A Chosen Destiny (The Samantha Project Series #3) (3 page)

Erik put his arm around me, turning me back toward the hallway. “Come on. It’s too soon.”

A doctor and nurse were waiting for me at the medical office. The nurse drew some blood, then I went in a room to see the doctor while Erik waited outside.
 

“So how’d it go?” Erik asked after I was done.
 

I sat down on the chair next to him, staring straight ahead.

Erik turned to me. “Sam? What did he say? Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

“He has to wait for the lab results to be sure.”
 

“Be sure of what?”

“He said that from the physical exam, he’s almost positive that—”
 

Erik grabbed my arm. “That what, Sam? You’re freaking me out here.”

I finally looked at him. “That I’m not pregnant. We have to wait for the blood test before they know for sure.”

Just then, the nurse walked by carrying a digital notepad. She went into the room where the doctor was and shut the door.
 

“It’s the test results, Erik. But don’t listen in. Wait for them to tell us.”
 

With our enhanced hearing, we could easily hear someone in another room unless we purposely tried not to listen.

Within minutes, the doctor came out. “Well, the lab results are back. And just as I suspected, you’re not pregnant, Samantha. So you’re not going to be a father, Erik. I guess I’ll say congratulations since neither one of you seemed to want a baby right now.”

The doctor’s attempt to lighten the mood didn’t work. Erik and I were too stunned to respond. GlobalLife had lied to us. And their lie had caused more damage than they would ever know.
 

The doctor and nurse left. Erik and I remained in the hallway chairs that served as a waiting room.

“Good news, right?” I said quietly, still trying to process it.

“Yeah. Great news.” Erik’s voice lacked enthusiasm. He’d never admit it, but I knew that he wanted this baby. I could feel the disappointment in his mind as the doctor told us the news. Maybe Erik assumed the baby would make me choose him over Colin. Or maybe he just wanted a son or daughter, thinking that this was his only chance. It’s not like he could ever marry and have kids with a normal girl. Doing so would mean telling her about the alien DNA in him. Knowing that secret would put her life in danger. Not to mention the fact that it would completely freak a girl out.

As much as I didn’t want to be pregnant, a tiny part of me felt sad. Like I’d lost something, even though there was nothing there to lose. I was so convinced that Erik and I were having a baby that I’d already mentally prepared for it.

Erik must have sensed my feelings. He held my hand and switched to telepathy.
“It’s exactly what we wanted, Sam. Now we can stop worrying about this. And finally people will believe us when we say we didn’t do anything that night.”

“They still won’t believe us.”

“They’ll be able to get past this now. They’ll forget about it. This is good news.”

“It’s not going to change anything between Colin and me. He knows you and I were together. He knows we did things. And he can’t forgive that.”

“Then he’s stupid. Because he’s going to lose the best thing that ever happened to him.”

I smiled at him.
“You’re just trying to make me feel better. But thanks.”

We heard talking and looked up to find Dave and Jack walking toward us. I quickly let go of Erik’s hand.

“Just heard the news,” Dave said. “So you two must be relieved.”

I got up from my chair. “Yeah, just another GlobalLife lie. I should’ve known it wasn’t true.”

Erik stood up next to me. “But why would they lie about that?”
 

“I don’t know, but the good news is that now they can do the procedure on both of you tomorrow,” Jack said. “We just came from our meeting. If Sam had been pregnant, she would’ve had to wait.”

“With a pregnancy, there would have been too many unknowns regarding possible complications,” Dave explained. “There’s already enough risk involved with this procedure. More than I initially thought.”

“What do you mean?” Erik asked. “I thought you said there wouldn’t be any problems since we already have these base codes in other sections of our DNA.”

Jack nodded. “Yes, that’s true. Your body shouldn’t reject them. But there are other issues that came up in our meeting. We’re not sure what will happen once they fill in that DNA fragment with the missing base codes. Filling in that section of DNA could result in you both getting new abilities, or it could cause a glitch in your other abilities, or it could—” he stopped.

“What Dad? It could what?”

