CHAPTER 4
A set of skates, along with gore-soaked apparel, appeared on Leila’s stainless-steel counter, and she frowned at them. “What’s this, Tower?”
A newspaper hit her counter with tomorrow’s date, the headline, Stanley Cup Final Interrupted by Monster Attack! A brief scan of the article had her lips pressing into a tight line.
“The warriors want the blood analyzed. Got it.” She slipped on some gloves before she touched the samples.
A smart scientist never took chances when working with biological matter.
“I assume they’re seeking out the species.
” Which couldn’t always be determined with a test. Some mythical beasts had never been medically catalogued, but she’d been doing her best to rectify that, her way of contributing and as a thank-you for being saved from the violence of her old life.
Not that she saw it as a chore, as research was her passion.
Leila hummed as she worked, happy to be doing something other than fixing people.
She acted as Tower’s physician and laboratory tech, the former being mostly for minor ailments—cuts needing stitching, burns that required salve and bandages, broken bones that had to be set and encased in plaster.
However, when she didn’t have to play doctor, she ran tests.
From the samples collected by the warriors, she studied the genetic makeup of the monsters found on Earth.
If a body could be recovered, she dissected it to find out how the sometimes-magical subject differed from mammals and other species.
If a new poison came into her possession, she manufactured a serum to counter it because pharmaceutical companies didn’t have remedies for someone infected with an undead virus or who had their flesh turned to stone.
Carefully, she scraped the black ichor from the blades onto a glass slide. A slight chunk of flesh caught on the sewn number of the hockey jersey got placed on a second. Soon as she put them under the microscope, her brows lifted.
“What are you?” she murmured, increasing magnification. Unlike human blood, or even animal, for that matter, the sample didn’t show any red or white blood cells. It also lacked platelets. In their place, some squiggly, worm-like cells, that wiggled!
She leaned back from her microscope. Strange.
Usually, once blood was withdrawn from the body, the cells ceased all movement.
A switch of slides had her peeking at the little chunk of flesh, and her mouth rounded even more for the flesh, woven in an intricate cellular lattice unlike anything she’d ever seen, appeared to be trying to repair itself.
It should have been impossible. Without a body, it shouldn’t be alive, let alone trying to heal.
Was she dealing with some kind of zombie?
She’d studied samples of those before, and they didn’t resemble this.
“Tower, I don’t suppose they recovered a body?” She’d be interested to see if the corpse attempted to repair itself. Zombies couldn’t heal at all and were simply animated by the parasite that controlled the nervous system, so she found this rather intriguing.
No reply from Tower meant she had to work with what she had.
She returned to the microscope and gasped.
The hunk of flesh had somehow propelled itself and sat closer to the edge of the glass.
Escaping or seeking? The slide with the gory smear was only inches away.
Curiosity had her pushing it close enough the two touched.
She watched as the flesh slid close enough to the edge to touch the black goo.
Absorbed it, actually, incorporating it into the tissue matrix.
It didn’t take long before the smear was gone.
Leila glanced at the skates and wheeled her chair over to scrape some more of the gore, dumping the flakes on and around the pea-sized tissue. Once more, the cells joined the lump, repairing and forming, strengthening the cellular matrix. In other words, self-regenerating. How fascinating.
An hour later, she was even more enthralled.
Since she had only a limited sample to play with and quickly ran out of blood to feed the lump, she decided to introduce other kinds of elements to see what would happen.
Water? Ignored. A drop of acid? The cells it touched retracted and repelled the eroding fluid—a remarkable display of their ability to sense danger.
Bits of salad left over from her lunch had no effect, unless the squiggly lump moving away counted.
She dropped a piece of ham in the dish, the only meat she currently had access to, and gaped as the tissue swarmed it, wrapping around and dismantling the ham and, in the process, growing a little bigger.
Evidently, it thrived on protein, and as she kept feeding it—Tower providing her with more meat to use—the lump of flesh grew big enough to be seen with the naked eye.
More astonishing, it visibly pulsed with life.
A glance at the clock showed she’d been working for several hours, and she pursed her lips.
