Читать книгу The 8ight: Desperate Hour - Maxine Boone's McClendon - Страница 5

The Company was not pleased in the least. None of the gathered officials had been in Facility 536A when it self-destructed three days ago, but some very important people had. All of their experiments, both failed and successful, had been lost. At least the important people, those high in power and authority, had escaped the facility.

Or so they believed.

They never thought they would have another destruction of a facility, not since Dr. Rao and his costly betrayal, but there they were, viewing the footage of stampeding, panicked personnel and perusing the damage reports while waiting on at least two more people.

The door to the conference room opened. Shannon stormed in with Dr. Ivo and his staff in tow. Five Blink! dogs tromped by their sides as guards and a few men in black brought up the rear. The scientists’ heads were all bowed, their fear quite evident. Shannon stepped to the side, watching Dr. Ivo with hateful eyes while everyone else’s attention turned toward the towering man dressed impeccably in white at the head of the conference.

“Where’s Claire,” asked the man in white, his steely voice causing the muttered discussions throughout the room to cease immediately. “Where is my sister?”

Shannon met his gaze evenly and began her report. “Dr. Ivo and his staff had the eight specimens in the lab with a bomb. It blew up and caused the self-destruct sequence to be initiated. Sifting through the wreckage, we were able to confirm that the specimens were destroyed all because of this fool right here,” she spat, striking Dr. Ivo solidly across the face with the back of her hand.

“And Claire?” the man in white asked yet again as he walked slowly towards her.

“A body was not recovered, but enough of her blood and genetic material was scattered throughout the wreckage for it to be clear she was killed in the blast. From the footage we were able to piece together, it seems as if she was overcome by the specimens and blown apart. She’s dead Kyle,” Shannon answered, placing her hand soothingly on his arm as he stopped before her looking down on the cowering Dr. Ivo.

“Sorry to say but she deserved it,” Shannon continued with a smirk. “She insisted on - ulp!” her voice was cut off as Kyle’s powerful hand wrapped around her throat and lifted her into the air.

“You dare find happiness in my sister’s death?” he snarled.

His eyes flashed red and Shannon’s skin split in dozens of places. She screamed in pain and writhed in his grasp. More slashes appeared on her body, as if an invisible assailant was attacking her with a knife, peeling her skin. She struggled to break free, but his grip only tightened as her blood splashed onto his white suit. Desperate, her eyes flashed red as she tapped into her own power, erasing the last 15 seconds by sending herself back into time.

“And Claire?” the man in white asked yet again as he slowly walked towards her.

Not a drop of blood showed on his immaculate suit, and there was barely a gray strand of hair on his head from using his powers, but his lips quirked as he recalled what had just happened. She knew she needed to temper her dislike of Claire when dealing with Kyle. Shannon shook her head briefly, her body still reeling from the remembered pain of having her flesh split open. She brushed her new gray hairs out of her face and pointed to Dr. Ivo, who was still cowering on the floor.

“Ask him,” she replied. “His actions led directly to her death.”

Soft murmurs arose in the room. The gathered heads of the Company, about ten in all, were talking with one another in hushed, quiet tones. They kept glancing at Dr. Ivo, and then back to Kyle’s face, which grew even more impassive. His eyes searched Shannon’s before slowly traveling over to Dr. Ivo and his staff.

“Dr. Ivo, am I to understand that your actions are directly responsible for the destruction of our most successful experiments in the history of the Company? Are you the reason my beloved sister is dead?” Kyle asked slowly, the coldness in his voice and eyes dangerous.

Dr. Ivo kept his head bowed and his eyes downcast in an attempt to appear respectful, “N-n-n-no, sir. I-”

Shannon smacked him, the rings on the fingers of her left hand gouging his cheek deeply. The force of the blow drove him to his knees.

“Speak properly or we’ll just cut out your tongue!” she snarled.

Dr. Ivo’s body began to tremble slightly. He looked everywhere but at Kyle’s face. He cleared his throat and willed up enough courage to start over.

