The Fair & Foul (Project Gene Assist Book 1) (30 page)

Sarah snorted. “That’s rather convenient for you.”

Juliane shrugged.

“So instead of doing the right thing and funding an inquiry, you are playing gardener and building statues.”

S
arah doesn't know the real purpose for the statues
, realized Juliane. That meant that Damien didn’t trust his own assistant with the information. Juliane replayed her conversations with Sarah in her head.
What if Sarah hadn't been making simple conversation when she asked about Alan’s missing photos? Was paranoia a side effect of Camille's procedure?

But what if she wasn't being paranoid? What would Sarah or Alan stand to gain from the files now, that they weren’t eventually going to have access to in a few months when the project was completed?

It just didn't make sense. The statues would provide billions with clean, renewable energy.
Why hide that from the board?
Juliane felt her temples begin to throb.
Was this how Betty felt during her final days?

The car pulled to an abrupt stop, startling Juliane out of her thoughts. Traffic was stopped in all directions. Rubble lay in the center of the street. Several people stood on the sidewalk, their faces concealed behind red and white masks that looked like lizard heads. One of the individuals stood out ahead of the others. The figure lifted his or her fist into the air and let a scrap of cloth fall. This must have been some cue for the others as they seemed to melt into the cityscape.

Within seconds, all that remained was the red and white cloth as it came to rest upon the broken glass remains of a burnt-out storefront’
s windows.

“What just happened?” Juliane demanded.

Sarah’s knuckles were white where they gripped the steering wheel.

Juliane was out of the car before she even realized what she was doing. The gaping holes where a pair of destroyed shops' front windows once stood called to her like a siren's sound.

From the car, Sarah said something, but Juliane couldn't make out her words. Juliane shook her head in confusion. Sarah shifted the car into gear and sped off.

A large chunk of a shop's sign lay among the rubble. Based on the few words that remained legible, as well as the pieces of inventory scattered about that were not completely destroyed, the store had provided basic, run-of-the-mill electronics. Nothing fancy. Certainly nothing that might have triggered an explosion of this magnitude. She ran a mental search query. The neighboring shop had been a high-end pet boutique.
The masked figures had definitely targeted one of the two shops, if not both, but why?

Juliane accessed the newsfeeds. Traffic cameras clocked the event within seconds of Sarah and Juliane’s arrival. Had they arrived a moment sooner, they too might have been hit by flying debris.

The masked figures appeared on the newsfeed and looked even more serpentine on the traffic cameras as they had when Juliane spotted them outside the car. As a crowd, they even moved with the undulating motions of a reptile. The red cloth floating on the breeze appeared on the feed like a tongue tasting the air.

The lizard people melted into the alleyways as quickly on the feed as it had appeared live. The reporters weren’t able to provide any concrete evidence as to who the group was or what their purpose might be.

Juliane became aware of the street's silence and how very much alone she was.
Sarah ditched me.
The people responsible for the attack could be anywhere. She needed to get out of sight and quickly.

Without thinking, she darted through the closest shop's doorway. Genius, Juliane, she thought. There was just a major explosion, there are crazy people out there, and what do you do? You jump into a building that has just been destabilized. Juliane spun. She needed to get out of the building before more of it came down.

Blue-white lights flashed near the entranceway. Juliane could see exposed wires arc overhead. She heard a pop as a sprinkler head was engaged.
A little late
, she thought. A black liquid began to pool near the entranceway.

Juliane glanced toward the shop's back. Perhaps there was an alternate exit.

Racks of twisted metal blocked her path. The air was thick with smoke and melted silicon. "I can't see a thing in here," Juliane said to herself.

Juliane looked down at her hands. She imagined making them glow as Louis had done during the football game. At first, there was light only at the center of her palm where the skin was thinnest, but it gradually spread out to her fingertips.
Much better than a party trick.
She curled her digits, encasing and consolidating the light until it was transformed into a directionless orb.
It would have to be enough
, thought Juliane.
At least I might not break my ankle getting out of here
.

Two doors stood at the shop's back. The remains of an exit sign hung from a broken ceiling tile near the larger of the two. Juliane began to reach for the larger door's handle, then paused. There was something odd about the smaller door.
Probably just a storage closet
, she told herself and took another step toward the larger door.

A pink-blue light arched from the door's handle to Juliane's outstretched hand. A shock of pain broke her concentration, causing what light she was able to generate to go out. Juliane reached toward the wall with her other hand. She was blind in the darkness. She inched her way toward the smaller door. Maybe there was something in the closet she could use to ground the exit door so that she could open it safely.

It took a few tries to jostle open the second door, but finally it gave way. Juliane concentrated. Once again, she was able to create a soft glowing light from her palm. This was no storage closet. The space had been spared from much of the damage that ruined the rest of the store. Empty animal crates lay open, scattered across the room. The floor was heavily scarred as large equipment had been moved without regard for surface damage.

The back room must be a shared space with the pet shop, thought Juliane. If the wiring next door is a little safer, I might just be able to get out of here.

"Where is everyone?" whispered Juliane. She wasn't exactly looking forward to seeing a dead body, but based on the level of damage, Juliane was a little surprised she hadn't yet seen any evidence of human casualty.

As she gingerly made her way across the room, Juliane thought she could hear voices coming from the other side of the wall. Juliane released a relieved breath. It had to be the first responders. She swiped her hand along the wall, hopeful that its light would soon illuminate the second doorway she knew had to be there.

The voices grew louder. Juliane could just make out their words.
Where was that door?
she wondered.
Oh, forget about the door. I'll just make a new one.
Juliane raised a fist. She would break through the wall herself or at least get her would-be rescuer's attention.

"The news is making the attack out to be the work of an animal rights group," laughed a male voice.

