Expansion (The Accidental Heroes Chronicles Book 2)

by S. E. Cyborski

  “I don’t think it would, to be quite frank,” Katrina said honestly, a smile tugging at her lips. “We could streamline everything without him. And I’ve always believed in the adage that three can keep a secret if two are dead. Of course, it would only be one dead in our case but you see my meaning.”

  “Yes, I can,” Lucian replied wryly, rolling his eyes. “Are we in agreement then? Aaron must be removed?”

  “We are. How do we go about doing this?” Katrina asked curiously, leaning forward in her chair with a sparkle in her eyes. To say that this part of her job wasn’t fascinating would be a complete lie; this part of her was a big reason why Katrina was on the Council in the first place. “I’m assuming he is going to be killed.”

  “Aaron will be killed and you will be the one doing it,” Lucian said, a cruel smile lighting his face. He enjoyed this part of his job just as much as Katrina did. Maybe more. Holding life and death in the palm of your hands was a heady feeling and Lucian drank deeply of it. “How is up to you but it must be done before the week is out.”

  “I have to kill him? Myself?” Katrina exclaimed, for once not even remembering to be thankful for the sound-proofing. A distinctly sulky note entered her voice as Katrina thrust out her lower lip in a pout. “Surely there are provisions for this, someone else we can hire to kill Aaron. Why do I have to do it?”

  “You’ll do it because I’m ordering you to,” Lucian said calmly, leaning forward in emphasis for his next words. “And because I know just how you joined the Council, Katrina. Did you really think everyone would take your predecessor’s death as an accident? Especially as he’d just confirmed you to succeed him onto the Council? I was rather impressed with your incentive but don’t pretend to have lily-white hands or not enjoy killing. I know you better than that, I know your desires better than you can imagine.”

  Katrina shrank back, avoiding Lucian’s eyes. She felt oddly stripped by them, the gray irises boring deep inside her and finding every secret and fear and worry. While she had to admit Lucian was completely correct, Katrina didn’t enjoy killing needlessly. Especially when there was really no need for her to kill Aaron herself. Yet, she recognized part of herself in Lucian. The desire to control, to kill if need be, was just as present in him as it was in her. The only difference was that Lucian worked through catspaws rather than doing things himself. It was a prudent strategy; if the catspaw was caught, the trail never led back to Lucian himself. He stayed above the carnage and destruction, watching avidly from his god-like perch. There was no way Katrina could say no to the order, not when Lucian could get rid of her just as easily as they’d decided to get rid of Aaron. She counted her skin far more valuable than Aaron’s and, just as easily as that, the choice was made.

  “Very well,” Katrina nodded, mustering up her courage and meeting Lucian’s eyes defiantly. “Are there any specific requests other than a week?”

  “None, just don’t let it be traced back to us or the Corporation,” Lucian shook his head, settling back in his chair again. A flush of success crawled through his veins, warming him from the inside out. It was always enervating to control people like this, to decide someone’s fate and see it done. Making a shooing gesture with his hand, Lucian pulled his lips back from his teeth in a parody of a smile. “Go. The sooner you get this done, the sooner we can stop worrying.”

  Katrina nodded, looking away from Lucian again. There was something inhuman about his expression, something that sent shudders down her spine. As she hurried out of the room, Katrina devoutly hoped she never saw that expression again. Besides, she would do a better job planning Aaron’s death if she was alone.

  Chapter 8

  With determined steps, her heels clicking on the floor, Katrina headed down a few floors to the large corner office that was hers. She’d moved in here after her predecessor had died and she’d been promoted to his position in the Corporation. Of course, no one but Lucian and Aaron knew she was part of the Council. After she closed the door, Katrina collapsed back against it and took the first deep breath she’d taken since Lucian had told her they had a problem. This room was a sort of sanctuary for her within the craziness the Corporation could become. When you were dealing with alien organisms and illegal experimentation, sometimes things went wrong. Or not as you expected.

  The office was understated and tastefully decorated. A chocolate brown plush carpet stretched the length of the office, soft and cushioning for tired feet. There was a beige couch against one wall, framed Van Gogh paintings hanging above on a wall painted a crisp white. One was a reprint of the Blooming Almond Tree while the other was a reprint of Starry Night. They were her particular favorites and looking at them always gave Katrina a sense of peace.

  Another wall was entirely windows, looking out over the city. Right now, with evening coming on, lights were blooming in the other buildings as the sun painted the city in a golden glow. Her desk sat across from her couch, a solid piece of cherry wood. It was clean and organized, a small laptop sitting in the middle with a phone, a stone cup filled with pens, and a notebook sitting off to the side. There was also a little glass dolphin paperweight sitting on the notebook. It was the only other personal piece in the room.

  There was a bookshelf behind her desk, made of the same cherry wood as her desk, with dusty books that she’d honestly never looked into but kept for the look of them. They were intimidating, leading onlookers to think Katrina knew more than she really did. But right now, now that she had her breath back, her comfortable brown leather armchair was calling.

