Then the history stopped. A century or two ago, it appeared that all information ceased. I’d bet my bottom dollar, he destroyed his race. He gave them something like he did on Earth, something he made sure he was immune to, and then he started over with the lines he approved of, or maybe there was some sort of civil war. It surprised me he kept no records except for his research. They must be here somewhere.
Holy shit. I tapped my fingers on the desk. What did he use?
Marin asked from beside me, “Did you find anything?”
I admit it, I screamed like a little wee girl. “What the fuck, Marin?”
He grinned at my glare. “Well?”
I rubbed my eyes. How long had I been at this anyways? “Um, I think so. I think Xade killed the E’mani like he did to both our races. Something he gave them that wiped out all but a few. Then he cloned himself some copies. From this, I don’t even think there are any E’mani left, only clones and a few main lines that Xade controls. It’s crazy.”
Marin leaned over me to peer at the information. As he scanned the data, I became acutely aware of his body pressing into my back. His hair brushed my cheek, the scent of cherry. My mouth watered and my eyes drifted close. Damn him. Where was he last night? I forced my eyes to the screen.
He turned his head and peered at me. A grin spread across his face. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, sure, why do you ask?”
“You just muttered ‘unfair,’” he said. I narrowed my eyes while he chuckled. “Can we find out what he used?”
“Maybe not me, but Roger, he is a virology expert. Hell, he might have made the disease that decimated our people.” And wasn’t that a pleasant thought? I shuddered.
As discretely as possible, I leaned away from Marin. He followed. His breath whispered in my ear. “I bunked with Zanth yesterday. When you are ready to talk, you can find me there. Now you need to go eat.”
It was like he knew what I was thinking. I closed my eyes for a second. Relief made my knees weak. I was ever so grateful for the chair. Marin had enough of an ego. “Quit bossing me around.”
His mouth brushed my temple. “You like it when I tell you what to do.”
So true. The air thickened between us. I cleared my throat. “Be that as it may, Ace. Stop it.”
His eyes narrowed at the old nickname. I knew he hated it. That would be why I used it. Marin stepped back but still kneaded my shoulders. “Please, Elizabeth. You need food.”
I groaned and let my head fall forward. “Okay, I’ll eat in a minute. But I have to find out what Xade did. By the way, I found out something. I am much older than I thought.”
“What?” Marin’s hands stopped their miraculous massage to my dismay. “What do you mean?”
I filled him in on the information I’d gleaned about the tubes. It made sense. Xade had been playing god for centuries.
Thirty One
After brunch, Roger and I examined videos of Xade’s experiments on every race. Subject 549321 caught my attention, his face a sickly orange shade. I had Dela freeze his image on the screen. I remembered him. This was my dude. No other subject had drawn my interest but him. There was something here.
“Given the delicacy of the E’mani systems and their short lifespan, they have no immunities,” Roger explained. “Only Xade and a few of the progenitors have any kind of antibodies. The rest, they are basically large children with a big old fragile immune system. We can use that. Virtually anything I make can be catered to the E’mani. The biggest problem would be making it exclusive to them. That we can’t do unless we knew their exact DNA and Xade never let me have that information. I can’t make anything more precise.”
I jolted. “What if I knew the DNA?”
Roger rubbed his nose. “That would be another story. If you can map it for me, I can create a virus that is DNA specific. But we’d also need the genetic code of the Fost, and pretty much any living thing on this planet. That way there is no collateral damage. Or give it to them in a way that would not expose anyone else.”
“I will write down what I can recall.” I bit my lip. “What can you make now that would hurt them?”
“Any number of viruses and bacteria would do, why?”
My stomach churned. “Xade is still around. As you said, I’m his favorite. Even after they lost me to the Fost, he stayed around to mess with me. He killed my child. I want revenge, pure and simple.”
Roger nodded. “Understandable. I can make something. How would we deploy it though? Other than a poison, which is not my area of expertise, most bacteria can’t be used to kill vast numbers of people unless we can inject it directly into the tissue. Even then it would be slow. How are we supposed to infect them?”
