the IV line.
It was the last step ‑‑ the one Dr. Cornelius was insistent was not necessary to achieve and sustain life. Athan was taking no chances. He poured it into another container and allowed it to cool. He returned to Paul and replaced the cranial cap and repaired the incisions. Then he carefully applied the healing ointment and bandages. He could not leave Korrie’s body as it was and carefully did the same for her.
He returned to the elixir.
There is one more thing to add.
He looked up. “What?”
There is a flask at the end of the shelf, behind the last one. It is blue. Add the contents to the elixir.
“All of it?”
Yes.
He’d never seen that particular flask before, maybe because it was concealed behind the others. He emptied the iridescent contents into the elixir and stirred it. Then he poured it into a plastic bag that he hung on a rack at the side of the bed and attached the IV, opening the tubing.
He stepped back and watched as the blue liquid flooded the tubing and began to enter Paul’s system.
Athan, Korrie’s body must be taken back to what’s left of the house. As well as Paul’s remains.
He whipped around, trying to see someone that wasn’t really there. “No. She must be buried, the same as the others.”
No, Athan. This is the only way there will be no questions later. You must do this.
He tried to clear his tired brain. Dr. Sheba wanted them to find the remains. She wanted anyone coming to investigate to think they had both died in the fire. He nodded his head. He had done it before.
“All right. But I can’t leave her yet.”
You have done what you can. This other matter must be taken care of tonight while it is still dark. Firefighters are already here. You must be careful. Do it before the fire extinguishes completely. There is still time.
He seemed to go on automatic, turning off his emotions as he proceeded to do what was necessary to protect Korrie from discovery. It wasn’t easy. There were firefighters all around the house trying to put out the blaze, but it was out of control. The best they could do was contain it from reaching the rest of the grounds, spreading into the forest and beyond.
It was a moonless night and Athan was able to sneak in through the kitchen, which was at the side of the house where the fire had not reached yet. He went in as close to the fire as he could to do what must be done.
This house had been his home since his first breath. The way the blaze was raging through it, there would be nothing left within a matter of hours and everything would be lost. He had grabbed several containers of liquid from the lab ‑‑ chemicals that would detonate when the temperature reached a certain point. He sprinkled them around the room before leaving.
He backed away, unable to comprehend the enormity of what this night had wrought. He looked at the remains of the woman he had come to love and then finally broke away and ran out of the house. He had to get back to the cottage and to the lab. Back to the living.
The night and the smoke covered his escape. He ran into the forest, circuiting around and back to the cottage just as an explosion rent the night. Overwhelming pain pulsed through him at the horror of these hours and the fear of the results.
He returned to the lab. As far as he could tell, Korrie remained stable. He rolled the table into the next room and carefully transferred her to the bed, the IV still attached to her arm, the bag with the elixir almost empty. The electrodes were still attached, running a gentle, steady current through Paul’s body. Enough to keep them alive until Korrie was strong enough to withstand the full electrophasm treatments. And understand what was necessary.
After checking Korrie’s vital signs, he went back into the other room and cleaned everything up, until the room was spotless.
He dragged a chair back to sit beside Korrie’s bed. He had no idea what time it was and he was too tired to worry about it. He reached out to touch the hand of the male body she now inhabited. Would she awaken? Many of the others had slowly drifted away. The ones that did awaken were like mindless zombies. Is that what would happen to Korrie? He couldn’t stand the thought of something like that occurring with her.
But he’d had to take the chance.
She will live, Athan. I have given you the mate I promised. And now I can move on.
He jumped to his feet. “Wait. You can’t leave. Not yet.”
She will be fine. There will be much you must teach her. I hope you find some happiness. I love you, Athan, and I could not move on until I had provided what you deserved for your devotion.
He dropped back into the chair, no longer feeling Dr. Sheba’s presence. He rested his arms on his legs and dropped his head back against the chair. He didn’t think he’d ever been as tired in his life as he was at this moment. Yet it was his brain, not his body, that was exhausted. The electrophasm charge still pulsed through him.
The anger that had kept him fueled throughout these last hours had dissipated and all he felt was fear at the thought of losing the one person who was destined to be by his side. Korrie Odell, the woman doctor, was no more. But Paul Cathcart no longer existed either.
The person who would awaken, if he did so with his mind intact, would be a whole other person. If the elixir worked, he would be immortal as Athan was.
He shoved his fingers through his hair. It was a huge gamble that he had taken tonight. For a moment, he wondered if Dr. Sheba had really been here. Everything seemed so silent now. So quiet. The cottage was far enough away from the main house, and they were deep enough below ground, that he couldn’t hear the firefighters as they fought to contain the blaze. He should be there, but Korrie needed him more.
He looked up at the bag containing the elixir and rose to his feet. He went for another bag of clear fluid and attached it in its place.
Again, he reached out for Korrie’s hand and linked their fingers. He studied the even rise and fall of his chest. Leaning back, he closed his eyes. He needed to sleep, just for a short time. There was little more he could do tonight, except pray that what they had done was successful. He wouldn’t even consider that it might not be.
*
* * * *
Athan’s eyes shot open, and he glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was early morning. He had put it off as long as he could, and it was now time to deal with the repercussions of the fire and Paul’s actions. He checked Korrie’s vital signs, went upstairs to take a shower and change his clothes, and then walked over to the remains of the house. He could see the plumes of smoke still rising and could smell the strong, pungent scent of the remnants of burning wood as it clung to the air. It was better than the burned flesh.
Life as he had known it would be altered forever. After the Ransoms’ deaths he’d made a point of not changing anything, of continuing as though they still lived. Every act had been carefully balanced so as not to alter the rituals of his life. Routine. Every aspect of his life almost completely unchanged.
He hadn’t realized until today that the reason it had been so was because Dr. Sheba’s spirit still lingered. She had been so much a part of him that he simply hadn’t realized she still hovered nearby, guiding him.
She’d never spoken to him before that night, never tried to contact him. He didn’t understand how it had all happened. And when he woke up this morning, he remembered very little of what had occurred the previous night beyond getting Paul and Korrie back to the lab. From the moment he’d shaved their heads everything beyond that point was a blank. It was as though Dr. Sheba took him over completely and his body was simply an instrument for her to wield to do what must be done.
Korrie had not yet awoken, and he didn’t know how long it would be before she did. He needed to return to the wreckage of the house, to make an appearance before someone came looking for him.
Body Parts Page 18