Legacy

by A D Starrling

  ‘Uncle Conrad, Bob stole one of the cakes we made with Marie,’ Tomas stated in a solemn voice.

  The golden retriever poked his head around the chair and pricked his ears at the sound of his name. He whined, licked the cream around his chops, and disappeared from view. The German Shepherd rose and scampered toward the chair.

  The man lifted the boy in his arms. ‘Did he now?’

  ‘Yes.’ Tomas bobbed his head energetically. ‘And look. Grandpa Asgard is here, with Uncle Ethan and Aunt Olivia.’ He pointed to where they stood. ‘And that’s Madeleine.’

  The man and women in the doorway straightened, their eyes carefully assessing the four strangers in their midst.

  Footsteps sounded behind them. The gorgeous blond from the SUV trotted into view and laid a hand on the shoulder of the woman with the silver eyes.

  ‘Seriously, babe,’ he groaned. ‘Not everything has to be a competition.’

  Remorse flashed across the woman’s face. ‘I’m sorry.’ She raised an eyebrow, stepped closer, and trailed a finger down his chest. ‘I’ll make it up to you.’

  The blond brightened, ice-blue eyes darkening to indigo.

  ‘You’re talking about sex, aren’t you?’ the man with the snake birthmark said dully.

  Tomas pulled a face. ‘Eeew!’

  Lily giggled.

  Mild tension coursed through Ethan as he studied the immortals gathered around the room.

  Despite his reassurances to Olivia, he had been just as nervous to meet the distant cousins whose existence they had only discovered three weeks ago.

  Ethan gazed at Alexa King, the woman with the short dark hair and silver eyes who bore a trishula birthmark on her neck. According to Dimitri, it was King’s enhanced fighting skills, combat intuition, and weapon proficiency that made her the perfect immortal warrior, unbeaten by any other in all of immortal society. She had only ever suffered one death and that was to protect the man who sat beside her, her genius husband Zachary Jackson, a Harvard professor reputed to be the most intelligent human alive today. Even though she sat in a relaxed pose next to her soulmate, Ethan could feel the dangerous vibes she emitted. As for Jackson, he was now more than human, having received a blood transfusion from Lucas Soul when he was on his deathbed three years ago, after being nearly fatally wounded by Alberto Cavaleti. He had acquired some of the healing abilities of immortals as well as delayed ageing as a result.

  Conrad Greene, the immortal healer with the Aesculapian snake birthmark on his left arm, sat in the next chair. His fiancee, Laura Hartwell, perched on the armrest and watched Ethan with a shrewd expression. She was a special Bastian operative who worked closely with Victor; along with Greene, she had played a crucial role in averting the deadly international plot that involved the assassination of President Westwood two years ago.

  And then, there were Lucas and Anna Soul, the most incredible immortals of them all.

  Dimitri finished explaining the startling findings he had made when he compared their genetic material with those of Crovir and Bastian, the brothers who had given rise to the two races of immortals.

  ‘Because their parents were pureblood immortals directly descended from the two brothers, Lucas and Anna’s genetic composition is unique among the immortals.’

  ‘That’s fascinating,’ murmured Madeleine.

  Dimitri smiled faintly. ‘I believe your genetic makeup is pretty unique itself.’

  Anna straightened, her green eyes full of curiosity as she glanced between Madeleine and Dimitri. ‘Oh. Is it?’

  Madeleine explained the findings of the tests she had carried out on her own DNA a few decades ago.

  ‘A mosaic of an immortal and a half-breed?’ Anna repeated in a surprised voice.

  Madeline dipped her chin. ‘Yes. I…got my hands on some of the earlier research Jonah Krondike carried out in the 1960s and 70s. It seemed he did a lot of radiation experiments at the time, with my father as one of the subjects.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Anna said quietly in the somber hush that fell across the room.

  Madeleine smiled. ‘It’s okay. It’s in the past.’

  Asgard squeezed her hand gently. She glanced at him, her eyes glimmering.

  Dimitri turned to Olivia and Ethan. ‘From the information in the scriptures, we gathered the two of you are of the line of—’

  ‘Navia, the third daughter of Bastian, and Jared, the second son of Crovir,’ Olivia breathed.

  Ethan startled at the emotions he could feel coursing through his soulmate. They were of deep-seated reverence mixed with a trace of trepidation.

  Shock flared across Dimitri’s face.

  Victor narrowed his eyes at Olivia. ‘How do you know that?’

  Olivia took a deep breath. ‘Because I was there, during the war when Crovir and Bastian died. Mentally, at least.’

  She told them then of the nightmare that had plagued her for almost a hundred years, the one where she stood in the middle of a row of eleven, powerful, armor-clad warriors who faced an immense army across a blood-soaked battlefield.

  Ethan felt the hair rise at the back of his neck when his soulmate explained what had also transpired in those hours when she had died. She had never spoken of it to him before.

  ‘You mean—those were memories?’ he stammered at the end of her narrative.

