They exchanged glances, not knowing whether to help him or not. Suddenly, Ash activated the hologram that showed the results of the Wizard’s blood and DNA test.
They all stared in fascination as the blue lines streaked within the red whorls of the Wizard’s DNA matrix. His and Zorica’s genes were not an exact match.
“But there is a thirty percent correlation between them,” Ash reported.
“What does that mean? Is he...are we related?” Zorica’s face twisted in revulsion.
Ash frowned. “Not so much related as...he has somehow incorporated your genetics in his; it is genetic chimerism,” she said slowly as if she was just figuring it out herself.
“Why would he do that?” Zorica asked.
Ash pointed to the next holograph where blood cells and the amoeba-like virus were doing battle.
“He’s the source, I think. The source of the contagion. His viral load is abnormally high, and compared to our patient, his is higher even than the patient must have had at the point of death. It is only your DNA that’s keeping him breathing.”
Everyone stared at the wizard.
“But why does he look like me?” Zorica protested.
The wizard smiled, looking smug. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“He probably has the ability to mutate and take on the form most likely to survive under any circumstances,” Matthias spoke up, watching the wizard thoughtfully. “It’s a defense mechanism.”
The wizard glared at him and his skin seemed to shimmer as if surrounded by a haze of mist. He solidified again, teeth bared. “You know nothing about me hybrid,” he growled.
“By his reaction, I would say you’re right,” Jaime said.
“Well, make him stop.” Zorica was still staring at the wizard with revulsion.
“Can he infect us?” Jordan asked.
“If he is the source, it means he infected everyone,” Ash said.
Everyone took a step away from the bed.
“Infection is a very deliberate thing,” Cain spoke up again, startling everyone in the room with his presence again. “You are safe, for now.”
Zorica turned to face him. “You said you were here to serve, tell us what you know,” she demanded.
“It would be no use to tell you. It would just scare you; for nothing. Just know that the wizard is an important piece, but he is not the whole board by far.”
“Tell us what the whole board is,” Jaime said, and Cain laughed.
“I am just a poor wandering stranger. I am not privy to board meetings,” he said, self-deprecatingly. Eshugurin snorted.
“Then leave,” Zorica said. “Or I will banish you.”
Cain looked sincerely hurt. “But I helped you,” he protested.
“You did. And that is why I offer you this option.”
Cain huffed. “Fine. I’ll tell you what I know if you let me stay.”
Zorica exchanged glances with Jaime. “Tell us what you know and then we’ll decide. It might be of no use.”
“Of no use! My information is always good,” Cain said.
“Tell it to us then and you will have nothing to fear,” Jaime said.
Cain looked at Jordan. “I want the truth-teller to tell me so,” he said.
Jordan exchanged a glance with Jaime, and Jaime nodded. “Tell us the truth about what’s really going on with Eshugurin the Wizard and what the grand plan is, and you may stay,” Jordan said.
Cain dropped his shoulders as if in defeat and looked around for a surface to lean on. “Okay then, my friend here, the wizard, is but a cog in the wheel of a much bigger plan,” he began.
“And you know this how?” Jaime asked.
“I know this because before they approached Eshugurin, they came to me.”
“They who?” Jordan asked.
“Are you going to let me tell the story in my own words or will you continuously interrupt?” he asked.
“Sorry, continue,” Jaime said with a wave of his hand.
Cain told them a story of five hooded beings that came to him in his dreams. Old gods, they called themselves, although Cain was skeptical of that. They meant to change the galaxy.
“Restore it to its former glory, they said,” Cain told them. Jaime snorted at that.
The first pillar of their plan was to eliminate the weak.
“And how will you determine who is weak, I asked,” Cain said, looking virtuously around at them all.
“And they told you they would infect everyone with a virus,” Jordan finished for him.
“No, that was not the original plan. The virus was an accident.”
The room erupted with sound and Cain growled, looking annoyed. “Do you want me to finish the story or not?”
“Our apologies, do continue,” Epone said.
“Cain,” a low rumbling warning voice came from inside the capsule, and they all turned to Eshugurin.
“You have something to add, wizard?” Jaime asked.
Eshugurin lifted his head and gave Cain a look, then he shook his head. “No, nothing. And neither should you, Cain.”
Cain shrugged. “They are just itty bitty sentient life forms; what does it matter what they know?”
“Weren’t you human before you fell?” Epone snarled.
“Exactly, and my knowledge of this has helped nothing,” Cain replied.
“Can we get back to the story?” Jordan said, looking weary.
“Okay well, as I was saying, the virus was an accident. The real goal was to homogenize the sentient life forms occupying the known universe into an augmented, obedient, army.”
Cain was to lead this army while Eshugurin, who was known for his love of experimentation, was to develop the augs that would be spread via airborne vectors.
“Instead, he developed Fiery Malaria,” Jaime finished for him.
“Well...actually, the first trials went well. The Stits were eager to volunteer, seeing as they were persona non-grata in the Federation. They were quite eager to help bring them down. The results were...promising.” Cain paused, his face thoughtful.
