Gary knocked on the door to Sam’s sleeping quarters several times before a sleepy Sam opened the door and stepped into his office. His eyes filled with panic. “Donna’s still sleeping. Is something wrong with Missy?”
“Nope,” Gary grinned. “I just came to see if you and Donna were awake enough to give her the first treatment.”
A slow smile spread across Sam’s mouth. “It worked?”
“I went ahead and ran the last scan for Donna after the other one finished. The EHG seems quite happy to bind with the CTZ5. I ran the first test about an hour ago – no malignant growth. One hundred percent regeneration of damaged cells.”
“Regeneration rate?”
“Unbelievable! At least doubled, and then some.”
“And that’s testing it on Missy’s cultured stem cells?”
“I did the culture test after I ran it through Donna’s simulation software, and then tested it again to make sure. I’d like for Donna to have another look, but I think it’ll work.”
“Get everything ready. I’ll wake Donna. Good luck, Gary.”
Gary furrowed his brow. “You’re not coming?”
“I don’t know if Donna wants me to.”
Gary glanced to Sam’s side and grinned again. Sam felt Donna’s arms wrapping around his waist and pulling him against her body. Her hot breath warmed his skin through his scrub top. “She wants you there,” she said. “We’ll be there in a few minutes, Gary.”
“I’ll make you and Sam a cup of coffee,” Gary said and left.
Donna turned Sam to face her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, rose on her tiptoes and kissed him. “Thank you,” she whispered against his lips.
Sam kissed her back. “What for?”
“For just holding me and letting me cuddle up to you. I needed that simple warmth and understanding. I promise I’ll try to be less defensive, when it comes to Jared.”
Sam softly smiled. “And I’ll try to be more patient and less he-man, when it comes to Jared. Should I let the surgical team know?”
“No. This is experimental, it’s probably better if we do the procedure ourselves. I’ll go on up. You tell Sir Richard and John, and then come to the genetics lab.”
Sam tenderly kissed her forehead. “I’ll be up shortly. Don’t start without me.”
Donna left. Sam knocked on Missy’s door and stuck his head in. John looked up as Sam entered the room. “Where’s Sir Richard?”
“Gone to get us some coffee. What’s up?”
“I’m on my way up to the genetics lab. Donna has already left. Gary and Richard have been working all night. They’ve come up with something. They’re just waiting for Donna to go over it and make sure they haven’t made any mistakes. If it checks out, we’ll be trying it on Missy in a couple of hours.”
John’s eyes lit. “I’ll tell him when he gets back.”
“John… Donna said to warn you. This is experimental. You know what that means.”
John nodded. Sam left. John picked up Missy’s hand and pressed the back of it to his cheek. He bent down, kissed the corner of her mouth and pushed the hair back from her forehead. His voice was small and choked. “Honey… I’m sorry, but I’m not ready to let you go,” he whispered. “Please, come back to me, because if this doesn’t work, I’m going to have no other choice than to let you slip away from me. You’re the light in my dark, honey. Without you, I’d just be a grumpy old man. The World doesn’t need another grumpy old man, so you have to come back to me.”
“She will,” Sir Richard said as he entered the room. “Here, grab one of these. They’re a little hot. I met Sam on his way to the lift. He told me the news. It’s going to work out. I also just talked to Jared at the complex. He and Juanita plan to leave just as soon as this is over. He said he can’t stand to be this close to Donna and not set the record straight.”
“Thanks for sitting with me, Sir. I know I’m causing you a mountain of grief over this.”
“No, you’re not! Drink your coffee. We’ll discuss how much I’m going to dock your salary when this is over.”
John chuckled. “Damn! Guess asking for a rise in pay is out of the question, then.”
“Depends on whether or not you use your head this time around,” he motioned to the bed, with his head.
------------
Forrest’s private jet taxied to a stop at Newcastle Airport. Liu walked to the back of the plane that had been turned into a makeshift hospital. He stared at what was left of a once vicious person. “What’s his condition?” Liu asked the registered nurse.
“He’s weakening – gradually slipping away. We should have brought the doctor with us. After that half hour delay at St. Johns, I didn’t expect him to make it to the UK alive. The man has unbelievable stamina.”
Liu studied Forrest’s sleeping face. “That’s not stamina,” he scoffed. “That’s pure stubbornness. How much longer before he wakes up?”
Forrest lay quietly listening to the conversation.
“He could wake up in the next five minutes, or he could never wake up, Mr. Liu. Mr. Forrest’s condition is unstable.”
“He could do the World a favour by never waking up,” Liu muttered under his breath.
“The ambulance is here,” one of the bodyguards announced.
The nurse frowned. “Mr. Liu you’re being too harsh on Mr. Forrest. He’s a dying man.”
One side of Liu’s mouth turned up. “Nurse, you don’t know the old bastard like I do. You ride in the ambulance with him and the doctor. Take him to the Vermont Hotel, Castle Garth. Reservations have been made. Mr. Forrest will be staying in the city suite. I have business to attend to. I will join you shortly.” Liu turned and left.
Forrest sat up on the side of the bed. He crooked his finger to his two security guards. “Keep an eye on him. I don’t want him disrupting our schedule.” The guard nodded and left the plane. “So… I’m an old bastard who would be doing the World a favour by dying? We’ll see who has the last laugh in this game, Mr. John Liu. Is everything set up at the RVI?”