  Settling down into the chair and taking her shoes off, Katrina opened her laptop and logged into her company email. Nothing that couldn’t wait a few days, though there were a few she answered. Then, she pulled up the security feeds for the building, searching for one specific person. While it wasn’t quite illegal for her to be able to do this, it wasn’t quite legal either. Company policy was that only security had access to the feeds like this unless the cameras were being used for specific experiments. Yet, a small bribe to one of the security guards had given Katrina access. It was invaluable and this wasn’t the first, nor the last, time Katrina had used it. She looked in on the scientists and rats down in the basement where the meteorite and cells had been taken. It was the most secure place in the entire building and many here didn’t even know it existed. Everything appeared normal, scientists observing the rats and noting down their findings.

  No Aaron though and Katrina moved on. He wasn’t in any of the public areas of the building nor in the cafeterias. The only place left to look, since she knew quite well that he wasn’t in the Council’s meeting room, was his office. And there she found him, curled up on his own couch. It was a monstrosity in black leather, seeming to hulk against one wall of his office. Aaron’s office was just slightly smaller than her own as she had seniority in the Council. He hadn’t bothered to decorate at all, the walls bare and the only furniture being his desk and that monstrosity of a couch.

  Aaron was mouthing something as he stared at a point on the ground, his arms wrapped around his head. Katrina cursed the fact that she’d never learned to read lips. She would have given a lot to know what he was saying, what was going through Aaron’s mind. Unfortunately, the security feed didn’t include sound. At least, what she got didn’t include sound. The security guard she’d bribed had been insistent they didn’t get sound either and Katrina had no reason to disbelieve him. Part of her suspected he was lying but she had no recourse to find out.

  As she continued to watch, Aaron pulled himself out of whatever episode he’d been trapped in. Slowly, he lowered his arms and sat up, rubbing a hand over his face. Sense came back to his eyes and he checked his watch with every evidence of surprise. Aaron took a deep breath and stood, pulling his coat from the back of the couch and shrugging into it. It was black leather, similar to the couch and Katrina couldn’t help a quiet snort at that. Aaron apparently had a specific style and didn’t deviate too far from it. When he walked out of his
office, Katrina logged out of the security feeds and sat back in her chair, a contemplative look on her face.

  “It would be best to take care of him in his own home,” she murmured, careful not to speak too loud. After all, one never knew who might be listening. “I can stage it as a robbery gone wrong or even just an accident. Where does he live?”

  Logging into company files was not nearly the gray area logging into the security feeds was. In the files, everyone was listed by name, date of birth, and residence. After these key facts came title and a short (or long) paragraph detailing their job within the Corporation. Katrina’s own was not nearly as inclusive as it should have been, several things she oversaw straddling the line of morality and legality.

  Aaron was listed about halfway through the list under Aaron Moore. She was a little surprised that he had such a normal-sounding last name. Those in the Council rarely exchanged last names nor did they particularly care to learn them. Aaron’s home address was listed just outside the city and Katrina was again surprised to learn that he didn’t live in the city itself. Aaron seemed to have the personality of someone who would be most comfortable in a big city. No matter, really. Where he lived wasn’t a problem, it just meant that Katrina would have to account for a bigger slot of time than she’d originally thought.

  After memorizing Aaron’s address, Katrina shut down her computer and pulled her own coat on. It was long past the time that she usually stayed and her stomach added its own commentary, grumbling hungrily. Dealing with Aaron could wait for the night. After all, she had an entire week.

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  Two days later, Katrina pulled up a couple houses down from Aaron’s. The neighborhood was nice, friendly, and she could see a few bikes and toys forgotten in yards. This was a family neighborhood, one of block parties and pool parties and kids running around during the day having fun. It was odd and contradictory to think that this is where Aaron chose to make his home. She’d planned this out to the last detail, giving herself an alibi by setting up her computer to play movies from Netflix. After all, you would just need to look at her history to see that there had been activity on her computer. But, if all went according to plan, Katrina would never even need an alibi. She wasn’t even driving her own car but one she’d rented under a different name.

  It was late but not so late that a strange car parked in front of a mostly dark house would cause comment. While the people who lived in places like this watched out for strangers when it came to their kids, they were strangely complacent when it came to other people’s houses. Unless there was something obviously wrong, of course. Katrina got out of her car, locking it and setting the alarm. No sense in being incautious. Cars were stolen even from nice neighborhoods like this. Katrina walked up to Aaron’s house with a sense of purpose, as if she belonged and knew exactly where she was going. Which was half true really.

  Aaron’s house was a neat, one-story affair that was valued at much lower than what he actually made but would be just under what he reported he made. One learned to keep up appearances when one was earning money one didn’t admit to. It was painted a cheery blue, the shutters a bright white. There were a couple lights on in the house, a buttery golden light spilling out of the windows and onto the porch. There was even a porch swing, a white wooden thing that was in perfect keeping with the rest of the neighborhood.

  Katrina rolled her eyes at the domesticity, settled her leather driving gloves a little more firmly on her hands, and rang the doorbell. Clear tones sounded in the house followed by the sound of footsteps. Aaron stared out of the glass suspiciously, not relaxing when he saw who it was. They’d never met at each other’s house, didn’t really know where each other lived, so there could be no good reason Katrina was here.

