“Rockhurst, against us, yesterday,” I said. I shook my head. I had been planning to send Polaris to Father through an intermediary after we negotiated terms. That plan was dead. I would have to return home as soon as possible.
I met Veronica’s eyes. “I need you to think very seriously about your future. I can still try to take you with me as a Cabinet member, but only if that is what you want. Houses at war are not the safest places. I will likely be sent to the front lines. If you don’t travel with me, my protection will be limited.”
She nodded. “I will consider it carefully. I will also go tell Rhys the news in case he hasn’t heard.”
Chapter 24
After Veronica left, I sank down on the edge of the bed. Worry pressed on my shoulders. There hadn’t been any news of outright attack, but it would only be a matter of time.
Loch leaned against the wall across from me. “What will you do?” he asked.
I sighed and rubbed my eyes. “I have to go home. I need to be there for my siblings. I’ll still negotiate with Father before I go, but it’ll be rushed. We’ll both have to settle for less than we wanted. What about you?”
“I don’t know. I thought I might try my hand at private security. You know anyone headed to a war zone who might need a little backup?”
I looked up in shock. He met my gaze calmly. “I might know someone,” I said, fighting a smile. “What are your qualifications?”
“I was trained in the military. I’m tough. I heal fast.” He gave me a smoldering look. “And I’ve been told I’m fantastic in bed.”
“Hmm, I’m not sure my brother much cares about that last one, but I’ll be sure to pass it along,” I said with a straight face. Loch laughed and the sound loosened some of the tension I carried.
His expression turned serious. He sat next to me and rested his elbows on his knees. I couldn’t see his face. “I joined the RCDF when I was seventeen,” he said. “I was the perfect candidate—strong, smart, and eager to fight—except that I had a difficult time taking orders.”
I sucked in a breath when I realized what he was doing.
“But I still managed to toe the line enough to rise quickly through the ranks. So when my commander approached me about a new project, one where I would command my own elite unit, I jumped at it.”
He shook his head. “I was still just a kid. When they told me they wanted to make us supersoldiers, I thought it sounded awesome. They called it the Genesis Project. There were four squads of eight that started the project, broken into groups based on DNA similarities. I was the squad leader for my group.”
I wanted so badly to ask questions, but I kept silent, afraid if I moved or made a sound, he would stop talking.
“We signed away our rights without reading the contracts because our supervisors told us everything was on the up-and-up. The scientists tinkered with our DNA. My eyes are not ocular implants, they’re genetically engineered.”
I gaped at him. The sanctity of DNA was one of the foundational principles of the Consortium. We might introduce nanobots into our blood or augment ourselves with biomechanical implants, but our DNA, the core of who we were, was strictly off-limits. It had been that way from the beginning of the Royal Consortium. Genetic engineering could still be found, of course, deep in the black market, but only the most desperate would risk it, because it carried a Consortium death sentence for both provider and patient.
“Soldiers started dropping right from the beginning, but they didn’t cancel the project. It was hell. My squad was the only one that made it through, and only just,” he said. Old pain laced his voice.
I wrapped my arm around his back and squeezed him in a half hug.
He continued, “We spent months in training missions. The conditions were brutal. The scientists wanted to see what we could do, how much damage we could take, and how quickly we would spring back. Requests for reassignment went nowhere. Fornax was our first real mission.”
“Rhys was there with you?” I asked quietly.
“Yeah, he was in my squad. We were elated to be sent on a real mission, thinking the worst of it was over. We were wrong. The people of Fornax Zero were starving because House Rockhurst was taxing them to death. They were rebelling against the price of food.”
He took a deep breath. “Because it was a Rockhurst planet, House Rockhurst sent Richard to oversee the operation. I think it was his very first assignment and he was eager to prove himself by whatever means necessary.”
“But he couldn’t have been in the Santa Celestia,” I said. “I distinctly remember that was after Fornax. And there was no mention of him being at Fornax at all.”
“No, at the time he was in an older ship. He had a passel of military advisors with him, but he ignored their advice and ordered us to attack. We were sent in to quell the rebellion by killing women and kids, which is probably why House Rockhurst didn’t proclaim his involvement.”
Loch shook his head in disgust at the memory. “At that point, we all knew the only way out for us was death. As the squad leader, it was my responsibility, so I ‘killed’ them. Then I really did kill the bastards in charge, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. If I could get my hands on Richard, I’d kill him, too. Unfortunately, the fucker seems to know about my abilities and has taken precautions every time I’ve gotten close.”
“Why didn’t you go to the Consortium?”
Loch laughed without humor. “Who do you think funded the entire thing, sweetheart? And who increases my bounty year after year? House Rockhurst might’ve owned Fornax Zero, but all three High Houses approved the Genesis Project.”
I wasn’t so naive as to believe the Consortium was all rainbows and puppies, but I’d never truly been exposed to the darkest parts, either. “How did the others in your squad escape notice?”
“The Consortium wiped all external record of us once we went into the program. A minor name change and a new black-market ID and they were good to go. Even their prints and DNA don’t have matches in the system.”
I had to be careful about my fingerprints and DNA when using a false identity because either could lead someone straight back to my real name. Not having to worry about it would relieve a huge burden.
“So your eyes are not implants? But you can still see in the dark?” I asked. I’d been fascinated by his eyes from the beginning and knowing they were genetically engineered didn’t detract from their allure.
“Yes, I can see in the dark. And heal from major wounds in hours or days. And break bones with my bare hands.” He glanced over his shoulder at me. “I tell you everything and that’s all you have to say?”
The reminder wiped the humor from my face. “No, I have plenty to say, most of it to Father and the rest of the Consortium. I’m sorry about what happened to you and your squad. So very sorry. It must’ve been devastating to realize you were stuck with a House daughter on Mayport.”
“Actually, I planned to use it to my advantage. But then you turned out to be so damned nice, even when you were trying to manipulate me. I thought it was another act. It wasn’t until you risked your life coming to get me that I started to think that maybe you weren’t like the rest.”
“I am exactly like the rest,” I said. “I just hide it better.”
Loch met my eyes again. “You may think so, but you’re wrong. Every House member I’ve ever met would’ve sent me to investigate the bunker on XAD Six while they stayed safely with the ship. They wouldn’t have thought twice about it.”
“It was my responsibility,” I said. I looked away. “You were so cold to me when I said goodbye. I thought you were still mad and expected you to try to steal the ship.”
Loch turned to face me. “I was furious that you insisted on going alone. I kept imagining all the things that could go wrong for you before I’d even hit the ground. I should’ve handled it better,” he said, running a hand down his face. “I meant to talk to you sooner—that’s why I followed you into the maintenance area. But I bailed at the last second.”