“And, the data from recent years? That’s not a concern? It sounds like he gave you more than what he kept inside the lab.”
“That’s right. The murderers wouldn’t have access to that. He saved this new data in a separate drive, a separate file he included in the package for me. It has all the data and information he pulled together, just these last few months.
“And, he was right. This data changes everything. X’s blood. It’s unexpectedly deteriorating. As he said, the why’s unclear, but X’s blood is degrading, possibly due to a sentient virus. There’s no telling if it’s a problem that’s unique to X, or if it’s a condition that might affect all sentients. Either way, it’s abundantly clear that we can’t let this data fall into the wrong hands. It could be a serious threat, Jai. It could be weaponized against sentients. And, we need to get to X before the murderers do. We can’t let them get a hold of him.”
“Agreed.” Joy was right, Jai thought. All those years, Joy knew sentients would likely have a weakness, no matter how resilient Jai’s body had seemed. Now, here it was. Scientific confirmation that yes, a sentient’s blood could lose its ability to regenerate tissue and possibly die. “We need to get ahead of this,” Jai said, urgently. “You focus on analyzing the data, while I focus on getting X to a secure location. Please tell me Dr. Jensen gave you X’s name?”
“Lucky for us, he did. X’s name is Robert Zin. He prefers to go by ‘Zin’ and lives on Lake Baikal.”
“Baikal…Baikal….” Jai repeated it, letting the sound of it echo in her ears. “Like, in Siberia?!”
“Yup. Told you, the most-private-sentient title’s not yours anymore. Zin’s a hermit. And, from what I can tell from Dr. Jensen’s notes, he’s a nasty one too.”
Jai laughed. “Nice of you to tell me that after I’ve agreed to help you.”
Chapter 28
2121
By the time Jai made it to Lake Baikal, the cold was deep in her bones. February, she thought. Why'd I have to do this now, in -22 degrees? She did her best to tune out the discomfort and looked past the thick fur lining on her puffy hood. The gorgeous snow-capped mountains loomed high above the cedar forest, a majestic view that’d already made the trip worthwhile.
Zin’s cabin was simple, made of wood, with only two windows. One window faced the mountains, their crests still visible from tens of miles away; and, the other faced Lake Baikal, an enormous body of water hundreds of miles long and tens of miles wide. Jai lowered her face mask, whitened with ice and condensation from her breathing. She took in a deep breath. Her lungs stung. Damn cold, she thought, and looked longingly at the plume of smoke floating up out of the chimney.
Jai set down her pack and axe and knocked on the front door. She heard grumbling inside, but no movement. She hit the door harder with her knuckles. Again, grumbling.
A third time. “Hello? Mr. Zin? I’m coming by way of Dr. Jensen. It’s important that I speak with you.”
“Mph.” The grumble had changed, but was nonetheless unwelcoming. She waited until, finally, he screamed, “Go away!”
“Sir, it’s important that I speak with you. It’s about Dr. Jensen.” Silence. She rapped on the door.
“Holy hell!”
The sound of furniture resonated throughout the cabin, as he dragged something heavy across the floor. He stomped loudly toward her, just a few inches of door between him and her. Abruptly, he pulled the door back a sliver, just enough to peer out and examine her with beady eyes. “Who. The fuck. Are you?”
Nice to meet you too, asshole. “I’m Dr. Dean. You can call me Jai. I’m here with some news about Dr. Jensen. May I come in?” Her thoughts were still on that fire, and she was more than a little intrigued. She couldn’t help but wonder, How does one survive the wilderness out here?
“No,” he said, and slammed the door shut, just as abruptly as he’d opened it.
Wow. Flying all the way here, then walking in the frigid snow. Now, this. Jai couldn’t be so easily deterred. Nevermind then, she thought, and she kicked her snowshoes off. She opened her pack and began pulling out her provisions. Where’s that pack of chili? She rummaged through, making every noise she could possibly make.
“Buzz off!” he screamed.
“No can do, Zin. I’ve got to speak with you. Outside or inside, it’s gonna happen. But, not without a meal.”
He grunted. “Not on my doorstep!”
“What are you going to do? Come out here and stop me?” Jai pressed on. “Ah, there you are!” she shouted, having found her can of chili. She pulled out a kerosene stove, ready to get the meal going. There, by the window, as nice a spot as any, she thought. She found a chair on the deck and centered it inside his windowpane. If he won’t let me see him face to face, I might as well take away his view.