“Claire was going to have the specimens terminated on the first day of the New Year,” he said. “She said the scientists assigned to study them, which was us, would also be killed if we failed to find the secret to stopping the aging process.”

Everybody turned to watch Kyle’s face. He kneeled down and gripped Dr. Ivo by the chin, forcing his gaze upwards. Both men stared into each other’s eyes, Kyle searching for unsaid words and Ivo trying not to show how much he wanted to plead for mercy. Dr. Ivo began to nervously wring his hands and his eyes darted from side to side, vainly looking for help that would never come.

“Claire was planning to kill our specimens without the Company’s approval?” Kyle asked, still gripping his chin, his tone one of obvious disbelief. “Why would my sister do such a thing, Ivo?”

“She never gave us a reason,” he replied. “She became very secretive and paranoid. Dr. Shiva had suspected that there was some sort of genetic link between Claire and the specimens and indicated that she was going to do some research in the archives. Her last digital communication to me was that she solved the riddle, had found something she needed to bring directly to the ruling body of the Company, but before she could even share with me what she found she was executed.

“Claire said it was one of the specimens that did it, but I had my suspicions. I think her fear of what using her ability was doing to her caused her to accelerate our testing schedule. She became erratic, and as I said earlier, extremely paranoid,” Dr. Ivo babbled, trying to save himself and his staff. “She gave us an ultimatum: either uncover why the specimens were immune to the aging factor that was affecting everyone else with abilities or be exterminated along with them in the New Year. How were we supposed to work under those conditions?” Dr. Ivo glanced back at his companions, but none of them offered to help.

“I was in charge, Kyle! Me! The Company hired me to solve this riddle. I was promised complete autonomy and what happens? I’m treated like a common errand boy, a dog! I was put in charge!

“I tried to reason with her, but she wouldn’t listen. How can you gather the greatest scientific minds in the world and expect them to work under threat of death? It’s just not possible!” Ivo shouted, his indignation momentarily overcoming his fear. “We accepted the fact that she was going to follow through with her threat, so my staff and I just...acted before time.”

Kyle nodded his head in an understanding manner. “So, because my sister expected you to do what you said you were able to do and hold you responsible for your progress or lack thereof, you destroy the entire facility, and kill everyone within, including the eight successful specimens and my sister? Now I understand Dr. Ivo, I really do.” Kyle looked at the remainder of Ivo’s staff. “You all may leave,” he said, dismissing them with a wave.

At first, no one moved, unable to believe that they were escaping punishment so easily. With a sharp whistle and snap, the dogs stepped to the side, along with the armed men in black. Hesitantly, in pairs and groups, Dr. Ivo and his staff slowly turned and made it to the door when Shannon’s grin turned pure evil and she gave a tight nod.

The room quickly filled with excited barks and excruciating screams of pain and fear. The scientists all fell under the weight of the attacking guard dogs which blinked! away quickly after latching onto arms, torsos, legs, and necks. In the literal blink of an eye, Dr. Ivo was the sole remaining person alive from his staff. He cowered on the blood-soaked carpet, held spread eagle by four massive Blink! dogs, each of his feet and hands gripped tightly in their huge jaws.

“Please,” Dr. Ivo begged as he looked up at the impassive Kyle in abject terror. “Don’t kill me! I have too much to offer to the Company!”

“Oh, I’m not going to kill you, doctor,” Kyle said as he crouched over his trembling body. “Your expertise is going to be greatly needed in creating more specimens.” He motioned to the last remaining Blink! dog and it crept forward slowly between Dr. Ivo’s outstretched legs, menacing growls emanating from its drooling jaws.

“However, unlike my dearly departed sister, I will suffer no challenge to my authority,” Kyle declared as the Blink! dog clamped down onto Dr. Ivo’s groin area.

The other dogs released Dr. Ivo’s hands and feet, but he remained frozen in fear, afraid that any wrong move would result in dire injury to his private parts.

“There can only be one man in charge, Dr. Ivo. Only one. Me. Maybe this will bring my point home.”

Kyle nodded once to the remaining latched-on Blink! dog. It seemed to smile evilly around its clamped jaws.

Then it blinked! away.