“Well, it could lead to the start of some type of destruction sequence. This is just a theory, so don’t panic. Given what they’ve done in the past, we’re thinking GlobalLife could have built another destruction code into the software in case someone else tried to stop the timer. If GlobalLife did the procedure, they would be able to prevent whatever might happen. But if we do it ourselves, there are some risks.”

I felt hopeless. “So you’re saying we could die either way? That putting the base codes in us could kill us faster than the timer?”

“It’s just a theory, Sam. There’s a very small chance of that happening. Very small.” Despite his attempt to reassure me, I could tell Dave was worried. “Jack and I are already working on ways to stop any possible reaction that might occur. But because there is that risk, you both need to decide if you still want to do this or if you want to wait to see if we can find another solution.”
 

“I’m doing it,” Erik decided. “I’m not waiting. I know for sure what will happen if the timer runs out. We’re only guessing what will happen when we put in these base codes. I’ll take the risk.”

Dave looked at me. “Sam? What do you want to do?” I waited for him to offer some advice, but he wouldn’t. “You need to decide this for yourself, Sam.”
 

“All right. I’ll do it. I want the timer stopped. And I don’t think we’ll ever find another way to turn it off.”

“Okay. Then we’ll tell them to go ahead and prep for tomorrow,” Jack said. “They want to see you both in an hour to go over everything and run some tests.”

Jack and Dave left. Erik and I walked back to our rooms. “You should probably talk to Colin,” Erik said when we got to my door.

“About the pregnancy? Yeah, I know.”

“That, and the procedure. He should know what could happen tomorrow. The risks.”

I shrugged. “Why would he care? He’d probably be glad if it killed me.”

“Damn, that’s harsh, Sam. And you know it’s not true. Do you want me to tell him?”

“No, don’t. He doesn’t need to know.”

“Wouldn’t you want to know if it were him instead of you?”

I considered it. “Yes. Okay. I’ll think about it.” He started to leave, but I stopped him. “Hey, do you want to wait with me? I don’t really feel like being alone.”
 

Erik and I hung out in my room until it was time to meet with the scientists and doctors who would be doing the procedure. At the meeting, we learned that it would take about an hour, but that Erik and I would be in and out of consciousness the entire day as our bodies adjusted to the changes. During that time, the doctors would monitor us and make sure the genes inserted themselves properly and the timer did indeed stop.

After the meeting, the doctors ran a series of tests on Erik and me. Then we were free to go. We headed over to the dining room, where Jack and Dave were having lunch.
 

“Have you seen Colin?” I asked Dave.

“No. He’s been in his room. You know, you should probably tell him about—”

“Tomorrow,” I finished his thought. “The procedure. I know.”
 

We heard some commotion in the other room. We all got up to see who was there. It was Mr. Preston Owens, the powerful billionaire who’d helped Erik and me escape from GlobalLife. He was an older man, but he looked good for his age. Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit and deep blue tie, he stood there talking to some of the lab techs. He waved them away when he saw us enter the room.
 

“Success!” Owens exclaimed. It was the first time Erik and I had seen him since our escape. “How about that? Right under their noses!” He came over and shook Erik’s hand and then mine. “Congratulations, you two.”
 

“Thanks for your help,” Erik said. “We couldn’t have gotten out of there without you.”

“Well, we had a few snags along the way, but it all worked out. And you two retrieved the genetic material, so you really did all of the hard work. Now that you’re free and we’ve got the genes, we’ll get you fixed up.” Owens turned to Dave. “I hear the procedure is on as planned.”

“Yes, everything is ready,” Dave confirmed. “And I’m guessing you heard that the pregnancy was—”

Owens nodded. “Not true. Yes. I actually just learned that from—”

We heard the clicking of high heels from the hallway that led to the parking garage. Owens looked back. “Oh, here she is now.”

Out of the dark hallway, a young woman appeared. I recognized her instantly.
 

I could hear Erik shouting in my head.
“What the hell is she doing here?”

It was Rachel, the young woman Erik and I knew as the head of public relations at GlobalLife Genetics’ Iceland facility. The place we had just escaped from!
 

Rachel walked up to us, looking beautiful as ever in a tight black dress and heels. Her long blond hair was pulled back into a loose knot at the base of her neck, showing off her large diamond earrings.
 