“Well, why use a bacteria, why not a virus?” I asked.
Roger sighed. “Well, for one thing, they are easy to make. I could mass-produce a jar within a week. A virus would need hosts. Remember, influenza remained one of the biggest threats to humans. There is nothing I could introduce to the E’mani virus-wise that is deadly enough that wouldn’t affect us as well. A bacteria, certain ones, I could immunize us to. Give them meningitis or something. Let me think.”
I pointed to the test subject. “What about hepatitis?”
He hummed. “That may work. It is viral but spread through the blood, the rest from contamination, which means it shouldn’t affect anyone else. There might be a way to make it more virulent, but how would we deploy it?”
Roger forgot I was in the room during his musings. His words trailed off while he tapped on the monitor looking for more.
I thumped him on the shoulder. “Okay, you’re the expert. I’m going to go talk to Erin, she if she has any input.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, waving me off.
Erin occupied another exam room, Dela at her side, of course. She studied the same videos we had.
When I entered, Erin waved hello. Dela tipped his head. “Is there something you need?”
“No, Roger and I had some ideas for a way to hurt the E’mani, maybe a bacteria or virus, hepatitis. But we need a way to introduce it to their systems.”
“Hm, well, that would be easy if we could get a hold of their shot.”
I blinked. “What shot?”
“The clones frequently got sick. That was what I worked on. Immunizations and a daily shot to make them more resistant, more robust. Their lives were so short that any illness could wipe out a significant portion of their population. There were multiple components to the shot. We could also inject it into the pods. The clones live in a liquid environment until mature. We contaminate that and they wouldn’t stand a chance.”
My eyebrows rose. “You’ve been thinking about this a long time?”
Her eyes gleamed. “Yes, it was your idea.” Huh.
A plan began to form in my mind. I went to hunt down Werner and Vale.
They were outside the building. Vale scouted the perimeter, testing the edges for hatches. So far we hadn’t found an access point to get into their systems. Werner contemplated the portable translucent monitor in his hand.
“It sshould be nearrby. Keep looking.” Werner tossed me a distracted smile when I sidled next to him. “Hello, Beta.”
Vale’s head rose then he averted his eyes. He was the shy one of the two.
“Hi, guys. Can I ask you a question?”
“Of courrsse,” Werner replied. He led me to a log nearby. Vale continued his search. “What iss yourr quesstion?”
“If we needed to get into an E’mani building, could you get us in?”
Werner tapped his leg. In the light, his skin undulated. “That iss what we arre looking forr now. It appearrss the arrchitecturre iss the ssame asss what we werre taught. Sso, yes I think sso. But we would need to ssstudy the buildingss firrsst. It won’t be quick.”
I nodded. This was good. “Thank you.” I gave him a small kiss on the cheek. His skin turned green and he hissed out a breath.
Rael and Prog were next. It t
ook me a bit to track them down. They’d slept on the ground last night but apparently they preferred to be up higher. They’d set up tree stands.
“Rael,” I called out.
His head popped over the side. “Beta, one second.” A minute later, he drifted down, dark wings flaring to stop his fall. “What can I do for you?”
I braced my hands on my hips. “How much of the area have your people studied?”
Rael leaned his back against the tree, wings fanning out. “All of it.”
Good. “So you know where the bases are?”
He indicated agreement. “Yes, there has been a lot of activity lately. Several E’mani ships landed a few nights ago.”
That must be the lights Marin went to investigate. Interesting. “How far from here?”
“By air, two hours, on foot, six hours maybe.”
My mind whirled, fingers tapping a fast rhythm on my thigh. So close. Was that a coincidence? “How are you keeping track?”
“We have our own magic. It lets us fly without being seen at least for short periods. Do not worry about us. We will get you the information you need. On a more personal note, how are you?” Rael shifted closer after he asked. He reached out and brushed back a lock of my hair.
