A serum like that would be a serious game-changer.
Melanie sat forward. “Do they believe that’s possible?”
“Unknown.”
She flattened her hands on the table. “Okay. I don’t know what the plan is, but I want to be on the front lines. I need to get in there and see what they’ve been doing. I want to see their research.”
Bastien frowned. “I don’t imagine they have much. It sounds as if they knew nothing about the virus or vampires and immortals until a few months ago. They’re probably just talking out of their asses.”
She looked up at him. “If there’s even a chance that they aren’t…”
Chris shook his head. “I agree with Bastien.” That had to be a first. “I think they’re bullshitting and telling the vampires what they want to hear to keep them on the leash.”
Melanie whirled on him. “You think. You don’t know. I need to know.”
Bastien draped an arm across the back of her chair and rested his fingers on her shoulder. “Sweetheart—”
“No.” A hint of desperation entered her earnest expression. “I need to know if they’ve found something I’m missing, Bastien.”
“How could they? You’ve been studying this virus and its effects on the brain ever since you finished medical school.”
“And I still haven’t found either a cure or a way to halt or reverse the progression of the brain damage it causes in humans,” she countered, voice rising. “In the greater scheme of things, I’m new to viral research and the study of cognitive diseases. Some of those researchers may have decades more experience than I do.”
Chris shook his head. “Network doctors worldwide have been studying this virus for over a century, Melanie. They haven’t found the answer either.”
“Besides,” Bastien added, “you heard Henderson. The doctors in that lab aren’t interested in finding cures. Their focus is on developing drugs that treat the symptoms.”
“Yes. Drugs that mitigate the symptoms of cognitive decline. And the cognitive decline in vampires is their primary problem. It’s what costs them their sanity, their identity, and ultimately their lives. If anything in that lab’s arsenal can help Stuart and the others, I want to get my hands on it.” She swung on Chris. “Delete nothing until I examine it.” She speared the rest of them with a look that promised dire retribution if they didn’t obey her will. “And don’t destroy any computers, laptops, tablets, or hard drives. Period. I need the information they may hold. That is non-negotiable.”
Chris and Henderson shared a look.
“That,” Chris said at length, “changes things.”
David tilted his head to one side. “How so?”
Leaning back in his chair, Chris rubbed his stubbled chin. “Considering how high-tech that facility is and how extensive their security, I worried they may have a remote monitoring service the way we do here in North Carolina. The security feed of every camera at network headquarters isn’t just monitored by our guards onsite. It’s also monitored at two undisclosed remote locations to prevent telepaths from simply seizing control of the guards’ minds and making them ignore any threats the cameras catch.”
Almost everyone present darted Aidan surreptitious glances. The ancient Celtic immortal had once incurred Chris’s wrath—which had lingered long—by doing just that and breaking into network headquarters shortly after Sean and Krysta had joined the Immortal Guardians’ ranks.
Noticing the looks, Aidan crossed his arms over his broad, muscled chest and glared a warning.
“To avoid that possibility,” Chris continued, unphased, “I thought I could have Seth pop in and hit the facility with a targeted EMP that would cut the power and take out all electronic devices, including their security system and backup generators.”
Henderson nodded. “That would eliminate the risk of exposure by cutting all modes of communication and preventing cameras from catching you zipping around at inhuman speeds with glowing eyes.”
Chris held up a finger. “But it would also wipe all the hard drives.”
“Hell no,” Melanie blurted. “I’m not kidding. I want every shred of data they have.”
Cliff stepped forward between two Seconds. “I agree. We don’t know how long they’ve had access to vampires. If Roubal is behind this, it hasn’t been long. But if Gershom instigated it…” He shook his head. “Gershom liked to play the long game. For all we know, he could’ve hand-delivered a vampire to them a year ago—or five years ago—and then had Reed deliver a second one to them more recently, along with the tranquilizer and a little extra info on immortals. Plus, if Benford has this facility working on the virus, who’s to say he doesn’t have another one doing the same?”
Henderson pursed his lips. “We’ve found nothing to indicate that, but it is a possibility.”
Chris sighed. “Tessa mentioned Reed was away, possibly working on some special project for Gershom, when we struck Roanoke and the base in Texas. It could’ve been this, but we weren’t able to obtain telepathic confirmation of that.”
Because Nick had killed Reed before they could.
A heavy silence fell as all eyes went to Nick.
Henderson broke it with a clearing of his throat. “I had Rafe draw a map of the facility, based on what he saw in employees’ minds. We’re having a hard time getting our hands on the building specs but hope to have those soon. Until then, Rafe’s drawing will give us a general idea of where the soundproof rooms are. If the vampire they’ve been studying is still alive, he’ll be in one of them. They’ll hold Tessa in the other. Since they’re hoping she’s infected with a modified variant of the virus, they won’t want to risk any cross-contamination.” He gave David and Chris each a piece of paper, then handed a stack to Darnell.
Darnell took a sheet and passed the stack along. Once the immortals each had a copy, Sheldon took the remaining pages and handed them out to Seconds.
Chris held up his copy. “Rafe confirmed that this is where they studied the virus they extracted from the first vampire Reed took them. We just can’t confirm that Reed did it on Gershom’s orders.”
Sean glanced at Nicole. If only they’d been able to interrogate Reed before Nick killed him.
Brow furrowing, she looked at Seth. “Do you think Gershom knew you were going to defeat him and wanted to start another ball rolling?”
Zach snorted. “Gershom was too arrogant to envision his own defeat.”
Seth studied the map. “I agree. However, I see no other explanation for how these people got their hands on the sedative.”
Roland scowled. “At the risk of repeating myself—”
Chris pointed at him. “Do not say it. All network employees are thoroughly vetted. None have betrayed us, not even those I transferred to shitty positions after they tried to kill Cliff.”
All eyes shifted to Cliff, who shrugged. “Can’t blame them for wanting me dead after I hurt so many during my worst psychotic break.”
“I can,” Emma declared with a scowl.
“I can, too,” Bastien and Melanie added.