Lustral || Complete

IX

     "I checked the information you were able to glean from Bazentine Werks and found her file. I have several theories about her condition, so I'm running tests to confirm them, and I'll have some answers for you in a few hours."

     "They said they made her." Liri cocked her brow.

     "True, she's a hybrid."

     "Of what?"

     Sasha shut off the water and dried his hands on a fresh towel. "Nalla is a Shifter and Dubrovn mix with a touch of Mantoid."

     "That's not possible. They can't procreate with Dubrovn's as far as I know."

     "She's a petri dish baby, so she most certainly can carry whatever genes they gave her."

     "But why would anyone do that?"

     "If I were to guess, it would be for their hive-mind abilities, better known as ESP," Ardon said.

     "As a science man, I love testing the limits. My guess is that they wanted to see if they could do it in the first place, nothing more."

     Liri frowned. "Thanks, Sasha."

     Syd spoke up, "We will be arriving in Dubrovn territory in two days. You might as well relax a little while you get your case together for the authorities."

     The room went silent.

     "What do you mean?" Liri cocked a brow at Syd.

     "I did some checking on you, Lady Liriandra Delaney. You are wanted for the murder of your parents, and I suspect the authorities won't be too happy you returned with a bunch of supposedly extinct shifters."

     "I didn't kill my folks."

     Syd shrugged. "I hated my parents and haven't seen them since I was ten, so I wouldn't blame you."

     "I was framed."

     "That's what they all say."

     Setting his hand on Liri's shoulder, Ardon said, "Syd, I know she didn't do it. We think that whoever did was connected to what was happening in the Cluster. We need to question the shifters onboard and see what else we can learn from them."

     "I've never seen Lady Delaney before," a weak voice drifted from a nearby recovery bed. Everyone looked to the frail raisin-looking man Ardon had carried to the Calypso. "But, I do know of Dante Delaney."

     "You knew my father?" Liri moved closer to the man.

     "Not really, he only came a few times, and on his last visit, he looked displeased about something. A man by the name of Sterling began showing up soon after that and demanding more strenuous tests. Delaney never returned that I was aware of."

     "How do you know all that?"

     He grunted as if it hurt to speak. "I've been there since the beginning of the program years ago. They stopped testing on me because I can't shift on command anymore."  

     "Not to be a jerk, but why didn't they kill you if you weren't any use anymore?" Ardon asked. 

     "I'm not sure, but I had been there so long that I'd made close acquaintances with a few of them. I guess they knew I was harmless, so kept me alive."

     "What good would shifting knowledge be for a medical company?" Liri asked.

     The man's eyes darted away, and he moved around as if his bed had suddenly become uncomfortable.