"Maybe they're dead." Petrov's voice was flat. "What if the casualties weren't really the human crew? What if the enhanced soldiers were caught in the explosion?"
The thought had occurred to Dimitri, but hearing it spoken aloud made it feel more real. More possible.
"If Dave is dead, what happens to us?" he asked.
"Nothing good," Petrov said. "Without the enhanced to work on, we're useless. And useless people on this island don't get sent home with a severance package. At best, we'd be reassigned to menial labor. At worst..."
He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to.
Dimitri thought about what it would mean to lose his position here. He didn't care about the work, even though it was fascinating to the scientist in him. Manipulating nature to this extent felt wrong. But he had found Mattie here, and he needed to protect her, and he couldn't do that without being considered a valuable asset to Lord Navuh or Losham.
"We need a contingency plan," he said. "Something to fall back on if Dave is gone."
"Like what?" Petrov spread his hands. "We can't exactly advertise our services to competing employers. This is a prison with a research budget, not a start-up."
"In a way, it is. We just need new subjects to continue the project."
For reasons Dimitri couldn't explain, the potential loss of Dave upset him. He'd gotten used to the eight soldiers and their combined consciousness. The sum of the Eight wasn't evil, which was surprising given who they had been before being transformed into a collective. In fact, Dave seemed calmer and more rational than many of the other immortals on this island, at least as long as his enhancement drugs were well calibrated and delivered in a timely manner. For one, the Eight had no sexual urges, which meant that they were no danger to Mattie, and for that, Dimitri was grateful.
Three o'clock arrived. Then three-thirty.
No Dave.
The lab felt smaller now, the walls pressing in, the music that had been merely annoying becoming actively oppressive. Dimitri turned it off without asking Petrov's permission, and the older man didn't object.
"We should report this," Petrov said. "Tell someone that Dave missed his appointment."
"Tell who? The guards?" Dimitri shook his head. "They'll just say it's not our concern."
"Then what do we do?"
"We wait." It was the only answer Dimitri had. "If Dave is dead, we'll find out soon enough. If he's not, he'll show up eventually with some explanation. Either way, panicking won't help."
"I need to go," Mattie said. "My shift starts at four."
"I'll come with you." Dimitri looked at Petrov. "If Dave shows up, can you give them the shots?"
Petrov nodded. "Or I can escort Mattie to the bar, and you will give Dave the shots."
"I want Mattie transferred here, and you are better positioned to ask for her."
Petrov nodded. "As you wish. I can administer the shots."
5
ANNANI
Amoment before the doorbell rang, Annani set the book that she had not been reading down and rose from her armchair.
She did not need to ask who it was. She knew.
When Kian walked into the living room, the last flicker of hope was extinguished. He looked like a man about to deliver a death sentence.
"What happened?" she asked.
"The booby traps were triggered," he said. "Early morning island time. We were too late."
As Annani's knees threatened to buckle, she lowered herself back into the armchair.
