A Chosen Destiny (The Samantha Project Series #3)

by Karpinske, Stephanie

  Before going to bed, I decided I had to talk to Erik about what he’d overheard earlier. “Erik, are you listening? It’s Sam.”

  He answered almost immediately. “I thought you said no mind-talking.”

  “Yeah, well, I need to now.”

  “So you get to decide when we do this? You’re such a hypocrite, Sam.”

  “Hey, don’t be mad at me. I didn’t know you were listening today. I’m sorry you heard all that.”

  “Why? I needed to hear it. So you don’t love me. Good to know.”

  “It’s not that I don’t love you. I just don’t love you that way.”

  “Whatever that means.”

  “We’re friends, Erik. Close friends. But I love Colin. You have to understand that.”

  “I get it, Sam. You want me to move on. But if it doesn’t work out with him, don’t come running back to me. This is it. This is your last chance. So tell me, are you really choosing him?”

  I hesitated, then finally answered. “Yes.”

  He abruptly cut off his thoughts so I couldn’t hear them. I was left in silence.

  The rest of the week was eerily quiet. We had no communication from Owens, but Jack and Dave continued to work on decrypting the files he gave them. It wasn’t going well. As soon as they got through one layer of security, they’d find another.

  I tried to rest my mind all week, not even mind-talking with Erik. Brittany and I had nothing to do, leaving us time to talk and hang out together. She still wouldn’t tell me about her time at GlobalLife. But Erik said she was confiding in him, so at least she was talking about it with someone.

  Colin spent the week with Aiden, a young guy from the rebel group, who prepped him for his encounter with The Academy girl. In the evenings, Colin and I hung out and watched TV with Erik and Brittany. Despite my efforts, I couldn’t get any kind of romantic response from Colin. He was definitely playing hard to get and taking this just-friends agreement seriously.

  On Sunday night, we had a big family meeting. “It’s been an interesting week,” Jack said. “We’ve heard nothing from Preston, which makes me very worried. I’m certain he’s looking for us. And because we could be followed at any time, none of you are to leave the house without telling Dave or me.” Jack looked directly at me, thinking I might run off again.

  Dave got up to speak. “This week, Colin will be taking the car in the afternoons so he can meet with Emily.” Dave held up a large headshot of a girl with long, straight brown hair and a beautiful face. She had deep blue eyes and a warm, pretty smile surrounded by dimples. She was not at all what I expected. For some reason, I’d pictured a mean-looking girl with harsh features. This girl had delicate features and looked really nice.

  “Can I see that?” Brittany grabbed the photo from Dave. “Wow. She’s really pretty.”

  “Let me see.” Erik took the photo from Brittany. “Damn, she’s hot! Nice assignment you got there, Colin.”

  “So what else do you have to tell us?” I asked Dave, trying to move on from Emily.

  “You and Erik will spend the week working on mind transference with Abigail and her assistant.” Dave smiled just thinking about Abigail. We all stared at him and his cheeks turned red. “Yes, well, um, Sam, if you have even the smallest headache, tell them. Same for you, Erik. But the practice sessions should cause no harm. Abigail explained that the damage occurs when you try to control someone you don’t know well while under stress. Like when you controlled that police officer, Sam.”

  “What about the alien genes? Are we any closer to finding out where GlobalLife is storing them?” I asked Dave.

  “Unfortunately, no. Jack and I haven’t been able to get past all the layers of security in those files Owens gave us. But we’re getting closer. We think if we find the—”

  Dave stopped when we heard a knock on the door. We all sat in silence as the knocking continued. It was late at night. Only a few people knew we were there. And they would always let us know when they’d be coming over.

  The knocking stopped. Dave signaled for everyone to keep quiet.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Competition

  The knocking began again, then a voice yelled from outside. “Is anyone in there?”

  Erik jumped up, instantly recognizing the voice. He opened the door to find Rachel, shivering from the cold. “I didn’t think you’d ever answer. Hi, Erik. Hi, everyone.”

