Children of a Greater Evil Read online

  Noting how the president’s mouth tightened, white lines radiating from his lips, Daniella contained her growl of frustration.

  “They don’t do this often, and I believe that the mission arose during the festivities. Unwilling to call notice, they would have reacted swiftly to determine the threat level. Given I’ve heard nothing—”

  The strident wail of her palm communicator interrupted, and she started hunting through the ornate clothing, searching for the pocket where she’d secreted the small digital device.

  The president watched her as she found and activated the unit, lifting it to her ear. The screen glowed, and she saw Jonah’s name. “This had better be good news.”

  “It is, and it isn’t. We’ve located a teen who arrived at the emergency department at Velspar. He’s one of the missing. That’s the good stuff. The bad part is he refuses to talk. I need to bring him into the unit so we can assess the situation.”

  “Guardians? Parents?”

  “As with most of these cases, none that we can find.”

  “Fine. Let me know as soon as you have more details, and I want the report on my desk tomorrow morning at eight.”

  The sound of him sucking in his breath whispered down the line, and her gaze narrowed.

  So much for them keeping her apprised of what was going on.

  “I’ll bring it to your home office.” The terse voice made it clear he was unhappy. “No. My senate office.” She pressed the button, ending the connection, as she turned back to Yin.

  “Problems?” He scanned her face as if seeking some hint of frustration, but she’d blanked out the emotions as she’d turned toward him.

  “No. Just organizing a meeting for tomorrow morning.”

  He blinked. “We have the vote on the Protocol bill.”

  Daniella’s stomach wobbled. “I thought we had put that off for a little longer.”

  The 21st Testing Protocol required all young adults to report to a testing center on a mandated day, four times a year depending on the day of birth, to be tested genetically and physically to see if they were suitable for warrior training.

  “I was overruled.” Yin spoke quietly, but the importance of the information wasn’t lost.

  “What? Who? Who was lobbying to push this through?” She tottered to the chair and sat down, waiting as Yin settled into the large, red armchair opposite with a sigh.

  “My people are sifting through the layers, but there’s a wealthy backer who doesn’t want to be found. Contacts are to various senatorial PA’s but never the same one or from the same origination point. My people aren’t trained for this, that’s why yours must find the source and deal with it. I don’t need to remind you, senator, that time is running short. If this bill gets through...”

  There it was. The unspoken words hung in the air between them. If my people don’t find out who’s behind this, then a war on a worldwide scale, never seen before, will be unleashed.

  The citizens had become restive in the months since Clarissa had appeared and Michael’s transformation. Now they demanded soldiers of the highest caliber in case more of the biocybernetics attempted to overthrow the world. No matter how careful Delspar’s delivery, the threat lay heavy. It was all garbage of course, and Daniella privately had grave concerns that Delspar’s reasoning might tip the hand of Colvert’s unknown backers.

  “I can’t argue with them.”

  Yin nodded. “Your brother.”

  “And now Clarissa.” The fact that two bio-cybernetically enhanced people were part of her family proved too great a barrier. Any argument she might put forward would be negated because of her ‘affiliation’ to bio-cybes.

  The thought of these genetically engineered super-soldiers they’d detected after Clarissa’s abduction and escape, at one person’s beck and call, meant the annihilation of anyone who stood in their way. The end of the government as they knew it if the other faction won.

  The entire planet ruled by one person, with the power to unleash deadly force and nothing to hold them back. That very idea left her shuddering, and her mouth dried as the knowledge settled in her mind like cold, hard marbles striking a tiled floor.

  “I understand, sir. My people are currently following up a lead, but I’ll see if we can’t step it up.”

  “I can’t make any more people available to you, Daniella. You understand my situation. They have someone on the inside. Right now, I’ve stretched and prevaricated with the truth, hiding the true mission, but I can’t stretch it any further or they’ll suspect we know. That would be worse.”

  Daniella nodded. Yin was right. Once questions started as to why she required extra personal assistance of the military and investigative kind, then nothing would quell them until the truth was outed.

  “Yes.”

  He rose and slid his hand over her shoulder. “I have every faith in you, my dear. It won’t be forgotten.” Then he moved toward the door, stopping with his hand on the knob. “I’ll bump that meeting down to say, ten? That should give you enough time to complete the briefing.”

  The click of the door as he closed it felt like a spike driven through her brain.

  The boy eyed Jonah, mutiny glaring just from the other side of the table.

  “So, how did you get here?”

  The boy shrugged, and Jonah’s frustration ratcheted up yet another notch. He’d been here for over an hour, and the boy had yet to answer any question verbally.

  The doctor hovered at Jonah’s shoulder, but he didn’t acknowledge him. Instead, he centered his gaze on the man-child ahead and allowed a fraction of a smile to emerge.

  “I think he should be returned to his bed and allowed to rest.”

  Jonah shook his head, his gaze remaining focused on the boy. “No. I don’t think so. I’ll be taking him into custody now.”

  “What?” The doctor’s shock echoed in the room, and Jonah detected fear from the professional. From the boy came a smirk.