“Yes, Mr. Forrest. The doctor has been informed.”
Forrest grinned. “Has Wilson and his wife been located.”
“Yes Sir. Mrs. Wilson is in the infirmary at the Newcastle Stem Cell Research Centre, under Dr. Rigden’s care.”
“Dr. Rigden? How convenient, but why would their moron of a doctor assign a genetic engineer to treat a pregnant woman?”
“That is a mystery. According to Linda Wilson’s medical records, Dr. Rigden performed an ultrasound, at which time she noted the abnormality in the developing foetus. She then did an amniocentesis.”
“And what did the test show?”
“That the unborn is ready to be harvested.”
“The harvester?”
“Arranged, Sir.”
The nurse glanced out the window. “You should lay back down now, Mr. Forrest. They’re coming to take you off the plane.”
Forrest lay back and closed his eyes. “This is coming together nicely.”
------------
There was a knock on Tina’s apartment door. “You’re late.”
“The bastard nearly died on us at St. Johns.”
“Where is he now?”
“He’s being taken to his hospice room at the Vermont Hotel. I’ve spoken to the doctor in Shreveport and the one who will be treating Forrest while he’s in the UK. I doubt he’ll be leaving alive. The doctors paint a grim outlook.”
“Come inside before someone sees you.” Tina closed the door behind him. “Do you want a cup of coffee?”
“I’d prefer green tea. You know I don’t drink coffee.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t drink green tea. The taste is revolting. It’s coffee or nothing. I have regular tea.”
“Earl Grey?”
“No, Tetley.”
“I suppose that will have to do. Have you found out where Kevin Wilson and his wife are going to be staying?”
“I heard at the guest house at Triplet Hall, but I haven’t been able to confirm that. Mr. Wilson is being extremely protective of his wife’s pregnancy.”
“Any idea why?”
“No. I have the result of the amniocentesis,” Tina said, handing it over as she went into the kitchen to make the tea. “I can’t see any reason why Forrest would be interested in Linda Wilson or the unborn child,” she called out from the kitchen. “I had thought it was because Forrest had fathered the child, but according to the paternity test, the unborn is Kevin Wilson’s son.”
“So… it is a boy then?”
Tina handed Liu his tea. “Yes. There’s no doubt.”
Liu dunked his tea bag a few times, wrapped the string around the spoon and squeezed it. He laid the spoon on the side of his saucer. He sat back in the chair and casually crossed his leg, sipping his tea. “Forrest hates children. It does not make sense that he would take out a trust fund for a child who has nothing to do with him.”
Tina softly chuckled. “Would it be the first time Forrest had done something against his nature?”
Liu smiled. “No, I suppose not. Another thing I don’t understand. Before his last collapse – the one that made him bedridden – Forrest insisted that Donna Rigden was out to get him. He was adamant that she had a cure for him and was withholding it.”
“In my experience, which hasn’t been a lot – I’m happy to say – Donna Rigden is somewhat of a tart.”
Liu arched an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”
“She came over here – at least for appearance’s sake – as if she was Richard Triplet’s girl. Then she goes out with Sam Kaliea, beds him and they’ve been together ever since, yet, according to Joyce, Donna insists it’s a no string relationship. Apparently Donna is still pinning over some guy – a singer, I think – back in Arizona.”
“How do you find out so much when you never leave England?”
“How can you live right under Forrest’s nose and still not know anything about him?”
Liu softly chuckled. “We each have our own agenda, Tina. Are you any closer to yours?”
“Not after they put a stop to the BSV we were using.”
Liu set his empty teacup back on the saucer and slid to the front of his chair, his attention peaked. “What do you mean? That was fool-proof.”
“Apparently not as fool-proof as you thought. Gary had no trouble getting around it. He used some kind of super virus to counter it. The BSV is useless now.”
Liu frowned. “Perhaps you are not providing Dr. Browne with the right incentive.”
Tina turned up her nose. “I give him incentive when and if I have to. He’s about as exciting in bed as a cold mackerel. Richard was better than him.”
“Sounds as if you’ve covered all the bases, apart from Sam Kaliea.”
Tina grinned. “I’ll have you know, out of the three, Sam was….”
Liu held up his hand. “I don’t have time to listen to tales of your bedroom antics. That’s not why I’m here.”
“Then why are you here? Looking for a little of your own action?”
Liu narrowed his eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. I don’t fraternize with the help. Did you use the protocol on Hart?”
“I did.”
Liu glared at Tina. “I did not authorise you to use it!” he snapped.
“If you didn’t want me to use the damn thing, you shouldn’t have given it to me,” she countered.
Liu groaned. “How well did it perform?”
“Like flying a model airplane – only smaller. It still has a few problems. It’s particularly sensitive to EMP or any kind of static electricity. It also doesn’t like taking a bath.”
“What did you expect? Water and electricity don’t mix. Did you have any trouble deploying the payload?”
“Not in the slightest. You do need to figure out how to make it work on solar power though. Unless it’s close to a cell phone signal, its internal battery drains quickly.”
“I already have that sorted. Oddly enough, the design just showed up on D’Netics database. It was very much like my own design. The mysterious design hints that it’s possible to make an even smaller device.”
“How much smaller?”
Liu chuckled. “Need-to-know basis, Tina.”