11
Standing in the basement of the hideaway house, Davey turned in a slow circle, still not quite able to believe what she was seeing. It was incredible how Ethan had accomplished so much in so little time. She checked her watch yet again, confirming once more that she had only been asleep for three hours. Sex had been the perfect cure for her restlessness after all. Now she was rested and refreshed, though somewhat sore.
“Ethan, how?”
“I didn’t choose this location simply because it’s secluded. Global Cures has a warehouse a few miles inland. It’s essentially an old storage facility with no manned security. Collecting everything we needed was pretty easy, but I think I almost sank the boat trying to get the raw materials here in two trips.”
Davey moved around the room, carefully examining several pieces of machinery that should have taken ten men to transport and reassemble. She touched when it seemed safe to do so, and appraised at a careful distance the things that might have been fragile and/or dangerous. Ethan had essentially constructed a full-scale laboratory for a purpose yet to be determined.
“So, what do we do now?” she asked, resting her hands on the cool steel of a table with a suspicious-looking mound—long and wide enough to be the body of a certain missing android—resting atop its surface, draped with a white sheet. “Wait for Dr. Frankenstein to show up?”
“She’s already here.”
“No way.”
“Yes way.”
“Ethan, I can’t.”
He actually seemed serious, and it was causing her to panic. Davey had a genius I.Q and was an accomplished scientist in her own field of research, but synthesizing regenerative proteins from earthworms in order to reawaken single-celled organisms did not even begin to compare to what Ethan was asking her to do. Her experience with alchemy was maybe one notch above a fundamental understanding, and she definitely didn’t possess the mastery necessary to transmute a human soul. Any attempt on her part to do so would be completely insane.
“You have to.”
Davey gawked at him, hoping her expression brought justice to the incredulity she was feeling. “I don’t even know where to start!”
“I’ll show you,” he said calmly.
Unconvinced, she shook her head and began to back away from him. “Ethan, no.”
“It’s all right. Take it easy,” he soothed. Quickly crossing the room, he barred her from further retreat, gently placing his hands on either side of her face. His grey orbs locked onto her with a serious stare. “I have done everything in my power to save Hogan,” he said, strangely sounding a lot like the old Ethan. “Now it is your turn, Davey. This is what you were always meant to do.”
She inhaled a steadying breath, and then exhaled deeply. Davey wasn’t sure why she believed him, but she did.
“You can do this,” he insisted. “Trust me.”
“Okay.”
Taking her hand, he led her to a corner of the basement lab where three computer monitors were arranged atop a sturdy-looking table. He placed his hand near the data port and the screens came alive.
“Throughout history, man has demonstrated the tendency to label things they do not understand or science they cannot explain as magic. Alchemy is one of those things. And though the original practitioners did not achieve their ultimate goal of immortality, Dr. David Savage did.”
Pages and pages of data began to fill the monitors, scrolling left and right, up and down. Archaic symbols, strange numerical sequences, and extinct mathematical formulas—all handwritten—took up every line and every space. Davey felt as if she were witnessing the birth of the universe.
“Hidden deep within my base code were these missing pages of Dr. Savage’s research. I discovered their existence after Hogan united my two halves, and since Drekker had agreed to a ceasefire, I was free to remain offline until I could analyze them.”
“That’s why you took so long to wake up,” Davey mumbled softly, already tuning out the rest of the world as she studied the research in front of her. It was remarkable. She clicked through the data, merging the new information with what she already knew. Everything she needed was there. Ethan was right. She could do this.
“Ethan, do you have access to the autopsy report for the janitor who was Drekker’s last vessel?”
“I do.”
Davey pointed to the monitor on the far right. “Can you load all pictures from the autopsy onto this screen?”
“Of course.”
Ten seconds later, Ethan bumped his forefinger against the data port and a series of thirty-two tiled images, starring poor Mr. Wiggins, popped up onscreen. Davey carefully examined each one, seeing much more of the old man than she ever wanted to. He looked so much smaller and frailer in death. Post-mortem staining had overtaken much of his fair complexion. His brain and other organs had been harvested for testing, as authorities no doubt were pressed to find a motivation for the kind custodian’s unexpected rampage.