  Thrusting his hand into his pocket, he withdrew the leather identification unit and held it up so only the doctor would see what was on his card. “Check with your supervisor, doctor. This badge allows me to detain and interrogate anyone suspected of representing a danger to the state and the citizens of our planet.”

  “But... He’s just a kid!”

  The kid visibly paled, and Jonah yawned, stretched, and kept up his attitude of ‘don’t care’. It was a front, of course. He was deeply concerned about the boy and the action he was about to take, but he was also aware that striking quickly was the only way they’d have any hope of finding out where he came from.

  With slow movements, he rose, his peripheral vision showing that Franklin too moved. The boy scootched back in his seat, and the doctor fumed, “I’m getting the head of my department.”

  The door slammed shut, and Jonah narrowed his gaze. “You do that. Meanwhile, young man, you and I have a date with my people.”

  The boy jumped, aiming at him. Franklin shoved himself in front of the door, cutting off his means of escape. They’d been down this path before, and they knew once the teen eluded them, it would be difficult to retrieve him.

  Extending his arms in a lightning-quick move, Jonah grabbed and held the wiggling body. Teeth sank into his arm, and he grunted and shook the nameless teen off, just enough to make him unclench his jaw.

  Jonah grappled and captured the boy’s wrist—thicker in his opinion than the average

  teen’s—and held tight. Franklin moved in behind him, applying the poly-oxide material cuffs to the man-child. Once they clicked onto the boy’s arms, Franklin tightened them while the boy twisted and turned, attempting to break free of his bonds.

  “Don’t bother trying. We’ve had adults that can’t break out of those.”

  The teen grinned. “They can’t do what I can,” he snarled, and Jonah laughed.

  “True. However, the adults we tested these on can do more.” He turned and left Franklin

  to move the child forward as the door was flung open.

  The doctor and his superior scurried in. “You can’t take him.”

  Jonah sneered and extended the ID with his bloodied arm. “Yeah, I can and am. Now get out of my way.”

  “What happened here?” The older man—the tag fastened to his long, white coat read Professor Venos—peered over his glasses at Jonah. “You’re hurt. Doctor, go get supplies to clean up his wound.”

  The younger doctor scowled but hurried to do the professor’s bidding.

  “No time to stop.” As Jonah brushed past the professor, the older man reached out and clamped his hand over Jonah’s wound.

  “No, you’re not leaving right now. I saw your ID, and I know you can take the child, but I will attend to your injuries first.”

  Jonah grunted, spun, and looked at Franklin. “Get him to our facility. Twenty-four-seven watch. Food is okay, bedding as necessary and ablution. No visitors until we know more.”

  Franklin nodded and shoved the teen forward. “I’ll go with the others and send Fairburn to you.”

  “No. Leave him with her for now.” He daren’t name the senator of course, but Franklin narrowed his eyes and nodded his understanding, then pushed the teen out the door and into the hall beyond.

  Franklin would get him to their holding cells quickly. What’s more, he did grumpy and scary really well, although it was just an act, but Jonah had no qualms with that.

  Jonah retreated to the small table where they’d attempted to interrogate the child, hoping he might be able to loosen some information from the professor. “He the first you’ve seen like that?” he queried and hunkered down on the chair before starting to roll up his shirt sleeve so the man could inspect his injury.

  The doctor they’d dismissed earlier hurried into the room, dropping supplies to the tabletop, his gaze roaming. “Where’d the boy go?”

  I guess all professions have those who won’t take no for an answer. “Gone. In secure custody.”

  The way the doctor acted set off alarm bells, and Jonah made a mental note to follow up on the younger man. Dr. Alan Figueroa. He forced the name into his mind. Perhaps he knew something, given his reaction to the incident. Jonah had long ago stopped believing that the klaxon that regularly went off in his head was an overreaction. Experience—bitter and painful— reinforced that trusting his instincts was always wise.

  “But you can’t take a child. They have rights and—”

  “That’s enough, Figueroa! Return to your post and attend to your patients.” The professor’s voice was firm.

  The man gaped then huffed and left the room, the billow of his white coat following him. The door slammed shut.

  “I apologize for my young colleague. He’s eager and unruly still. That will change in time.”

  Jonah grunted and relaxed into the chair. “So, tell me, professor, is the boy your first?” He waited as the man cleaned his wound.

  “No, he’s not. We’ve had a few. Usually my residents deal with them, but tonight things were crazy. There are some specific things we notice with the children and teens who’ve presented. They tend to be alone. They’ve come in with a range of accidents and ailments, usually associated with high-impact sports or wilderness challenge type accidents, in my opinion.”

  Considering the answer, Jonah frowned. “You mean, they have similar types of ailments?”

  “Yes and no. We question them carefully. The first few were chatty and told us about their injuries—hiking, rock climbing, wrestling, that kind of thing. By about the fourth they must have worked out where our concerns lay, and from there they started to clam up on us. They only shared the necessary facts. This one though, he didn’t tell us anything. We had to work it out by trial and error.”

  “Who collects them when they’re released?”