  Olivia threaded her fingers with his. ‘Yes. They were the memories of Navia, the first Seer.’

  ‘So, you’re saying the battle you dreamt of and the one where you…found yourself after your first death, really happened?’ said Conrad quietly.

  ‘You were there,’ said Olivia.

  The immortals around the room startled and glanced at each other uneasily.

  ‘What do you mean?’ said Anna.

  ‘I recognize your faces.’ Olivia looked at the immortals who bore the birthmarks. ‘You do not just carry the genes of the ones who gave birth to your specific bloodlines. You bear a remarkable resemblance to them.’ She turned to Ethan and touched his cheek gently. ‘As do you.’

  Ethan swallowed when he read the undeniable truth in her eyes.

  Olivia’s glittering gaze shifted to the two children who dozed in their parents’ arms. ‘I think I understand now.’

  Lucas stiffened. ‘What?’

  Anna sat frozen next to him, her expression just as tense.

  ‘You know they’re special, don’t you?’ Olivia said quietly.

  ‘Yes,’ said Alexa in a hard voice.

  Conrad leaned forward in his seat, his posture strained.

  Olivia gazed at all the incredible people who were ready to rise and defend the two figures who slept innocently in their parents’ arms.

  ‘But do you know why?’ she asked, her hands shaking at the enormity of the truth she had grasped from her psychic connection with Lily and Tomas Soul.

  Lucas and Anna exchanged guarded glances.

  ‘We are aware that they’re developing at a faster rate than normal children, human or immortal,’ said Anna, her arms curling protectively around Tomas.

  ‘And their minds are different,’ murmured Lucas. He touched Lily’s face with a gentle finger. ‘They’re not just smart; they possess intuitive intelligence.’

  Victor watched Olivia solemnly. ‘Tell us what you know.’

  Olivia closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, she found herself the focus of a battery of intense stares. ‘Lily and Tomas possess all our powers.’

  Anna glanced at the boy in her arms. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘They can do everything we can, although their individual strengths will vary.’ Olivia saw the meaning behind her words sink in on the stunned faces around her. ‘They can survive their seventeenth death and every death that comes afterward.’ She paused and smiled shakily. ‘Although I sense death will never dare cross their path.’ She looked at Conrad. ‘They will be able to heal and gift life.’ Her gaze switched to Alexa. ‘They are going to be the most powerful warriors this world has ever
seen.’ She stared into Ethan’s shocked eyes. ‘They will be able to manipulate all the elements.’ She inhaled deeply. ‘And their psionic abilities will be beyond anything I could ever hope to achieve.’

  Silence descended on the room.

  ‘That’s—’ Dimitri trailed off, his face pale.

  ‘Is this a result of their genetics?’ said Lucas.

  His arms tightened around Lily.

  Olivia hesitated before shaking her head. ‘No.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ murmured Asgard.

  Olivia looked at her uncle. ‘I mean there is more to this than just bloodlines. The—the only way I can explain it is that they appear to be touched by some higher power. As all of us are, to an extent.’

  Dimitri straightened then and stared blindly into space.

  ‘Divine beings,’ he said hoarsely.

  His words resonated inside Olivia. ‘Yes.’

  ‘The Lotus-Born Buddha,’ murmured Zachary.

  Alexa frowned at her husband. ‘What?’

  ‘Dimitri told us this before, remember? About Guru Rinpoche’s theory that immortals were ultimately descended from the gods themselves,’ said the Harvard professor quietly.

  ‘I never truly believed the abbot when he told me that,’ muttered Dimitri.

  ‘Neither did I,’ said Victor dully.

  A hesitant voice broke the deep hush. ‘You know, this doesn’t sound like some kind of random process to me,’ said Madeleine.

  ‘What do you mean?’ said Asgard.

  ‘Look at you,’ said Madeleine. Her gaze danced across their faces. ‘Look at where you all started and where you’ve all ended up. You were born worlds apart from each other and are linked in ways that defy logic, and yet, here you all are. Despite the harsh hand fate dealt each and every one of you, you’ve overcome your troubles and have been brought together, right here, right in this very moment in time.’

  ‘You’re saying there are higher forces at work here?’ said Reznak.

  Madeleine shrugged. ‘Can you blame me for not believing otherwise after everything I’ve heard and seen?’

  Asgard hesitated. ‘Natalia told me that the immortals who would bear the birthmarks, and possess abilities than none in our races have ever had, would go on to face even greater challenges together. She also said that they had a destiny to fulfill—one that none other than they could achieve.’

  They all stared at the sleeping figures in Lucas and Anna Soul’s arms. Olivia sensed a fundamental shift inside her soul as her entire world realigned itself around these two extraordinarily precious children. She felt the same change resonate inside Ethan and everyone else in that room.

  Our fate is linked with theirs. And not just ours.

  The fate of the entire world rests on their shoulders.

  THE END

  Thank You

  Thank you for reading LEGACY.

