The Scientist's Cultist

xiv. - rebellion.

- - - - - - SEPTEMBER 2, 1888 - - - - -

Whitechapel, London 9:00 p.m.

"WE WERE WONDERING whether you would show up or not," said Thomas from the stage as June, Theo, and Sarah entered the theater. "Usually, we must track down our recruits, only to find that they have tried to run, the possibility of a New World too magnificent to comprehend. I must admit, I am pleasantly surprised to see that is not the case with you."

Psh, Theo couldn't believe why anyone would ever want to run from this guy.

"It is to my understanding that you wanted to see me?" Sarah said.

"Indeed. Judging by the fact that you are here standing before us, June and Theo must have deemed you worthy of the New World. You see, this is quite exciting news, for we feared otherwise."

Theo scanned the room, unsurprised to see Deirdre's pointed glare once again. He half expected her to jump up and accuse them of scheming, but she remained silent.

"As I told your associate, my loyalty lies with the New World."

Thomas stood slowly out of his chair, the shadow of a chilling smirk on his face. "Those words are miraculously easy to say when one is afraid of the consequences."

"When one has hardly anything to lose, it is difficult to fear most things," said Sarah. "I have been living the past several years as the shell of a person. It is likely the women I work with feel the same. If you can truly create a world that saves us, you will have our loyalty."

Damn. Sarah wasn't lying about putting on a show. He believed every word that was coming out of her mouth, even though he knew it was a lie. But right as he thought he and June were in the clear, Thomas turned to face them.

"I want to hear from the ones that found you. What made you believe Miss Appelboom was fit for the cause?"

"Uh..." Theo glanced at June, who was chewing her lower lip so hard she was drawing blood. They hadn't prepared for an interrogation.

Out of nowhere, the energy in the room shifted and Theo felt a drop in the pit of his stomach like that of a thrill ride drop. Instinctively, he reached for June's hand. Whatever this was, it was a feeling that felt vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite pinpoint the exact sensation. However, Theo didn't have to ponder it for long before the whole world turned upside down and blinked out of existence.

- - - - - - SEPTEMBER 1, 2023 - - - - -

St. Petersburg, Florida 4:50 p.m.

LILIA'S FINGERS SHOOK as she reached for her computer mouse. "Thomas Cutbush?"

"Yeah, is there a possibility he's our guy? He's the only Thomas we could find who was suspected of being Jack the Ripper," Landon's voice crackled through the phone.

"What else did the letter say?" Silas asked. Lilia tried to ignore the way he was leaning over her shoulder to get closer to the phone, but the proximity of his body to hers was making her cheeks hot.

"It sounds like June and Theo have been in communication with Jack the Ripper, and now he is putting them to some kind of loyalty test. If they fail, it sounds like they'll be killed."

It was like all the air had been sucked from the room.

"Don't go into freakout mode, Lilia," said Silas, pressing a hand to her upper back. "We can't help them if we're not thinking clearly, okay? Just breathe and tell them what you're thinking."

If only he knew that his hand on her back made breathing more difficult.

"Thomas Cutbush is one of the more dangerous men suspected to have been Jack the Ripper." Lilia pushed past the waver in her voice. "He was obsessed with reading anatomy and medical books. He knew exactly where to cut to kill someone, but he also knew how to torture; he knew which places would cause the most pain for his victims." Lilia paused and took a slow breath. "If he challenged June and Theo to a loyalty test, he will kill them if they fail, and he'll do it slowly. I know I've been saying this from the beginning, but I mean it this time. We need to get them out of there."