Page 58 of Perfection

Chapter Thirteen

As he stood in the penthouse of one of the most prestigious buildings in Chicago, he smiled, feeling completely satisfied. There was nothing as sweet as the feeling of winning.

Or watching his enemies run around and jump through hoops to try to save their asses.

With a toast to a successful day, he swirled his cocktail, admiring the weighty spirals of red and blue liquid that never mixed due to their molecular composition. He took in the news with careless interest, then faced the expansive windows to look down on the city. Lights flashed like miniature beacons, then streaked in the distance over the lake as vehicles traveled, flashing in a way that reminded him of time-lapse photography. Soon the lights grew fewer as people locked themselves away for the night.

He sipped, holding the honeyed liquid in his mouth until it filled with saliva. Then he swallowed slowly. He belched.

Yes, they’d tucked their little darlings into cryo pods. These few might be the lucky ones. There would be more to come. He’d made certain of that.

Discarding the half-empty glass on the counter, he entered a fortified sterile room—his personal lab. Concealed far above the streets where the GEI lived, he tugged open the cryogenic safe that housed his genetic wonder. He removed an anaerobic jar housing a thumbnail-sized petri dish. It was amazing how little one needed to initiate the genetic engineering process.

He crossed to the worktable. By tomorrow he’d have enough serum to kill thousands.

* * *

They did not fall asleep this time, instead, he’d kissed her. Kissed her! She couldn’t believe it. And immediately after, he jumped to his feet and couldn’t make it to the door quick enough. Obviously, he wasn’t pleased with what he’d done.

Kindra followed York down the hallway, taking a double step every few strides to keep pace with him. He’d answered her question about his son with only sad affirmation. She wanted to know more. He seemed so vulnerable and emotionally authentic. To her immense surprise, she was eager to learn every last detail about York Richmond. And in the realm of knowledge, she could be insatiable.

When they reached the elevator, she marched inside beside him. Ha! He couldn’t run from her any longer.

He crossed his arms, and so did she. The door slid closed.

“Basement,” he said to Comp Nine. He eyed the descending numbers.

Fooltar.Within the close proximity of the elevator, her breathing grew shallow and faster. Her breasts felt sensitive beneath the hugging pressure of her arms. She inhaled his masculine scent. Her body reacted to him in the most unusual way.

It was as if the intense situation with the children spilled into every aspect of her life, confusing her in ways she’d never been confused before. At the same time, she desired to wrap him in her arms and offer comfort. She couldn’t imagine the hurt he’d suffered today. First, he’d lost his partner, and now she sensed the inner turmoil surrounding his son’s death.

The unity dimension interconnected with a world of supreme contentment, the beings all vessels of energy and spirit. And with the ease with which GEIs bounced back and forth between the worlds, it was sometimes difficult to tell in which world another person resided. In this case, she was almost certain that given their encounter, York’s son dwelled over there.

York was inexperienced in the process and didn’t realize yet the fluid mobility humans could attain in a unity session.

“What happened today?” she asked.

“Don’t you have a vaccine to create?”

“Okay, it’s none of my business.” It stung that he wouldn’t share. He’d been so caring with Brianna. Was his son the reason? Obviously, he must have many difficult memories after losing his child. She thought of Brianna. What if she lost her child?

A hint of guilt swept over his face. “None of these kids are going to get any sicker tonight. I’m going home. You should do the same.”

“I plan to. And to check on Brianna.” She didn’t tell him she intended to head right back to the lab to work more. She could nap between tests and computer simulations.

He nodded, then offered, “Do you want me to take you home?”

Maybe he wasn’t as angry with her as she thought. “That would be nice. Thanks.”

She was quick to move with him through the corridors until he turned at a junction and headed in the opposite direction from the garage. “Wait. You’re taking the underground?”

“Sure. That’s how I arrived.”

“Oh…” She paused a beat. “I assumed you had your air-car.” Yes, it would save her from taking the bus, but GEIs rarely used the underground. She pressed her lips together. Like most of her kind, she didn’t care for the dark, shadowy tunnels.

“Is that okay?”

They approached the spinner dock. “Well, I’m not going to back out now. But I’ve never been down here.” She gazed into his warm brown eyes and sighed wearily.Trust him.