“Then what happened?” Ash asked.
“What happened was the blink. Eshugurin got it in his mind to infect it and then set it off.”
“Wait, but...it was the Martians who stole the blink.”
Cain smiled condescendingly. “Do you know how a secret mission works? Of course, if the Stits stole the blink, it would lead the Federation right to them. So the idea might have been planted in fertile ears that a blink was an advantage the Martians could not pass up, especially since one was in transit from Alpha Centauri, simply asking to be plucked out of the sky.”
Jordan nodded. “Clever, clever,” he said. “So you got someone in there to infect the blink.”
“Indeed, they did. The potential of having one of those could change the pace and trajectory of their plan significantly. They reckoned without you people,” he lifted his hands to make air quotes, “the Misfits.”
Jaime grinned. “We aim to serve,” he said.
“Well, anyway, something about the blink turned a perfectly harmless aug-”
“Harmless as in it fries your brain and changes your body…” Jordan shrugged.
Cain glared. “You want me to finish or not?”
Jordan gestured for him to continue.
“Well anyway, the blink somehow mutated the aug and turned it deadly to anyone who came into contact with it. I think it could be because of the same gene that turns them into blinks in the first place - the whole concept is not well understood - and then we had a contagion. Of course, the Federation tried to contain it but, ” Cain said, “...the blowback affected all who were already upgraded, and they began to die too.”
“And then you needed Zorica,” Jaime said.
Cain turned to Eshugurin. “He suspected that the duality of her blood just might be the key to saving us all.”
“Was it?” Zorica aske
d, staring at Cain accusingly as if he was the one who came up with the concept.
“I don’t know. I was not privy to much once I turned down the job offered.”
Zorica turned to Eshugurin, gesturing at his blood work. “Clearly, my blood helped you. But did it stop the contagion?”
Eshugurin studied the hologram of his blood work, gesturing with his chained hands. “You see how they fight, continuously, endlessly? Unless my body can begin to synthesize the antibody itself and not rely on your blood, one day, the borrowed cure will be overwhelmed. I am here because I can help you to synthesize a cure. For the world,” he said.
Zorica barked a laugh. “You’re going to sit there and pretend you care about a virus you created?”
“Only accidentally. I did not mean to kill anyone. That is not my job.”
“No. Your job is to make a puppet army. You think I will help you with that?”
Eshugurin shook his head. “What choice do you have? Will you watch the world die instead?”
Chapter Thirty-Two: A Devil’s Bargain
Ash pulled Jaime aside and whispered in his ear, “What he is saying could be true. The nature of the virus could theoretically act as an aug if we take away all the malignant elements. The increase in size, the tail, the teeth, the cerebral deterioration? If the aim was to make a strong puppet army, they had the right idea.”
“So, what? Do we clap for them? We give them a medal?”
“All I'm saying is, he’s not lying to us.”
Jaime gave her a look. “You want to help him find the cure, don't you?”
Ash shrugged. “I am a scientist and a healer. I cannot help my interest. Of course, I will defer to you on the matter. You are our team leader.”
“Thank you for the vote of confidence,” Jaime replied, dryly.
“You earned it,” Ash said, her voice low and intimate.
“Would you two stop flirting and get back here? We’re trying to make decisions,” Jordan called, making Jaime blush.
He and Ash joined the others in a huddle by the door.
“Thoughts?” Jordan asked.
“I want my face back,” Zorica said, and Epone giggled.
“Noted,” Jordan replied. “And?” he looked around at the rest.
“Aside from whatever agenda Eshugurin has, do we not have a responsibility to the Federation to find a cure?” Jaime said to universal groans and derision from the others.
“We are fugitives from the Federation, Jaime, did you forget?” AX asked.
Jaime shook his head. “It’s not about the higher-ups, people. It’s about the sick, and the dying. Are we to just turn our backs on them?”
Epone gave a long-suffering sigh. “You and your savior complex,” she moaned.
“This isn’t about a savior complex; it’s about doing the right thing.”
“We cannot let him loose. He is not to be trusted,” Ash said.
“Obviously,” Zorica agreed with a roll of her eyes.
“What is the consensus? Do we synthesize a cure?”
“On one condition,” Zorica said. “He loses the face!”
Jaime turned to AX. “Dr. Teke, I will need you to monitor everything. If you even smell subterfuge, this whole experiment is over.”
AX nodded, eyes switching from blue to brown. “I will do so,” he said.
∞
The Federation vessel drew silently beside the Misfit ship - Elysium - floating alongside it so as to nest abeam using steel hooks to tie the Elysium to the Federation vessel, Challenger.
“This is the Challenger, hailing the captain of the Elysium, over.”
The announcement crackled through all the speakers on board and Jaime looked up from their huddle with a frown.
“The Challenger? Whose ship is that?”
“Better find out,” Jordan said, and Jaime hurriedly left the room and made his way to the control center, followed by half his team, the other staying to guard Eshugurin and Cain.
