Page 44 (1/2)

Kate shook her head

Dorian focused on her “You should have listened to me before”

The endless rows of glass tubes faded, and Kate was in a different roolass tubes here, standing on end, spread out in a semicircle before her It was a room she had seen before—in Antarctica—where she, David, and her father had met up

Each tube held a different human subspecies

The door opened behind her

Dorian

“You… are conducting your own experiments,” Kate said

“Yes But I told you I cannot do this alone I need your help”

“You delude yourself”

“They will die without you,” Dorian said “We all will Their fate is our fate The final war is inevitable Either you give theenetic equipment they need, or they perish Our destiny is written I am here for them”

“You lie”

“Then leave the See what happens” He waited When Kate said nothing, he continued “They need our help Their transformation is only half complete You must finish what you have started There is no other way, no turning back Help me Help them”

Kate thought of her partner, his protests

“The other ht fate”

Kate’s silence was a signal—to her and to Dorian He seemed to feed on her indecision

“They are already splintering I have collected the candidates, conducted my own experiments But I don’t have the expertise I need you I need your research We can transform them”

Kate cru under his spell It was the same as before—her before, in San Francisco She tried to rationalize, tried to think of a deal, but her mind drifted to her experiences in Gibraltar and then in Antarctica when he had cornered her It was history repeating itself The saae Except this was long before, in another life, in another era

“If I help you,” she said, “I want to know that no harm will come to my team”

“You have my word I will join your expedition—as a security adviser There are additional steps you all need to take to cloak our presence here And you will progranature—just in case so… unfortunate were to happen to me”

Dorian leaned his head against the helicopter’s back rest and closed his eyes It wasn’t a dream It wasn’t a memory He was there, in the past

And Kate had been there, opposing hi him He had taken her research, used it, and betrayed her when he was done with her

Across the ages, they were playing out the sa to transfor to create an army to face a superior enemy