Leaning closer to the screen, Davey squinted at one of the images. She couldn’t be sure and highlighted the file to enlarge it. “There,” she said in an eager whisper.
The janitor’s body had been rolled to the side and photographed. On the back of the late Mr. Wiggin’s left thigh was a circular tattoo—almost exactly like the transmutation circle on Ethan’s shoulder. Only on the old man, the symbol was incomplete. The three primes of alchemy—Sulphur, Mercury, and Salt—were present, but not conjoined as they were in Ethan’s tattoo. Soul. Spirit. Body. Undoubtedly, this disconnect was a direct representation of the instability of Drekker’s transmutation.
“Whoever tried to bring Mason Drekker back got the formula wrong. His transmutation circle doesn’t match yours, Ethan. These three symbols should be joined by a linear union here,” she said, pointing, “here and here. Sulphur represents the soul. Mercury for his spirit. And Salt for the body. Without the proper link, he can’t permanently bind to the body created for him.”
“But you can fix it?”
Davey nodded enthusiastically. “Using Dr. Savage’s research, I’m certain of it.”
“Tell me what you need me to do.”
“I want to take a while to thoroughly review all of this data. Something tells me it’d be better if we got this right on the first try.” She began reading, hanging on to every word of Dr. Savage’s research. At some point, Ethan left and returned with an office chair, carefully guiding Davey to sit with his hands. Then he set a steaming mug of coffee in front of her. Looking up at him in surprise, Davey smiled gratefully. “Thank you,” she said.
“There’s booze in it.”
Davey smiled. “Double thank you.”
Grinning back, Ethan caressed her cheek with one hand as he bent down and tenderly framed her mouth within his. She couldn’t help leaning into him, loving how he tasted and wanting more. She uttered a regretful moan when he pulled away.
“I’ll be upstairs with Hogan,” he said, studying her with those steely eyes that seemed to notice everything, as one finger moved across her skin, stoking the flame inside of her that always burned for him. She tried to think of what she would do if he ever left again, but the thought was too terrifying, and Davey hurriedly backed away from it.
“Good,” she said and worried her bottom lip. “It would be much easier for me to concentrate if you were someplace else.”
“Ouch,” Ethan said playfully. Tugging her by the hair, he tilted her head back and lowered his lips to hers once more, stealing her breath without mercy.
Davey was panting when he finally released her. “Okay, seriously,” she said squirming beneath his scorching gaze. His expression conveyed many thoughts, but none of them had anything to do with leaving. “You have to go.”
“Stop biting your lip like that and I will.”
Davey didn’t hesitate. Clamping both hands across the bottom of her face, she effectively covered her mouth from view. “Satisfied?”
Ethan smirked. “Cheeky,” he said. Then he kissed her forehead and left. Davey could finally get back to work.
She wasn’t sure what hour it was when she finally came up for air, but in the end, Davey was still confident in her ability to permanently bind Mason Drekker’s soul to the android. What she wasn’t sure about was if the transmutation should actually be done. She left the basement, intent on finding Ethan and confessing her misgivings straightaway. She found him with Hogan, the two of them thoroughly engrossed in a card game of War. Hogan seemed to be on the verge of winning, with over two-thirds of the deck in his possession.
Davey raised her eyebrows. “You’re actually winning? Way to go, little brother.”
Hogan turned to his sister, beaming proudly. “I’m straight up kicking his ass.”
“Hogan—”
“I know. I know. Language. But this game requires next to no skill,” he chattered on excitedly. “That’s why I picked it. That computer in his brain is basically useless. Get this. He even knows within a few deals who’s going to win, and it’s written all over his face. Watch, Davey. He’s like the unluckiest robot bastard on the planet. It’s awesome.”
“Hogan!”
Ethan belted out a laugh. “It’s okay, Davey.”
“No, it’s not. I don’t know what gets into him sometimes.”
“He’s a teenage boy. Wait until he starts chasing after girls, then his language will be the least of your worries.”
“Oh jeez.” Davey palmed her face. “On that note, Ethan, can I talk with you for a second?”
“C’mon, let us finish this game first,” Hogan quickly interjected.
