The Earthborn (Mythos of Cimme Book 3)

by CJ Flynn

  I nodded. “That's my hypothesis.”

  “I'll let you get back to it, then,” he said, looking around the lab with a mildly bewildered look on his face.

  “What is it?” I asked, smiling.

  “I never envisioned you in a place like this. Truly. In this career path. I always saw you as a healer.”

  I shook my head. “I'm not a healer. That was Harding.”

  “Maybe so. Maybe not.”

  Chapter 32

  I was interrupted from my work by another knock on the lab door. I turned away from the workstation and ran my fingers through my hair, knowing that it was probably past time for a bit of a break. I crossed the room and opened the door.

  Olivia and Sloane Warne stood there, looking a little shell-shocked.

  “Olivia? Sloane? What are you doing here?”

  “We're returning something to you,” Olivia replied. “Is it safe to talk in there?”

  I nodded. “We have control over everything. For now. Come in.”

  Olivia went first, and Sloane followed after her, more slowly. “I can't believe what's happened, Allie,” Sloane said. “When you first explained, I was pretty sure you'd gone off your rocker, but this is incredible.”

  I locked the door behind them and smiled. It was a relief to know someone far removed from the vampire world who definitely wasn't rooting for their victory.

  “So you brought the drive?” I asked, knowing it was the only reason they'd visit me.

  Olivia took it out of her pocket and handed it over. “I got close. I'm almost sure of it. I'd love to meet the genius who invented the encryption.”

  “I think that can be arranged.”

  I took my phone from my pocket and sent my father a message to join me in the lab. After several minutes, during which Sloane and Olivia looked around my lab and talked about the project, there was another knock. I opened the door to my father and waved him in.

  “These are the women who were trying to open the data on the jump drive. Sloane Warne and Olivia Sutton.”

  My father grinned. “I'm so pleased to finally meet you. Really.” He shook Sloane's hand and then Olivia's, lingering a moment there. “I owe you so much.”

  “I'm sorry?” Olivia replied.

  “I had so hoped you were the one helping Allie. You see, you are the young woman who would eventually write such an ingenious encryption. I couldn't complete it myself, but I knew enough to have someone else write it up for me.”

  Olivia's eyebrows furrowed. “I'm sorry. You've done what?”

  My father chuckled. “I get ahead of myself sometimes. Your encryption. The one you'll begin in about 6 years. I was able to recreate most of it—enough to file a patent on the algorithm — and hired the rest of it out.”

  Olivia shook her head. “I don't believe you for one second.”

  “Then let's see if I can unlock it and give you a look at the source code.”

  Olivia plugged the drive into the nearest workstation and after several moments, my father loaded a black command window, typed a string of letters I didn't recognize, and a twenty-four digit password. After another wait, my father tapped the screen.

  Olivia bent over his left shoulder. “You're unpacking 134 compressed gigs of data from a single gig drive you probably pulled out a cereal box.”

  He nodded. “Yep. Like I said before, you've done so much for me. I would never have been able to keep this safe without you.”

  He waved me over to the workstation. “Wait, and when it's done, I want you to take a look. I think this will get you started on the myths. It's more information than Erika Weiss has gathered. Significantly more.”

  * * *

  They had all cleared out my lab well before the data was unpacked. I finally had a chance to check Ernie's latest test results, and felt like my head was in a better place than it'd been before Olivia and Sloane's visit.

  I had been on the right track. Ernie's DNA provided the missing links I needed for my retrovirus. Harding had already created the framework, and had left me the blueprints for a form of gene therapy that was way beyond my skill level. I felt lost as I read his notes over and over again.

  “What are you thinking now?” Erika asked me, as she stared at me from across the lab. “You have the genes you need, and the vector.”

  “But it isn't a complete vector,” I replied. “That's what his notes say. It doesn't always deliver its payload at the same location.”

  Erika tapped to another document on the screen. “Look at the vector here.”

  “What is it?”

  “It's the protocol designed by Dr. Park. The retrovirus that amplifies certain genetic traits.”

  Alarm bells started going off in my mind. The therapy she was talking about was a single-dose delivery that brought out any recessive abilities. Beata had given me an injection the night I'd first met Sorrell, and it had opened up my tracing abilities.

  I navigated to the document and began reading. Harding had despised Dr. Park — another genetic specialist hired by Sorrell — and all his work. The man had been in it for the money, and the glory. He didn't seem to spend much time considering long-term outcomes.

  Erika had been right, though. The viral vector described was better than the one Harding had been working on.

  Building the retrovirus meant extensive lab time, access to equipment I didn't have, and a lot of coffee. Seriously, a lot. I felt like I was back in college, studying for my first pre-med finals.

