As the light of day faded, the small hut Kory called home darkened. He rose up from the hammock bed we’d been resting in. Luckily for me, he hadn’t pushed too much more than kissing. The way his eyes kept darting to me, questions forming but dying on his lips, I hoped the deepening frown on his lips meant he was truly concerned over my sister’s welfare. Not that he’d become suspicious of me somehow.
Kory lit several kerosene lamps with his back toward me. “The electricity here is spotty. Best to always have a few of these handy.”
“This island is gorgeous, but it’s pretty remote. Seems like hardly any electricity would make it harder for your operations.”
He turned around, bringing his lamp with him, the light bouncing crazy shadows off his face.
“We don’t need as much technology as you think. Once the serum was perfected, the actual process of administering it is pretty straightforward. Just need some beds and IVs. And a backup generator in case the power shorts out.”
“So how did you perfect the serum? You didn’t do it here, then?”
One brow shot up before he sat down next to me, laying a heavy hand across my stomach. “Why the question all of a sudden? You never wanted to know about this stuff before.”
“I don’t know. I guess being here makes it all so real. Since I’m about to take the plunge, I want to know more.” I prayed he’d buy my reasoning.
He stared at me for a minute, and then slowly grinned. “Don’t get me wrong, I like you wanting to know more about what I’ve created.” He dropped down to let his lips brush against mine.
I suppressed my gag reflex. You’ve created something you don’t know how to control, Kory, I wanted to shout at him.
“So tell me more about it,” I urged, trying to escape his lips.
“Well…” He leaned back a bit to my relief. “I didn’t do it alone. I had some help from amazing scientists. I have to be honest; they had a lot more to do with the actual developmental phase. I simply brought them the original bug DNA I’d gotten before.” I said nothing at his slip in terms, calling his precious Defenders bugs. It was the bug he and Blake had killed.
“I’d done one test before, and it… didn’t go as planned,” Kory continued.
Yeah, no kidding. Poor Jaxon.
“So, I recruited some experts to make sure that didn’t happen again. You get to meet them soon, at tonight’s party.”
The missing ancients and Kate? I sat up a little. “Oh good. When does the party start?”
“We could head down to the beach now, if you’re feeling up to it. Shouldn’t be too long until the food is ready.”
“Great. Let’s go,” I said, jumping to my feet, pushing past Kory, who laughed at my eagerness. “I’m starving.”
Before I could get too far, he wrapped his arms around me from behind. Kissing the back of my neck, he murmured, “I must say, Jocelyn, you’re like a different person here. I think the island brings out the best in you.”
I shrugged off the pang of guilt, knowing Kory believed me to be my sister. I forced a laugh. “Thanks, I think.” Grabbing his hand, I pulled him forward. “Come on, all that island food’s calling my name.”
He chuckled. “Since when has food called your name? Normally, I can hardly get you to eat anything.”
I swallowed hard, realizing how right he was. Jocelyn wouldn’t be clamoring to get to dinner. “Um… since I know I can stop dieting for good once I get that shot,” I said with a grin.
He stared at me, and then relented. “You’re right, there.”
He led us out of the hut, while my mind focused on one thing—find out how involved Kate and the ancients were in all this, and then get the heck out of here.
The island was anything but quiet tonight. Torches lit up several paths leading down to the beach, where bonfires were already lit and roaring with life. The evening tide provided the perfect backdrop to the festivities. Tongans were everywhere, mostly male, but I did spy a few women bustling around the food huts lining the beach. I recognized the outdoor cooking ovens Kory had pointed out earlier. The piles of rocks had been removed, leaves cast aside. Long sheets were spread out over the ground, piled high with not only cooked pigs, complete with snout and tail, but also an array of colorful, steaming food. As we passed, I recognized yams, coconuts, and some fish, but I had no idea what most of it was. I just knew it smelled delicious.
Kory pointed at the food. “That purple stuff is taro, tastes like a potato. That green, spinach-looking thing is called Lu Pulu. Its taro leaves with corn beef, onion, and coconut milk inside. I know it sounds strange, but trust me, it’s delicious.”
I nodded back at him. “Sounds great to me. When do we eat?”
He grinned. “Soon, I promise.”
Kalepe suddenly appearing right in front of us made me jump a bit. Amazing how quiet he can be for how huge he is.
“We are ready for you,” he announced, his grin dimpling his cheeks.
“Perfect,” Kory said. “Guess soon is now.”
