“So you will come here? We will solve this problem together, yes?”
She nodded even though he couldn’t see it. “Can you email me the data—”
“No, no.” The words came out more like a moan. “You don’t understand. After New York, no one would hire me. I had to come here. They were the only ones who offered me a job, and the work requires security. Do you have a security clearance?”
She grimaced. “No, I don’t.”
“Doesn’t matter. They monitor all my email, I wouldn’t be allowed to send it. But you can come here. You’re from the CDC. They know about the crisis. So many people sick with the Flu. That’s why you can come now because so many are home sick. Otherwise, I couldn’t get you inside.”
“Can you just tell me what you’ve found out?”
“I have to show you the samples. You have to see it for yourself.”
At another time, she would have laughed at that suggestion. Data was data. She would see when the science showed it to her. But she wouldn’t have believed in shifters if she hadn’t seen Hank turn into a bear with her own eyes. She absolutely believed there were shifter issues that had to be seen to be understood.
“What are your samples?” she pressed.
“Shifter blood and tissue. Exact slides of how the water affects the neurons. I think I know how to stop it, but I’m not sure. I need someone else to check my work.”
She nodded, her hands actually itching to see what he had. “I need that data, Dr. Oltheten. Can I talk to your boss? What are you researching there?”
“You know I can’t say. And my boss is not here right now. It’s the only reason I think I can get you inside. He doesn’t know I do shifter research. I hide it from him. So long as I do their work, he lets me be.” Then there was a muffled sound on the other end of the line. Another person speaking? The noise of a fume hood kicking on? She could only guess. Then he was back, his words rushed. “Can you come soon? It must be soon.”
“Dr. Oltheten—”
“I’ll tell them at reception. I’ll tell them you’re bringing me data I need. Show them your credentials. They can’t turn away the CDC, right?”
“But Dr. Oltheten—”
“Come soon!” Then he hung up.
She stared at her phone and then looked up at the room at large. Every eye was on her, but she focused on Hank. With short, clear sentences, she repeated her entire conversation. She could see Hank’s mouth tighten with every word, but to his credit he didn’t interrupt. He waited until she was finished and then shook his head.
“Sounds fishy.”
She shrugged, acknowledging his point without agreeing. “Lots of government labs are like that, and we know he’s been doing shifter research on the side. It’s his passion.” When no one argued that, she pressed her point. “The risk is worth it. I need to see his data, and this is the only way.”
Everyone looked at Simon who didn’t look any happier than Hank did, but in the end he nodded. “We go,” he said. “But we do it smart.”
No argument from her. She didn’t care what precautions they took so long as they left soon. Thankfully, it didn’t take them long. Less than ten minutes before Hank turned to her.
“Ready?”
“You have no idea how much,” she answered.
She looked around him at a circle of normal-looking guys, if “normal” meant ripped abs, loose clothing, and an animal stillness that was almost creepy. Simon and Alyssa were the leaders. Both looked calm, focused, and in Alyssa’s case, heavily armed. Then there was Vic, Simon’s beta, and Detective Kennedy. And damn that guy sure looked exhausted, but he appeared grimly official with his detective’s badge on a chain around his neck.
There were others, too, but they were assigned to stay behind. It was just the six of them with Cecilia being the only one who refused to acknowledge the danger of the situation. They were all walking to their cars when Cecilia’s phone dinged. A quick glance told her it was more information from Dr. Sherilyn, the only shifter scientist on the case. Unlike Dr. Oltheten, she refused a face-to-face and wouldn’t talk on the phone unless it was an emergency. It was all emailed info and texts, but this last one was a doozy. She read it the moment she got into Hank’s car. There was lots of data, but thankfully Dr. Sherilyn was efficient. She’d put in a summary at the top.
The poison worked to activate latent shifter DNA.
It was water soluble and would never be picked up by any water filtration system.
It stayed in the body far longer than expected. Two to three days before the body was able to clear it from its tissues.
It had massive effect on existing shifters. It made them more aggressive, yes. But also more emotional all the way around. It was subtle, but it absolutely colored everything a shifter did for days.
Cecilia had already guessed the first three conclusions, but she stared at the fourth for a long, long time. Shifters who drank the water had heightened emotions and made decisions under the influence of those emotions. Things like passion and love were artificially increased. She looked at Hank while her mind tallied up data points. Would a man like Hank really fall in love with her in the space of twenty-four hours? Was that logical?