Almost dinner. If she asked Tower, it might bring her meal to the lab.
Usually, though, it encouraged her to visit the dining room, where she briefly said hello to the other refugees.
Most eschewed socializing many still dealing with the trauma that brought them to Tower.
To help with the healing, and their antisocial nature, Tower provided them with areas that allowed them to avoid contact with the warriors and pretty much anyone else they wanted to ignore.
Rather than beg Tower for a dinner plate, she chose to take a break and headed to the dining room a floor above.
Perhaps she’d overhear gossip about the monsters and get a better idea of what she dealt with.
The newspaper article had called them unknown monsters.
She could have technically asked one of the warriors—nothing forbade her from doing so.
However, she found them daunting. An impression she’d formed watching them from afar. She’d never spoken to one directly.
As she entered the dining area, she noticed some of the regulars.
Akilah, a beautiful woman of dark skin and brilliant green eyes.
She’d only barely escaped being sacrificed by her village, who thought her virgin blood would end the drought.
Akilah took turns with three other refugees providing the meals.
There was Carlos, the tower librarian, a former monk who’d lived through the Inquisition and almost died for helping some of the supposed infidels escape.
Every one of Tower’s protegees had a story of hardship and rescue.
Each also possessed a talent that enhanced the lives of those residing in Tower.
Their newest addition? Asterion, the minotaur from the legendary Labyrinth. Unlike the others, he didn’t keep to himself. Blame his long isolation for wanting to be social. He clomped over and sat down across from Leila.
“Dr. Leila, what a pleasure to see you.”
“Good evening, Asterion.”
“Working on anything interesting?” Of all the people there, he was the first to show an actual interest in her work.
“Tower has me analyzing some blood and tissue samples from an unknown species.”
His nostrils flared. “From the alien attack?”
“Who says they’re aliens?”
“Aries. I’ve heard they’ve been popping up all over the world in the last twenty-four hours. Aquarius says all the sightings have been in areas where chunks of the asteroid fell to Earth.”
“Alien beings would explain their unique nature,” she mused aloud.
“Unique how?”
“The tissue sample I have isn’t dead and seems to be trying to repair itself.”
“That is fascinating. Do you think it could regenerate an entire body?”
Her lips pursed, and she took a moment to reply. “I don’t know. It might be interesting to test, though. I should bring some meat back with me to the lab.”
“Going to feed it?”
“To continue feeding it, yes.”
“Is that wise?”
“I doubt very much the wee sample will turn into something I can’t handle,” she said with a laugh.
“Don’t be so sure. I saw a movie called The Blob recently, and the more it consumed, the more it grew and hungered.”
“A fictional tale of horror.”
“Perhaps, but I would advise caution. An alien species might not react as expected or follow the usual rules of biology.”
“Point taken.”
And Leila did ponder it. Asterion did raise a valid concern. How big would this thing get if she kept feeding it? Would it grow recognizable limbs? What of consciousness? Despite the warning, she wanted to find out.
A return to the lab showed only a tiny blob sitting on the glass slide. Hardly dangerous. Still, she chose to give it only a small piece of the chicken tender she’d brought back. In the midst of typing up some initial notes and thoughts, her chair vibrated.
“What is it, Tower?” She’d been around long enough to know when it sought her attention.
An image appeared of a warrior lying on a bed, covered in the mud that healed. The door to her lab swung open, a clear indication Tower expected her to go see him.
She frowned. “Since when are my services needed with the star men?” The dust usually provided everything they needed to repair their bodies.
Tower rattled her computer, and she logged in to the warrior bulletin board to see a notice posted. All warriors with the exception of Aquarius are to proceed to Toronto. Come armed and ready to kick alien ass.
“You need me to go see the star man because everyone’s out dealing with the current situation,” she surmised. “Does it have to be me?”
The lights flashed once. Tower’s version of yes.
She sighed. “You know I don’t like dealing with strangers.”
Tower rattled her chair.
“I’ll help,” she grumbled, “but first, a question. Are these creatures really aliens?”
The lights blinked three times, Tower’s version of I don’t know.