Delete: Volume 3 (Shifter Series) (13 page)

BOOK: Delete: Volume 3 (Shifter Series)
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“Take your time, Tyler. Don’t worry about us,” Cain said as I approached.

“Bring me up to speed,” I said, ignoring Cain’s sarcasm. I wasn’t in the mood for his crap.

“I know what X73 is,” Hedges said.

“George was wrong,” Aubrey said. “It’s not a computer virus.”

“It’s a biological virus.”

I closed my eyes at hearing Frankie’s voice behind me. It appeared there was no escape from her in this place.

“Thank you for joining us, Doctor Goodwin,” Cain said as Frankie came to stand at the table next to him.

“I thought you were avoiding me, Sergeant Cain,” Frankie said. “Or is there another reason you’ve missed your last two psych evals?”

The two stared at each other, and I got a twinge of pleasure at the idea that Cain didn’t trust her either. But then he looked away, his expression becoming that of a chastised child. Why would Cain feel guilty about avoiding a psych eval? And then I remembered. How adult Shifters had a tendency to go crazy. I forced myself to look at his scar, remembering what it really meant. He didn’t seem to be on the verge of megalomania, like a lot of the men from Project Ganymede I’d tracked down had been. But there was always time. Was that bomb still planted in his cortex, I wondered? Did he know about it or what the true cost of keeping his powers was? In my reality, when Cain had found out the truth about Project Ganymede, it had destroyed him.

I turned my gaze to Frankie’s forehead. Smooth and undamaged. I had to accept the facts: she wasn’t a Shifter now. She didn’t have the power to control me. But that didn’t mean she could be trusted. She could still be Slate. Just because the Minister of Defence trusted her didn’t mean I had to. After all, plenty of powerful men had fallen under Frankie’s spell before. I wasn’t willing to believe that in undoing a single choice, a person could change this much.

And yet… I remembered what it felt like when the me from this place took hold. How easy it was to make the hard choices. How completely sure I felt that they were the right things to do. Maybe the Frankie I confronted at the Pyramid had felt the same? Maybe she had been doing what she believed to be her duty, too? She’d said that once she’d started down the path, she knew there was no way back. When I Forced her to unravel her life right back to her decision to volunteer for Project Ganymede, had I stopped her in taking the first step?

Cain coughed, pulling my attention back to the room. “What can you tell us about this virus?”

Frankie smiled at Cain and eased him out of the way so she could get to the table. She pushed some buttons on the screen, and a 3D image of a DNA strand appeared. The double helix of molecules spun on its axis. We all leant in to see.

“I present to you the X731608 virus. A highly virulent hybrid of nanotechnology and the Ebola virus.”

She pulled up some images marked “Test Subjects”. There was a collective grunt of disgust and I had to turn away from the pictures of children with blood pouring from their eyes and noses.

“Make them go away,” CP said. She too was unable to look at the pictures.

“So, it attacks people’s brains? Nice,” Zac said, closing each of the images with a push of his finger.

“Within a matter of seconds, yes,” Frankie said. “It was engineered to target the orbitofrontal cortex and will eat through the frontal lobe within ten seconds of infection. And spreads faster and wider than any virus I’ve ever seen, up to thirty miles in an hour.”

The group shared a worried look.

“And what do the Red Hand want with it?” Cain said.

Frankie took a deep breath before speaking again. “It was designed to target a specific chromosome. A particular region of chromosome fifteen, to be exact, which has been identified for being associated with disorders such as epilepsy and autism. And” – she paused and looked straight at me – “Shifting.”

The realisation of what that meant passed over me like an icy breeze.

“You’re saying this virus targets Shifters?” CP said. She looked as horrified as I felt.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

A ripple of understanding moved through the group. If X73 got into the wrong hands, it could kill half of the people in this room. Not to mention the rest of the Shifters in the country.

Cain swallowed so loudly, I heard it on the other side of the table. Of course, I thought, he’s as much at risk as the rest of us. “Where did it come from?”

“As far as I understand,” Frankie said, “it was created at the start of the war by Doctor Lawrence and his team. They were tasked with understanding the source of Shifting.”

Lawrence; I knew that name. He was the man who had originally set up Project Ganymede.

