Chapter 4 #2
“Oh?” William arches an eyebrow curiously.
“Who let Saxon out of sedation?” He points at one of the other beds at the end of the room.
It’s turned on its side, as well as the surrounding equipment, including the sedation fluid I had flowing into his system.
I haven’t had a chance to clean up the mess yet, too busy scouring my databases for anything remotely resembling the poison inside John.
I also thought maybe Xavier could do some warlock mojo and pick up a clue as to who it was.
“That is a very good question, and one I don’t have an answer to quite yet. I haven’t had a chance to examine any of the security footage,” William admits, his agitation evident as he continues running his hands up and down his pants.
“We also need to ascertain how Viggy got on the Vegas strip,” Eric reminds us.
Shit. With everything else that happened, I had forgotten about Viggy’s tour down the Vegas strip, which could have been disastrous. That would have been hard to explain if he actually stomped on or ate someone.
“Allow me the pleasure of finding and punishing the people involved.” Xavier’s dark voice sends a shiver down my spine. The threat and promise are as clear as day. “I have no doubt their motives were less than pure, and I can drag that information out of their minds. It will help me pass the time.”
“I’ll assist him.” Caspian’s eyes glow, and I can see his beast peeking out, his voice becoming more guttural. Heaven help whoever it was, because these two don’t look inclined to be forgiving. Normally I’d try to dampen their casual killer instincts, but today I’m just going to turn a blind eye.
“Thank you, that would be most helpful.” Eric can’t even hide his grin of glee at the thought of them finding the culprits and enacting their punishment.
The four of them leave, and my machines run another scan of John’s body.
Lighting up a panel on the wall, I watch the progress of the toxin in his bloodstream.
It’s almost parasitic in nature in that it spreads through the blood but attaches itself to various organs and feeds.
I have never seen anything quite like it before, and my concern is that it is not a natural poison but something that has been synthesized in a lab.
It almost attacks like it has intelligence.
It feeds from something long enough to cause pain, but then it allows that part of the body to rest and recover while it moves on to another part.
That’s why John grabbed his chest. The poison was attacking his heart for the moment, but it has moved onto his lungs now, leaving his heart to recover once more.
There’s just something about this that seems familiar, but I can’t put a name to it.
I’m hoping the head healer at Celestia can help me, and if not, I may appeal to one of the queens.
I know one of them has immense healing powers, but after the loss of their child, she fell into a great despair.
I just hope she isn’t too far gone, because healing powers may be John’s only hope.
Ilose track of time while I sit there monitoring John.
I have my tablet open with a reference book that has every toxic substance known to the galaxy and whether there is a possible cure or not.
That’s not to say there aren’t more undocumented ones, and I’m coming to the conclusion that’s exactly what this is.
Just when I think I find something similar, there’s always something that doesn’t match up.
I’m reluctant to leave, but I receive a message from Xavier asking me to meet him at the security office.
After setting the monitors to send updates and alerts to my watch, I make my way to the security room.
That’s where all the camera feeds are monitored and recorded.
He wouldn’t have asked me to leave John’s side if it wasn’t something vital to discovering what happened to Saxon.
When I get there, I find Cas and Xavier in deep conversation with Terrans, the Skarrian head of security. I take a seat and wait for them to finish their conversation.
“So what have you found?” I ask with anticipation as Terrans pulls up some video footage on a few of the screens.
Xavier scoffs, slamming a fist down on the table.
“I swear that my harem members’ brains must have been damaged at some stage in their pathetic existence.
For them to think that they could hide any of this from me is laughable, though I do have to admit that I think two of them have leveled up from feeding from me.
I didn’t think either of them had the power to muddle the minds that have been messed with already. ”
He waves a hand at the screen, and we watch as three females leave a room.
“Those three should not be down here. They have been banished to their quarters on the big ship. I’m afraid I have been slightly distracted with Lila.
I never thought they would disobey my direct orders, so I never spelled them to their rooms.” His tone is regretful, even though his jaw is still clenched tightly with barely contained anger.
He isn’t shrouded with mist, and Terrans keeps side-eyeing him.
It is unusual for Xavier to appear without it in front of the crew, and I don’t think Terrans knows what to make of it.
They make their way through the circus pod until they get to the loading dock that houses the dinosaur cage for when they are transported for the show. There, they meet up with Phillip and Fiona and another figure that makes me gasp in surprise.
“That’s Josa! He was supposed to return to Cybertronia on the transport that brought Silac and Tirrian.” I watch as the six of them huddle together, smart enough to speak quietly and hide their mouths so we can’t actually hear or read their conversation.
“Can we make that louder?” Caspian asks Terrans, pointing at the whispered conversation.
Terrans shakes his head. “No, I’ve tried to, and it just distorts. It’s almost as if there is a spell in play.”
“There might be.” Xavier shrugs. “Again, not something I thought either Nambra or Lexus could do, and Elyan is powerless, so she’s definitely not capable.”
“What about Phillip or Fiona? Do either of them have those kinds of powers?” Cas muses. We know the siblings are sneaky in their own way, but I hadn’t even considered the possibility that they could be the culprits trying to sabotage the circus.
“Who knows? I don’t actually know much about them except that they are the Adams brothers’ wife’s sister’s grandchildren.
They are supposed to have animal powers, which is why they are working with the dinos, but they certainly didn’t display or use them the other day when Htaed went crazy in the ring,” I point out, and Xavier snorts in disgust again.
“Clearly,” he deadpans.