Page 31 of Perfection

“No. But you have one, I’m sure. What’s going on?”

Vi folded her arms. “She misses me.”

“Yeah. And what else?”

Silence filled the room as they stared at one another. “Oh, all right,” his mom snapped. “I wanted to know about the little girl. It’s so sad. And it is not right that children are the ones who suffer for the grand aspirations of the Committee. I can’t help but want to fight them. And you should, too!” Her scathing gaze bit into York.

“Mom, I’m tired of bailing you out of trouble. One of these days, I won’t be able to. Wasn’t the last incident, wasn’tlanding in jail, enough to satisfy you for a while?” He sighed. “It’s dangerous.” He paused, then straightened. “But since we’re on the subject, do you think anyone in the movement would harm a child to get at B-Gastion?”

She shook her head vehemently. “No. No one.”

As if she didn’t like the direction the conversation had taken, she headed for the door. “And my well-being doesn’t matter. Someone has to stand up for those children.” She glanced at Vi. “Thank you for the coffee, dear. Let’s do this again soon.” She scooted out the door and closed it behind her.

Vi shrugged as he shook his head at his mother’s abrupt departure. Amanda could be a whirlwind. “You know how she is.”

Yes, he did. “I stopped by to see if you wanted to go to the precinct early. Maybe Avery has info we’re not privy to yet. According to Kindra, Isabelle died of an unknown virus that attacks the brain.”

“The poor kid.”

“I know. Do you want a ride?”

“Sure. Let me get my jacket.”

York shoved his hands into his pockets while Vi dipped into the bedroom. On the desk, he glimpsed a couple of pictures of Vi and Cal on a Caribbean cruise the year before. They had made a good couple, he had to admit, even though he had his own issues with his brother.

Maybe it was because Cal was too much like their mother. Maybe it was because he didn’t think his brother would be there for Vi if she ever really needed him—and he’d been right on that score. Maybe it was that Vi had already lost one battle because of all this genetic crap. His mom didn’t need to drag her into another.

* * *

York and Vi threaded their way through the maze of individual work stations at the precinct. At the end of a long hall, their captain’s door stood open, so York rapped a knuckle on the doorjamb. “Captain, I’ve got bad news.”

Captain Mike Avery reduced the hologram he’d been studying, then tilted back in his chair. “Enter.” He nodded in greeting, rubbed above one blond eyebrow as if his head pained him, and exhaled sharply. “Let’s have it. What did you find out at the morgue?”

Vi went in first, and York followed, closing the door behind him. “Finn’s report is incomplete. Hit some red tape. But Kindra got the samples she needed and it turns out we’re dealing with a virus that she thinks might be unique to D Generation.”

Vi grabbed a chair near the desk. He stopped opposite his captain, took out his spot computer and checked for any updates from the precinct computer.

Avery gave him a resigned smile. “But you managed to get around that, I suppose.”

York nodded sharply and rolled a shoulder, contemplating if it was a good thing his boss knew him so well. Some people thought Avery was a GEI wannabe. With his blond hair and handsome looks, he could pass for one. Except for the eyes—the shape wasn’t perfect. But York knew Avery wasn’t like that. The man had the intelligence to rise far beyond police captain, yet he hadn’t made the move. He’d mumbled something about principles once when York pressed him at a precinct dinner. York could respect that.

“The girl died of a virus. It attacks the brain of D Generations.”

Avery leaned forward, his palms flat on the desk. “That’s not supposed to happen.”

“I know,” Vi said. “That’s everyone’s reaction.”

“Shit.” Avery raked a hand through his hair. “Anything unusual at the scene?” He waved a hand in front of a control panel and a small 3D hologram of Isabelle’s bedroom materialized next to a set of bookshelves.

“Nothing that we noted at the time.” York took a step closer to the image, staring at the girl’s tiny body. Wasn’t her father supposed to keep her safe, not put her in harm’s way? The question ricocheted in his mind. It could just as easily have applied to Danny.

“But we weren’t looking for a virus,” Vi said.

Avery stood to examine the hologram along with York. “We need to find out how the child contracted this.Fast.”

“I’m already on that. All we know so far is that the mother mentioned Isabelle was having difficulty making her spiritual connection.” York frowned, thinking about Kindra and the unity room. “The geneticist from Seville thinks it might be a symptom. I’m not sure if it’s significant, but my gut says the virus wasn’t random. I suspect Isabelle was singled out to get at her father.”

“I’m not so sure,” Vi disagreed. “What if she simply contracted the virus after it mutated somehow? Nothing criminal at all.”