She smiled. “Nice to see you again, Sam, Erik.” She turned to Jack and Dave. “I’m Rachel Wyncroft. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
 

She went to shake Jack’s hand, but Erik darted in front of him. “What are you doing here, Rachel?”
 

“Erik, do you know her?” Jack asked.

“She’s head of public relations at GlobalLife Genetics.” Erik kept his eyes on her as he talked. “She’s dating Drew Chamberlin, the man in charge of the company. Worthings’ replacement.”

“I know it’s confusing, Erik,” Rachel said calmly. “Do you mind if we all have a seat?”

Everyone sat down, still staring at Rachel. Owens had left the room to answer his phone.
 

“Erik. Sam. I’m not who you think I am.”

“And what does that mean?” Erik asked.
 

“I’m not actually working for GlobalLife. Well, I work there, but undercover.”

Owens walked back in the room. “She’s a double agent,” he said, smiling at her.

“I don’t call myself that, but yes. Preston is right. I’m trying to get the alien DNA from GlobalLife. I learned about their plans for it a few years ago. And ever since, I’ve been trying to stop them from making these hybrid genes.”

“But you’re dating the head of the company,” I said. “Is he in on this, too?”

“No. I’m only dating him because of his position at GlobalLife. It was the only way I could get the information I needed. I pursued him back in LA and he took the bait, inviting me up here to Iceland and giving me the PR job.”

“So you’re not a model?” Erik asked. Back at GlobalLife Rachel had told us she was a model and aspiring actress.
 

Owens laughed and answered for her. “No, no. She’s a biochemist. She just pretended to be a model to get Drew’s attention. He doesn’t have a clue about her background. Rachel is a very smart woman. She played her role so well that nobody suspected her. I only did because of some comments she made when she and I were planning the gala. I see now that she was actually giving me clues that she was on my side. I just didn’t pick up on them right away.”

“So what happens now?” Jack asked Rachel. “They no longer have the alien genes, so do you plan to resign from GlobalLife?”

“Samantha and Erik took just a few of the gene samples. We still need to get the rest of them. So, no, I won’t be resigning. In fact, I just received a promotion. I’m transferring to the GlobalLife offices in New York. I requested the transfer.”

We looked at her to explain. “When some executives at the GlobalLife headquarters in Sweden found out that Drew and I were dating, they approached me with a deal. They asked me to spy on Drew and make sure he didn’t try to sell any of the alien DNA or the genetic software to a competitor. If I agreed they said I’d be rewarded. So I said I’d do it.”

Owens butted in. “Every now and then she would give the higher-ups some inside information on Drew, which only made them trust her more.”

Rachel continued. “For instance, the past few months, I repeatedly told Drew’s superiors that he was getting far too arrogant when it came to securing the DNA. He was certain no one could ever get to it. Too certain.”

“GlobalLife actually agreed with Drew on that one.” Owens swiped through his phone messages as he talked. “They thought his brain wave fingerprint idea was genius. But Rachel was right. It wasn’t foolproof. And now GlobalLife thinks even more highly of her.”

“So, Rachel, were you working with anyone else on this?” Dave asked. “It seems like you’d need some help if you really wanted to get the genes.”

“Yes, I was working with another scientist. He works in the GlobalLife lab. His name is Ridley. And you’re right. We’re too small of a team to do much. That’s why I was so happy to find out about Preston. Working together we can do so much more.”

The name sounded familiar. “Ridley? I think I remember that guy. Wasn’t he working in the same lab where Erik and I were being tested?”

“Yes, that was him,” Rachel said.

Owens put his coat on. “I should be going. I have a meeting back at GlobalLife later today.”

“On a Saturday?” Erik asked.

“Yes. I’m on the board of directors. We’re having an emergency meeting tonight. We’re voting to officially release Drew Chamberlin from his duties as head of GlobalLife Genetics. I’m quite confident he’ll no longer have a job after the vote. Allowing the company’s two most prized possessions to escape and its most valuable assets to be stolen is definitely grounds for dismissal.”