What Remains_Mutation (8 page)

Sully snugged in behind her, drawing her back against his chest. “You kept the bastard alive, by yourself, for three months outside. I’d say you did a pretty damn good job. And we don’t even know the circumstances you faced before you left whatever facility you had him in. There must have been a damn good reason you left.”

Barrett nodded. “Why don’t you tell us how an MI6 agent ended up in Colorado?”

“Let’s just say my unique qualifications gained the interest of a certain American agency. They decided they needed a specialist and got me reassigned to them…temporarily, of course.”

Darcy slapped his hand on his leg. “I was right. You’re CIA.”

“Not by choice. But when they make a request, it’s not really an option to turn them down. They consider it…impolite.”

“So how does the good doctor fit into all this?”

“Several years ago, Lelin Granger made a breakthrough in parasitic infection.” She nodded at Kace. “Right about the time he went underground. He found a way to combine organisms, creating a parasite that had all of the strengths of its constituents but none of the weaknesses. Initially, the man was using his research for beneficial means…a way of integrating damaged neural cells and allowing the host to regain control over bodily functions. When he started making significant leaps forward, concerned parties decided he needed to be watched, for his own safety. I was one of a select few agents assigned to him.”

Darcy snorted. “You mean they decided his research needed to monitored. I imagine he was worth quite a bit to these ‘concerned parties’.”

Harper pursed her lips. “I wasn’t privy to all the details. I just made sure no one tried to kill him.”

“What went wrong?”

“Lelin Granger went wrong. After a few years of laboratory testing, he convinced the agency that he needed to do live trials. They gave him access to a bio-testing farm. He was supposed to be analyzing the effects of the parasites against different neural conditions in other animals. See if he could make them viable again. But it was a lie. The parasites had been engineered for human DNA. They had no effect on the animals. Lelin managed to manufacture results and hide the truth. By the time the CIA realized the extent of what he’d done, he’d weaponized the strain and found a way to infiltrate the food chain, and a billion people were infected worldwide. Governments fell. Hell, the world had all but ended. Those still alive tried to pressure him into creating an antidote. But nothing he made stopped the infection. Eventually, the facility fell as well. I managed to get him out, and we’d been running ever since.”

Darcy groaned, glancing over at Abby. “Holy shit. You mentioned something like this when we first met…about this thing not crossing the species barrier. He infected animals because he knew they wouldn’t get sick.”

Abby nodded, leaning into Colby as her face paled. “The parasite could have been dormant for months, even years, and no one would have known. All he had to do was wait until the carriers were sent to slaughter. And if he picked specimens that were similar in age and fitness… He guaranteed a worldwide dispersion, courtesy of our own fast food chains.” She looked at Harper. “Did Lelin tell you how he did it? Give you any insight into his method? Maybe Kace—”

“Could what? Replicate it? After the infection took hold, the man went completely mad. Most of the time he was catatonic. And the rare times he seemed to snap out of it, he mumbled nonsense I didn’t understand. I’m sorry. But my expertise doesn’t lie in pathogens or parasites.”

“Maybe not, but your training means you probably remember more than you think.” Kace eased Emersyn out of his arms as he walked over to Harper. “You said at the beginning that Granger was trying to enhance it. How?”

“I don’t know. All he ever did was rant about a new war. A second coming. But I don’t see how that’s possible. There’s no way Lelin created a new strain
and
released it. He’s been under lock and key for the past three years. Whatever’s going on with these anomalies, I don’t see how it could have been his doing.”

“A second coming…” Kace tapped a finger on his lips as he stared off for a moment before looking at her. “Maybe we’re overthinking this. Lelin didn’t have to create a new strain from scratch. This could just be a mutation. Something he could have included as part of the original genetic makeup. A way for the parasites to alter…gain greater control of their host.”

Harper stared at Kace, mouth gaped open as she glanced back at Sully, understanding shaping her features. “Oh my god. All those tests he ran. The serum he made… It wasn’t for the original outbreak. He was preparing for the future. A way of ending this once he felt he’d accomplished what he’d intended. Shit. Why didn’t I see it before?”