“Sorry, kiddo,” Ethan said, rising from his chair. “Duty calls. Besides, I win this one.”
Hogan shook his head. “No way.”
“Way.” Ethan tucked his tiny stack of cards into his back pocket. “And I’ll prove it to you when I get back.”
“How do you know he won’t shuffle his cards?” she asked as they walked into the other room for a private chat.
Ethan appeared taken aback. “I hadn’t considered it.” He glanced toward the other room, eyeing Hogan suspiciously.
Davey laughed. “You two get along really well.”
“Does that make you happy?”
“It does.”
Ethan smiled. “Well, he’s a great kid. Now tell me what’s up. You seem extra anxious.”
“I know I can recreate Dr. Savage’s experiment, but I don’t think we should.”
“Davey, we’ve talked about this. This is our only option.”
“Ethan, just listen to me. I examined the android and did a full diagnostic. The engineering is as flawless as your own design. Once Mason Drekker has control of that body, he will be equal to you in every way. What if we can’t stop him? What if we can’t protect Hogan?”
“Davey, as long as my soul is tethered to this world, I will always find a way to protect you and Hogan.” He closed the distance between them, their bodies nearly touching as he invaded her space. “I swear to you, Davey Little,” he said, and the aura of intensity surrounding him was almost tangible. “I will keep him safe. I will keep you safe.”
She interlaced her fingers with his, and the all too familiar microcurrent passed between them, buzzing across the surface of her skin, penetrating into every cell until she felt the energy flowing within her very blood. A single heartbeat thumped, a muted boom right between her ears. And then for the briefest moment, Davy was watching herself through Ethan’s eyes. She was staring down at their entwined hands, her face full of wonder while tiny pinpoints of light twinkled all over her skin.
When she looked up again, there was so much love in her eyes that she—no Ethan—began to ache inside. But he also saw fear. Fear for what? Him? Herself? Hogan? Davey felt Ethan’s confusion as he pondered her emotions, terrified that one day the fear in her eyes might be because of him. The pain of his realization came sudden and sharp, like a knife through the heart, making Davey gasp. Ethan released her hand—but it felt as if she were releasing her own hand. The heartbeat thumped again, echoing through her mind as if in slow motion. And then she was back, standing in her own shoes, looking at Ethan through her own eyes.
She whispered his name, unsure of everything else.
“Davey,” he said softly. Reaching out, he stopped short of touching her again.
“What was that?”
Ethan swallowed. “It’s getting worse.”
What had passed between them wasn’t just a few sparks of static electricity. Davey was now convinced the phenomenon had to be more complex than a few displaced electrons. But why didn’t it happen every time they touched? And the outer body, in his body occurrence—what the hell was that about? Ethan was clearly shaken, and that was probably more frightening than any explanation—scientific or mystical—Davey could fathom. Even as a scientist, the experience left her in awe.
“It felt like magic,” she whispered.
“Some things can only partly be explained by science, but the rest isn’t magic. It’s simply beyond human understanding.”
Davey wasn’t deterred. Ethan’s words were skeptical, but his voice was as filled with wonder as her own. “Or maybe it’s magic,” she said softly.
Taking her hand, Ethan clutched it firmly within his. “Come on,” he said. “It’s time to finish this.”
∞∞∞
Down in the basement and with the android positioned on the table between them, Davey stood across from Ethan, nervously biting her lip. Having double checked the equipment and tripled checked her calculations, there was nothing left to do except cross her fingers and hope like hell the experiment would work. It was hard not to reflect on the last ten years of her life and not be rendered stupid with disbelief. Sure, she’d mostly kept the pink-streaked hair and edgy disposition, but if someone had told her rebellious teenage self that she’d be the legal guardian of a fifteen-year-old, fall in love with a guy who was essentially trapped within a machine, and be the mastermind behind the transmutation of a villainous soul, then Davey would have called them crazy. No. She would have punched them in the face first, and then called them crazy.
“I contacted Drekker,” Ethan said, watching her with an odd expression. “He’ll be here within the hour.”
