Grady's Awakening (2 page)

Grady Prime was stunned to learn they’d created a whole squadron of soldiers who could fly under their own power. He was also amazed they’d been able to keep such an experiment secret from everyone—including him—though he prided himself on knowing things that were hidden from others.

“I should start by talking to the current Sinclair Prime and some of Prime Past’s men. I’ll need insight into the individual before I can begin to assess where he might be hiding. I thought I knew Sinclair Prime Past well, having worked with him on several occasions. I see now I did not. I had no idea he, or any of his men, had wings. If he could keep that secret, he probably had many other secrets it would be helpful to know before I set out on his trail.”

“You also need to know that he was the first test subject in Mara 12’s experiment—even before the current batch, of which you are part. He was nearing retirement, and we allowed Mara 12 to proceed with one test case before approving her larger experiment. Sinclair Prime Past volunteered and was dosed with the gene-altering agent approximately one week before the rogue Council member activated him to assassinate Chief Engineer Davin. Mara 12 was disappointed with his disappearance of course. Since he had survived the initial dosage, we allowed her to continue her experiment.” Councilor Ardarin filled him in on the details. “More troubling was his failure to comply with a Councilor’s orders after the treatment, though we are satisfied with the result, since the rest of us did not authorize Chief Engineer Davin’s death.”

So tidy, Grady Prime thought. They spoke of people’s lives like tokens on a game board. They were
troubled
by the fact that their pet assassin hadn’t followed orders to kill an innocent man. They were
disappointed
that they’d lost their test subject—a man who was one of the most important in Alvian society as a Prime. To them he was only a game piece. Grady Prime’s eyes were opened to the callousness of the Council. He’d never felt warmly toward any of them, but now, with new emotions flooding his confused brain, he detested them. Truly loathed each and every one of them.

He dared not let it show. He’d come this far by pretending to be as cool and calm as he’d always been. He wouldn’t mess it up now. Not after spending the past weeks under intense scrutiny by Mara 12 and her team of ghouls.

All the test subjects were being monitored every waking moment it seemed. They were watched in their quarters and guarded even in their sleep. There were only a few people in this first—or make that second—group of Alvians to be given the gene-altering agent, and each was reacting somewhat differently. Most were calm fortunately. Those that spent time with Caleb O’Hara were doing the best. They were learning about emotion from a Breed they respected due to the predominance of Hara DNA in Caleb’s genealogy.

Also, Caleb was a strong presence. A leader of men. He’d led his family through the adversity of the crystal seeding—what the humans called the cataclysm¾and the lawless times after. He’d forged a path that kept his family safe and he knew how to inspire confidence, trust and even hope.

When Grady Prime had first sought Caleb’s company shortly after taking the drug, he knew Mara 12 had followed his every move. Every word of his initial conversation with Caleb and his nephew Harry had been recorded, analyzed and dissected. After their second discussion, Grady Prime had taken it upon himself to suggest to Mara 12 that introducing the other test subjects to Caleb or Harry would be helpful. She’d thought about his idea for a day or two, then arranged a group meeting at which both Caleb and Harry were the guests of honor.

Those group meetings had become a way for the test subjects to learn about integrating emotion from beings who already understood emotions. They were also a way for the test subjects to get to know each other. There were five in total. One had been a high-level bookkeeper who was retired and tasked to teach the younger generation. His name was Galin 4 and as the eldest of the group, he took on a patriarchal role toward the other three, who were all female and of subordinate personalities.

There was Linley 17, the eldest of the women, who’d been in charge of one of the largest crèche facilities where young were raised until the age of thirteen. Soft spoken and strong, she had been nearing retirement as well and had divulged her desire to understand the odd nurturing instincts she felt when dealing with her young charges.

Fian 34 had been a merchant arbiter who orchestrated trades of indigenous goods and supplies among the cities and sometimes for elite clients. She’d put her prosperous business on hold while taking part in the experiment and had hoped to be able to pick up her work as soon as Mara 12 was done with her. Fian 34 had an engaging personality and a quick wit. Grady Prime understood why she’d worked so well with people, sorting out differences of opinion and value of goods and services. He didn’t completely understand her motives in volunteering for this experiment, but he liked her as a person.

And the youngest of the group was a quiet lab tech called Jaci 647. Though she claimed to have volunteered, Grady Prime suspected the low-level tech had been ordered to participate by Mara 12. The girl was shy and very unsure of herself. She was nothing like the other Jaci lab tech Grady Prime had hunted for all those weeks. This Jaci was convinced of her inferiority and barely spoke. A few times, Grady Prime had walked in to a planned session with Caleb to find Jaci 647 there early, sobbing in the arms of Caleb O’Hara. The young girl was taking her new emotions hard. She cried a lot and spent the rest of the time jumping at every sound. If any of them were going to lose their minds because of this experiment, Grady Prime had to sadly admit, it would be her.

Grady Prime had managed to escape the constant monitoring only because the Council had summoned him to a secret session. He knew there was an escort waiting for him outside the door and the personal monitors would reactivate the moment the Council turned off their dampening fields. He didn’t like living under a microscope.

The more his emotions manifested, the more he realized he’d done the right thing in volunteering for the experiment. He liked feeling. He liked having an opinion based not only on dry facts, but also on emotion. He liked being—almost—human. And the effects would only deepen the longer the DNA-altering agent worked through his system, changing him forever on a molecular level.

“We are troubled by the Breed rumors of an angel. The idea that a winged man is out there somewhere seems to inspire unrest in the Breeds. We prefer them to be calm as we continue our studies.” Grady Prime realized how little Councilor Ardarin understood emotion and the Breeds her scientists studied. The
unrest
, as she described it, was probably a manifestation of hope.