  I didn't have what I needed to do the actual construction. I needed help.

  I found my father and Ernie lingering in Sorrell's study, as they had the night before.

  “I need help,” I said. “I can't actually create the retrovirus in this lab. I need to hire it out.”

  “Is that possible?”

  “I think Camilla Pierce can help me,” I said. “She has amazing connections, and we already know she wants to help. Everything is on this drive. I just need to get it into the right hands. Maybe even someone at the university.” I held out my palm, showing him the red flash drive I'd nearly filled with information. I just hoped it would be enough. My heart was racing as I looked down at it, knowing that I'd taken this thing as far as I could.

  “I think that's an excellent idea,” my father replied, staring at the drive. He reached out and took it from me. “It might be safest for me to get it to her. I don't know if you should risk leaving here again—”

  “I think it's madness, Edward,” Ernie interrupted. “We don't know if we can trust her.”

  The elation I’d been feeling collapsed, leaving only apprehension. We would never be able to trust anyone 100%, but at some point, we had to cut our losses and go with the only available options. I wasn't sure I had another choice. I didn't have the lab we needed for this last part. And I didn't have the skill set either. “Fine. Get it to her.”

  * * *

  I stood on the deck of my cabin, wrapped in a thick blanket, as I stared out at the silent world. My father had left some time ago, and the strange sunlight made it nearly impossible to keep track of the time. I knew it was sometime in the middle of the night, the worst time of day, even in the eternal sunshine. It meant Sorrell and his minions were awake. Meant that the Queen was probably getting another debriefing, and they were conferring over the best course of action to take.

  I heard a small rustle in the trees next to the cottage, and after a moment, Daniel emerged from the path connecting my place with the mansion.

  “He's asking for you,” Daniel said, without any other greeting. His face was impassive.

  “Who is?”

  “Benjamin.”

  “Oh.” I stared at him, still trying to get a read. He was maintaining a careful distance from the porch. “Is it an emergency?”

  Daniel shook his head. “I do not believe so.”

  “Then come in for a while. I've been up at the mansion for hours, and I'm not ready to go back again.”

  I finally detected the f
aintest smile on Daniel's face as he stepped onto the porch and moved to wrap his arms around me.

  “Aren't you cold?” he asked. He pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders and bent to kiss me. There was no urgency in his lips, just a sweetness I hadn't felt before.

  I melted into him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and letting the blanket fall at my feet. The cold air brushed across the skin of my bare arms and I shivered as we kissed.

  He laughed a little against my lips, before picking me up off the deck and carrying me inside.

  * * *

  I had the blinds drawn tight against the sun, just as they had been for the past few weeks. We lay in my bed, a crackling fire in the fireplace, staring into the flames.

  “What happens now?” Daniel asked.

  I sighed. I hadn't heard anything from anyone—I didn't know who had my work, or even how long it would really take. “I don't really know. If everything makes it into the right hands, we could have the retrovirus in no time.”

  “How does it work?”

  “In theory, it rewrites the DNA that makes a vampire, a vampire. Within a matter of days, or maybe weeks, the vampire is gone, and the human has returned.”

  Daniel was silent for several minutes. “Can anyone use it?”

  I shrugged. “I don't know. Why? Are you planning to try it?” I gave him a little poke in the ribs and a smile. It was impossible for me to actually imagine Daniel as just a human.

  “Perhaps,” he said, smiling back. “I haven't been human for many decades now. It has a certain appeal.”

  “What's that?”

  He leaned closer and gave me a long, luxurious kiss. “I've seen you in the sunlight,” he said, pulling away slightly. “And I'll dream about it for the rest of my life if I never see it again. I need to see it again.”

  * * *

  We returned to the mansion well after midnight, and Daniel stayed behind in the lab while I went to see Ben.

  “I heard you wanted to see me,” I said, feeling nervous.

  “Did you really find a cure?” he asked, his voice quiet.

  I looked him over before I answered. He hadn't changed much in the last few weeks. His skin was that pearlescent vampire sheen that all of them had, and his eyes were still a frightening, vibrant red. If my gene therapy didn't work, he might stay that way forever. Or he might die.

  “I want so badly to give you a definitive yes, but it's just the blueprints, basically. They still have to actually formulate the retrovirus in a lab.”

  “Who's doing that work?”

  “I'm not sure. Camilla Pierce is taking care of it.”

  “I see.”

  “It was Harding's specialty. Not mine,” I said, feeling guilty. “He would have been able to actually build it, probably right here even.”