  The professor shook his head as he applied salve and a bandage to Jonah’s arm. “That’s the thing. They’ve disappeared on us, usually after a day or two here. We know they’ve recovered because tracking their healing factors has become something of a marathon. They seem to heal up mostly overnight once they’ve received appropriate treatment. We go to the bed allocated and it’s empty. Drips disengaged. Catheters tugged out. They’re just gone.” He sighed. “There, now keep that covering on. Here’s an antibiotic inhaler. Twice a day. Two puffs. No alcohol.” He shoved it at Jonah.

  “Could I trouble you to see their charts? I believe they’re connected with a case we need to find an answer to quickly. Your records would assist us greatly.”

  The professor sniffed. “I’m not supposed to share them, as you know. Even under the new act, you’re meant to have an order. However, if you promise to update me with details, and when the time is right, let me have a look at what you find—purely for professional reasons— then I’m sure if they were accidentally messaged to you, well...”

  The professor rose as Jonah handed the man a card. “I appreciate your care and attention.”

  Then Jonah stood and rounded the table, heading for the door.

  “One last thing. These kids, or whatever they are, can be dangerous. Be on your guard if more come in.” He left the professor standing there watching him.

  Bleary-eyed, Jonah stared out the window as dawn crept over the horizon. He’d spent long hours hunched over the keyboard as his arm throbbed. The report was almost complete, but Franklin had indicated the boy was currently sleeping in the practically bare cell, so Jonah had begun the process of organizing what they knew. Not that there was much.

  The reports from the professor had come through, and they’d made interesting reading. So far it seemed only one girl had presented, her injuries similar to those of the boys. Broken bones, some hypothermia, two had suffered extreme wounding, one losing a hand. It was partially grown back when the boy disappeared from the hospital.

  On a groan, Jonah stood, stretching his back to release the tension before striding to the coffee machine and pouring some of the liquid into his cup.

  McNally stuck her head around the corner. “You’ve probably had enough of that. Water will ease your thirst.”

  He slumped into his seat, taking a drink. “It’s not thirst. I need to stay awake long enough to present the report, then come back and question the kid. After that, I might get a chance at some shut-eye,” Jonah rasped.

  She shrugged. “Your kidneys, not mine. But when the transplant is scheduled, just remember that I warned you.”

  “So, what was it you wanted?” He couldn’t control the bite in his voice, but she didn’t take offense, instead loosed a burbling laugh.

  “You might also like to take something to soothe the aggravation in your voice. Here’s the documents you wanted on hard copy from the hospital. There’s some interesting stuff in there, and I highlighted it.” She tossed the folder onto his desk. “Now, if you intend to reach the senator’s office by eight, you should have left maybe ten minutes ago. Traffic’s a snarl, and unless you intend using lights, I don’t like your chances.”

  He bolted upright at that, checked the chrono on his wrist, and cursed. “Dammit!” Jonah launched out of his chair, grabbing the wrinkled jacket from the back. He snapped up the folder and shot forward, leaving his office at a run.

  McNally thrust a small tin of teeth cleaner pills into his pocket. Jonah hurtled past McNally, who stepped sideways amid the chorus of her laughter.

  Daniella stared out the window, the sense of unease spreading throughout her body.

  Jonah was due there any minute, but the fact that he’d left Michael’s wedding without a word to either herself or her brother didn’t bode well.

  Oh, they’d ensured that she had the information and she could understand the urgency in following through after the fact, but she didn’t cope well with being left hanging.

  Two sharp raps echoed. “Enter,” called Daniella.

  The door behind her opened, and she spun on the thick, wool-substitute carpet. Across the room, she read exhaustion in the tense set of Jonah’s shoulders and the deep lines at the sides of his eyes.

  “Coffee?” Daniella moved before he could answer, heading for the carafe, but he shook his head. “All right then, let’s get down to your report.” She changed direction to her desk then sank into the seat, grateful for the expanse of wood that separated them like a wall. “What do you have to report?”

  His gaze narrowed. “You’re not chewing me out?”

  “Is there any likelihood that it would stop you from doing that again? Of fixing the fact that you keep haring off without authorization and adequate backup?”

  His snort answered her query more effectively than words.

  “Fine. So, show me what you’ve found.”

  He thwacked the old-fashioned file onto the top of her desk, and Daniella flinched. “Lots. The teen we picked up last night is not the first of this kind. It seems they’ve started on their training. The ones that arrive at the ER have similar problems. Some with hypothermic issues, others with broken bones—ribs, etcetera. One lost fingers, another a hand. The few admitted to wards are canny. They escape before anyone can bring them to the notice of the appropriate authorities.”

  Daniella bit her lip, considering the harsh, bare-bones report he’d just given. “How did we get the notification then?”

  Jonah quirked his brow. “The protocols you had us put in place? The ones we all complained about?” His tiny grin had her heart thudding a little faster in her chest. “They paid off. The tags on hospital systems automatically reported to them once the terms ‘accelerated healing’ and ‘no traceable DNA’ were entered. The third string was ‘no guardian or parental consent on file.’”

  “Dammit. These kids can’t just appear from nowhere!” Frustration welled, a core of scalding wire that wound tightly inside her mind and body. Her fingers curled into claws against the wood of the desk. “Kids and teens aren’t disposable commodities. So where did the parents go? Why can’t we trace any that used the service all those years ago?”