“Because you already did what I wanted you to do,” Dr. Elliot Pearl replied in a calm voice that furthered Simon’s irritation. “Since you claim she successfully controlled you with her scent before you shot her, there’s no doubt she’s where she needs to be right now.”
“Doc, you’re seriously losing me. Why the hell did you ask us to tag her if we weren’t going to bring her in? You do realize the Squad has her right now?” Probably fucking the shit out of that piece of ass, too. Caitlyn Chase had an hourglass shape, full tits, and a pussy made for screwing. He’d been so close…
“You’ve done your job, Agent Dunn. Now leave us.” He nodded to a shadowy figure near the doorway.
Not much disturbed him, but Simon refused to be around that giant freak unless he had to. Dealing with Vincent was preferable to that monster. Maybe he’d fool around with the newest acquisitions on the lower level, the ones Pearl thought no one knew about. His cock twitched with approval, and he left without a backward glance.
“McKinley, find Torrence for me.” Elliot scribbled in his notebook and turned to the computer. Not a sound was made, but Elliot suddenly felt alone. Finally.
He contemplated the file he’d been working on for the past twenty-eight years. The key to all his hard work: Caitlyn Chase.
He’d been impressed by her father, Lieutenant Brendan Chase, from the moment they’d met. Hence, a standard physical for the young soldier had turned into so much more.
Brendan was an all-American: intelligent, athletic, with the drive and skill to become a commanding general had he lived long enough.
His wife, Colleen, had been as charismatic and talented, with a beauty that took his breath away. She and Brendan had created a wonderful child in their son, Robert.
Wonderful, but average. Normal. When Colleen gave birth to Caitlyn, however, they’d achieved perfection.
The boy hadn’t shown any signs of effect from the Circe serum, or EP12, as Elliot liked to call it. Probably because when he’d been conceived, Brendan and Colleen hadn’t accepted a high enough dose to fully mutate their DNA. Three more years of medical experimentation had proven that Brendan had what it took. EP12 liked his genes, so much so that they turned Brendan into a fighting machine and made his daughter into something else. The beginning of a new era.
Colleen Chase showed little change that Elliot could see. Though he’d found Colleen attractive, Elliot had never been able to determine if her appeal to the opposite sex was enhanced by the serum or was a result of her natural genetics.
Brendan showed superior strength and agility thanks to EP12, but he hadn’t gained the intuitive foresight that continued to save Circe’s Recruits time and time again. Certainly the stalwart lieutenant had misread the situation when his car had been forced off that cliff, killing him, his wife, and his son.
“You wanted me?” Sabrina Torrence’s stiff posture told him she hadn’t appreciated being disturbed.
“I need you to run more tests on the blood samples I gave you this morning.”
“I’m in the middle of another project.”
“This is more important. From what you’ve reported, our subject --”
“I already told you. Her results match the toxin levels in Caitlyn Chase’s sample.” Elliot frowned. “That can’t be right.”
“It is. I’ll run the test again, but be prepared for the same results.” She left on that note.
Short and to the point.
Though Elliot didn’t appreciate the way Torrence talked to him, he had no fault with her scientific process. Torrence had a genius IQ and wielded it with blade-sharp precision.
Once a corpsman in the Navy, she’d served her time as a mere phlebotomist.
Elliot had seen the potential in her for so much more.
Like a sponge, Torrence absorbed everything he put in front of her. He liked the fact that she wasn’t a doctor, but a peon without a degree or specialization other than drawing blood, which anyone could do. He sniffed, reminding himself how very common she actually was.
If she wasn’t so damned smart and vital to his new labs, he’d give her to McKinley. But Torrence knew what he needed practically before he needed it -- with the exception of those damned blood tests today. He’d be foolish to let her go, even if she did have a tendency to forget her place in the organization.
Not to mention she ran her section of the lab with an efficiency that put all the others -- those with doctorates and advanced degrees -- to shame. He had half a mind to put her in charge of the subbasement level, if only to see how she’d handle the unwilling patients.
“Want me to correct her attitude, Dr. Pearl?” Elliot glanced up to see McKinley watching him. Those eerie yellow eyes never blinked.
Elliot’s skin crawled, though he refused to show it. McKinley had been his first successful Circ after the initial batch went crazy -- with the exception of Evan’s squad. Three years ago, McKinley had appeared and protected him against the real power behind the new Project Dawn. Day in and day out, McKinley remained close by, a comforting presence when the CEO arrived, a threatening blanket when he stood in the darkness, always watching. He remained cool, in control. No psychotic episodes…yet. Which didn’t explain why Elliot never fully trusted him. Looking into those eyes was like looking into the maw of a rabid wolf. He kept waiting for those jaws to snap tight.
“Thanks, but Torrence doesn’t bother me.” Not that I’d let it show if she did. “Let her get back to work. If only she’d bleed a bit of that attitude onto the others. They work at a snail’s pace.”
McKinley nodded and faded back into the shadows. Where he belonged.
Elliot spent the next few hours comparing data, reviewing why they’d told Caitlyn to leave three years ago. At the time, she’d had no more to give them. Her hormonal secretions had tapered off. Her pheromones no longer worked on her command. Watching her interact in public, in another environment, should have given them more to work with. Instead, Caitlyn had become so normal. So disappointing.
Dismayed that the government had disbanded Project Dawn -- as if it were Elliot’s fault those idiot soldiers couldn’t process his evolutionary microbes -- he’d felt doubly betrayed by Caitlyn’s failure. Wanting to start fresh, they’d let her go and focused on his new, extremely promising subjects.
Still, he didn’t remember the specifics of Caitlyn’s release, or why they hadn’t brought her in since then for an annual follow-up.
Bemused, Elliot scrolled through his files and documents but found nothing.
Rubbing the back of his neck to work out the kinks, he typed a short note to Evan.
Still waiting for the other shoe to drop? How goes your progress with Caitlyn? She’s an exceptional girl. I assume her progeny will be as strong, if not stronger, than she is if she’s paired with a viable donor. Roane Weston would be my choice. Do let me know how things turn out.
Grinning at the image of poking Evan with a verbal stick, Elliot sent the message.
Finished with Caitlyn’s file, he studied the next viable Circ on his list. Until Caitlyn produced young, he truly had no further need of her. Not when there were four more successes he could count on. Oh, he had plenty of other Circs to watch as well. Other failures. He couldn’t explain how, but he knew when a subject would work and when one would be a problem. Except for Caitlyn, he’d never before been wrong.
Hell, he’d predicted the massive breakdowns of two-thirds of the first Recruits. The Pentagon hadn’t cared. Not until the Circs’ violent breakdowns had become public. Then Elliot had been routed as a troublemaker and wrongdoer. He huffed. If they’d let him add that genetic fail-safe, a debilitating cancer that would have killed his creations when activated, the defense department could have been spared the PR nightmare of hiding their defective Recruits. Unfortunately, they’d ignored him when they shouldn’t have and blamed him for everything.