  “What are you doing here?” Dave asked. “And at such a late hour?”

  “Owens sent me,” she replied casually.

  “What?” we all said, practically in unison.

  She smiled. “Relax. He knows you’re staying here. But he won’t bother you. I’m supposed to be keeping an eye on you.”

  “How did he know we were here?” Erik asked.

  “I told him. I had to. I need to make him trust me. And he would have found out eventually. He was in the process of hiring someone to track you down before I volunteered. Wouldn’t you rather have me be his spy than someone else?”

  “Still, you could have told us,” Jack said. “Should we be expecting other surprise visits from you? Or Owens?”

  Rachel took a seat next to Colin. “Surprise visits? I left a message that I was stopping by tonight. I left it on that secure cell phone we gave Colin to use so he can call that girl.”

  Everyone looked at Colin. “Oh, sorry. I wasn’t checking it.”

  “Anyway, I had some updates to share with everyone.”

  Jack sat down. “Go ahead. We were pretty much done here.”

  “Well, so far, my new position at GlobalLife has been going well. I’ve been able to meet some high-up people there who I think might have access to the alien genetic material. But it could be a while before I get any information from them. After all, I don’t have a close relationship with anyone there like I did with Drew.”

  “What ever happened to Drew?” Erik asked.

  Rachel glanced at Jack and Dave, who nodded for her to continue. “Um, Drew didn’t make it.”

  “Didn’t make it where?” I asked. “Out of Iceland?”

  “No. He’s—he’s deceased. GlobalLife insisted that we test the combined DNA in him. But his body rejected it.”

  I looked at Erik, then back at Rachel. “What combined DNA? You don’t mean—”

  “Yes, the DNA from you and Erik,” Jack interrupted. “From the material they collected from you both. They took samples from the embryo they created.”

  I wished I hadn’t asked. I was finally putting some distance between the whole fake pregnancy thing and then Jack has to mention an embryo with Colin sitting there.

  “I never liked Drew, but that really sucks,” Erik said. “So basically, Sam and I killed him.”

  “No. Of course not, Erik,” Jack said. “It was GlobalLife who killed him. They’re desperate to make this technology work. They didn’t care about sacrificing Drew for the cause. Rachel, did they try the combined DNA in anyone else?”

  She sighed. “Yes. They rounded up a bunch of guys from a state prison and injected it into them. They all died instantly. The newspapers said it was food poisoning that killed them.”

  “What about just my DNA alone?” I asked her. “Drew said they took my DNA samples and filled in that missing section, but hadn’t tested it yet.”

  “They put samples of the enhanced genes from both you and Erik into another group of prisoners. At first the men got sick, but eventually they died.”

  I shuddered just thinking about it. The DNA that was inside Erik and me had killed people. And yet he and I were able to walk around with it. So what was it really doing to us? Would it eventually kill us, too?

  “Are you saying that nothing is working?” Dave asked Rachel.

  “Correct. And honestly, even I didn’t know the project was going so poorly until that dinner with Drew. As the head of public relations, I interviewed many of the top scientists at GlobalLife. They all said everything was going well. They assured me that the Founder
s could start receiving injections of the DNA as early as spring. But that was just what Drew told them to say.”

  “So now what? If it doesn’t work, what’s their plan?” Jack asked.

  “GlobalLife has put all testing of the embryonic DNA on hold. But they’re going to continue to try to make the DNA from Sam work. And I’m sure they’ll try Erik’s as well. A team of GlobalLife geneticists is working with the software developers to see if they can write code to help prevent the rejection that’s causing all of these deaths.”

  “But there’s no guarantee that will work either,” Dave pointed out. “The software can’t fix the problems brought on by these altered genes, Sam and Erik being the exception to the rule. Those genes just weren’t meant to be in humans. It’s as simple as that.”

  “Which brings me to my next topic,” Rachel said. “One way we’re trying to stop this project is by telling the Founders that this technology doesn’t work and never will. We obviously can’t just come out and say this. So we’ve begun spreading rumors.”

  “What do you mean?” Erik asked.