Jai pulled out a can opener, ready to dump the chili into a metal bowl, when the door flew wide open. The barrel of a .308 Winchester flew out. The prick aimed squarely at her. Thanks, Kevin.
“Listen, bitch, get the hell off my property!”
Jai laughed and jump kicked him in the face. She immobilized his body before he’d even had a chance to flinch. His 6’3” frame thud onto the ground, like a felled tree. She stood over him, his gun in her hand. “Who’s the bitch now?” she said smiling, and slammed the butt of the gun into his face.
She hoisted him inside. Immediately, she was overcome by the sheer number of books he’d hoarded in the small confines of the cabin. Behind one of the floor to ceiling stacks, she spotted a bed in the corner. She threw him on it, and peered down at his bloodied face. Hmm…broken jaw, she noticed. “Maybe that’ll teach you. Be polite to guests.”
Fifteen minutes later, he began to stir. He moaned in pain and tried to move his jaw. “What the fuck?” he garbled.
“Been a while since you’ve had company, has it?” Jai stood nearby, stirring the chili on his cast-iron stove. “I hope you don’t mind, I made us dinner. Not that you need any, of course.” She smirked. The cabin was devoid of any food, save for a few rotten onions.
He sat up and stared at her. “How did you?” he asked, circling his jaw slowly from side to side as it healed back into place.
“I’m strong. I’m sentient like you, Patient X.”
“You know!” he yelled, angrily. A look of disdain flashed across his face, which was strangely rough for a sentient. His long, arctic blonde hair was disheveled, falling over his hooded blue eyes. He looked, eyes darting around the room, then stopped cold, staring at the rifle Jai had left on the table.
“Looking for this?” Jai asked, and threw the rifle back at him. He caught it, a surprised look on his face. “If you need a security blanket, be my guest,” Jai invited. “I’m not your enemy. And, I’m not here to expose your secret, either.”
“Then, why are you here?” he demanded, training the gun on her.
Jai stuck a spoon in a bowl of chili and handed it to Zin. “Here, at least eat with one hand,” she said, and turned to fix herself a bowl. “Dr. Jensen is dead or, more accurately, he’s been murdered. Dr. Kevin Mace is a scientist, a former student of his, from years ago. He’s the only other person Dr. Jensen entrusted with the sentient studies…and your data, in particular. Dr. Mace asked me to help. He asked me to come out here, to talk to you, to get you to a safe place.”
“Hold up. You bust into my home and, now, you think you can just get me to leave? You and this Dr. Mace,” he said with disgust, “two nobodies I’ve never even heard of. I think I’ll shoot you just yet.”
Jai smiled. “You don’t have a choice, Zin. Dr. Jensen’s labs have been burned down. And, like I said, he’s been murdered. At least some of your data’s been stolen.”
“Wait, Jensen promised my name and location would be hidden. His records are just raw data, biometrics, right?”
“Honestly, I haven’t seen the data. All I know is that Dr. Jensen managed to get your data to the one person he trusted: Dr. Mace. And, Dr. Jensen died trying to protect whatever that dat
a shows. Dr. Mace is analyzing the data now.”
“Well, I have no interest in it. Whatever the data may show, I’m the one living it. I don’t need some doctor telling me what’s what.” Must’ve been a test subject for the money, Jai realized. This guy’s the last person on earth to do something for posterity’s sake.
Jai rolled her eyes. “Whether you care what’s in the data or not, it doesn’t matter. What matters is other people care, people who don’t give two shits about your solitary, nomadic lifestyle. They’re going to come after you. And, from what we can tell, it’s not just your life that’s at issue.”
“Other people? Other lives? What would other people have to do with my data?” Jai didn’t want to get into it. Let Dr. Mace deliver the bad news. Besides they had scant time to waste.
“We don’t have time for an in-depth powerpoint, Zin. I need to get you out of here, and fast. As in, finish that bowl of chili and we’re out of here, fast.” He glared at her with the same, unchanging face.
