The Scientist's Cultist

ii - gray area.

- - - - - - AUGUST 26, 2023 - - - - -

St. Petersburg, Florida 3:15 p.m.

PRETENDING TO BE INTERESTED in the bullshit coming out of Martin's mouth at the briefing meeting was harder than June anticipated. She should have been paying attention, but listening to Martin drone on about the importance of safety and caution was complete baloney. After Ryan had been fired for helping save Landon and Rowan's life, it hardly mattered that she'd finally earned the opportunity to time travel. If her only chance to go back in time was on the whim of the directors, June ought to start counting her days.

The little solace June could find was that the directors seemed entirely oblivious to the fact that their time travel team was composed of the elite within the elite. June, Rowan, Lilia, Silas, and Theo were smart and perfectly capable of airing the directors' dirty laundry. With Ryan's help behind the scenes, it would be a piece of cake. Well, at least June certainly hoped so.

A stinging sensation in her upper arm brought June back to planet Earth. Beside her, Rowan had been digging his nails into her skin. Finally, the good part.

"Your target for the third round of the time travel experiment," explained Martin, "is Jack the Ripper."

June's mouth dropped open. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but it certainly wasn't this. She had no doubt that the directors had a secret agenda, but how in the hell did it fit in with a serial killer nobody had ever been able to identify? Rowan pinched her skin again and she forced her mouth shut, pressing her lips so tightly together that it hurt. It took nearly all of her willpower to prevent the inner historian from taking over and fighting with Martin on the spot.

"Your mission is to locate, identify, and bring back the infamous Jack the Ripper," continued Martin. "In other words, we want you to solve one of the world's biggest cold cases. Who is Jack the Ripper? We will be placing you in Whitechapel in 1888 on the morning of August 31, when Jack committed his first-ever murder of Mary Ann Nichols on Buck's Row. We will be training everyone on the use of the travel bands and—"

June physically could not contain the thoughts bubbling to the surface. "With all due respect, sir, this is insane. If nobody else has been able to properly identify Jack the Ripper for centuries, what makes you think we can?"

Martin bristled, seemingly unprepared for the pushback. He honestly hadn't expected them to just go along with it, had he? "We know where the murders were committed, and we know approximately the time they were committed. This information alone should be enough to locate him.

"Say we do find someone we think is him," said Rowan. "We can't just walk up to him and ask him if he's Jack the Ripper unless we want to be carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey."

"You would have to witness the murder," Lilia added with wide eyes.

June felt a shiver roll down her spine. June loved science—it was her concentration at AIMA. Anatomy and the human psyche, in her opinion, were some of the most fascinating topics to learn. But Jack the Ripper's victims... not only were they strangled, but they were mutilated. Cut to shreds. The idea of witnessing something like that turned June's insides to mush.

"Be aware that this mission is not for the faint of heart," said Martin. "We are, obviously, aware of the danger posed by Jack the Ripper. Finding him will not be an easy task. However, you have all been chosen for a reason. June, your knowledge of history and science will be a valuable asset in the field. Rowan, your ability to think on your feet proved you well on the previous mission."

"Is he talking about all the times I almost died?" Rowan muttered beside her.

June resisted the urge to choke out a laugh. Martin could talk about their safety all he wanted, but it was all a ruse. The directors were covering their own asses by spouting nonsense. They wanted to cross another item off their to-do list, no matter the expense.