Legacy

by A D Starrling

  It took the man a while to get over the reality of the immortals’ existence and that of the half-breed race that had been in Krondike’s service since the 1300s. When Jonah executed an immortal in front of him and the man revived, Serle finally accepted the unpalatable truth. Although he was aware of the special abilities possessed by a handful of pureblood immortals, he had never met one until tonight. Seeing Ethan Storm perform at close range had rattled the scientist.

  They had known Madeleine Black’s true identity ever since she joined AuGenD. Every new member of the company underwent a thorough background check and a medical as part of the hiring process. Their genetic material was tested without their knowledge to see if it matched any of the ones in the comprehensive database that Jonah’s team had built over the years.

  Madeleine Black’s DNA had identified her as the daughter of Diana Hollenbrooks and Edouard De Castel.

  Jonah had been aware of Hollenbrooks’s interest in the French immortal who had been captured and brought to the research facility in New Mexico in the 1960s, but had not given it much more thought at the time. With Asgard Godard finally in his grasp and the US Army demanding faster results following their investments in the cutting-edge experimental research Jonah’s group was conducting, the Crovir noble had more urgent matters to deal with. It wasn’t until Hollenbrooks vanished from the military complex days after De Castel’s death that he realized the true extent of her involvement with the Bastian immortal. Diana Hollenbrooks had been secretly bribing guards to gain secure, private access to De Castel’s cell. Jonah discovered that she even attempted to help the prisoner break free once but never made it outside the complex.

  She had been plotting another escape when De Castel died during one of the radiation experiments.

  Hollenbrooks reappeared on Jonah’s radar briefly in 1976, when she was spotted in a shopping mall in Houston by one of the scientists she had previously worked with. Ten years later, an informant told them Hollenbrooks had been nosing around and gathering evidence on the work Jonah and his rogue US Army had been conducting. The Crovir noble issued an immediate kill order for her.

  Although the scientist who spotted Hollenbrooks in 1976 mentioned seeing a dark-haired child with her, Jonah did not make the connection with Madeleine Black until the young woman turned up in AuGenD’s employee records and her genetic fingerprint revealed who she was.

  Instead of bringing her in for questioning, Jonah asked Serle to keep an eye on the immortal half-breed.

  For Madeleine Black’s DNA had disclosed more than just her parents’ genetic material. As far as he was aware, no one else on Earth possessed her specific genetic profile. She was too unique a specimen to dispose of.

  It also quickly became evident that Black had inherited her mother’s keen intellect. Diana Hollenbrooks had been a member of Kronos since her birth and one of his best researchers until her sudden disappearance. Jonah was not one to waste valuable resources. To test where Black’s loyalties lay and whether she could be a candidate for his research team, Jonah requested that Serle’s assistant court her.

  Tonight’s events had shown all too clearly that Madeleine Black’s allegiance was with their enemy. Jonah tapped a finger against his thigh as he pondered a puzzling question.

  How did Godard and Storm end up in AuGenD?

  He mulled the matter over as he made his way to the army base’s primary command center. Mark Scoleri stood next to one of the computer terminals spanning the width of the concrete shelter located half a mile beneath the desert. Jonah strolled leisurely to the Crovir Hunter’s side.

  ‘Anything yet?’

  ‘The last location we have from the chip on her phone was somewhere north of San Diego. We lost the signal when her battery went dead. It’s powered by the device. Once she charges the phone and turns it on, we’ll have her. She’s disabled her GPS, so she thinks she’s safe.’

  Scoleri grinned. There was no humor in his smile.

  ‘Good. The second you confirm her location, send in a full assault team.’ Jonah paused. ‘The general should be able to get us extra men from the nearest base.’

  Scoleri’s eyes gleamed. ‘We’ll get prepped.’

  Jonah watched the Crovir Hunter leave the room. Having Black escape with Godard and Storm had turned out to be a blessing in disguise. If everything went as planned, he would have the Elemental and the Seer in his lab by the end of the day.

  Ethan stepped out onto the terrace adjoining the mansion’s kitchen. A haze hung over the distant Pacific Ocean to the south. Above it, the sky was a dazzling blue.