-----------------
If I hadn’t been so distracted by the four ancients, I probably would have enjoyed my dinner a lot more. As it was, the food passed through my mouth hot, delicious, and severely underappreciated. Really, I was dying for Kory to introduce me to them. They stuck out, even with suntans, their creamy complexion a dead giveaway amongst the deep brown of the Tongan. Once everyone had found their seat on the long, spread-out ‘tables,’ I was disappointed to see the scientists were far down the long line, too far to strike up a conversation with them.
The other distraction was trying to find Kate among the feasting group. Even with the torchlights leaving deep shadows, I was fairly confident she just wasn’t here tonight. I wondered why. Maybe she wasn’t here at all; maybe she never had been. Kory had only mentioned scientists helping him. Maybe we were all wrong by thinking Kate had been involved in this in the first place.
After I’d eaten way too much, and my stomach truly refused to hold anymore, I leaned back a little.
Kory glanced over. “Told you that you would love it,” he said contentedly.
“It’s all amazing. I’ve never tasted food so good.”
Kory gestured to what was before us. “This is all in your honor, Jocelyn.”
“Mine. Why mine?”
“For what you did for the Defenders. This entire village wanted to thank you.”
“But it wasn’t me, really. It was my sister’s DNA that made the difference. She should be the one here, receiving the honors.”
Kory shook his head a bit. “I would have invited her if I could’ve, but it’s hard with… Samantha… and all.”
I bit my lip. “I know. I hardly see Sammy at all anymore. Makes me sad.”
“Oh, really? So you’ve forgiven her then?”
Crap. Guess Jocelyn confides in Kory more than I’d thought. “Yes. Well, if we are both going to be part of this strange new world, it seems silly to hold on to a grudge.”
Kory just stared at me. “Okay, who are you? And what did you do with my Jocelyn?” he asked, grinning.
I flushed, stammering to respond. He couldn’t possibly know, could he?
He pulled me into his arms. “Relax, I love the new you. I never thought you’d forgive Sammy, that’s all.”
I went to respond, but someone else had drawn near. “Kory, may I introduce myself to your lovely friend?” the man asked.
My pulse jumped with excitement. Finally! An Ancient! Now, which one are you? Average height and build, a hooked nose, and silver-streaked eyebrows greeted me. His most notable feature by far was the fact that his eyes were flecked with the same brilliant gold that made his wings shimmer in the moonlight.
“Of course, of course! Excuse my manners,” Kory said, jumping to his feet. He helped me to mine as well.
“Jocelyn, this is Alek, one of the brilliant scientists I told you about. He helped make this possible.”
Alek grinned and reached for my hand as I made the connection. Alek was with Galina, the woman who’d invited us in for tea and told us her husband would never willingly help Kory. Yet, here he was, pumping my hand with a grin on his face, not chained in some cellar.
“Pleasure to meet you, Alek,” I said. In a moment of compulsiveness, I added, “I think Sammy might have mentioned you in fact.”
Both Kory and Alek’s eyes widened. Kory’s was more a look of surprise, while Alek’s was one of horror. Oh boy, no turning back now.
“Yeah, I think it was you she mentioned. When she told me about the Outskirts. She said she went to see some of the ancients, I think she called them. I could have sworn she’d mentioned you and… Otto, I think it was.” I knew I was taking a huge risk, but there was no turning back now. Time to shake this bag and see what cat fall’s out.
I knew Sammy had left Tonbo’s theater and gone to the Outskirts before she’d come to see Jocelyn. Sure, I didn’t know what Sammy had told Jocelyn when they’d met that day, when Jocelyn had convinced Sammy to give her the DNA she wanted, but Kory didn’t know that. And neither did Alek. This can work, I reassured myself.
“Why yes, that’s correct,” Alek stammered, clearly trying to recover from his earlier shock. “Your sister did come to see me, like you said.” Alek’s words seemed strained, his expression pinched. “It wasn’t long after she’d left me, and the others, that Kory approached us with this opportunity,” Alek finished, giving Kory a glance.
By the way Kory gaped at him, I got the feeling he had no clue about Sammy’s visit with the ancients.
“Wonderful, well, I’m glad you decided to help,” I said, trying to smooth out the little bump I’d thrown at everyone. “From what I’ve seen, it looks like the Defenders are doing great. Hard to believe they are any different from you and me.” I gestured to Kalepe, who smiled back at me. “I mean, except those Defenders I saw today in the cage, that is, they all just look normal to me.” I let my words tumble out, hoping it came across like friendly babble.
