Perfect Specimen: Brietta (9 page)

Chapter Eight

Orbit: Earth

Specimen: Brietta Ryerson

Day: 9 of 12

Ga’rag tapped the specimen monitor, annoyed by the apparent malfunction. There could be a dozen reasons for this loss of transmission, but the timing of the event gave him pause, happening as it had at the very instant Brietta Ryerson crossed the threshold into the cave.

Intrigued, he moved to another piece of equipment and scanned the hilly terrain surrounding the area. Within seconds a three-dimensional image appeared before his eyes, delineating the craggy surface and revealing alcoves, caves, and subterranean caverns in the rocky material. Not even the smallest crevice or lava tube escaped the pinpoint beams of light.

Except one—the cave Ga’rag had plainly seen through the specimen’s eyes just before she stepped into it. He hadn’t been able to discern the size or shape of the recess, but knew it was large enough to completely engulf her entire body.

And apparently, it was intriguing enough to engulf her attention as well, since she hadn’t yet reemerged.

What could it mean?

He was tempted to consult his father, but didn’t want to disturb his rest. The genetic disintegration that afflicted all Ra-ahlis these days had ravaged the overlord’s generation in particular with a combination of disease and age that was worsening exponentially. Nothing seemed to help for long, but sleep at least provided some temporary respite from the pain.

Turning back to the screen that usually showed him what Brietta Ryerson’s eyes were seeing, he scowled. Still blank. And no sound either. Either the chip had malfunctioned or the signal was blocked by some bizarre geologic phenomenon, or—

Or the specimen was dead.

His gills quivered at the thought that her accursed brain had ceased to function. No visual, no audio—just a lifeless shell. From a snake bite perhaps? Or better still, a dozen vicious bites from a dozen vipers like the one Taggert had described?

It would almost be worth it—to know she had died an agonizing death, alone and unheralded. To imagine the grief her clan would experience when her venom-ravaged corpse landed on the doorstep of their family home. To know that those absurdly cocky grins had been wiped from the Ryersons’ faces, at least for a while.

Ga’rag could easily find another human female. Perhaps even the one called Melody.
Any
specimen would be better than this one.

Except the overlord
wanted
this one. Admired her for the same reasons Ga’rag hated her. She was a Ryerson. To the overlord, that spoke of resilience and fortitude. To Ga’rag—betrayal and humiliation.

But if she’s dead
. . .

He decided to let his father rest for a few more minutes. They would know soon, would they not? If the chip was simply malfunctioning, or the signal was blocked by some unprecedented geological formation, the Ryerson specimen would emerge from the cave, and Ga’rag would honor the overlord’s wishes, continuing the experiment for the full two weeks.

Which meant he would have to find a way, probably through a combination of pain and hallucination, to ensure that this hated specimen never,
ever
stepped foot in that cavern again.

And if she never reemerged? If she was in fact dead? He would find a way to convince the overlord that Melody was the true and perfect specimen, all the while secretly rejoicing that Brietta Ryerson had died a lonely, painful and ignominious death.

Chapter Nine

Perfect. Absolutely, mind-blowingly perfect.

Walking to the center, Brietta made a 360-degree inspection of the magnificent domed chamber. For a few minutes she didn’t ask any questions. Didn’t need to know who, or what, or why. Instead, she allowed herself to drink it in, to bask in its majesty, and maybe even, just a bit, to lose herself in it.

She was so enchanted, she actually didn’t notice that her headache had disappeared until she had finally inspected the entire structure one full time. Then she pressed on her cheekbone, her eye socket, her nose—nothing. Not even a twinge.

“Because it’s a vacuum in here,” she murmured in grateful amazement. “Or the air pressure is different. Or it’s just the right humidity. Plus there’s no dust. Plus“—she trained the flashlight on the top of the dome—“it’s an effing miracle. And that stinker Taggert found it. He
definitely
wins this competition.”

Grinning at her own defeat, she decided to let her inner archaeologist come out and play. She just
had
to know
who
,
what
and
why
. And most particularly, she needed to know
how
—how on earth had this fabulous place come to be?

Inspecting the walls again, she saw that they were definitely black, but streaked with dark red. Probably iron, she decided, wishing she had taken more and better geology courses. According to the materials Taggert had given them on the plane ride, most of these mountains and plateaus were volcanic. Wasn’t it possible—although unlikely and unprecedented—that this dome had simply formed from some sort of freakish lava tube?

Until now, she had noticed, but disregarded, a small pile of gear. Now she walked over to it, nudging several items with her foot. A case of bottled water, three lanterns, some climbing tools and rope—

“What the
hell
?” Taggert’s voice demanded from behind her, and she spun toward it, surprised but still deliriously happy.