“This is Captain Jaime Pravin Hall of the Elysium, Squad M15-F175, attached to Platoon Z-58 of the Galactic Federation’s 18th Expeditionary Fleet. Identify yourself.”
“Captain Pravin, the Federation requests your presence at headquarters forthwith. We are here to deliver you to headquarters.”
“Who is ‘we’ exactly?” Jaime asked with a sinking feeling.
“Federation Police, Retrieval Unit, Captain Abner Lewis, at your service.”
Jaime nodded slowly, understanding that they were not being presented with a choice.
“Lead the way, captain,” he said and turned to face his team, eyes filled with defeat.
“We have to go with them or they will destroy us,” he said to Jordan and Zorica.
“Yes, we know. They will not board us if we cooperate however, so we have some time to plan,” Jordan said.
“First, let me set course and then we notify the rest of the change.”
“Even the prisoners?” Zorica asked.
“No,” Jaime said, shaking his head. “Let them remain ignorant. We have no idea what we are heading into and, for all you know, they have allies within the Federation. We will proceed with all caution.”
∞
“How many heat signatures on board?” General Klaus asked Captain Abner.
“Eight,” he replied.
The general frowned. “They have an extra person on board…” he speculated.
Captain Abner shook his head. “Not just one. There is one dormant implant chip on board, and six active. Two heat signatures have no implants.”
“So, non-Federation personnel?”
“Exactly.”
“Prisoners, do you think? Or stowaways?”
“The company is definitely aware of their presence as they have been in the same room for some time.
General Klaus grunted. “Hack the cameras. Find out who these prisoners are.”
“Yes, sir,” Captain Abner said and got to work.
∞
“Someone is attempting a breach of our system,” AX announced to the room at large, eyes flickering between blue and brown for Dr. Teke was still keeping track of the medical proceedings taking place.
“Can you tell who it is?” Jaime asked.
“I can trace it back. They are not making any attempt to mask their location,” he said, and his face lit up as circuits did their job, transferring information from neuron to neuron.
“It’s the Challenger; they are trying to spy on us.”
Jaime went to the control panel and pressed the key that opened communication between channels.
“The Elysium hailing the Challenger, come in.”
“Challenger responding. What can we do for you, Captain Pravin?”
“For one, you can tell me why you are attempting to hack my systems.”
There was a clearly surprised silence on the other side.
“Challenger come in,” Jaime repeated.
“We were ascertaining the number of people on board your ship, captain, as our heat sensors note two more than there should be.”
Jaime looked around at his crew, face falling. He closed his eyes, sighing in resignation. “We have two prisoners,” he said.
“Of what species?” Captain Abner asked.
“A Breksonite and a demon,” he reported.
“Copy that,” Captain Abner said and signed off.
Jaime turned around. “Well, the jig is up,” he said. “Once we arrive at HQ, they will commandeer the prisoners and maybe take Zorica in as well if the wizard reveals to them what we have learned.”
“We can’t run,” Zorica said.
“No, we can’t. But we can plan for various contingencies.” Jaime replied.
∞
“What would they want with a Breksonite and a demon?” General Klaus wondered out loud.
“They have specialists in infernal magic aboard, do they not?”
General
Klaus shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now, we shall find out soon enough.”
He turned around in his chair to see Cain sitting across from him. He flinched in startlement but quickly got himself in hand.
“Hello there, general,” Cain said.
“So you’re the demon they are harboring?”
“Indeed I am. And Houston, we have a problem.”
The general frowned, not understanding the reference. “Who is the Breksonite?”
“Eshugurin,” Cain said.
General Klaus’ frown got deeper. “And how much do they know?”
“Nothing terribly useful.”
“We might not have the same definition of ‘terribly useful’, Cain.”
The Father of Murder laughed. “Indeed not. Still, never mind. You have them in custody and I am sure that you plan some terrible accident just as we breach GF airspace?”
“On the contrary, I plan to land them safely at headquarters and take charge of their prisoners myself.”
Cain laughed. “Oh, is that so? Well, then I’d better get back. Wouldn’t want to be missed.”
“You do that,” General Klaus said turning away.
∞
‘How much do they know?’
‘Nothing terribly useful.’
Jaime stumbled as the words flashed across his mind. He’d heard General Klaus’ voice enough times in his visions to recognize it. The other voice also sounded familiar. For sure, it was somebody he knew. What did it mean?
“Are you alright, captain?” Jordan asked, reaching out to help him.
Jaime nodded and forced a smile on his face. “We shall be landing soon. Alert all personnel to be in full dress regalia. Take the prisoners back to the hold.”
Jordan nodded curtly. “Yes captain,” he said and gave the two-finger salute before marching smartly away.
Jaime watched him go with a bemused smile, shook his head and continued on to his office. He had a recording to make.
∞
They landed in the aeroport behind the Federation Headquarters, right after the Challenger. Jaime was not at all surprised to see the general emerge from the other ship as he and his teammates disembarked, prisoners bound hand and foot, with black cloth bags over their heads for added security. He marched up to Jaime, looking him in the eye.
Mage Marine Misfits: Book 01 Page 26