  Madeleine Black stood at the edge of the patio and stared out over the canyon. Her hands were tucked in the pockets of her jeans and her shoulders drooped. She wore a fresh T-shirt she had borrowed from Olivia’s new wardrobe. The garment stretched across her body, a size too small.

  A sliver of pity flashed through him; he doubted the woman had slept much. He recalled the horror on her face last night when Asgard had related the reality of the immortals’ existence and their influence on human civilizations over several millennia. When the Bastian noble spoke of their own personal histories and described what Jonah Krondike and Kronos had attempted to do in the last seven centuries, including the brutal experiments in New Mexico, Ethan had seen shocked resignation finally dawn in her eyes.

  ‘You believe this Jonah guy had something to do with my mother’s murder?’ she said in the frozen silence that fell across the bunker.

  ‘We know how Jonah works,’ said Asgard. ‘He might as well have pulled the trigger himself.’

  A muscle jumped in Madeleine Black’s cheek. She stared at the floor. ‘I need some time to process this.’

  Howard had shown the woman to one of the guest suites before heading back to the bunker’s lift.

  ‘You need to get some rest,’ Ethan told him curtly.

  ‘I’ll catch some sleep down there.’ Howard shrugged. ‘Might as well get working on that flash drive.’

  A noise brought Ethan back to the present. He looked over his shoulder and saw Olivia walk out into the sunlight. She slowed when she spotted him, her expression somewhat wary.

  ‘Hi,’ she murmured.

  He bobbed his head in acknowledgement. Asgard was a few seconds behind his niece.

  Ethan’s gaze shifted to Olivia once more. There was something…different about her. He had noticed it since their return last night and sensed Asgard’s awareness of the change. She had shown them the locket she had found in the abbess’s diaries before she retired for the evening. Asgard had studied the faces of his dead friends for the longest time, a melancholic smile hovering on his lips.

  Madeleine Black turned at the sound of their steps. Instead of looking tired and dejected, Ethan saw unwavering determination in her eyes and the rigid lines of her jaw. Admiration darted through him. This woman was a survivor through and through.

  ‘We need to see what’s on that flash drive,’ she said stiffly.

  Before any of the immortals could utter a response, Howard strolled out of the house, a laptop in hand.

  ‘Put the coffee on,’ he told Ethan. ‘This shit changes everything.’

  Asgard frowned. ‘What is it?’

  Ethan headed inside the mansion and came out a short time later with cups and a steaming pot of freshly-brewed coffee. Rosa and Bernard had gone shopping for the morning.

  ‘What’d I miss?’ Ethan said.

  Asgard sighed. ‘Not much. Howard is basking in his own genius.’

  Howard grunted from where he sat at the table. ‘I’d like to see you have a go at this stuff, Ice Man.’

  Madeleine was scowling. ‘So, let me get this straight—what you’re saying is that the files were protected by additional layers of security and you accidentally fried a third of the data while you were trying to decode it?’

  Howard shrugged. ‘Look at it this way. If you’d attempted it, you would have lost everything.’

  Madeleine swore and ran her finger
s through her hair. ‘What the hell did I go through all that trouble for?’

  ‘Don’t feel so sorry for yourself,’ said Howard magnanimously. ‘I backed them up first.’

  Ethan could practically hear Madeleine Black’s patience tick toward an explosive meltdown.

  ‘You know, you could have started with that in the first place,’ she said between gritted teeth.

  ‘You’re an ass, Howard,’ said Asgard.

  A giggle broke the tense silence.

  Olivia pursed her lips and muttered a quiet, ‘Sorry.’

  ‘Ah, a woman after my own heart.’ Howard sighed. ‘If I didn’t know for a fact that your uncle would stab me repeatedly in the heart with that damn sword of his, I’d make a serious play for you. Besides, it figures that the one woman I might be remotely interested in in almost a hundred years is already promised to my best friend.’ He grimaced. ‘I might as well have the word “wingman” tattooed on my forehead.’

  Olivia blushed.