“Taggert! What
is
this place? It’s awesome.”

“I asked you a question.”

“Sheesh.” She rolled her eyes, half in jest, half in warning. “This is no time to fight. I
love
this place. And I love
you
for finding it.”

“I thought I made myself clear. The cemetery is yours. This is
mine
.” He winced and added quickly, “I don’t mean that the way it sounded. I’m just not ready to go public with it yet.”

“Public? Meaning
me
? Lovely.”

“There’s a lot at stake here. More than you know—”

“Well then, I’ll just leave you to it.” Spinning on her heels, she strode toward the entrance.

“Brietta,
wait
.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll cancel my big press conference,” she shouted over her shoulder, adding just as loudly, “Jackass.”

Praying for his sake that he wasn’t stupid enough to come after her, she strode through the opening. Once outside, she was greeted with a stab of pain so acute she had to press on her face with both hands just to keep herself from screaming out loud.

“Goddamm you, Taggert,” she blurted out unhappily. “This is
your
fault, you stupid, selfish jerk.”

She could barely focus, the agony was so intense, but she needed to keep moving, so she stumbled along as hot, angry tears streamed down her cheeks. She would
never
forgive him for making her head hurt this way.

Never, never, never.

She wanted to call out to Kasha—to make the horse come and fetch her—but it didn’t make sense. She couldn’t even radio Hannan for assistance, since she had his horse and Taggert had their only vehicle.

Then, just when she thought things could not get any more perverse, she heard a faint hissing sound from under a nearby scrub bush.

“No,” she whispered. “Just
no
. Please?”

Turning as slowly as she could manage, she gasped in horror at the sight before her. Not a viper. A
nest
of them. And of course they had three white rings on their tails, not to mention long scarlet tongues that flicked toward her as though yearning to make contact.

“Fuck
me
. And fuck you too, Taggert, because this is
all
your fault
.”

Part of her quaked in terror, but residual rage did its job, reminding her she had one of Hannan’s pistols in her backpack.

“It’s you or them,” she advised herself as she reached into the bag. The snakes were still hissing, coiling and uncoiling, and undoubtedly salivating, so she gripped the weapon with both hands, slid the safety off, and began firing.

The recoil was staggering, the sound ear-shattering, but she kept shooting, again and again, repulsed but also empowered, until someone grabbed her from behind, using one arm to brace her while his free hand yanked the gun away.

“What are you
doing
?” she wailed.

“What are
you
doing?” Taggert stared at her for a second, then pulled her into a frantic embrace. “Man, you scared me to death.”

“
I
scared you? What about the freaking snakes?” She wriggled free, sure that both of them were doomed, but when she looked at the nest, there was no trace of the serpents.

“Oh, thank God.” She turned back to him and threw herself back into his arms. “I’m so glad you’re here. Even though I hate you.”

“Yeah, I know,” he murmured. “Just take a deep breath. And tell me what you were shooting at. You’re sure it was a snake?”

“It was
five
snakes. Maybe six. Didn’t you see them?”

“Just breathe, baby. I think you’re in shock or something.”

“Cut it out.” She wrenched free and glared. “I can’t believe I didn’t hit at least one of them.”

“Well, you decimated this bush at least,” he said as he bent down to touch the shredded remains of a once thick root.

“Be careful!” She pulled his arm back, then grimaced. “There were five snakes, minimum. Just like the one
you
saw up here the other day.”

“Except I didn’t really see a snake. I made that up.”

“What?”

He rested his hands on her hips. “I’m sorry I lied about that. I just didn’t hear Melody calling on the radio. Too distracted by the cavern, I guess. And then you were so pissed, I figured it was just easier to say I saw one of Hannan’s snakes.” He smiled sympathetically. “You were upset, you saw the root, you panicked—”

“I did not. I saw vipers.”

“Okay, okay.” He pulled her against his warm, solid body. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. It was completely out of line.”

“You’re a despicable human being,” she agreed, resting her cheek on his chest.

“Yeah.” He stroked her hair, then began massaging the back of her neck.

It felt so good, she didn’t have the strength to resist. At least, not for the moment.

“I’m insane when it comes to that stupid cavern,” he admitted. ”I know it doesn’t make sense, but it’s my last link to my dad—something I’m doing for him. And for me too, but mostly him. So I don’t want to blow it.” Tilting her chin up with his free hand, he added firmly, “But I don’t want to blow it with you either. You’re so perfect. So perfect for
me
—”

“You’ve got a crappy way of showing it,” she said with a weary smile.