"Animal rights? Why would they think that?" asked another.

"It seems the owner of the pet shop was engaged in some illegal side business. Trading exotic animals or something like that."

The voices grew louder. Juliane pounded on the wall.

"We're looking for a lady, right?" asked the second voice.

Juliane shouted, "Hello? Hello? I'm back here!" She hit the wall again.

"What does she look like again?" continued the second voice.

"Tall, brunette, mid-thirties," answered the first.

Juliane's blood ran cold. They weren't looking for just some lady. They were looking for her. What if the men on the other side of the wall were with the group responsible for the explosion? What if they had seen her duck into the building? She jumped back from the wall, scanning the room for a place to hide. As she did, the light from her hand reflected her image off a sheet of metal near the pile of crates. She lifted a hand to her face.

Camille had stated that a person might learn how to take command of their cellular structure without the need for her program. If that was true, what else might a person be able to do?

"I'll get an ax out of the truck," she heard the second voice say.

Juliane bit back a scream.
This has to work
, she thought as she knelt closer to the metal sheet making her reflection almost as clear as if she was looking in a mirror. Her dark eyes stared back unblinking. She fired off mental commands as if she were changing the parameters of a computer program. Did the rim of her irises lighten?

"Stay put, ma'am. Help is on the way," shouted the first voice. More softly he said, "Call the boss."

Yes. Her irises lightened. Juliane let out a sigh of relief. Within moments, the eyes in the reflection were a silver hazel. The overall effect looked alien on her face, and she blinked, breaking her concentration. When she looked back, her eyes had resumed their natural color.

The wall shook from the impact of the ax on the wall.

"Focus, Juliane." She starred at her reflection again. Her usually flawless skin was broken up by three large freckles over top of a natural blush. The ax struck again, and her visage was once again pure alabaster.

"There has got to be another way," she spat, standing upright once more. "If only I had something like an invisibility cloak." The thought reminded Juliane of her old office at the ACI campus with the set up of cameras that fooled the eye into thinking that the lower levels weren't there. The ax struck again, this time breaking through. She was nearly out of time.

She reached out with her mind as if she was interfacing with her emulator program. Suddenly, it was as if she could see and feel the man’s neurons firing, as if she was setting up a private network but with far less intimacy. She visualized herself twisting and pulling at their endings.

"It's not her. Just some kid," yelled the man at the wall to his partner as the ax broke through the rest of the way. "Blonde girl, probably seventeen . . . nineteen tops."

The man was dressed in a thick dark jacket of a heavy material.
A firefighter
, realized Juliane. That would explain why he had an ax in the truck; he wasn't just some mobster or deranged psycho.
Just paranoia.
Juliane shivered.

"She must have gotten away."

Those weren't the words of someone on a rescue mission. Her heartbeat raced. She was not being paranoid. The wail of sirens could be heard in the distance.
There is no way I am going to be able to keep this disguise up with that many people,
thought Juliane.

"Keep your eyes out. She can't have gotten far."

To Juliane, the firefighter said, "Don't worry, Miss. We'll have you out of here in no time."

The hole in the wall widened.

"Now how did you get stuck back there?"

Juliane shook her head, afraid to speak.

"Wrong place, wrong time?"

Juliane nodded eagerly.

"Did you see anything, anything that would explain why someone would want to blow up these shops?"

Juliane vigorously shook her head.

"Anyone else back there with you?"

Juliane shook her head again, this time more slowly.

"Maybe this is your lucky day after all." To his partner he
yelled, "All clear."

Turning back to Juliane, he continued, “Miss, if I were you, I'd be a bit more careful where I go alone. There may be some dangerous people in the area. Do you have someplace else you can go?"

Juliane nodded.

As he pulled the last bit of wall separating them away, the firefighter glanced in the direction of his partner. The other man was turned away, still talking on his phone. “Then you'd better get out of here, kid."

Juliane ran out of the pet shop and down the street as fast as her feet would carry her as the sound of additional fire trucks and police cars could be heard arriving on the scene.

Juliane stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she fought back another wave of panic. A breaking news alert flashed across her vision. It was a report of yet another bombing attributed to the lizard-masked individuals, but in another city, states away. She closed her eyes, filling her lungs to capacity with slow breaths as she reminded herself that it had been several days since she had found herself in the shop's back room. No one had come to her door making threats. The lizard people didn't know who she was. She had no reason to keep looking over her shoulder, but they could be anyone.

The board waited for her upstairs. It was still business as usual as far as Damien was concerned. They were setting an example for the masses. She opened her eyes to examine her outfit for the tenth time. It was pure white, tailored and pressed to perfection. It screamed power. Now all she had to do was master her features so that her expression matched. Today was not the day to appear to be anything but completely in control. Damien had made it clear that she had his backing, but she still needed to convince the rest of the group. She felt sick.

Juliane frowned as she fought the urge to vomit; Sarah and likely Camille would be looking for a reason to reject her proposal out of personal dislike. For the first time, she regretted not attending more of these meetings in person. Then maybe she would have a better sense of who her true allies might be.

She arrived at Damien’s tower and proceeded to the sixth floor, where she was the first to enter the hexagonal conference room. Her gaze took in the artwork on the walls. The piece was really quite lovely, whether it was viewed up close or afar. One of these days, she needed to ask Damien who the artist was.

Juliane heard voices in the hallway. Her pulse quickened as she imagined the voices belonged to masked men. She clenched her fists. Her nails bit into her palms as she fought the urge to flee from the room.

Her legs threatened to lock as she pulled out the chair opposite from Damien’s usual spot. Once seated, she crossed her ankles, locking her feet behind the chair's rollers as she waited for the rest of the board to file in. The door opened, allowing Durham and Sarah to enter. So distracted by their conversation, neither acknowledged her presence.