She stared down at the android uneasily. Rather than lifeless, the thing seemed inert. It wasn’t just an empty shell. Beneath the skin, its parts were just as human as Davey’s. Only the android’s inner bits were made of synthetic materials, super dense and almost indestructible.
“In the movies, these things never go according to plan, you know.”
“Things seemed to work out okay in The Terminator.”
Davey rolled her eyes. “You’re officially banned from watching Netflix.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do,” she muttered. Already distracted again by worries, she resumed chewing her lip. Her attention was back on the android. It was hard for Davey to ignore the knots in her stomach. Maybe if I can somehow cripple the android…when Drekker takes control, he’ll be vulnerable.
Wincing, Davey tasted blood and gingerly explored where her teeth had cut her bottom lip. Ready to convey the suggestion to Ethan, she looked up but was startled to find him standing right next her. Only inches separated their bodies. His eyes seemed darker and more dangerous than Davey ever remembered them being.
“I’m going to ask you to stop doing that…unless you want to hold onto the wall and bend over while I fuck you.”
There was a paper-thin veil of restraint both in his face and in the positioning of his body. Ethan was serious. “Sorry,” she squeaked.
He sighed. “I know what you’re thinking, but we can’t risk Drekker spotting any sort of sabotage or else he’ll just return to the other realm and start tormenting Hogan again. Despite our agreement, I believe it’s only a matter of time before he figures out how to do something worse…or tries to seriously hurt you or Hogan.”
“I know you’re right, Ethan. I’m just afraid. And not just for me and Hogan.” Folding her arms, she dropped her head against his chest. “Once we do this, Drekker will able to hurt you. I can’t lose you, Ethan. Not again.”
Pulling her close, he held her and lightly stroked her back. “Don’t worry about me, Davey. We have a plan, and it will work.”
Hugging him for a little longer, she accepted his words but wasn’t ready to let go and begin the unpleasant task at hand. When she couldn’t afford to delay any longer, Davey took a deep breath and went back to work. She retrieved the black marker she had set aside earlier and used a tablet supplied by Ethan to pull up an enlarged image of the transmutation circle copied directly from Dr. Savage’s notes. The marker was poised above the android’s perfectly molded pectoral muscle when Ethan cleared his throat.
“I don’t mean to cast doubt on your methods, but shouldn’t the symbol you’re about to draw consist of a more permanent medium?”
“That tattoo on your shoulder wasn’t created by human hands, Ethan, and the circle I’m drawing is just a channel,” she explained, making her first mark on the skin despite his objection. “After the initial power required to begin the transmutation, the process itself will trigger an exponential surge in energy. The true seal will become branded into the automaton’s skin, just as it was on yours.”
“I love it when you talk nerdy to me,” Ethan said with a mischievous grin.
Davey just stared at him. She was unable to stop the blush rapidly creeping across her cheeks. Ethan was the same guy, but he was different, and she was falling in love with him all over again. Like that’s possible. Shaking her head, Davey resumed drawing. Once the transmutation symbol was done, she powered up the turbine and particle generator before turning to Ethan. “The only thing we’re missing is the murderous, body-swapping sociopath.”
Ethan’s face was grim, lacking all of the humor he’d brandished moments before. “Drekker is on the island.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “Hogan is safe?”
“As long as he stays put, Drekker will never find him. I made sure of it.”
Davey took a relieved breath and nodded. Needing to be busy, she reviewed her calculations and tried checking the equipment calibrations yet again, but her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. “Dammit,” she swore through clenched teeth.
Ethan came and stood next to her. “It’s okay,” he whispered and briefly squeezed her hand.
A second later, a strange voice called down from the stairwell. “Well, well, Ethan Remington. I see you’ve been as busy and resourceful as ever. It’s no wonder our overlords fight so hard to keep you in bondage.”
Stunned to see it was a woman who descended the stairs, Davey looked at Ethan to gauge his reaction, but he had none.
The woman moved stiffly, taking awkward hesitant steps in the patent leather high heels she wore. Her spine was held rigid with no sway in her hips evident beneath the tight pencil skirt that clung to her body. A small hobo crossbody rested on one hip. Though her tone was light—playful even—the expression on her face was almost angry. Reaching the basement floor, she stood with both hands at her waist and surveyed the room with a chilly gaze.
