| |
Helmsby checked the monitors on the incubation chamber. Then he turned on the flow pump that filtered the nutrient base fluids surrounding Lucian. He loved challenges, but never one that involved life and death situations with friends or family. Remorse struck him. He recalled Margaret’s failed battle with cancer and his inability to find a way to treat her. And even though Yvonne played a key role in helping his heart heal, he was still unable to accept his loss and failure.
Footsteps clattered through the hall. The echo indicated more than one person, and they were headed his direction. When they stopped at the doorway, Helmsby turned around. His eyes widened with surprise. He rubbed his tired eyes, looked again, but he had seen correctly the first time.
“Lucas?” he asked.
Lucas nodded.
“Why are you here?”
Joe stepped into the room.
Lucas said, “You remember Joe?”
“Ah, yes, we met briefly at Grayson Enterprises. How did you find me and why are you here?”
“Show him, Joe,” Lucas said.
Joe walked over and placed the wrapped skull onto a lab table. He smiled at Helmsby’s interest.
Joe picked up the skull, unwrapped it, and set it down. The white bone gleamed under the fluorescent lighting.
Helmsby gasped. “I’ll be damned. Where’d you get this?”
“An archeological dig near our ranch.”
Helmsby leaned close to the skull and marveled. “What do you plan to do with this?”
“It’s yours,” Joe said.
“Mine? Don’t tease.”
Joe nodded. “I’m not. I insist that you have it.”
“As much as I greatly appreciate such a gift, this is worth a fortune.”
“I imagine so.”
“Then why give it away?”
“It is what my ancestors insisted I do.”
Helmsby gave Joe a brief inquisitive glance.
Joe continued, “There is a reason for me to have found it. A young woman was killed by men trying to steal this. They even tried to kill me. When I consulted my ancestors, the vision I received showed you holding this. There is no questioning what I was shown. This is yours. They want you to have it. Perhaps you’ll uncover the mysteries surrounding it.”
“I’m speechless, Joe, and for me, that’s a rarity. Thank you.”
Joe smiled and nodded. “You’re welcome.”
Helmsby held the skull and grinned. The moment was exactly the image Joe had seen in his vision.
“You know, I’ve been kicking myself for leaving Grayson Enterprises and now, with this, I never have to hold that regret again.”
“Grayson is not a good man,” Joe said.
“I know.”
“Perhaps this is why you were to receive this. For your good moral standing.”
Helmsby looked across the room. Lucas stood at the incubation chamber and looked at his clone.
“What happened to him?” Lucas asked.
“His short life has run its course,” Helmsby said. “That is, unless I can find something to extend it longer.”
Lucas studied his mirrored self. It was remarkably eerie to see what was essentially himself glassed inside a life support system.
“Anything I can do to help?” Lucas asked.
Helmsby straightened. “That was the last thing I expected you to ask.”
“Why?”
“It’s no secret how outraged you’ve been having a clone.”
Lucas sighed. “I know, but with all the losses I’ve had in life, especially recently, there’s no sense allowing his life to fade if there’s anything I can do.”
“Brockton should arrive in a few hours with something that might help, but it’s no guarantee. One thing you might do though.”
“What’s that?”
Helmsby shrugged. “Part with some of your blood so I can harvest stem cells and transplant them into Lucian’s system.”
“That will work?”
“It gives me an alternative if the other doesn’t.”
“Sure, I’ll do it. How much you need?”
“Half a pint at the most.”
“Sure.”
Helmsby smiled. “There’s something you need to know. And it might forever change your view of Lucian.”
“What’s that?” Lucas asked.
“He didn’t kill Senator Godfrey or those other men. It was staged.”
“Seriously?”
Helmsby nodded. “Godfrey was here earlier. Now, let’s steal some of your blood.”
***
A few hours after Lucas donated the blood and he and Joe left, Brockton arrived. He carried an ice cooler and knocked on the side of Helmsby’s open lab door.
“Yes?” Helmsby said.
“I brought the cell cultures,” Brockton said.
Helmsby straightened his glasses and met Brockton at the door. Helmsby extended his hand. “Good that you’ve finally arrived.”
Brockton firmly shook Helmsby’s hand. “Thanks.”
“Come on in and make yourself at home.”