Tricky question that. I glanced down at the ground. “I’m fine.”
Rael tipped my chin up. “Truly?”
“The E’mani killed my baby.” The words came out in a rush, not sure why. I didn’t know what possessed me to tell him that.
His eyes widened and he hugged me tight, his head resting on top of mine. “I am so sorry, I am assuming Marin’s?”
I didn’t want to confuse him. I nodded. “The E’mani gave me something and the baby died. I know they will be back for me. We need to be ready this time.”
Rael stroked down my hair. It was tempting to rest and enjoy the comfort, but I had plans to make. I stepped back, rubbing my nose on my sleeve. “Thank you. I am going find Thorn. Did you guys want to stay here, or come into town? I believe they are making rooms.”
“Here is good for now,” Rael said, patting the bark.
When I walked back to the building, Thorn waited outside as if he knew I was coming. He had his head bent to Marin’s. They drew figures in the dirt.
Thorn whistled when I reached them. He just couldn’t contain himself around women. “Hello, Beta.”
Marin thumped him upside the head.
I grinned and sat on Marin’s right. His hand rested along my lower back. “Elizabeth.”
I scooted forward over the map they’d been drawing. “I think I may have a plan.”
Thorn and Marin leaned toward me.
“We are listening.” Thorn said.
“Well,” I began. “The closest city is Bretelyn. It is about six hours away or so, per Rael.” I glanced at Thorn for confirmation.
He nodded. “Yes, close. There were some lights there the other day.”
“Yes, Rael said his people saw E’mani ships arriving,” I reported.
Marin sucked in a breath. “You think it is Xade?”
My face twisted into a grimace. “I was his favorite. And he has already proved that he will not give up on me. He could have killed me instead of hitting me with those darts. He wants me alive.”
Thorn growled. “The E’mani must die. We all know that.”
“Yes, and Roger might be able to help with that. He can make a bacteria or something, Erin thinks she can get it into their immunization shot or their tanks where the clones are grown. Either would hurt them. Cut down on the number of bodies to fight. Werner and Vale think they can get us in. Rael and Prog, the Avaresh, they can manipulate the air so that we won’t be seen. We need to go investigate this town of theirs. Dela will remain here and hack their system. He made their firewalls. They didn’t take many precautions. Most races don’t have the knowledge to penetrate their technology.”
“So,” Thorn summed up. “We have a means to hurt them and not hurt ourselves. We have a method to introduce those means, people who can get us into the building, and another who can get us into the system. With the Avaresh fighters and the Fost working together, we could annihilate the ones here, but what about the others? There are millions of them. And they had buildings with crop after crop growing. We cannot do that to everyone.”
“Agreed, but we can cross that bridge when we come to it,” I said. “For now let’s make plans, see what we can come up with. I want to look at these building in Bretelyn.”
“No,” Marin said. “You are not going until I know you can control yourself.”
Say what? My head snapped up. “What do you mean?”
Marin’s hands grasped my shoulders and smoothed down my arms to lace his fingers with mine. “If you see Xade, I want to make sure you do not go running off to kill him. The only way you are going to the city is with me.” He squeezed my fingers tight.
I hesitated before squeezing back. “That is acceptable. When?”
Thorn tapped his teeth. “Tomorrow will be best. I will get the supplies, set up the route, and form the team. Marin will talk to Rael and coordinate our forces.”
Marin blinked and tipped his chin. I think this was the first time I saw him at a loss. He wanted to lead, but he wasn’t the clan chief here. Ha. It was good for him to be brought down a peg or two.
Thorn left to track down Yann.
A grin slipped across my face.
Marin noted my expression and lifted an eyebrow. “Yes, Elizabeth?”
“Nothing, I think it’s funny to watch your face when people tell you what to do. You don’t like it.”
The corner of his lip curled. “I like it when certain people tell me to do certain things, say you telling me how you want me to touch you.”