  “We’re getting the word out that inserting altered genetic material in the body causes rejection that could be fatal. Keep in mind that the Founders don’t know the origin of the genes that GlobalLife is selling them. They just think the genes have a new genetic sequencing that creates these superhuman abilities. And they’ve been told it’s perfectly safe. But once the Founders find out the risks involved, the executives at GlobalLife will have some explaining to do. It might just kill the whole project. It will definitely slow down the funding. People may even start to demand their money back.”

  “How are these rumors starting?” Dave asked.

  “A few of the people in our group have already posted fake studies online showing how DNA manipulation caused immediate death in animal testing. They also posted some articles about how using software to control the behavior of genes doesn’t work and could be dangerous.”

  “I’m sure the Founders aren’t sitting around reading stuff on the Internet,” I said.

  “No, not the Founders themselves. But they have investment advisors who do just that. They search for this type of information so they can advise their clients to stay in or get out of a certain investment. When they see these negative studies and articles, they’ll alert the Founders. And that may cause them to start questioning GlobalLife as to whether the information they’re giving out is true.”

  “It only takes one influential person to start asking questions and the whole stack of cards comes tumbling down,” Jack added.

  “That doesn’t mean the project will end,” Erik said. “GlobalLife will just keep testing the genes and trying to make them work.”

  Dave shook his head. “If their funding is limited, their research is limited. Believe me, I know. Lack of funding is the reason I sold my research company years ago. GlobalLife is a huge corporation, but they can’t continue to divert dollars into this project if it continues to fail. That’s why they need investors.”

  Rachel stood up. “Even if their funding runs dry, that doesn’t change our goal. We still need to get the alien genes from GlobalLife and destroy them. And then get the remaining material from Owens.” She went to get her coat. “I have an early meeting, so I need to go.”

  Jack followed her to the door. “What’s this arrangement you have with Owens?”

  “It’s the same one you have with him. He thinks I’m helping him get the genes. And now I’m also helping him keep an eye on you guys. I just need to keep feeding him information to gain his trust. Eventually he’ll tell me where he’s stored the gene samples he took from Iceland. He’s already starting to slip and tell me things. I think he’s beginning to lose it in his old age. That’s why he’s taking those ridiculous longevity treatments. He thinks they’ll buy him another 100 or more years of life.”

  “What are the treatments?” Jack asked.

  “Some combination of pills and injections. I don’t know all the details. It’s a creation of GlobalLife Pharmaceuticals. It’s not on the market yet. Probably never will be. If it works it will be reserved for the few who can afford it. Or those deemed important enough to live for another century. Owens is in the early trial. He’s taking a huge risk. They don’t even know the side effects of this yet. He’s just desperate to keep living as long as possible.”

  “Why do you think he’s losing it?” I asked.

  “Oh, just silly things he says. Like he’s completely obsessed with getting you and Erik—” she stopped, noticing Colin sitting next to me. “Never mind.”

  “Obsessed with what?” Erik asked.

  “He’s uh, he just thinks that you and Sam should be together like you were before. You know, like you were at the Iceland facility. He really bought into the whole golden couple thing. That’s all.”

  Colin got up and left the room.

  “Sorry,” Rachel whispered to me as she was leaving.

  The next morning I went to talk to Colin, but he was already gone. He was meeting with Aiden to go over exactly what to say to Emily. I couldn’t get that photo of Emily out of my head. I wondered if Colin was secretly looking forward to hanging out with her. I was having a hard enough time getting his attention. And now I had competition.

  After breakfast, Abigail arrived along with her sidekick, Hadley, a gangly thirtysomething neuroscientist with wire-rimmed glasses and messy black hair. He brought some equipment in that looked similar to the type used at the GlobalLife lab in Minnesota. I got nervous just seeing it.

  Erik came in the room and noticed me staring at the machines. “It’s okay, Sam. You’re not at GlobalLife.”

  “I know. I just can’t help reacting when I see that stuff. Too many bad memories.”

