He knew the answer to that. None of his brothers had been brave enough to confront their father about the program. The truth was that Losham had shared Kolhood's opinion and wanted the last of the enhanced soldiers eliminated, but the Russians had done the impossible and made them manageable. Besides, he needed Dave to control his brothers and any others who might voice concerns about Navuh's absence.
Without Dave, Losham couldn't hold on to power.
"You know that I couldn't say anything about the program to our father," Kolhood said. "This is his pet project, and he's not willing to let it go despite the failures. But since he's not really in charge now, it's a great opportunity to get rid of the abomination."
Losham shook his head. "I for one am not willing to risk Father's wrath. I'm not going to eliminate his project while he's indisposed. Besides, the initial losses of the warriors in the rebellion were caused by flawed methodology. The scientist who created the method of enhancement was not careful enough with his drug formulations. The new team of scientists has corrected those errors, and the remaining eight soldiers are stable and perfectly balanced. In fact, we should start recruiting a new batch of volunteers for the continuation of the project. When Father emerges from his seclusion, he will be very happy to see that we have made progress in his absence."
"There will be no new enhancement victims." Kolhood leaned forward. "The enhanced soldiers are too dangerous and too difficult to control. We are gathered here because of the damage the eight of them have wrought We've all seen what happened when there were two squadrons of them. They could bring about the end of the Brotherhood."
"The enhanced soldiers are tools, Kolhood. Powerful tools, yes. Dangerous in the wrong hands, certainly. But tools, nonetheless. They don't make decisions on their own. They respond to threats according to their programming."
"Their programming." Kolhood spat the word like a curse. "You talk about them like they're machines. They're not machines, Losham. They're immortals, or they were, before they were turned into whatever they are now, and they rebelled againstFather, which none of the other immortals are capable of. You are deluding yourself if you think you can control them."
"They're the future of the Brotherhood." Losham let a hint of steel enter his voice. "A single unit of enhanced soldiers could accomplish missions that would require dozens of regular warriors. They're an incredible asset, and more need to be created. The Eight are just the new prototype. I'm not talking about creating an entire army of them, so you can erase those horrified expressions from your faces. Our father's vision for the enhanced soldiers is to create special commando units for sensitive projects. Elite teams that can handle threats no ordinary force could manage."
"That sounds good in theory, but the reality of those soldiers is that they are at best too independent and at worst uncontrollable. The Eight acted without authorization because they didn't even consider that they needed it." Kolhood lifted a hand when Losham wanted to interrupt him. "And don't tell me that the authorization was implied. That's not how a military organization works, and even you know that."
Losham didn't have a good answer to that because he'd already admitted that he hadn't ordered the killing of Tarik and his group.
"I propose that the enhancement program be shut down immediately," Kolhood continued. "And the remaining eight enhanced soldiers be eliminated. And if Father questions our decision, we will point out the savage murders committed by them."
"Absolutely not," Losham barked. "The program represents years of research and millions in investment. Shutting it downwould be a waste of resources we can't afford, and that's a direct quote from Father."
Kolhood opened his mouth to argue but then closed it. "Fine. We won't eliminate the Eight, but we won't make any new ones either. When Father returns, he can decide what to do with his crazy program."
Losham wanted to point out that Kolhood would never have dared to call the program crazy to Navuh's face, but he just wanted the damn meeting to be over so he could remove his jacket.
When his brothers finally adjourned, and Losham returned to his office, he felt like he'd been through a battle, with his shirt sticking to his back from how much he had sweated.
After removing the jacket, he poured himself a drink. He was halfway through the whiskey when there was a familiar knock on his door.
The special three-knuckle rap that Rami used to announce himself.
"Enter."
His assistant slipped into the room, closing the door carefully behind him.
"How did the council meeting go?" Rami asked.
Rami was one of the few males on the island whom Losham trusted.
"It went as expected." Losham set his glass down. "Kolhood is circling like a shark that smells blood. The others are watching to see which way the wind blows."
"I may have something that will interest you." Rami walked over to Losham's desk and put down a folder. "A witness report from the harbor incident."
"I've already heard the reports. Four warriors dead, hearts removed, bodies recovered for disposal."
"There is more." Rami opened the folder and slid a single sheet of paper across the desk. "A worker who was present before the Eight arrived claims the human scientist was fighting the immortals as if he were an immortal himself."
Losham frowned. "He's human. He wouldn't last three seconds against one trained warrior, let alone four."
"That's just it," Rami said. "According to this witness, he did, and for more than three seconds. The worker claims that the human was holding his own until help arrived."
"He must be using the enhancement drugs he's working on for the Eight," Losham said. "This could be the only explanation."
Rami nodded. "That was my thought as well. Should I bring him in for questioning?"
If Dimitri was using the enhancement drugs, that was both a problem and an opportunity. A problem because it meant the scientist was conducting private experiments instead of dedicating all his time to improving the formula for Dave, but also an opportunity because it meant the drugs were capable of enhancing humans as well as immortals.