A grin split Kace’s face. “That’s it…why his formula didn’t stop the initial infection. It wasn’t engineered to. He made it to combat this new strain. But he didn’t count on your facility going under. Or on you hauling his ass out of there. This is…you…” Kace shuffled on his feet, finally grabbing Harper before seemingly coming to his senses. He pointed at Sully. “Kiss the girl. She’s brilliant.”

Harper gasped as Sully spun her around, palming the back of her neck as he slid his mouth over hers. She hesitated for only a moment before a raspy hum rumbled through her chest and she molded her lips to his, opening when he slipped his tongue inside. Tangy sweetness filled his senses as her tongue battled with his, the sheer taste of her making his legs tremble. A throat cleared in the distance, finally dragging him back. He eased Harper away, his gaze clashing with Rhys.

“Are we interrupting something?”

Sully smiled at the stunned expression on Harper’s face and returned Rhys’ smug grin. “Kace did tell me to kiss her. Wouldn’t want to disappoint the man.”

“Right.” Rhys chuckled, turning to Kace. “I don’t suppose you want to let the rest of us in on why you seem so happy. The last time I checked, the creator of this thing was still dead.”

Kace waved his hand in the air as if Rhys’ question didn’t concern him. “We don’t need Lelin Granger. All we need is some of that serum he made. I should be able to do the rest if our theory is correct.”

Harper stiffened in Sully’s arms, her face paling as she turned in his embrace. “I hate to be a buzzkill, Kace, but did you just say you needed some of Lelin’s serum?”

Kace glanced at her over his shoulder. “Not a lot. A vial or two should be sufficient.”

She coughed. “And the part where I just told you the facility got overrun three months ago? Did you just block that bit out?”

Kace turned, uncertainty creasing his forehead. “Did the samples get destroyed?”

She stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. “No… I don’t know. I wasn’t exactly worried about them at the time. They were kept inside a separate room…one with a bunch of high tech security. It’s doubtful anything got in that area after we left.”

“Then there’s a good chance they’re still intact.”

“Intact isn’t the problem. I didn’t bug out of there because I ran out of supplies or because the geothermal power grid collapsed. I was trying not to get eaten. It’s access that’s the issue.”

“I can’t replicate Lelin’s findings without samples…not quickly anyway. It took me over a year to create the first vaccine. We don’t have that kind of time against this mutation.”

Harper glanced at Sully again, her confusion more than evident. “And the horde of undead between the front door and that room? Do you have a plan for that? ‘Cause it wasn’t pleasant battling my way out the first time. I can’t imagine it’d be any better going back in.”

Kace sighed, glancing at his brother and the other man, Hunter, before pushing to his feet. “I realize the circumstances are far from perfect but…this could be it. A real vaccine that’ll save every person still breathing. I’ve been working on trying to develop something from Rhys’ blood, but… If this is a mutation of the original strain, anything I develop will only guard against that original infection. That’s still important, in case not all of them change, and I’m not going to stop. It’s just not enough.”

Rhys drew himself up, nodding to Emersyn and Hunter. “We’ll go.”

Sully watched as Harper’s eyes bulged wide before she shook her head.

She gave him a desperate glance before facing Rhys. “And how are you going to find your way there? Do you really think a covert CIA facility is on your local map? Unless you’ve been there, you’ll never find it.” She held up her hand, indicating she wasn’t done. “And before you ask, no…it’s not like I can simply give you directions. Even if you found the facility, the building’s a maze inside. I’d have to take you there. Personally.”

Rhys’ expression firmed. “And that’s a problem.”

He wasn’t asking. Harper’s body tensed and Sully could tell by the way her muscles flexed, she felt threatened.

He tugged her against him again. “Rhys. Don’t.”

The man growled. “We’re talking about a possible cure, Sully. A
permanent
one.”

“I know what the fuck we’re talking about. I’m not naïve. But you’re making it sound as if Harper doesn’t have a choice.”

Rhys stared at him.

Sully growled. “Fuck that. This isn’t marshal law. The last time I checked, we didn’t force people to go on suicide missions.”

“You heard her. We won’t find it unless she goes. Case closed.”

Cogan echoed Sully’s previous displeasure, drawing himself up as Jake followed suit. Neither man moved, but they’d made their intentions clear.

Rhys glared at them, stepping forward. “She’s not the only one who’d be taking a risk.”

