Page 28 of Wrath
Dread nodded with a somber expression. “There is no question they are alive and kicking again. I left my body cam in the main corridor of the base to give us some visual of what is happening down there. The place is crawling with them. The good news is that some are feeding off each other. Our scans also indicate that the explosion in the stasis chamber has shut down one of the three ventilation systems. Kwan did a great job collapsing the second one—nothing can go in or out through it. The third one remains functional, but its access is sealed off by the security lockdown.”
“Meaning?” I asked.
“Meaning that the Jadozors will eventually run out of oxygen,” Varnog explained. “It will semi-kill them, if that makes sense. Their bodies will shut down until the appropriate conditions to sustain life are restored.”
“Which means that minutes after someone else breaches this base again, all hell will break loose,” I ground through my teeth.
“Exactly,” Varnog said.
“Any progress on a way to permanently kill them?” I asked.
“Maybe,” Linette said cautiously. “Liena has given us more feedback based on the files Myriam sent her and our own discoveries sorting through the research. It confirms that the pituitary gland is the key to eliminating the creatures. We just need to test some of our assumptions.”
“How?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.
“First, we already confirmed that a headless body will turn into some strange kind of ash after a few minutes. But it will do so sooner if in the presence of the pituitary gland of a dead Jadozor,” Dread said. “Those ashes are essentially nutrients, the construction material that will help the creature rebuild itself faster. If they are not consumed, they will remain in suspension in the air. We used the corpses of a couple of the six Jadozors that had followed us out of the base to validate that theory. We kept their heads separate.”
“It is worth noting that the Jadozors do notneedthose ashes to rebuild themselves. They act almost like plants and can rebuild just using the carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen in the air,” Myriam explained.
“Myriam and I were working on trying to encode some nanobots to target a specific antigen on the surface of the pituitary gland’s cells. That could potentially permanently destroy it,” Dread said. “Liena believes she has identified the protein that would help prevent that gland from producing the zogesterone that allows the Jadozors to keep regenerating. Once that occurs, the beasts would become truly killable.”
“After they have used up the zogesterone already flooding their systems,” Kwan countered.
“Yes,” Myriam said, her shoulders sagging. “We’re making great progress with the nanobots, but we could use Nathalie’s expertise to figure out a way to quickly consume the zogesterone. We’re hoping that in the morning, she’ll be in good enough shape to work on that as well as oversee the tests we want to run on the pituitary gland.
“Varnog and I have been working on an incineration chamber to test how much heat would be needed to destroy the gland,” Linette said. “And Kwan is trying to figure out a way for us to deliver the virus or whatever our kill-switch will be once we’ve got a solid solution.”
I pursed my lips and nodded slowly while my gaze roamed proudly over my team. “I’m impressed. You all got things under control. I almost feel useless,” I said teasingly.
The team chuckled. Although Kwan smiled, it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“You are our inspiration, oh valiant leader,” Linette said teasingly. “We would never manage without you.”
I snorted and shook my head. “Well, it’s already getting late,” I said, checking the time on my armband. “We’ve had a trying day. Don’t push yourselves too much. I would rather you get a good night’s sleep and deal with this whole mess with a fresh mind in the morning. You all got pretty roughed up down there.”
“Dread and I are fine taking the first watch,” Myriam said. “We want to make a bit more headway on the nanobots.”
“Someone can relieve us around 0200 hours,” Dread said.
“I’ll relieve you at 0100,” I said in a tone that brooked no argument. Dread smirked but didn’t argue. “The rest of you, wrap up what you are doing and then go rest. I’ll see you in the morning.”
We split up, everyone off to handle their respective duty. I went back to my quarters to send a report to Chaos and make sure they were doing a thorough tracking of all the people involved in giving Marcelle those implants. We needed to figure out how deep this web of traitors ran. Between what had happened to Doom, to Steele, and now to my mission, I realized something huge was going to blow up in our collective faces in the not-too-distant future.
To think we had believed that, with the end of the Kryptid War, life was going to become peaceful, if not borderline boring. While I welcomed some action to keep me busy, this was not the type I had been looking for.
As soon as I completed my most urgent tasks, my mind flew right back to my mate. I had wanted a different initiation for Kwan and was beginning to wonder if it had been too much for her to handle under the circumstances. She had shown great strength and performed admirably, but was it just a front to hide the distress she felt?
Rising to my feet, I made a beeline for the cafeteria. I filled a bowl with cut fruits and English cream and made a big cup of herbal tea, like I discovered Kwan loved having before bed. I grabbed a huge sandwich for myself as my new body had never been fed before. Although my Shell had received plenty of nutrients while it had remained in stasis, we often felt ravenous after rebirth. It also further helped us bond with our new Shell.
Feeling a little nervous, I made my way to Kwan’s quarters and rang her doorbell. It took a few moments before she opened. Her eyes widened upon seeing me, then a strange expression fleeted over her face at the sight of the hover tray ladened with goodies. Her slightly damp hair—as if she’d quickly dried it without going all the way—cascaded over the black robe of the Vanguard she was wearing. My mate had visibly showered and been readying for bed.
“Do you have a minute to talk?” I asked in a gentle voice. “I bring gifts,” I added teasingly.
Kwan smiled... or at least tried to. She turned around, gesturing for me to come in, but not so fast that I missed her lips quivering. My mate was hiding her face to regain her composure before I noticed.
I stepped inside her quarters, pushing the hover tray to the side while the door closed behind me. I followed her to the seating area where she continued to have her back to me. I stopped barely a couple of steps behind her.
“Look at me, Kwan,” I said softly.