“In identifying the gene responsible for the power, they were also able to engineer a virus to target it: X73.”

“And the Red Hand know about it?” I asked.

“Yes,” Hedges said. “Sarah and I heard them talking about it.”

I caught the slightest flicker of emotion from Ladoux at the mention of the dead woman’s name. Was it guilt that she’d been unable to save her from the Red Hand?

“Is there an antidote?” Zac said.

“Not that I know of,” Frankie said.

Worried mutters passed through the group. Unwin and Williamson whispered to each other. Aubrey rested her hand on CP’s shoulder, reassuring the young girl. The tendons on Hedges’ jaw jutted sharply, as if he was biting down hard, fighting to keep his emotions in check. Ladoux just stared at the DNA strand as it spun in neat circles. She was holding her lighter again, rubbing her thumb over the surface. I could see now that it had a faded engraving on the brass case.

“The question is, do they want X73 to use it, or,” Zac looked to Cain “to stop us from using it?”

“Yes,” Aubrey said. “If George was telling the truth, their leader is a Shifter. Maybe she’s as keen to see this out of the way as we are?”

“She could be an ex-Shifter.” I tried not to look at Frankie.

“In which case, the virus would still be effective,” Frankie said. “Entropy doesn’t affect our genes, you know? Only our power.”

And our personality, I wanted to say.

“First thing,” Cain said, cutting through the murmurs in the group, “we need to work out if they do have it. Where was the virus stored?”

Frankie called up the info on the files. “A medical facility in Sussex, according to this.”

“Sussex,” Hedges said as if he was surprised, leaning on the desk with his closed fists. “The Red Hand thought it was stored here.”

Details on the facility appeared next to the image of the virus, including a picture of a large silver dome sticking out of the ground. Frankie zoomed in on the building, and we could clearly see a sign in front of the structure.

 

Do not enter. Government Medical Research Facility.

 

“Gee, a big sign. That’s bound to keep the Red Hand away.” Williamson rolled his eyes.

“Actually, it’s got top-level security,” Zac said, scanning through the rest of the data. “Eye scans. DNA-encrypted access. Will we even be able to get in there?”

“Unrestricted-access individuals only,” Aubrey said, tapping at a line in the file. “That means you, Commandant.”

Our eyes met and I felt that rush of connection. Maybe now was the time to tell her what was really going on. I could walk out of this room with her, and neither of us would ever need to walk back in. With a thought, I could end it all. Then I remembered the image of the dying children. No, getting out of here could wait till I’d finished this mission. Just one last job.

“When do I leave?”

“Ladoux, is the copter ready?” Cain said. She was still watching the helix spin and spin. “Ladoux!”

She snapped out of it. “This thing is evil,” she said. “It shouldn’t even exist.”

“Which is exactly why we’re going to get to it before the Red Hand do,” Cain said.

“If it’s not already too late,” Zac replied.

Something didn’t feel right. If the Red Hand knew about this virus, we could be walking into a trap.

I know.

I sensed him there, the other me, in the shadows of my mind. He was amused by everything, mocking my failure to keep up. What was I missing? I scanned the files again, looking for something.

You won’t find it there,
I sensed him.

I pushed him away. The more I let him in, the more I lost of myself. If he had worked it out, I could, too.

I returned my focus to the room. Unwin and Williamson were already checking their weapons. CP stood next to me, chewing on her nails. Turner, who hadn’t said a word throughout the entire exchange, was hunting for something in one of her pockets. Whatever it was, she seemed to find it in her left pouch. She pulled a clenched fist out and slipped the object into her breast pocket. I saw a glint of gold. The rest were looking to me, waiting for their orders. Even Cain seemed to be expecting me to have an answer.

“If they had it, we’d know,” I said. “They’d have sent us another of their little messages to make sure of it.”

Zac’s eyes blinked as he thought through the options. “The Com’s right. We might still have time.”

“Right, Tyler,” Cain said. “I want you to take a small team and go and check it out.”

“Agreed,” I said. “Black, Unwin, Williamson and…” I hesitated before saying Aubrey’s name. I was caught between wanting to protect her and wanting to stay close to her. “Jones,” I finished. “Suit up.”