“Fine!” She said, exasperated, and banged her bowl down on the table. “I won’t sugarcoat it for you. Something tells me you wouldn’t appreciate that anyway. Bottom line? Your blood’s deteriorating, Zin. Dr. Jensen didn’t know why; Dr. Mace doesn’t know why. And, as of a few days ago, I didn’t even know who you were, so I certainly don’t know why. All I know is that right now, if your private information gets into the wrong hands, or if someone captures you, makes you their lab rat, they’ll soon realize that something’s wrong with your blood. Don’t believe me? Just look at yourself. I mean, I just barely hit you and broke your jaw, Zin.” Jai didn’t mention the aged look on his face. “You may be able to heal eventually, but imagine if I kept hitting you while you were passed out. What then? Just think what this could mean. The most-studied sentient, supposedly the Eldest. He can be left defenseless, maybe killed. It’s not just your life at issue, Zin. The lives of many sentients are at stake.”
He grit his teeth, his icy blue eyes staring at her. “Well, I don’t care.” He adjusted himself, as if pushing his body deeper in bed would somehow anchor him there, permanently. “I’ve survived out here long enough, protecting myself. Going it alone. Hell, I’ve even survived a bear mauling.”
Jai laughed. “Well, thank you for proving my point, Zin.” She pointed at the nasty scar on his face. “That teddy gave you a sweet little kiss…left you with a darling token, to remember him by.” The gash was a visible reminder. The slash ran down the left side of his forehead, through his left eye, and across the bridge of his nose.
“Well, I don’t see how this is any different,” he said, defiantly.
“You have got to be kidding me.” Jai picked up her chili and ate it up. Spoon in hand, she pointed at the gun. “How many rounds of ammo do you have there? What will you do if you run out? Head to the general store twenty, thirty miles away? You don’t even have a pack of huskies to hike you over there.” Jai got to the point. “I’m not talking about one or two people coming after you, Zin. Whoever it is, it’s likely a team of people, trained military types. These people aren’t fucking around. They torched Dr. Jensen’s lab and burnt his body with no trace left behind.”
Suddenly, a wave of electricity shocked through Jai’s veins. Zin continued talking, but she wasn’t listening anymore. Her ears perked and she closed her eyes. The sound of footprints, many footprints, packing in the snow. She opened her eyes and put her finger over her mouth.
Zin stopped mid-sentence and leaned back, to gaze out the window. Jai shook her head and waved her hands downward, ordering him to get low. Slowly, he slid his body down, off the bed and huddled, crouching on the floor. His knuckles whitened as he gripped the gun. Jai reached behind and grabbed the 10 mm Glock she carried on the small of her back, then hid behind the door.
A gentle knock. Zin stared at Jai, who nodded. He cleared his throat. “Yes?” he called out.
“Zin, it’s Mike, a student of Dr. Jensen’s.” Zin looked at Jai, as she shook her head no. This was no student. “May I come in?”
Before Jai could give Zin a signal, the door flung open and both windows shattered, masked figures flying in with guns drawn. They won’t shoot their precious cargo, Jai thought, and jumped out from behind the door, kicking “Mike” in the back. Falling forward, he threw his head around, surprised to see Zin had company, and raised his gun to shoot her. She shot him straight in the head, and continued shooting. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight masked figures quickly fell, unable to get a good shot at her. Zin took out another three and stood, poised to take out a second wave. Jai and he waited. Five, ten seconds. Silence, as the wind rushed through the open cabin, taking the gun smoke with it.
Sentients would be up and at ’em by now, even with a body shot. Jai had shot them straight in their heads, but Zin hadn’t. She kicked their bodies over and ripped their masks off. Their eyes stared blankly at her. “Yup, humans,” she said. “Just eleven.”
“Just?” Zin asked, still breathing heavily.
“We won’t be so lucky next time, now that they know you’re not alone.” Jai continued inspecting the bodies, rummaging through their pockets. Empty. But, wait. She returned to the front door, where Mike’s body lay flat on the floor. She pulled the gloves off his hands. There, tattooed on his left wrist: the same, iridescent blade.
She took a deep breath. “Move, Zin. We’ve got to move. Gather whatever you can, we’ve got to go.” Zin didn’t contest this time, just a periodic grumbling as he threw the two sets of clothing he had into his pack, and moved on to his books. Jai reached into her jacket pocket and put on her specs. Looking through them, she aimed, focused the lens, and took photos of each man and woman. “Five foot ten, five foot three, six foot two, six foot,” she said, making the rounds through the cabin, taking their blood samples and fingerprints along the way.
