The Chimera Vector (The Fifth Column #1)

Chapter 44: Heal That

Renée marched Sophia and Benito into the Vector labs, which were now blanketed in complete darkness. Or, through Sophia’s eyes, near-darkness. She scanned for anything that still had power. Nothing. She took a small crumb of satisfaction from knowing she’d pulled the plug just in time.

Renée’s arm had healed perfectly, thanks to the Axolotl Chimera vector Sophia had insisted be injected into her bloodstream. Not her best decision, that one.

She could make out Denton’s charming smile as he emerged from the oily shadows. He was still wearing his suit pants and bloodstained undershirt, but the wounds on his face had healed. Renée wasn’t the only one with a dose of Axolotl, by the looks of it.

‘Benito Montoya,’ Denton said, hands clasped behind his back. ‘I’m still trying to decide whether it’s masochism, forgiveness or just outright desperation that made you decide to team up with the woman who blew your family into tiny little pieces.’

Sophia didn’t turn to see Benito’s face. She didn’t want to. But his hatred burned through her anyway. Guilt mounted a defense inside her.

Denton smiled. ‘And Sophia, the little girl who kills families.’

Sophia swallowed.

Denton offered her a lopsided smile. ‘Small world, right?’

She glared at him. ‘I’m going to end you, Denton.’

His smile remained. ‘Your resourcefulness continues to astound me. But I’ve taken certain measures to prevent such interference. While your little insurgent friends were busy skittering around the facility like mice in a maze, I took it upon myself to re-route power to my own nest of flywheel generators. Enough to give me fifteen minutes of juice, which, as you’d suspect,’ his smile vanished, ‘was much, much more than I needed.’

The UPS unit was a decoy. Jesus, how could she have been so stupid? She’d accused Jay of fucking up Africa. She’d just fucked up the whole world. Now, no one would ever be free of the Fifth Column.

Denton let his arms hang by his sides. He was holding a hypodermic syringe. ‘And last but not least, the “anti-psychopath” Chimera vector, as you so affectionately call it.’ He chuckled as he tapped the syringe and expelled a brief squirt. ‘Or as I like to call it, the fountain of youth.’

He turned his arm over to expose milk skin and blue veins. It reminded her of the cheese Leoncjusz used to bring back from the Volterra market. She wished she could be there right now, back in time. Away from all of this.

‘If you knew what I know,’ Denton said, ‘you would understand, Sophia, that I am not the enemy.’

‘You think I don’t understand people like you?’ she yelled. ‘Your enemy is the human race! And yet, despite all your power, you live in constant fear that one day enough ordinary people will wake up to who you are—what you are.’ She allowed herself a tiny smile. ‘Because as soon as we do that, you know we won’t hesitate to lock you up and throw away the key.’

Denton shook his head. ‘I don’t fear the human race, Sophia. I don’t fear anything. And who’s to say they won’t wake up to what you really are and lock you up with me?’

‘Are you saying I’m a psychopath?’

‘No. Quite the opposite, in fact. Which makes you all the more interesting.’ He plunged the beveled needle into a thick vein. ‘You’re more valuable than you think.’

‘Suppose you need someone to rule over, right?’ Sophia said.

‘I’m not talking about the masses.’ Denton pushed the rubber piston down, the contents of the syringe surging into his vein. ‘I’m talking about you. You are of high tactical value. To me and to Cecilia.’