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  Acknowledgments

  To my cover designer Glendon Haddix. Thanks for the kickass cover!

  To my editors Liam Carnahan and Sara Litchfield. As always, you get me.

  To my assistant Kate Tilton. Thanks for doing such a great job with “Legacy” and for your ceaseless support.

  To the real Major Steve Reynolds. Thanks for agreeing to feature in the book. Sorry about the broken ribs. At least I didn’t shoot you.

  Facts and Fictions

  Now, for one of my favorite parts of writing my books. Here are the facts and fictions behind the story.

  San Andres Mountains Army Facility

  The San Andres Mountains army facility in New Mexico where Asgard Godard is held prisoner from 1959 to 1969 is pure fiction. I chose these mountains for their isolated position and based the fictional army base on the Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado, which is home to elements of NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) and other U.S. government agencies. The Cheyenne Mountain Complex was the site of the famous Stargate Command in the TV series Stargate.

  Progeria

  Progeria is factual. It is an extremely rare and progressive genetic condition that causes children to age rapidly and prematurely. It is caused by a mutation in the LMNA gene on chromosome 1, which results in the production of the wrong form of a structural protein called lamin A/C; this protein is responsible for holding the cell's nucleus together. Progeria is not an inheritable disease and remains incurable. Most of those affected die in their teens or twenties as a result of cardiac disease and stroke.

  The disease that Olivia Ashkarov believes she has, the opposite of Progeria, does not exist. There are a handful of people in the world with delayed ageing but no cause has been found for their condition. One hypothetical name suggested for the state of delayed ageing is Anageria.

  Interestingly, the secret to longevity may very well lie on chromosome 4. Researchers have found extra genes on this chromosome in families with a history of living 90 years and longer. This is why I gave Madeleine Black extra sections of chromosome 4 and it forms the underlying scientific explanation for why the offsprings of pureblood immortals and humans possess the gift of longevity.

  Sorrento Valley, San Diego

  Sorrento Valley in San Diego is near the top of the list of where the most innovative research in genetics and biotechnology is being carried out in the U.S. today. AuGenD, the company where Madeleine Black works, is fictitious. The work AuGenD is an anagram of "unaged" and mimics augendae, the latin word for "enhance". It signifies Jonah Krondike's ultimate goal of extending life and his work with the U.S. Army on an advanced human enhancement program aimed at soldiers.

  Super Soldiers

  The concepts of super soldiers and human enhancement are not new ones and have been immortalized in science fiction books, films, and computer games since the middle of the 20th century, with the best example of all being Marvel Comics' Captain America. Yet, many technological and scientific advancements of recent times originated in fiction. The most visually vivid example for me remains the tablet-like devices used in the Star Trek TV series in the 1970s and our current generation of mobile devices.

  Unsurprisingly, governments have been working on human enhancement for military purposes for quite some time, from the clandestine human experimentations that took place in the U.S., Germany, Japan, and Russia during World War II, to the 1950s Project MKUltra, the CIA's most publicized secret program aimed at controlling human behavior.

  In fiction, drugs, eugenics, genetic engineering, cybernetic implants, extreme training regimens, and brainwashing are the methods of choice for enhancing humans and producing super soldiers.

  In real science, human enhancement is already happening with advances in human genetic engineering, nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology, neural implants, cybernetics, and brain-computer interfaces coming together to overcome the current limitation of the human body.

  In Legacy, I used a combination of performance enhancing drugs, physical and mental training regimes, and bionanotechnology techniques that allowed the recombination of immortal DNA with human DNA for Jonah Krondike's work on a human enhancement program for the U.S. military.

  Fort Huachaca

  Fort
Huachaca does exist and is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command, among other divisions of the U.S. military.

  75th Ranger Regiment

  The 75th Ranger Regiment is an elite special ops force working under the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. As such, Rangers are among the best-trained men and women in the world. With a history going back more than two hundred years, Rangers have one of the most rigorous training programs of any military force and have a singularly high mission success rate on the battlefield.

  Yuma Proving Ground

  The Yuma Proving Ground does exist. It is one of the largest military installations in the world and covers an area of almost 1400 square miles, included its own protected air space. It serves as a developmental and desert environment testing facility for weapon systems and munitions for the U.S. military, as well providing a desert-like training environment for the U.S. Armed Forces and its NATO allies. The facility has been used extensively to test anything and everything from battle tanks to long-range artillery, from UAVs to attack helicopters, and from aerostats to NASA space capsule chute systems.

  The Yuma Proving Ground secret underground research facility in Legacy is fictional and is based on the Raven Rock Mountain Complex near Camp David.

  And that’s it for the science and technology lesson folks! Want to check out more Extras? Then visit my website at www.adstarrling.com

  About the Author

  AD Starrling’s bestselling supernatural thriller series Seventeen combines action, suspense, and a dose of fantasy to make each book an explosive, adrenaline-fueled ride. If you prefer your action hot and your heroes sexy and strong-willed, then check out her military thriller series Division Eight.