Kory frowned. “Sorry you saw that.”
Alek nodded, sadness entering his eyes. “The DNA from those early super soldiers Alois developed was pretty volatile.”
“So what was it about my sister’s blood that made such a difference?” I asked, angered that Alek made it out like this was all Tonbo’s fault. “I mean, why does it make the Defenders not look like what was in those cages?” I asked, sensing Kory’s eyes on me.
Alek opened his mouth but another man, who had sun-kissed wrinkles and a long, white beard, answered for him.
“Your sister’s DNA is quite unique,” he said through his thick beard.
I glanced over to see who had joined us. No doubt another Ancient.
“Jocelyn, this is Otto, another one of the masterminds behind it all,” Kory stated.
“Nice to meet you, Otto,” I said, remembering it was in his office we’d found the blueprints for Jaxon. Wanting to stay on topic, I asked, “You said it’s unique, how so?”
Otto cast a quick glance at Kory, who gave a curt nod of approval. “Well, let’s put it this way, Sammy or Samantha, whichever you prefer to call her, would have made one hell of a bartender. She knew how to mix the elixirs, if you will. It’s as if she handpicked the specific genomes she wanted replicated from a variety of species and stuck them all in her. She was ahead of her time in so many ways.”
Another vague answer. I wanted details. “So it’s not enough that she has wings, doesn’t age, and can turn invisible? What kind of genes are we talking here?” I figured it was okay if I sounded ticked. Knowing my sister, she would be.
Kory shifted his weight as Otto answered, “From what we extracted from her sample, she has not only dragonfly but also sperm whale and the mimic octopus, of all things.”
This was not news to me, but I had to act as shocked as Jocelyn. “What? Why those?”
Kory shrugged. “We have no idea. Sammy never mentioned it to you?”
“No. Like I said, she kept a lot from me when it came to her damsel life,” I let contempt riddle my words. Kory must have bought it because he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “So is that what helps with the Defenders? Whale and octopus DNA?” I asked, wanting to glean more from Otto.
Otto shook his head. “Honestly, we aren’t exactly sure. There a few other strains we are still trying to determine.”
“One of which appears to be bee DNA,” Alek chimed in, his silver eyebrows rising.
“Bees?” I repeated, this time with genuine surprise. Both Otto and Alek nodded back at me. “So, what, Sammy can make honey now?” I asked, purposely playing dumb. Kory gave me a patronizing smile as two more men approached.
After quick introductions, I met the other two missing ancients. Ulrich and Rupert. Both were aged, with smiles as bright as their wings. I just couldn’t fathom why these four ancients would join Kory’s cause on their own volition. It made no sense. They purposely shunned the rest of the world, living in the Outskirts. Why would they now be part of creating an army to so-called govern the new world Kory envisioned?
Kory turned to Ulrich and Rupert and asked, “So Jocelyn was just saying how Sammy had visited with Otto and Alek before giving Jocelyn her blood sample. Did she come see you two as well?”
I didn’t miss the way Otto’s eyes widened. Pretty obvious these guys didn’t want Kory to know Sammy had seen them.
Ulrich and Rupert glanced at each other before Ulrich answered, “No, but I wish I could have had the opportunity to meet Sammy. I wouldn’t mind talking to her about her findings.”
Rupert quickly nodded in agreement. “We could only have been so lucky. What an honor that would have been.”
Kory harrumphed and muttered something under his breath. Apparently, he did not like being the last to know—on anything.
“Sammy had come to see me, but I’m afraid the topic of the Defenders had not been brought to my knowledge at that point. Kory,” Otto said, looking at him directly. “You came to me not long after her visit. If I’d known what I’d be involved with, I would have had a lot more questions for her.”
“So what did you talk about?” Kory asked, his jaw hard.
Now I was wishing I could take my earlier statement back. I had no doubt now the ancients didn’t want Kory to know about Sammy’s visit at all. It made me wonder just how loyal they really were to Kory’s cause. Maybe them playing along with it was just an act.
“Sammy wanted to know if there was anything we,” he glanced at Alek, who nodded back at him, “could do to help her and Samantha be one again. She said she’d hoped transforming into a damsel would have been enough, but it wasn’t. She came to us when she was in control.”
Alek caught my gaze and firmly said, “She was looking for a cure.”