“You got everything?” Jai yelled. Zin grunted from behind a stack of books. “Listen,” she yelled again. “We’re not hauling the Library of Congress to my place. Take two.”
“Fine,” Zin said angrily, and slammed two anthologies into his pack.
They walked in silence, back through the taiga forests, filled with cedar, fir, and larch trees. Jai placed her mind on high alert, in case anyone else was chasing them, but found herself mesmerized by the images flashing into her mind. A Siberian stag, walking majestically across the terrain. A white-tailed eagle, swooping down to the lake with its six-foot, broad-fingered wings outstretched, and a fish clutched firmly in its talons. Rich, peaceful moments, wrapped in the purity of a sacred, slow life. Days were measured in books, and the sheer happiness of time reclaimed.
She turned around, to the source of these memories, to Zin, who looked down at his feet. He took one careful step after another. Though he wore a stoic expression on his face, Jai felt a pang in her chest, recognizing it for what it was: a mourning. Like her, he was grieving the life he was leaving behind, a solace, a love he might never enjoy again.
By the time Jai landed her jet on the beach house jetpad, they’d made the long journey to the Long Island Sound with nary a word. “Zin, please make yourself at home,” she said, as she began shutting the guest room door. He stood in silence, a grungy tower of caked dirt and sweat. He looked back, his eyes the only thing that matched the light blue room.
“Thank you,” he whispered, and she pulled the door shut.
Chapter 29
2121
Kevin arrived at the beach house early the next morning. Jai handed him a coffee. "Thanks," he said as he sat at the table. "How's Zin? He upstairs?" he asked, barely noticing the breakfast in front of him.
Jai paused, cup to mouth, and raised her eyes, a bit worried Kevin wouldn’t be able to contain his enthusiasm. “Kevin, you’ll need to tone it down before Zin gets out of the shower. I’m telling you, he’s dying to bolt.”
“Yes, yes,” he said, dismissively. Full steam ahead was the only setting on the doctor’s mind. “We just have a lot of work to do. I've revie
wed all the data, Jai. This is the most significant research I’ve ever seen, a game changer for our kind. No, for the world. Dr. Jensen was much further along than anyone could guess. His last publication was just a glimpse. I can only imagine the restraint it took, to not publish these newer findings. I can see why he didn't, though. Discoveries like these can have immediate consequences.
“Dr. Jensen devoted all his resources to this study, these last two years. From what I’ve discerned, Zin tested the same year sentients were first discovered: 2116. That’s only five years of data, but, no matter. He’s 55. The Eldest. And, he might’ve been living off the grid, but Dr. Jensen asked Zin for samples on at least a bi-weekly basis. Not to mention the trips Dr. Jensen made to test Zin, in person.” Jai found it hard to fathom, a human in his seventies trekking out there, through the unforgiving cold. Would it have killed Zin to meet Dr. Jensen, to take a quick flight like the rest of the world?
The door rang, and the Home system displayed a video of Sean. "Good, he’s here. Home, let him enter," Jai said. She threw her voice. "We're at the kitchen table!"
Sean walked in, his specs and computer cuffs in hand.
"Flight, ok?" Jai asked. It was Sean’s first time coming to the beach house.
"Beautiful. Nice digs you've got here. Great view of the Sound,” he said, and gave Jai a kiss.
Jai smiled. "Thanks. Sean, I'd like you to meet Dr. Mace."
“Hi, call me Kevin.” They shook hands.
"I'll leave you two to get acquainted and bring Sean up to speed. I'm going to go check on our guest." Jai knocked lightly on the bedroom door.
"Yes, come in," Zin said. His voice was deep, scruffy. Jai stared at the man, so unlike the day before. He’d had a nice hot shower, and easy access to the simple things. A few minutes in front of the mirror had made all the difference. He'd combed his shoulder-length blonde hair and shaved away the thick blonde beard he'd had before. He looked at least ten years younger, though his hooded eyes remained the same, sullen blue. He sat at the edge of the bed, buttoning a gray and navy flannel shirt, then put on a hooded ivory cardigan.
Obsidian: Birth to Venus (The Obsidian Chronicles Book 1) Page 17