  Ethan’s gut twisted with a sudden, hot feeling. Shock resonated through him when he realized it was jealousy. What the hell?

  Madeleine raised an eyebrow, her gaze shifting between Olivia and Ethan. ‘Oh. You two are an item?’

  ‘No.’

  Ethan had to bite back the words not yet before they left his lips.

  ‘They’re soulmates,’ said Asgard.

  The Bastian immortal was giving him an inscrutable look.

  Madeleine wrinkled her nose. ‘What’s that, some kind of cryptic immortal destiny stuff?’

  ‘You’re not far off,’ said Asgard.

  He explained about immortal soulmates and the irrefutable bonds that existed between them. ‘However much someone might want to deny that fact, in the end, fate will always win out.’

  Ethan sensed the Bastian immortal had directed the last statement at him. He shifted uncomfortably.

  Madeleine observed Asgard for a silent beat. ‘These soulmates, you’re only meant to have the one?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Hmm,’ she muttered. ‘Interesting.’

  ‘We done with the maudlin crap?’ said Howard.

  Asgard grunted. Ethan shrugged.

  ‘Before we start, I should let you know that you’ve made the NCIC and Interpol’s lists of wanted criminals,’ Howard told the two men. He brought up the agencies’ websites. ‘Not only are you the prime suspects in the massacre at the abbey, you’re also suspected of killing the guard at AuGenD. Madeleine will undoubtedly join your ranks before nightfall.’ He glanced at the Seer. ‘Krondike hasn’t been able to pin anything on Olivia, so she’s still being treated as a hostage. For now.’

  Ethan frowned at the composite drawings featured on the wanted pages. Asgard’s face had gone stormy. They had expected nothing less of Jonah Krondike.

  Madeleine sighed. ‘Guess I can kiss my career goodbye, huh?’

  ‘You can always go back to mechanical engineering,’ said Howard. ‘Or you could work for one of the research facilities run by immortals. There are many of them.’ He smiled at her expression. ‘You’re gonna have plenty of time on your hands if we survive this.’

  ‘Right,’ she drawled.

  Howard tilted the computer screen so they could all see. ‘The flash drive contained eight folders. I need to retrieve copies of the last four from the secure server before I can analyze them further. What I found in the others was too significant for me not to share.’

  Ethan tensed.

  ‘The first three folders contain research files, each pertaining to a particular scientific field. There’s one about accelerated physical development, another one about nanotechnology, and the third concerns behavior modification. The fourth folder has lists of names and what looks like a hell of a lot of personal medical data.’

  He tapped on a couple of keys and ran his fingers lightly over the trackpad. Several windows popped open.

  ‘What does this mean?’ said Olivia.

  ‘Hell if I know,’ snorted Howard. ‘But it all sounds like some pretty serious stuff. Whatever this is, it must have something to do with what Jonah Krondike is trying to achieve.’

  Madeleine indicated the laptop. ‘May I?’

  ‘Knock yourself out,’ said Howard. He pushed away from the computer.

  Madeleine pulled a chair over and hunched over the keyboard. Overlapping windows filled the monitor. She scanned the information that came up, her fingers moving rapidly over the trackpad.

  It was several minutes before she stopped and took a deep breath.

  Ethan didn’t like the look on her face. ‘Well?’

  Over the hour that followed, the scientist gave them a summary of the information in Serle’s secured drives.

  ‘Accelerated physical development speaks for itself. The practice of using drugs and hormones to increase muscle bulk, lean body mass, and enhance performance has been around for decades. An adult male athlete’s baseline strength has been said to increase by as much as twenty percent following anabolic steroid use. Much of the information on here comprises established papers published in academic journals across the world over a period of fifty years.’

  Asgard placed a hand on the back of her chair and leaned on the table. ‘You said “much of the information.” What’s in the rest of the folder?’

  ‘Like Howard said, some serious shit,’ Madeleine replied bluntly. She glanced at the Bastian noble’s fingers close to the computer. ‘There’s a bunch of research data about drugs I haven’t heard of. Their composition is like nothing I’ve seen before, although a lot of heavy organic chemistry seems to have been involved in their synthesis. And it looks like most went to Phase One clinical trials, despite the significant adverse effects noted in the animal experiments.’

