Tethered Souls | Books 1, 2, and 3

{Book Three} 159 | Meeting

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ Tethered ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

Chapter 33

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• Luna •

Before letting go, Selena hugged Zander. Walking around him, she patted his rear. "Nothing better happen while you're gone. They don't want to fuck with me."

"That's my girl," he said while kissing her.

Zander's glance startled Luna's spirit, but Selena faced them. "Hey, BARDA staff—the ones ushering this war to begin sooner than expected—I've had some awful experiences with them."

Luna and Amir glanced at one another. "Could you explain?" he asked.

Selena breathed deeply. "My brother dated a prime minister's son. Diego accidentally entered a meeting where his boyfriend's country had numerous Trojans ready to activate."

"Oh, God," Luna whispered.

"They killed Diego to hide it," Selena continued. "They tried to kill me because he told me what he heard."

"Damn," Greer commented. "Which country?"

Luna noticed Selena shaking and trembling. She struggled to describe this painful ordeal.

"It's okay. We took care of it." Zain's words made Luna shudder. "BARDA wants to see what each person can do once their powers are awakened, knowing not everyone can unleash them. Some Tethered Souls are inactive."

"Zander was meant to trigger any powers I'm supposed to develop, but that failed for whatever reason, which meant he was tasked with killing me later on." Selena inhaled deeply. "But he couldn't. He protected me. Based on what we know, it felt like the mafia trying to silence us."

"What do you know?" Luna asked.

"My brother made video diaries of things he and Alejandro found," she explained. "Project Trinity was classified, and it was an act to restrict the powers of selected people."

"That . . . that sounds fucked up," Greer said. "I've never heard of anything like that."

"Think of it as the biblical rapture," Zain said. "Chosen."

Luna and Amir gasped.

Selena nodded. "Trinity Project was intended to repopulate Earth with pure humans. BARDA wanted even more power over humanity since it was easy to detect anyone pure. They used hybrids and planned this for years. To locate newborns and determine whether or not they will tether. Instead of finding young children, it was about raising people in a new world with only three regions on Earth. The name 'Trinity' came from that."

"BARDA is ridiculous," Zain said, balling his fist. "We researched and found they were seeking people like your parents, Amir."

He scowled. "What about them?"

"They're in their sixties, correct?" Zain asked, and Amir nodded. "And their abilities weren't activated?" he continued while Amir nodded again. "Their genetics are useful. BARDA can copy almost everything. Their DNA, blood type, hair, fingerprints, etcetera."

"Similar to cloning?" Luna asked, glancing at her husband.

Selena moistened her lips. "No, nothing like that. They can treat diseases with the Khan's and other genetically pure DNA. It's about finding and maintaining Pure Souls."

Luna gasped, "Holy crap."

"We knew they were bad, but damn, this goes so much further," Amir replied.