Hope was something Alvians no longer comprehended. They also had no understanding of the finer emotions, the most important of which was love. Grady Prime had experienced fondness and something he suspected was love when he thought of the O’Hara children and the open way they’d always greeted him when he visited their ranch in the wilds of the Waste. He wasn’t sure. The emotion those memories stirred was powerful and touching, inspiring his protective instincts. He hadn’t had a chance to really talk about it with Caleb, but he thought what he felt in those moments was something like a paternal instinct to care for and protect the young.

“Are you certain these rumors refer to the missing Prime Past? It is possible—however unlikely—that members of the secret winged squadron have been observed.”

“True,” Councilor Gildereth admitted. “That is why you will begin your inquiries with his squadron.”

“We know you are under monitoring by Mara 12, and we have made allowances for the monitoring to continue on a limited basis,” Councilor Ardarin continued. “However, we believe at the current rate of DNA assimilation, you will be ready for the next phase of Mara 12’s study by next week. Phase Two of the study involves observing the test subject under conditions similar to their normal working conditions. The other four test subjects will be monitored in the city as they go about their tasks. Your work will have to be monitored from afar as you conduct your investigation. I will personally filter the feeds from your data collection unit and pass on relevant data to Mara 12. Even she is unaware of the Avarel hybridization experiment. That honor was given to Mara Prime alone. It is with him you will work upon reaching the squadron’s secret base of operations. You are not to discuss this case with anyone other than Mara Prime or this Council. You may question the winged squadron at your discretion. They will be instructed to cooperate fully with your investigation.”

“I will most likely need to spend time in the terrain, searching the area around the squadron’s base for signs of trespass. I may also need to track Sinclair Prime Past in remote areas, depending on what I find.”

“We have thought of that and will trust in your discretion. This investigation is of great importance to the Council. You are uniquely qualified—both by your past demonstration of skill and your current status and understanding of what the Past Prime may be experiencing as a test subject. We want you on this mission. We will work with Mara 12. If necessary, we will make allowances for gaps in monitoring while you are in areas that are too remote for reliable signal relay.” The head of the Council had just eased Grady Prime’s mind, but he tried hard not to let it show. He might have a few days free of the constant monitoring. It was a blessing in disguise for a man who had always valued his privacy.

“Mara 12 has four other subjects in the current batch,” Councilor Ardarin said. “If necessary, we can authorize her to select another warrior to test since she wanted a broad range of work specialties represented. One more soldier, more or less, should not be that much of a problem.”

Grady Prime bit his lip to keep from expressing his disgust at such a cavalier attitude. Each and every one of his men was a special being. They were his brothers in arms, his only family. They dedicated their lives to protecting all Alvians, at the Council’s direction. To hear them discussed in such disrespectful terms was both abhorrent and eye opening.

“You have authorization to travel to the winged squadron’s base as soon as Mara 12 clears you. We expect that to be early next week. Please have your gear in order and be ready to leave at any moment. We will have a ship sent from the base to conduct you there, as its location is a closely guarded secret.” Councilor Hearn spoke in a monotonous tone, as if reciting a list. “Fare well on your mission and report directly to the Council as soon as you have any news. Any questions?”

“Just one.” Grady Prime stood strong before the Council, his gaze assessing each and every one of them. “What do you want me to do with Sinclair Past Prime if and when I find him?”

Councilor Gildereth turned to look at him, his expression blank. “I thought that was obvious. You are authorized to kill him.”

A few days later, Grady Prime sat for yet another of the invasive medical examinations Mara 12’s techs and doctors treated the test subjects to on a regular basis. They collected all kinds of samples from him, running a multitude of tests on every imaginable bodily system.

“You’re at eighty-five percent conversion,” the doctor stated as he stared at the instrumentation panel on his diagnostic unit. “We’ve hypothesized that the last few percentages take longer to assimilate. The rapid integration of the new DNA sequences have slowed and will continue to decelerate as propagation nears completion.”

“Then I’ll have less mood swings now that the conversion is almost complete?”

“Most likely, though of course we need more data from yourself and your fellow subjects before we can make any conclusions. But that is the working theory.”

“Excellent.”

“We have notice from the Council that you are to be released from sequestered study when integration reached this level.” The doctor squinted, a faint echo of annoyance. “It would be better to have you here for study until the new DNA sequences are fully integrated. Of course, Council orders come first. Thank you for your cooperation over these past weeks. It has been agreeable to work with you, Grady Prime. I wish you well.”

That was more than Grady Prime had expected from the austere doctor. He stood from the examination table and gave the other man a short bow as he left.

When Grady Prime returned to his quarters, he found a communication from the Council waiting for him. A ship was already on its way to retrieve him for the mission he’d been assigned last week. Word of his status had traveled fast, he thought, as he packed a few small personal items in the bag he’d had ready for days.

He’d thought his days of traveling light and fast had ended when he volunteered for Mara 12’s experiment. He had gladly traded the enjoyable aspects of his job for the chance to finally understand the faint echoes of emotion he’d been subject to over the years. Now he was to have both. He had been given a chance not only to do the job he loved—and he realized now that he truly
loved
his occupation as a protector and defender of innocent people—but to do it, experiencing the new emotions that had been making his life fuller and more robust over the past weeks.

He felt a sense of hopeful anticipation that made his abdomen bubble with excitement. His blood sang for adventure, and his muscles quivered to be off. Adrenaline rushed through his system even though there was no immediately perceived threat. The only times he’d experienced an adrenaline rush before, he’d been in mortal danger. He’d lived for those times when he felt…something.