  ‘You mean they’ve tested the drugs on humans?’ said Olivia. She squared her shoulders at the surprised looks that came her way. ‘I read a lot.’

  ‘You’re correct,’ said Madeleine with a nod.

  ‘What were the side effects?’ said Ethan.

  ‘Pretty much everything you might expect from overuse of a potent anabolic steroid. A range of neuropsychiatric and physiological symptoms that would have the FDA shaking in its boots. We’re talking anything from frank psychosis and severe depression to heart attacks and strokes. If the data is to be believed, they had a seventy percent failure rate in the majority of their studies.’

  ‘By failure you mean—?’ ventured Howard.

  Madeleine’s eyes gleamed with a cold light. ‘Death.’

  Asgard went still. ‘Who were the subjects?’

  ‘They don’t specify that information. The men and women who underwent these experiments were identified by a number.’

  ‘When’s the most recent data from?’ said Ethan.

  ‘About six years ago. They seemed to have identified the precursor of a promising new drug they were going to try out on the next batch of—subjects.’

  A buzzard shrieked high above them in the ensuing hush.

  ‘Go through the other folders,’ Asgard instructed.

  Madeleine brought up the next window.

  ‘The one on behavioral engineering shows small cohort studies and Phase One style clinical trials using a combination of new drugs and programs involving brutal physical and psychological regimes. Again the initial failure rates were sky-high, with mass suicides and excessive aggression that resulted in the project leaders…terminating the affected subjects.’

  Horror dawned on Olivia’s face. ‘You mean they killed them?’

  Madeleine dipped her chin. ‘But of everything I’ve read here so far, the things that terrify me the most are in the nanotechnology files.’

  The four immortals shared anxious glances.

  ‘The information indicates that they have not only made amazing advancements with nanodevices and nanoparticles, but also in the field of bionanotechnology.’

  ‘Bionano what?’ said Ethan.

  ‘Bionanotechnology. It’s basically the merging
of biotechnology and nanotechnology. If the data is to be believed, then they’ve achieved the ultimate goal in cellular engineering.’

  They stared at her blankly.

  ‘They’ve been working with DNA nanotechnology. That means tinkering with genetic material at a biomolecular or nano level.’ Madeleine sighed. ‘They can change the genetic composition of whole cell lines.’

  A yawning, dark pit opened up in Ethan’s stomach at her words. He stared at Asgard and saw the same dread reflected in the Bastian’s eyes.

  ‘The immortals,’ breathed Ethan.

  Madeleine gazed at them in confusion. The color drained from her face a second later. ‘Oh God.’

  Chapter Seventeen

  ‘What?’ said Howard, his eyes darting from one shocked expression to another.

  ‘If they believe the immortals’ abilities of increased strength, advanced fighting skills, healing, and surviving death itself lies in their DNA, then they could introduce this genetic material in others,’ said Ethan.

  ‘And if your and Olivia’s powers could be imitated by copying your genes into someone else’s body, then it would explain why Jonah is so keen to get his hands on you,’ Asgard added in a dark tone. He scowled. ‘I still don’t understand why Jonah tortured and killed so many immortals though. He’s a sadistic bastard, but there’s always a motive behind his actions.’

  Madeleine turned to the laptop and started working the keyboard once more. Lines furrowed her brow. ‘Genetic expression and proteonomics.’

  Howard blinked. ‘Huh?’

  ‘Think of lab experiments on animals. At the extreme end of research, mankind has subjected what he considers to be lesser creatures to what amounts to torture. Vivisection, deliberate infection, poisoning, electrocution, isolation, food and water deprivation. I think a significant component of Jonah Krondike’s experiments involved analyzing what happened to immortals under…stressful conditions, at a biochemical level.’ Madeleine indicated the screen. ‘Most of these new drugs could have been derived from proteins and other chemicals extracted from the subjects’ bloodstreams and organs.’