“I’m full of surprises,” Bryn replied.“Though I’m still not calling you ‘sir’ without thinking bad thoughts.”
“Baby steps,” Giles sighed.“Let’s get the others back in here and show them you survived a whole hour alone with me without attempting corporate manslaughter.”
“The day is still young.”
The day in question drifted on and later that afternoon Emmett’s deep dive into employee records at Helix revealed patterns that made no sense.There were staff with perfect qualifications but no digital footprint prior to five years ago and security personnel with sketchy backgrounds.
“I think Russo could be building something,” Gunnar said.“An organization within the organization.He wants his drug in as many gene-affected people as possible and for that he needs collaborators.”
“Like a corporate Russian doll?”Emmett asked, studying the screens.“Only instead of cute wooden figures, it’s filled with ghosts.You could be right.Look at this.Saskia Arnold, hired last year as head of R&D.Two PhDs, publications in all the right journals, recommendations from top institutions.But dig deeper…” He pulled up another window.“Her entire academic career is a masterwork of digital fabrication.The papers exist, but the methodologies are vague.Her co-authors are either dead, retired, or unreachable.It’s perfect.Too perfect.”
“How many others?”Gunnar asked.
“I haven’t gotten through everyone yet, but at least fifteen so far across various sites, all in key positions.”
Gunnar frowned.“They’re hiding in plain sight.They may even be doing other genuine work but meantime, they’re finding subjects to experiment on.”
“Do you think they all know what they’re doing?”Emmett asked.“I mean, are we looking at willing participants?”He shoved his glasses up his nose for the umpteenth time.
“I’d guess they are,” Gunnar responded.
“And if Russo can do this, create people, histories, entire lives out of thin air—what else can he do?”Bryn contributed.
“We know he has a very long reach,” Gunnar said.“Money talks and he has plenty.”
“So does fear.I have the IT guys working on hacking more secure servers at the clinics but it might take a while,” Warden said.
Bryn nodded.“Okay, so even if I manage to pull off a decent impersonation of a corporate high-flyer, how are we going to deal with the blood scanners at this place?I won’t get past the door if they work out I’m gene-affected, especially if they can’t place me as lupine or sanguine.”
“Ah.”For the first time, Giles looked uncomfortable.“There may be a slight vulnerability in the detection protocols.Something I left in as a back door.One that involves…some physical discomfort.”
“Color me shocked.”Bryn said.“You think you could enlighten us?”
Giles pulled a small metal case from his jacket pocket.Inside, nestled in black foam, was a row of clear capsules filled with a pale lilac liquid.Each was the size of a large vitamin tablet.“The scanners work by analyzing specific markers in your blood,” he explained, picking one up.“But they can be fooled if those markers are temporarily altered.This”—he held the capsule up to the light—“will modify your blood chemistry for approximately six hours.”
“And the significant physical discomfort part?”Bryn asked, eyeing it with suspicion.
“Let’s just say the modification process isn’t gentle.Side effects can include fever, nausea, and what some test subjects described as feeling like their veins were running with bee venom.”
Emmett let out a low whistle.“That’s specific.I got stung on my arm once and it really hurt.”
“The good news is the side effects only last about twenty minutes,” Giles added, as if that made it better.“The bad news is those twenty minutes will feel like twenty hours.You’ll need to take the drug at least thirty minutes before attempting to pass through any scanners, so timing will be crucial.”
Bryn glared at Giles.“So to be clear.Your solution to getting past the scanners is to poison me?”
“Temporarily modify your blood chemistry,” Giles corrected.“Poison is such an ugly word.”
“So is sociopath, but here we are.”Bryn picked up one of the capsules, holding it like it might bite him.“What about you, you’re sanguine?You’ll have to pass the scanners too.”
“What I am is not a secret.You are.”
“And you’re absolutely sure this works?”
“I tested it myself,” Giles said.“Multiple times.”
Bryn stared at the innocuous object between his fingers.“So not only do I have to pretend to be your lapdog, but I also need to voluntarily swallow something that will make me feel less than happy while maintaining a working brain cell or two.”He put the capsule back in the case.
“Now you’re catching on,” Giles replied, snapping the case shut.