“Where is Lucian?” Brockton asked.
“In there,” Helmsby said, pointing.
Brockton shook his head. “Damn. I hate to see him in such a condition.”
“Me, too. How long has he been showing symptoms?”
“A few months, but it had gotten worse during the past week. I tried to get him to tell Kat how serious his health issues were.”
“So the enhancers stopped working?” Helmsby asked.
“Yes, for a while now.”
“I had assumed such. He’s made it longer than I originally believed.”
Brockton nodded. “I know.”
“Where’s Kyle?”
“Stayed at home. Refused to come.”
“Really? Who is staying with him?”
“No one,” Brockton said.
“So his progress has advanced that much?”
“Other than his disfigurements, he copes well and could venture out in public if he wanted.”
Helmsby placed his hands on the cooler lid. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all. Take a look.”
Helmsby opened the cooler and took out a petri dish. He chuckled and shook his head. “I told Kat that you were too good a scientist to incinerate all these tissue cultures. She didn’t believe me.”
“She told me.”
Helmsby took the dish to one of the electron microscopes and set it on the stage. He adjusted the ocular and peered through the eyepiece.
“Damn, Matthews is a genius, but in a more frightening manner than we are,” Helmsby said with a wide grin.
“Insanity sometimes runs parallel with genius.”
“Often they are paired.”
Both scientists laughed.
Helmsby stepped away from the microscope and motioned Brockton to look.
“What do you think?” Helmsby asked.
“If we do what I believe you’re suggesting, we’re crossing a bridge that leads to Matthews and Idris’ demented playground.”
“As long as it’s a short stay.”
Brockton nodded. “Agreed.”
“If this doesn’t work, Lucas donated blood we can use for stem cells.”
“Seriously? Lucas did that?”
Helmsby nodded. “So we do have a choice. Should we attempt the stem cells from Lucas’ blood first, which may only last for a few days or weeks? Or use Matthews’ wicked stem cells that continually replenish themselves?”
“I know it sounds unethical, but I believe we should use Matthews’. Because, as you suggest, Lucas’ cells might not last long and it would be too dangerous to subject Lucian to the chamber a second time so soon.”
“I agree. I know it’s late, but are you ready to get started?”
Brockton smiled. “Of course.”
Two days later
Kat stared through the glass at Lucian. She had barely slept a few hours for all her worrying. Her heart ached. She wanted to hold him.
Lucian floated in the chamber. His limp body looked lifeless. Had it not been for the various monitors providing data about his health status, she would have thought he had died. The greenish liquid made it impossible to see if his complexion had returned to normal.
“Good morning, Kat,” Helmsby said, stepping beside her.
Brockton joined them.
“How much longer will you have to work before the serum is complete?” she asked.
“Oh, we’re ready,” Helmsby said. “We plan to test it now.”
“Really? Today?”
“Yes.”
Kat smiled. “How long before we see any positive results?”
“Under typical situations, Kat, stem cells can take several months to work.”
Kat’s smile faded. “That long?”
“Emphasis is on typical,” Helmsby said. “With Matthews’ research cells, they aren’t typical. In fact, their growth progress has been too quick for me to believe had we not charted their growth progress over the past two days. Between their rapid growth and Lucian’s remarkable metabolism, who knows how long this will take?”
“But do note,” Brockton said. “That there may be side effects. It may not work at all. There is always that chance, too.”
Kat said, “I understand.”
“Is this a chance you’re willing to take?” Helmsby asked.
Kat looked at Lucian. Tears wet her eyes. She took a deep breath. “My choices are limited, aren’t they?”
“Yes, they are,” Brockton said.
Kat wiped her eyes. “What do you think, Brockton? Is this worth the risk?”
“If I was in Lucian’s place, I’d beg that someone try this on me.”
“Then do it.”
Helmsby took the syringe and walked up the steps to the I.V. He inserted the needle and pushed all the stem cell serum inside the bag.
“All we can do is wait now,” Helmsby said.
***
Several hours passed. Kat never took her eyes off Lucian. She wanted to be the first person he saw when he awakened. She wanted him to know she had never abandoned hope, even though many times she thought hope had escaped her mental grasp.
But after more hours went by, nothing seemed to have changed.