Leveling those cold green eyes on Ethan, the woman scowled. “You are a formidable puppet, Remington. Have you ever considered cutting your strings?”
“Every time I run away, my brother and his mercenaries just drag me back. There’s no escape for us.”
“Wait,” Davey whispered. “Is that Drekker?”
“It is.” Ethan smirked. “Maybe we shouldn’t have been so concerned with stealing the male android. He seems comfortable enough in a skirt.”
Drekker’s glower deepened, marring the woman’s pretty features. “This vessel is only a temporary inconvenience. You have the android, but where is the boy?” The woman’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “You know what will happen if you were foolish enough to betray me.”
“Take it easy there, Sybil,” Ethan said, making a placating gesture. “You and I came to an agreement, and I intend to keep it. We don’t need the boy.”
Drekker’s head tilted to one side. “Something has changed about you, Remington.”
“Yes, but it pales in comparison to what you’ve done with yourself. Now, what we’re doing here isn’t sanctioned, and by now the labs must know the android is missing. So, let’s cut the chitchat, Drekker. You need to get on the table.”
Drekker didn’t move. “How do you hope to accomplish what the greatest minds employed by Global Cures could not? That boy is the key. He bridges the possible and the impossible.”
“Hogan Little is a neophyte. We’d be crazy to let him attempt a transmutation like this. We’d both end up with our souls ripped apart. Trust me.”
Shaking his head, Drekker retreated a few steps. “I don’t.” Reaching into his purse, Drekker whipped out a short-barreled revolver and promptly aimed it in Davey’s direction. But Ethan moved even faster, stepping in front of Davey and completely blocking her from harm before Drekker had even finished raising his arm.
“You can’t kill me with that, Drekker. And there’s no way in hell you’re getting past me to hurt her.”
“Of course,” Drekker said simply. Then he took the gun and pressed it against his temple. “Why don’t I just kill myself now and return to the other realm? I’ll find Hogan tonight when he travels. I’m going to torment him until his young mind breaks. He’ll be rendered insane, but don’t worry. I’ll come back to this earth and put him out of his misery.”
Mason Drekker was a lunatic. No question about it. Davey had witnessed firsthand the extraordinary lengths he was willing to go to in order to get what he wanted and therefore knew his words were not an empty threat. It didn’t make sense to kill Hogan, the only person who could give him what he wanted (at least so Drekker thought), but mentally unstable people couldn’t be held to such pedestrian things like reason and logic. If Drekker couldn’t be convinced that Davey could perform the transmutation, then he would kill her brother.
“Drekker, stop. Wait,” Ethan urged. “You know there’s another way. Think about it. Hogan Little wasn’t born when I was created.”
Drekker’s finger tapped impatiently at the trigger. “Yes, you were the first—the golden child. And every attempt to replicate the experiment has failed because the good doctor died and took the crux of his research with him.”
“I have his research. All of it. Davey has studied every word of The Alchemy Initiative and successfully replicated the formula that brought me back.” Ethan gestured toward the android. “She can put you in the body you’ve always wanted…permanently.”
Drekker’s gaze shifted between Davey and the android. Then he shook his head, making his long, dark and stolen locks shimmer in the light. “Not good enough, Remington. I said I wanted the boy.”
“You’re not getting him,” Ethan said flatly. “Davey can do this. Everything is ready to go. You just need to get on the table.”
“I don’t believe you. Who is this girl that she can do what so many others have failed to achieve?”
“Her name is Davey, Daveigh Little. And I told you. She’s studied alchemy for a very long time, and I have given her the original formula.”
Drekker’s eyes went completely cold and a sort of peace settled over his features. “Not good enough,” he said.
A leaden knot formed in Davey’s gut as she prepared to watch a human head explode into a shower of red mist and grey matter for the second time in her adult life. Drekker was going to do it. He was going to kill himself and fulfill every word of his promise. There was nothing she could do to stop it.
“Drekker. Don’t do it.”
“I’ll see you soon, Remington.”
“Goddammit. She’s his daughter!” Ethan shouted desperately, startling everyone. “Dr. Savage was gifted and so are his children. Both of them.”