I flushed and dropped my eyes.
His finger lifted my chin. “I love everything you do to me, but I do not love when anyone else tells me what to do. You are right.”
I turned my face into his palm. He stroked my cheek. “Tonight, can we talk Elizabeth? I am requesting time to speak with you when you are not upset.”
My hand covered his. “We can talk, but not tonight, I promised Roger and Erin I would help with research. Tomorrow, after we go out scouting, I promise.”
“Where do you want me to sleep?”
The smile took over my face. “With me,”
The other corner of his lip curled up. “Good.”
The moment stretched. His gaze held mine. It had been so long since I’d gotten to stare into his eyes, those fierce, frightening eyes that I loved. The skin around his eyes crinkled when he smiled at me. And I let myself hope for the first time since our baby died. We had a chance this time. Marin and I, the remains, the Fost, we could really end the E’mani. Then I’d truly be free of the pale alien freaks, once and for all.
Thirty Two
I spent the night in the labs with Erin. Marin came for me after dusk, but we’d reached a critical point with the shot. I stayed to help her finish. My eyes lingered on Marin’s back when he left. We did need to talk.
Roger had decided on hepatitis. We’d seen the virus work on the bodies in the lab. There were immunizations the clones received once they were born to prevent it, but they couldn’t disrupt the brine. Unless something could be mixed with the fluid they floated in, the only other thing we could do was mess with the immunizations they received, or more accurately didn’t receive.
Erin’s idea was two-fold. We could introduce the disease to the brine. Viruses grew well within the media. The clones couldn’t be immunized until born. The second was to eliminate the hepatitis section of the shot. This would give us guaranteed exposure with a lack of antibodies to fight the virus. She estimated the disease would affect nearly half of their current crop and each batch consisted of ten thousand drones. Each copy had a lifespan of three to five years last Erin knew, but this had been increasing.
The hepatitis wouldn’t slaughter the E’mani like the prion disease did my people. The virus wo
uld not spread like the madness had, but it would weaken them and destroy their newest crop, anything to delay their advancement. We were on the right track.
Roger and I had the virus cooking. We were working on dispersal models to accurately predict the best way to infect them with the disease. Erin worked on the logistics. Not her favorite subject but at least she was somewhat learned. But one thing bugged me.
Every member of the remains was chosen for their possible contributions to this goal. Xade needed Erin for her immunization and public health knowledge, Roger for his virology expertise. The twins knew systems, and Dela was a savant on the computers. Rael and Prog contributed brute strength. What did I bring to this ball game, what was so special about me? Next to the others, I felt like a petri dish. He kept me around for samples? It was degrading and unnecessary. Or was I merely there because I reminded him of his wife? And wow, what a gross thought. Where did I fit into this picture?
The next day dawned bright. There was no fighting overnight and no sign of the E’mani. That was a bad thing. I couldn’t feel them nearby, but they were close. My skin crawled.
Everyone planned to meet in a half hour to go to Bretelyn. The Avaresh were leading us. One Fost traveled with one Avaresh so that they could fly us out of there quickly if need be. Thorn, me, Marin, Dela, Zanth and Zara along with the Rocian twins comprised the team.
We would get in and study the numbers, the buildings, and what was inside. The twins wanted to get in every system and determine the goals and electronics. I wanted to find the hives, the areas where they kept all the copies. That would be where we deployed the hepatitis. We had the lab we worked out of currently and that would do for now. Dela swore that he disrupted the signal enough that the E’mani had no clue we were using it. To them, the lab was another abandoned facility, its contents a loss.
When we finally left, the trip took us over seven hours. Flying would have been a hell of a lot easier. The terrain was rough in spots and several ridges forced us to take the long way around. The city appeared empty. It was a true urban center, like home, causing me to shudder, a city made of the semi-transparent rock with paved roads and everything.
Can't Forget: If she can't forget her past, she won't have a future. (Solum Series Book 2) Page 23