  Ben was silent for several moments, and my heart was absolutely hammering in my chest. I hated the dungeon-like cell, hated what had been done to him. I had done everything I could to save him, but it was out of my hands. I wasn't particularly fond of that feeling at all.

  “And what if it doesn't work?”

  “I don't know, Ben.”

  “I need you to make me a promise, Allie.”

  I stared at him, feeling completely drained of any energy I'd had left. “What is it?”

  “If this fails, I want you to kill me. I can't live like this anymore.”

  * * *

  Two nights later, I had a message from Ernie on my phone that he and my father needed to see me in the lab. I trudged back there, still feeling completely wiped out from the events of the past weeks. I had left Ben and slept for what felt like a full twenty-four hours, and had killed the time since with a mix of wine, chocolate, more sleep, and a lot of cooking television.

  My father was in high spirits, but Ernie not so much.

  “We've heard from Camilla. They have your therapy, and she's bringing it here tonight.”

  “Do you know who did the work?”

  “A former assistant to Dr. Park, actually. He's the lead genetic researcher at your former university now.”

  I frowned. It was probably Isaiah Huber, someone I had worked with several times in the past. He was a strong scientist, but he was also a complete asshole. Not my first choice.

  “Do you know anything else?” I asked.

  “Not yet. She should be here soon, though.”

  “I still think this is a mistake.” Ernie stood from the chair he'd been seated in since I arrived. “We can't trust her.”

  “I think that's a little unfair, don't you?” asked a new voice.

  The voice was feminine, and I turned to find Camilla Pierce standing in the doorway of my lab.

  Edward turned to her and smiled. “I'm glad you here. I think it's time we explain to Ernie and Allie what's been going on.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked, looking between the two of them.

  “Ms. Pierce presented me with an invaluable opportunity when she took this job. We can destroy Sorrell, and the entire network, once and for all. Vampires can live as they wish, but this mythos nonsense must die. It will be the death of us all.”

  “So, her end game—your end game— is war?” I felt my stomach turn. I had seen enough of Sorrell's world, and I just wanted out. I didn't have a strong opinion on their grand fates, but I had to admit I wasn't feeling particularly strong about the vampire hierarchy as a whole. But war?

  “My end game is peace.”

  “Through... what, exactly? Annihilation?”

  Edward shook his head. “No. By curing them.”

  “We can't cure every vampire.”

  “We can,” Camilla said. “With your therapy, we can.”

  “Why do you want this?” I asked, ignoring her. Every warning bell was going off in my head at their words. My father's journals had been entirely about trying to stay safe, keeping up your defenses. This was entirely new. I pushed on. “You're alive. You were safe with Anita. Why couldn't you just walk away?”

  “I tried. And I even managed to do it for a while. But Eden and Eliza changed everything. When they were taken—”

  A little flare of anger smoldered in my belly. “But they're fine! In the grand scheme of things, they're fine. And yet, you want to wage war, tear apart a civilization... why?”

  He stared at me. “They're alive?”

  “Your daughters are dead, Edward. I saw the report my predecessor ordered on them.” Camilla's smile had long evaporated, and a stony glare was in its place.

  “That isn't true,” I said, anger lacing my voice. “They're alive. They've done work for Sorrell. They even have handlers.”

  Edward looked between Camilla and me, his face unreadable.

  I hesitated, not sure if it was the time to talk or the time to be silent, but I couldn't stand that look on his face. “They're alive and in California. Olivia and Sloane are going to help Anita get in touch with them.”

  The room was silent around us.

  “Why did you lie, Camilla?” Ernie asked. His druidic magic was starting to fill the room with a dark energy I had never felt before.

  I let my vision shift, tracing the outline of Ernie's anger in his energy. But just as soon as he started to push a little harder, a new, deep green energy filled the room.

  I looked over at Camilla, who's face seemed to be changing right in front of my very eyes. The energy was pouring off of her—magic. Camilla wasn't human. She was a witch.

  Ernie's energy pushed back even harder and a bright flare filled the room, swirling through me and around me. I closed my eyes against it, but could still see the bright white light through my eyelids. I bit back a scream at the burn, and after a minute, it died away. When I finally forced my eyes open, I saw Camilla lying on the floor, unconscious. Only it wasn't the Camilla Pierce I'd known. It was a different looking woman, tall, with bright red hair and freckles.

  “God damnit, Edward. I told you we shouldn't trust her.”

  “Well, forgive m
e, Ernie. I didn't realize your ex-wife had become so adept at cloaking magic.”

  Chapter 33

  “You can't tell me you didn't vet her,” Ernie said, his voice laced with anger.

  “I looked at her background, her work history, everything checked out,” my father replied. “By all appearances, Camilla Pierce was exactly who she said she was.”