  “It’s just some machines. No big deal.” He put his arm around me, then quickly took it away. “I forgot. I can’t do that. Your boyfriend might see.”

  “He’s gone already. And he’s not my boyfriend. In fact, he’ll probably end up liking that Emily girl. And by the way, thanks a lot for saying she’s hot. Like I needed him to hear that, Erik.”

  He smiled. “She is hot. What did you want me to do? Lie?”

  Abigail walked up behind us. “Are you two ready to get started?”

  Before we could answer, Dave walked in wearing dress pants and a dress shirt. I’d rarely seen him dress up like that. “Abigail, nice to see you.” I could smell his cologne as soon as he entered the room. “I’ll be working downstairs, but before I get started, can I get you something? Coffee? Tea?”

  “Or me?” Erik muttered. I jabbed him in the ribcage.

  “Oh, no thank you, David.” Abigail smiled at him. “We have a lot of work to do, so we need to get started.”

  “Of course. Go right ahead.”

  Erik coughed, trying to hide the laughter he could barely hold in. That made me laugh, too, and soon I was coughing to conceal it.

  “Is something wrong?” Abigail asked. “You two aren’t getting sick are you? Because that could indicate something is—”

  “No, we’re not sick,” Erik answered, composing himself.

  “Are you ready for me yet?” Brittany came out of the side bedroom.

  Abigail nodded. “Yes, dear, come sit down.” She turned to us. “Brittany is going to be the mind that you’ll try to get into today.”

  “What? No. Brittany can’t be involved in this,” I insisted. “It could hurt her.”

  “It doesn’t do anything to the other person,” Abigail explained. “They just lose memory of the time in which you’re in their head.”

  Brittany sat down. “Relax, Sam. I don’t care. I don’t have anything else to do.”

  Hadley hooked Erik and me up to the brain wave monitoring machine while Abigail gave us instructions on how to enter another person’s mind. Even though I’d done it before with the police officer, I wasn’t able to get it to work. Erik and I tried for hours with no luck. We ended our practice later that afternoon.

>   Abigail didn’t seem at all concerned that we hadn’t made any progress. “I didn’t expect much today. It’s a difficult skill and it’s new to both of you. Just take it easy tonight. Rest your minds and we’ll work on it again tomorrow. It may take weeks before anything happens.”

  “Weeks? We have to do this for weeks?” Erik was already bored after a day of this.

  “You need to learn how to control this ability,” Abigail reminded him. “As we saw with Sam, this can damage the brain. You need to be able to turn it off if it starts automatically.”

  Abigail began packing up her equipment. I wondered if I should get Dave so he could say goodbye, but he was already racing up the stairs.

  “Leaving so soon, Abigail?” he asked, out of breath. “Let me walk you out.”

  They left, with Hadley right behind.

  Erik headed to the kitchen. “I’m getting something to eat. You guys want anything?”

  “I do.” Brittany followed him.

  The front door opened and Colin walked in. He was all smiles and in way too good a mood. “Hey, Sam.”

  “Hi. How did it go?”

  “Great! Couldn’t have gone any better!” He set his backpack down and headed to the kitchen.

  “Wait. Tell me what happened.”

  He turned back. “What do you want to know?”

  “I don’t know. Was she nice?”

  “Yeah, really nice. I actually feel bad lying to her like this. She talked a little about school. She seems really smart. Takes all AP classes. She’s into math and science. Just like you, Sam. Oh, and she’s talented, too.”

  “Wow. Sounds like you talked a—”

  “You should hear her sing. She’s so good. And she plays guitar. Writes her own music. She played three songs for me at the coffee shop.”

  I stared at Colin, shocked at how he was going on and on about this girl. “Did you just go over and talk to her?”

  “No. I was sitting at a table and she came over and introduced herself. I was a little surprised when she just came up to me like that but I guess she’s just friendly.”

  Was he really that clueless? She wasn’t being friendly. She was totally hitting on him! Colin was way too good looking. I knew his warm brown eyes and welcoming smile would invite her over without him even saying a word.