“Yeah, I know.” He licked his lips, then lowered his warm mouth to hers, tasting her gently. “I’m sorry, Brie. Just give me one more chance—”

“Okay.”

He drew back as though completely shocked. “Really?”

“If my dad had asked
me
to keep something secret, I’d take it to the grave. No questions asked.” A lump formed in her throat. “I’m sorry I saw the cave, Taggert, but I’m glad too. And I can’t
un
see it. You know that, right? It’s in my head now.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet. And believe it or not I’ve been hot to tell you about it. But not right now, okay? I need a little time to sort it out. It’s complicated—”

“Take all the time you want.”

“Thanks.” He smiled and leaned down to kiss her again.

But she pulled away gently. “I need a little time too. So I guess it’s a good thing I’m going to Hannan’s aunt’s house. And it’s a good thing you’re
not
going.”

She recognized the frustrated look on his face, but to his credit he didn’t say anything other than, “Fair enough. Can I walk you to your horse?”

* * * *

As she led Kasha down the twisty path, she kept an eye on Taggert to see if he was returning to the cave. He had assured her he’d head straight back to the SUV and undoubtedly arrive at camp a few minutes before she did, but when it came to his father’s magnificent cavern, Taggert was a liar.

Still, he seemed to be keeping his word this time, circling back behind the rocks rather than through them. He had explained that it was quite a hike to the dirt road, and impossible to drive off-road in these thickets, which was the reason he usually rode Kasha unless he needed to bring supplies that he couldn’t carry.

Admiring his self-discipline, she decided not to have any of her own. She hadn’t had nearly enough time in the cavern, even for a first visit. Worse, she didn’t know when her second visit would take place.

The idea of trying to force him, or even sweet-talk him, into including her in the project right away bothered her. She had meant what she’d said—losing her parents as abruptly and as violently as she had, she still clung to every slender thread that connected her to their memory. In a way, Taggert was lucky to have this quest—something he could do for his dad to keep that connection solid and alive.

He had promised to keep the secret until the time came to share it with the public, and he had done his best, complete with creating a sham project to distract the world’s attention. It was a brilliant strategy, and since she actually
loved
the sham project, she could work with this new arrangement—give him time and space, knowing that at some point he’d bring her on board, partly because he needed someone to brainstorm with, and partly because she already
knew
about it, but mostly because he had the hots for her.

Works for me
. . .

For now, it didn’t seem unreasonable for her to try and catch another quick glimpse of it, just to hold her over. She wouldn’t stay long for fear he’d notice and double back. And there was Hannan’s party to consider. He and his family were opening their home to strangers, and the least she could do was be on time.

Confident that Taggert was nearing his vehicle, she tied the horse’s reins to a branch, gave her another slurp of water, and looped the backpack over her shoulder. It was heavy, reminding her how Taggert had reluctantly returned the gun to her based on her promise not to shoot anyone, and her plea that it would be hard enough to explain to Hannan why there were so many bullets missing, much less to admit that the weapon had been confiscated from her due to seemingly reckless firing.

As she approached the entry fissure, she trembled with anticipation. Then she heard a rustle in a nearby bush, followed by a familiar hissing sound that froze her in disbelief.

She needed to get the gun, not just to shoot the serpent but to attract Taggert back to the spot. He could save her, or at least be her not-so-silent witness of the event this time. So she forced herself not to panic as she slowly turned while also reaching into her bag.

But there was no snake to be seen, and as she glanced around warily, she wondered if Taggert had been right. Had she honestly imagined that nest of vipers?

“Stay away from this cave,”
a raspy voice commanded her.

Spinning back toward the entrance in disbelief, she shrank from the figure standing before her. It was a man, but only in a sense. Dark-haired, medium height and wiry, he wore a gray military uniform that was completely unfamiliar to Brietta. And while he didn’t have a conventional weapon, she noted with unease the whip in his gnarled right hand.

Unable to speak but also unable to run away, she just stared at him, trying not to freak out at the texture of his skin, seemingly covered with tiny micro-scales. His dark eyes were wrong too—too wide, too cold, too dead.

“Stay away from this cave,” he repeated in a creepy monotone. “It is filled with vipers. You were foolish to return to it. Now you have been warned for the last time.”

“Is it yours?”

His chuckle had a vicious edge to it. “
You
are mine. And I am protecting you from the vipers. Are you too stupid to comprehend that?” Before she could respond, he continued coolly. “Do not make me come for you before the prescribed time. Do not make me hurt you more than I already have. I long to destroy you—to destroy your entire clan—but I don’t dare. Not yet. Unless of course you give me a reason.” He flashed a malevolent smile, then cracked the whip high in the air, letting the tip strike her cheek, slashing it down to the bone.