Sully snorted. “Is that supposed to make this morally right? Will it help you sleep at night if she dies—”

“Boys. Enough.” Harper turned to him, an odd emotion clouding her eyes as she raised her hand, drawing a finger along his jaw. She looked completely out of her element.

She gave Cogan and Jake similar gazes, her brow furrowed, her breathing increasing before she shook her head. Sully watched her, wondering if she’d ever had anyone stand up for her.

She graced him with a stunning smile then turned back to the others. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t go. But it’s a pipe dream at best. The mutation started there a couple of weeks before we left. Damn things run like the wind. And forget about walls keeping you safe. They scale those. I barely made it out. I had to break through a second story window. Cracked two ribs. And that’s when Lelin was somewhat cooperative. The last thing I saw was a sea of pale skin swarming the building.”

The lines around Rhys’ mouth tightened, but he didn’t back down. “This isn’t our first rodeo, honey. We’ll see you safely in and out.”

“You?” She half-laughed. “You want me to get you the serum? Fine. But I’ll go alone.”

A knot formed in the pit of Sully’s gut. No fucking way she’d go without him, Cogan and Jake leading the damn way. Simple as that.

He snagged her waist. “Like fucking hell you will.”

She spun to face him. “Sully.”

“Sully’s right.” Rhys moved closer. “There’s no way you’re going alone. This is too important to risk that you won’t make it back. And then there’s the matter of trust…”

Harper glared at him. “Thanks. Glad I made the first concession for nothing.”

Barrett stepped between them, palming Rhys’ chest. “What Rhys means is that we can’t ask you to take this on if we aren’t willing to risk our lives for it, too. It’s only fair.”

“Somehow I don’t think fair is what he’s worried about.”

She huffed, marching to the other side of the room. Sully watched her war with some internal demon, periodically glancing at the door. His gut clenched, afraid she’d simple dart out of the room and out of their lives, but she sighed instead, turning to lean against the wall. Her brow crinkled, and he knew she’d reached a decision.

The tension eased from her shoulders and for the first time, he caught a true glimpse of the operative in her. The cold, calculated one, weighing her options, removing any emotions from the equation. Her gaze clashed with his, and a hint of the woman beneath the façade bled through.

She raised her chin, addressing all of them at once. “Let’s cut through the bullshit. I’ll get Lelin’s damn serum on two conditions. One, only a small team goes with me. No more than two or three. This isn’t an assault. It’s a stealth mission. The fewer people tagging along, the less chance of us being seen or making a noise. There’s still little hope we’ll live through it, but it ups the percentage a point or two.”

Rhys shuffled his feet. “Last time I counted, we fit that condition.”

“Two. I choose who goes.”

“Something wrong with my team?”

“Other than the fact you’re lovers?”

Rhys gave her a smug smile. “Our personal life doesn’t matter. Not when it comes to the safety of this entire camp.”

“The hell it doesn’t” She scoffed at him. “With Lelin dead, Kace is now
the key
. Operative training one-o-one. Don’t take the only guy still capable of saving the world on a damn suicide mission.”

Rhys scoffed. “Do you honestly think I’d let Kace tag along? He stays, whether he likes it or not.”

“And how effective do you think the man will be if you three don’t come back? Serum or not, this compound will have to continue adapting. Fighting. Don’t take away his only reason for living and expect him to give a damn about others. That’s…inhuman.”

Rhys scowled but Barrett patted him on the shoulder, nodding at Harper.

“She has a point.” Barrett held up his hand. “I’m not going to argue with you three. Besides, we need a tactical team here to keep up with the new challenges. If just one of those advanced motherfuckers gets over the barriers…” He glanced at Harper, but she shook her head.

“Sorry, chief. But you guys aren’t going either, unless you can look me in the eyes and tell me one of you didn’t get Abby pregnant. No way.” She sighed, her focus falling to Sully. “Besides, there’re only three men I trust with this.”

Barrett glanced at the ceiling, looking as if he was searching for patience as he scrubbed a hand down his face. “Cogan’s crew? You want to take three, non-tactically trained men into a maze brimming with zombies? Lady, you’re either crazy or you’ve got yourself a massive set of brass balls.”