"Tarik intended to kill you, but instead, he gave you immortality. That's what is called irony."
"The universe has a dark sense of humor."
That almost got a reaction; the ghost of something flickered across Number One's face, a micro-expression that might havebeen amusement on someone who experienced amusement normally. Perhaps it was muscle memory. Maybe the male who used to be Number One before he became part of Dave had been easily amused.
"I'm still adjusting to the changes, which is why my fighting was sloppy. I have immortal strength and speed, but zero training. I was desperate, and my body moved like it knew what to do from some genetic memory."
The Eight were quiet again, but this time, it wasn't the unnerving total stillness from before.
"Does Petrov know?" Number One asked.
"Yes. I told him yesterday after you left."
"Does anyone else know?"
Dimitri hesitated. "Mattie has known for a while now, and there were witnesses at the harbor who saw the fight. Losham may already have that information."
Eight heads nodded in unison. "We are aware of the witnesses. Losham was informed."
Dimitri's stomach dropped. "And?"
"He is curious, not alarmed. Not yet."
Not yet.Those were the operative words.
"This is fortunate," Number One said.
It took Dimitri a moment to realize that Dave wasn't talking about Losham's reaction.
"Fortunate?" he repeated.
"Your transition." All eight bodies seemed to focus on him with renewed intensity, as if he'd just become significantly more interesting. "This is fortunate. It means you will live long enough to complete your work."
Dimitri frowned. "My work? The enhancement drugs?"
"No."
"Then what work?"
"The work you haven't started yet." Number One's voice was calm, almost gentle. "The work that matters."
Dimitri opened his mouth, closed it, and looked at Mattie. She was watching the exchange with wide eyes, her good hand gripping the edge of the chair.
He turned back to Dave. "I don't understand. What work are you talking about?"
Number One regarded him with those steady, unreadable eyes. "You are a brilliant biochemist. You understand molecular structures and genetic mechanisms better than most. Your mind is your gift, Dimitri. The enhancement drugs were a necessity, a stepping stone, but they were not your entire purpose."
"My purpose," Dimitri repeated. "What is my purpose?"
"We see patterns." Number One tilted his head, and seven other heads tilted at the same angle. "In the data, in the chemistry, in the way things connect. You will understand when the time comes."
"That's not an answer."
"No," Number One agreed. "It is not."
Silence filled the hallway. Not the terrifying stillness of before, but a loaded quiet that felt like the space between a question and its answer, stretched taut and humming with potential.
Dimitri looked at Mattie again. She gave a small shake of her head.I don't understand either.