Turner took the news that she wasn’t coming on the mission with a small nod. I didn’t think she was up to being on duty, anyway. CP muttered about it not being fair that she didn’t get to go.

“I suggest you take the good doctor with you, too.”

“No!” I said, glaring at Cain.

He raised a ragged eyebrow. “Do we have a problem, Tyler?”

“I don’t think a civilian should be on the mission,” I said hurriedly.

“Please,” Frankie said. “I was a solider for ten years. I’ve seen as much action as you. And you need me. What if the virus is released? Who will treat you?”

“I thought you said there was no antidote.”

“No. But you can either die screaming or I can help ease the process.”

We stared at each other, neither willing to back down or show the slightest crack of weakness.

“I think a Shifter-targeting, flesh-eating virus getting into the hands of the enemy takes priority over whatever problem you have with the doctor, don’t you, Tyler?” Cain said.

I turned my glare on him. In my anger, I felt a familiar buzz of power, different to how it felt to Shift. It was the same feeling I got when I’d broken free of Frankie’s hold. I knew I could Force Cain. I could make him listen to me. And yet, maybe he was right.

Besides, if she came with us, I could keep an eye on her. “OK.” I turned away, letting the power drain away.

Hedges stepped forward, fists clenched by his side, clearly trying to conceal the pain he was still in. “Permission to join the squad, Commandant.”

I’d read Hedges’ files on the way to extract him. He had an exemplary record, had proved himself in combat on at least eight missions, and his profile made a point of his 160 IQ. He would be a good asset, but he had a lot of healing to do first. And not only physical.

“We’d be proud to have you,” I said, ignoring Frankie’s gasp and Ladoux’s sudden turn of head, “but not today. There will be other missions, Hedges. This war isn’t over yet.”

Hedges nodded his understanding.

Ladoux squeezed his shoulder. “He’s right,” she said. “You need to stay here.” Then she leant in and whispered in his ear so quietly that I couldn’t hear. And yet, I found I was able to read her lips. “
You will have your revenge soon enough
.”

I coughed, hiding my discomfort at having witnessed that private moment. “Right, what else do I need to know?”

“We’ll need to follow hazmat procedures,” Frankie said. “You can’t go into a place like this and start blowing things up.” This was directed at me.

“What do you need?” I asked, ignoring the implication that I was only good for one thing.

She listed a series of things, including hazmat suits for the whole team.

I clicked my fingers at Unwin and Williamson, who jolted to attention and ran off to get what was needed. “OK. But once we’re on the ground, you follow my lead, do you understand?”

Frankie nodded, resentfully.

I leant in so that only she could hear “If I get the tiniest suspicion that you are screwing with me, I will finish you.”

“You might have everyone else fooled, Commandant Tyler,” she said, softly. “But I have been working with sick Shifters for fifteen years. I know a reality attack when I see one. So the question is, how much longer can you hold on before you break altogether? You should let me help you before it’s too late.”

Could I trust her? The woman who had once taken everything from me was now offering to help me. Could she help me find a way home? No, I didn’t believe it.

I tuned away from her and addressed the squad. “We leave in ten.”

 

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The landscape below us changed from the grey slate of the scarred city to a patchwork of yellows and greens as we flew out into the countryside. Out here, where nature carried on like always, it was almost possible to believe the war wasn’t happening.

Aubrey peered down, a small smile on her face. She’d said she’d been based in Brighton before they’d moved her to London. So was this where she’d grown up? Amid the rolling hills of the Sussex countryside? I remembered what
my
Aubrey had said about her childhood, how she’d been taken into the agency at the age of seven, how her mum had killed herself. I wondered how different this Aubrey’s early life had been.

I recognised the landscape from my youth, too. Mum and Dad had taken Katie and me to a holiday village out here once. Somewhere to offload us onto a bunch of organised kids’ activities, while they relaxed in the log cabin’s hot tubs. But we hadn’t minded. Some of my best memories of my childhood had been there.

The rhythmic
whoosh
of the blades settled in time with my calming pulse. It felt right to be up here, on my way to another mission. I felt like I had purpose. Focus. I was where I was supposed to be.

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