Lucian remained still. The life monitoring machines indicated nothing new.
She watched Lucian and caught a reflection of herself in the glass, which startled her. Her hair was unkempt. Dark circles weighed beneath her haunted eyes. She barely recognized herself.
Where had she allowed her independence to retreat? Before Lucian, she had savored the strength of being her own person and not relying on another for anything; that is, not until love had knocked her feet out from under her and sent her into a romantic cartwheel where her path no longer remained singular. But looking back, she wouldn’t trade the companionship with Lucian for what she had back then. She had found new strength and the joy in sharing life with someone else that held similar interests. That bond had not weakened her. Instead, it had actually made her stronger.
Fear of losing the one true love in her life made her more vulnerable than anything else life had ever dealt her. Should Lucian die, she faced a new path that she didn’t want to explore.
“You have to wake up, Lucian,” she whispered. “Please.”
Helmsby stepped into the laboratory and saw her standing at the incubation chamber, so he made his way to her.
“Kat,” he said. “You should go rent a hotel room and get some sleep. This kind of process . . . well, let’s just say, it takes a lot of time. Days, weeks, who knows?”
Kat closed her eyes and shook her head. “I want to be here when he wakes up.”
“I understand. But stems cells, even these uniquely specialized ones, take some time to attach and take root. Once that process initiates, his recovery, provided this works, will be rapid.”
“I hope so.”
Helmsby offered a reassuring smile. “I have some things to work on in my office with Brockton. You really need to get some rest. Your anxiety will only weaken your immune system. Don’t you want to be at your best when Lucian wakes up?”
Kat nodded. “I do. Give me a few more minutes alone with him, and I promise, I’ll go get a room, shower, and get some sleep.”
“Sure. I’m in the next room if you need anything.”
Helmsby walked away.
Kat watched until Helmsby was gone, and then she stepped closer to the glass. She pressed her hands and forehead against the glass. She tried to see his eyes, but his body stooped forward in a position where he faced downward.
“I need you, love,” she said. “Paul and Paula need you, too. They need both of us.”
Tears heated her eyes.
Lucian stiffened and his body jerked. Bubbles pushed out from around his mouthpiece. His eyes opened. He stared straight at Kat.
“He’s awake!” Kat shouted. “Dr. Helmsby! Brockton, come quick! Lucian’s awake!”
Brockton and Helmsby rushed from their side room office and hurried up the stairs to the incubation chamber. Helmsby pulled open the chamber door. Gallons of the solution sloshed out and trickled down the steps.
“Hurry,” Helmsby said. “We have to pull him out of the tank so he doesn’t drown.”
Brockton stepped down into the chamber and lifted Lucian high enough to get his nose above the solution. Helmsby grabbed Lucian’s right arm and pulled him to the edge of the stairs. Brockton and Helmsby carefully pulled out the plastic tubing and unhooked the I.V. needle.
Lucian gasped and choked for air. Helmsby placed his arms around Lucian’s chest and tugged him up while Brockton pushed from behind. Solution dripped off his wet body. His breathing stabilized.
He looked down at Kat and smiled.
Her body shook. Tears flowed. She hurried up the stairs and wrapped her arms around him.
“How do you feel?” Helmsby asked.
Lucian took a deep breath. “Awake, and a lot better.”
Kat loosened her hold and pulled back. She looked into his eyes and frowned.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Your eyes look different.”
“How?” he asked.
“They’re not the same color.”
Helmsby looked at them, too. “Hmm. There’s a black ring around your irises.”
“Really?”
Kat nodded. “Yes, that’s the difference. What does it mean?”
Helmsby shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Carpenter stepped into the laboratory. “Well, good to see you’re out, Lucian.”
“Thanks.”
“Helmsby, is he going to be okay?” Carpenter asked.
“Right now, his prognosis looks good. We’ll do a few tests, but I think he’ll make a full recovery.”
Kat took Lucian by the hand and led him down the steps. She looked at Carpenter. “How did everything turn out in Salem?”
“I was asked by Mitch to give you this note.”
Kat took the note and read it. She laughed. “He’s staying in Salem for a while to be with Sheba?”
“Appears that way.”
Kat read on. “He says that although he hasn’t see any spirits in the haunted areas, he does sense their presences and wants to conduct further investigations.”
