Williams was frowning deeply. “Surely no one would notice what? What are you babbling about?”
“Sir, the name of the article he submitted was: ‘Engineering Human Beings Through Targeted Somatic Cell Manipulation.’ Dr. Williams, evidently he kept personal copies of your original Infinite Serum and has been using it all these years as a springboard to further explore his genetic research.” Chaunders held the paper out to a rigid Williams. A bead of blood trickled down his raw temple like sweat. He blinked once, shaking himself from the rage that threatened to take over, and took the paper from Chaunders’ quivering hand. His eyes scanned the document.
“My original Infinite Serum. He had it all these years? I can resume my work—nothing can stop me now,” he whispered almost reverently.
“What do you want to do about the Winters?” Chaunders was out of breath with excitement.
“I don’t need them anymore—except Meg. I want my daughter back. The rest will need to die. They know too much.”
1 Things Aren’t Always What They Seem
Evan felt her hands slip under his well-worn black leather jacket. He felt his longish hair whip back from his smooth forehead as he squinted into the wind. He could feel his heart beating firm and steady under Kylie’s fingertips as she spooned herself against his back.
The motorcycle’s engine beneath them was hot and roaring. No words could be exchanged over the noise, so Kylie pointed the directions to Evan as they made their way out of the city.
The green tops of palms blurred past his eyes as they flew down the four-lane highway and though the evening stars were captivating, Evan forced himself to keep his eyes on the road running parallel to the River Giza.
When they approached an old airfield to the right, Kylie pointed at the abandoned hangar. A clipped nod was Evan’s acknowledgement of her plan. He took the corner fast enough to force the two to lean into it.
Evan slowed as they wove their way through broken glass. The wind whipped abandoned debris around the corners of the sand-colored building. He pulled around to the opposite side of the building so they were hidden from the view of the highway and killed the engine.
Evan glanced back at Kylie as she unattached the helmet’s strap and yanked it off unceremoniously. He hadn’t moved from his spot, hands on the handlebars, legs spread wide balancing their weight. Movement elsewhere caught his attention.
Kylie followed his eyes to the alcove the building created next to the closed hangar door. An updraft had seized a torn plastic bag and was tossing it gently into the air along its invisible wind column. The bag was ballooned wide, as though offering itself as a sacrifice. It flew to the apex of the building before the wind changed its demands and swept the bag out of sight.
Evan sighed deeply.
“You okay?” she asked tentatively.
“This is certainly remote enough,” he answered, dodging the question.
“Come on,” Kylie motioned. “You asked for a deserted parking lot and that’s exactly what you got.”
Both Kylie and Evan stepped off the motorcycle, their shoes crunching in the combination of sand and broken glass. Once, the hangar had been graced with large windowpanes that must have invited the bright Egyptian sunlight to pour indirectly into the hangar from the north and south sides of the building. Now vandals had all but destroyed the glass windows, leaving shards of glass like sharp landmines around the base of the once useful building.
Evan took Kylie’s right hand in his left and wove his large, scarred fingers between hers. He was waiting for her to flinch at the feel of his mangled skin, but she seemed completely unconcerned with anything but the glass crunching beneath her shoes. Evan’s heart tentatively leaped into his chest at the thought that here was a beautiful, brilliant girl who seemed to accept him—scars and all.
The sensitivity gone from much of that hand, he couldn’t feel the sensation of her touch, but he was learning to appreciate Kylie for not flinching away from his disfigurements. She held his left hand just as easily as she did his right. Evan envied her for her unconditional acceptance of him. He wished he could unconditionally accept himself.
“See?” she was saying, “It’s not much for safety and comfort, but it is deserted.” She waved her arm in an arc as though presenting him the grandeur of a palace instead of the wildlife-infested, safety-hazard, don’t-stay-after-dark, abandoned airplane hangar.
Evan just nodded, feeling suddenly very shy.
“So,” Kylie prompted, “You wanted some private show-and-tell time. The floor’s all yours.”
Evan unzipped his jacket and shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans. He kicked thoughtfully at a pile of debris.
“Now that I’m here, I’m not really sure where to begin.”