  “What do you want?” Aaron asked, opening the door a crack. Music poured out, a light-sounding instrumental piece along with the scent of steak. Katrina’s mouth watered appreciatively but she throttled the feeling down. Food was not why she was here.

  “Can I come in?” Katrina asked pleasantly, smiling reassuringly at Aaron. “We need to discuss something about work and I don’t want to do it on your porch.”

  Aaron narrowed his eyes as he thought, suspicion still writ across his face. This was completely out of character for Katrina. Though, if the situation was bad enough, he supposed that she might come all the way out to his home. Just because none of them ever bothered to ask where the others lived didn’t mean they couldn’t figure it out easily. Still wary, Katrina was a member of the Council, after all, not a body that included compassion in their job description, Aaron stepped back and opened the door wider. Katrina stepped in and looked around, curious to see what the inside of Aaron’s house looked like. It was very different from his office. The whole place was covered by a pale wood flooring, relieved here and there by colorfully patterned throw rugs.

  The living room, just off the foyer, was painted a warm cream with art and pictures on the walls. Katrina recognized none of the art and the pictures seemed to be of Aaron with his parents or on trips around the world. The music was playing from a large, flat-screen television while the cooking scents came from the kitchen on the other side of the foyer. The kitchen was completely modern, stainless steel appliances paired with crisp white cabinets. Aaron gestured for Katrina to precede him into the living room and then settled down onto a couch. Black leather again. Katrina sank into an armchair across from the couch, the big bay window directly in her line of sight. A curtain hung over the window, the same warm cream as the walls were painted. It wasn’t completely opaque but it was enough for Katrina’s purpose.

  “So, what did you need to discuss with me?” Aaron asked, crossing one leg over the other and picking up the steaming cup of coffee from the coffee table in front of him. “It must be pretty dire to have you come all the way out here.”

  “It is, actually,” Katrina admitted, smiling pleasantly as her heartbeat sped up. She had her purse on her lap, a large cloth bag colorfully patterned. Inside rested a syringe filled with potassium chloride, enough to cause a heart attack. The chemical would break down and be indistinguishable from what was normally in the body anyway. It was how Katrina had killed her predecessor and it would stand her in good stead again. Alongside the syringe was a bottle of Rohypnol that would knock Aaron out so Katrina could inject him with the potassium chloride. Aaron was stronger than she was and Katrina wanted to leave absolutely no traces of herself behind. “You know what, I would love a glass of water. Could I possibly get one?”

  “Uh, sure,” Aaron said, setting his coffee down and getting up. While he was in the kitchen filling a glass, Katrina dumped the Rohypnol in his coffee. It would dissolve and be odorless and tasteless. Aaron would have no idea what happened and all Katrina had to do was talk for about ten minutes. The whole move took a couple seconds and Katrina was back in the armchair, purse in her lap again by the time Aaron came out with water. She was still wearing leather driving gloves, an affectation that would stand her in good stead now, so Katrina took the glass and set it on her knee. Aaron sat back down and took a deep drink of his coffee.

  “Thank you,” Katrina said, nodding. “Lucian wanted me to come talk to you about Gnotret. We know you’ve been having some second thoughts and he sent me to feel you out about where you stood now.”

  “I’m still having second thoughts, to be quite honest,” Aaron said, taking another drink of his coffee. He set it down on the coffee table again, crossing his arms over his chest. His position was defensive, as if expecting a lengthy battle. “It worries me that we’ve gone ahead in testing like this without fully understanding exactly what Gnotret is and what it can do.”

  “I can understand that,” Katrina offered, nodding slowly. She studied Aaron carefully, waiting for the signs that the drug was kicking in. The longer she stayed here, the more likely it was someone would remember her. “But there are no indications that Gnotret itself is dangerous. The rats we
’ve tested are still doing fine and there was only the one human death. That could have been any number of things, maybe not even related to Gnotret.”

  “I realize that,” Aaron snapped, glaring at Katrina before rubbing a hand over his face. He was starting to feel woozy though chalked it up to the long day he’d had. “But, even you have to admit, there appears to be some design behind what abilities the rats develop. And I’m still not convinced that that woman’s death wasn’t related. She came down with the same sickness that the subjects in the first trial did. Who’s to say that the organism decided she wasn’t a viable host or something similar? The tests our scientists have done on the blood from all five subjects shows that Gnotret bonded with them, somehow. It’s acting in a symbiotic fashion within their bodies.”

  That was new to Katrina since she’d distanced herself from the work going on downstairs. Though how Aaron had come by the information considering his distaste for the experiments was something Katrina was curious about. If Gnotret was bonding with its host could it do more? Could it eventually take over said host? That was a worrying thought and one that Katrina put aside to consider later. The experiment wasn’t her purpose at the moment nor would she allow it to distract. Of course, that didn’t stop her from discussing it with Aaron while waiting for him to succumb to the sedative she’d dumped in his coffee.