"I see," Number One said. "We were never in any danger. We just expanded our tour of the island to include more locations. We apologize for causing you unnecessary concern."
"No need to apologize, but maybe next time call." He motioned at the landline phone on Petrov's station. "Let us know you are running late."
The Eight nodded in unison, then swept their gazes over the lab. "Where are Doctor Petrov and Mattie?"
"Upstairs."
"Are they coming down?" Number One asked.
"Yes. In a minute." Dimitri walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a tray with a row of prepared syringes lined up and numbered. The enhancement drugs were temperature-sensitive and had to be administered within thirty minutes of being removed from refrigeration. When he could, he prepared themfresh in time for Dave's visit, but other times he prepared them ahead of time and had to refrigerate them.
He carried the tray to the table and put it down.
"Why are you wearing a mask?" Number One asked.
Dimitri stood with his back to the front façade of the lab, which was mostly made of glass, pulled his mask down just enough so they could see his missing tooth, then pulled it back up. It was warm against his face and slightly damp from hours of breathing through it, but the discomfort was a small price for the cover it provided.
Dave's eight pairs of eyes tracked the mask with identical attention.
"You're wearing that to hide your face from the guards outside," Number One said.
"And for anyone else who might walk in." Dimitri picked up the first syringe and gestured for Number One to extend his arm. "It fell out last night."
"Can you show us? The glimpse you gave us was not sufficient."
Dimitri pulled the mask down again, opened his mouth, and tilted his head toward the overhead light, letting Dave see the gap where his upper left canine had been. The socket was nearly closed, the gum tissue pink and swollen, and the hard ridge of the emerging fang was visible just beneath the surface.
Eight bodies leaned forward by the same fraction of a centimeter.
"The right one is loose too," Dimitri added, pulling the mask back up. "Could fall out tonight. Maybe tomorrow. It wasMattie's idea for me to wear it. If anyone asks, I'm sick and don't want to infect her and Petrov."
"Smart," Number One said. "It sounds logical."
"I just hope that the fangs come in before anyone gets suspicious about why I'm still wearing it." Dimitri swabbed Number One's arm with alcohol and positioned the needle. "How fast do the fangs grow in?"
"Fast," Number One said. "Two to three days from when the canine falls out until the fang reaches the size of a normal tooth. The elongation mechanism, the ability to extend the fangs beyond their resting length, takes longer to develop, but the base growth is rapid."
Dimitri paused with the needle hovering over Number One's vein. "Two to three days? That's impossible. Bone growth doesn't work that way. Even accelerated healing can't generate that much mineralized tissue in seventy-two hours. The calcium alone?—"
"You need to stop thinking like a human," Number One said. "Everything regenerates faster for immortals. You've seen your own bruises heal in minutes. The same accelerated biology applies to your teeth. The canines fell out because the fangs pushed them out, which means they are already partially formed. Two to three days for the final emergence is consistent with what all eight of us experienced. Still, we were thirteen at the time, and our bodies were in a state of flux, so it might take you a little longer. We don't have experience with adults transitioning."
Dimitri administered the injection and withdrew the needle. There was no need to press a cotton ball to the puncture site, andhe had to remind himself each time that immortal bodies took care of small things like that in seconds.
He really needed to adjust his thinking and apply the same new rules to himself, but there were some things that didn't add up.
"You said that it would take up to six months for the fangs and venom to become functional. How does that timeframe reconcile with the rapid emergence of the fangs?"
"We don't know," Number One said. "We were not taught biology, immortal or human, so we are just guessing. It might happen faster for you since you are older. We were in the midst of puberty when the changes happened for us."
"So, it might be less than six months for me."
"It might." Number One nodded. "You should explore this when we get free, and you have access to proper research facilities and medical equipment."
"If we get free." Dimitri finished Number Two's injection and moved to Number Three. "I wish I were as confident as you are that it will happen."
Number One shifted his gaze to the staircase, where light footsteps announced Mattie. She must have heard Dave and decided to come down and join the conversation.
Petrov was in the bathroom, where he liked to spend a lot of time, reading printouts while doing his business.