“I think he’s attracted to her, too,” Carpenter said with a broad grin.
“I don’t doubt that,” Kat said. “What about Cassandra and her daughter?”
Carpenter smiled. “We’ve decided to take them into Witness Protection after their testimonies against Dr. Shelby are made in court. She is adopting Seth, too. Since they don’t have any other relatives, the change won’t alter their lives that much.”
“That’s good.”
“Tom vanished in the underground tunnels after he led us to Cassandra and Alicia. Those strange cats did, too.”
“Odd,” Kat said. “So when will they have to testify against Dr. Shelby?”
“Shelby goes before a federal judge today to have the hearing set.”
Brockton brought a bathrobe for Lucian after Kat helped towel him off.
Carpenter smiled. “So how soon before we go get those twins?”
“As soon as Helmsby lets us leave,” Lucian said.
Helmsby chuckled. “A half hour is all I need. That is, as long as you promise to come back in a few days for me to finish my research on your results.”
Lucian nodded. “No problem.”
Kat hugged Lucian and smiled. “I can’t wait until we get Paul and Paula. We’ll spoil them rotten.”
***
Dr. Shelby and his attorney sat down in the courtroom, waiting for the judge to appear.
Several benches were filled with eager onlookers and a few others were also awaiting their arraignments. Reporters sat inside and dozens more waited outside the courthouse for a chance to interview people.
Shelby’s attorney leaned close to his ear and whispered, “The best thing you can do is plead guilty.”
“Guilty?” Shelby asked with a stunned expression. “Why the hell should I do that?”
“You’ve done what you could at New Horizons, but I no longer have any need for you.”
“No more projects?”
“None.”
“But you’re Alpha’s brother. He’d expect you to carry on.”
“I’m finished. Done.”
“But you’re—”
His attorney smiled. “I know. I’m Omega.”
“You have to keep working.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Then I’ll let the world know who you are.”
Omega slipped his hand into his leather satchel. A few seconds later, he jabbed a syringe into Shelby’s thigh. He pressed the stopper and shot the potassium chloride into Shelby’s bloodstream. He dropped the syringe into the side of his satchel.
Within seconds, Shelby clutched his chest. His face flushed red.
“My client’s having a heart attack,” Omega said, helping Shelby lay down on the floor. “A doctor? Anyone here a doctor?”
People gathered around, but before any specialized help arrived, Dr. Shelby was dead.
***
Lydia walked the forest path where she had shot at Lucas days before. Any remorse she had felt for leaving was gone. She crossed the cascading creek with a long roll of rope slung over her shoulder. She realized why she had told Lucas they needed to live here. Whatever had beckoned her lived here, deep beneath the forest floor.
She found the spot where the creek disappeared beneath the ground. Unlooping the long rope, she tied one end to a massive pine tree trunk. Then she dropped the rest of the rope down into the hole. Placing thick leather gloves on her hands, she descended the rope as fast as possible. When her feet touched the ground, she turned on a huge flashlight.
The light met dozens of glowing wolf-like eyes. They all gathered around her, sniffing and growling. The leader stepped before her. A tall, grayish wolf-like man. He studied her for a few moments and bared his teeth.
With lightning speed she struck his jaw and knocked him backwards. He rolled and came sprinting at her on all fours. She kicked and planted the toe of her boot beneath his chin. He reeled backwards and landed on his back.
The rest of the pack eased closer with narrowed eyes and snarls on their faces.
The leader rubbed his jaw and shook his head. “Who are you and what the hell do you want?”
“I’m Lydia. I’d like to join your pack.”
He stood slowly, still rubbing his jaw. Blood leaked from his lips and he smiled.
“How did you know where to find us?” he asked.
“For months I’ve felt your presence. I had this inner tugging that kept calling me to come in this direction.”
Extending his hand, he said, “I’m Tobias. Why do you wish to join us? You’re human. We’re escaped lab experiments from New Horizons.”
“Then we both have something in common. I was created in a lab, too.”
“Then, my lady, you most certainly may stay.”
Lydia smiled. For once in her life, she believed she might have found the place she could call home.
––––––––
THE END
Deimos Web: Target Earth (Book 5 in the Darkness Series)