“Have you really thought about what that means?” She paused, hoping her sister would accept the inevitable conclusion. When Nehema’s expression remained defiant, Zophiel spelled it out. “At some point the backers will take control of you.”
“I’m not Therian! I am no threat to them.”
Zophiel grabbed Nehema’s upper arm and dragged her into the kitchen. “I think it’s time you find out a little more about your precious backers. Milliner and Osric have convinced you that their goals are not that different from yours, but you’ve been deceived.”
“I’m not stupid.” Nehema tugged against her hold, but Zophiel was stronger. “I know what they’re trying to accomplish and I’ll only allow things to progress so far. Once they’ve unlocked the genetic strain that controls transformation, I’ll take control of the project.”
“You’re a fool. They’ve been able to control transformation for years.” Zophiel unlocked the basement door then headed down the stairs, dragging Nehema behind her. Carly came alive as soon as she saw the sisters. The doctor tugged against her bonds and begged to be released. At least that’s what Zophiel presumed she was saying. Carly’s words were hopelessly garbled by the gag.
She’ll blame it all on the backers, but my research is clear. Carly Ides was not only the driving force behind many of their advancements, she was their willing spy.
Nehema glared at her but didn’t reply.
Positioning Nehema directly in front of Carly, Zophiel finally let her sister go. Nehema glanced toward the stairs then heaved a sigh and turned back to the human. “Remove her gag, so I can question her.”
Zophiel moved behind Carly and loosened the gag. “Answer her questions truthfully or we’ll pick up where I left off.”
“I told you everything you wanted to know. You promised to release me. Why am I still your prisoner?”
Nehema ignored the human’s outburst and began her interrogation. “Can the backers control a Therian’s ability to shift?”
After a frustrated sigh, Carly said, “It depends on what you mean by control. They can trigger the change or prevent the transformation from being reversed, but they have no influence over what form is manifested.”
“Can they enable a human to shift?”
Carly shook her head. “Not yet. Therians are a separate species. The genetic differences are still vast.”
They’d be here all night if she waited for Nehema to ask the right questions. “Tell my sister about the gen three serum.”
Nehema paused for another glare then looked back at the doctor, expectation clear in her expression.
“We realized the gen two formula had triggered the acquisition phase of Devon’s cycle, but the effects wore off as soon as she—”
“Acquisition phase?” Nehema looked at Zophiel and asked, “What is she talking about?”
“They’ve identified two separate biological cycles that result in the same symptoms. Therians think it’s all reproductive heat, but when a female is undefined, what actually takes place in her body is very different. Rather than trying to attract the best father for her children, a latent female is trying to locate the strongest nature to incorporate into her own being.”
“What does this have to do with Devon?”
Rather than allow the human to ramble through endless medical terms, Zophiel cut to the heart of the matter. “If gen three works the way it’s supposed to, Devon will be able to absorb as many animal natures as she wants. She’ll remain in acquisition mode until she’s given the counteragent to the gen three serum.”
“They’ve created an Omni Prime?” Nehema finally sounded appropriately shocked. Her hand pressed over her mouth as she glanced into the distance.
“The formula was given to eleven undefined females. Devon was the only one who survived.” The warning in Carly’s tone was unmistakable. “The formula is still extremely volatile.”
Zophiel looked from Nehema to Carly and back. The Omni Prime had never seemed real to Nehema or Zophiel. There were even whispers that the famed power resided in their bloodline. They’d heard stories of past glory and undeveloped potential, but gossip was easily dismissed when there was no actual evidence to back up the claims.
Had these foolish humans stumbled upon a way to unlock the legendary power?
Dragging her gaze back to Carly, Nehema asked, “Where is this counteragent?”
Of course that would be Nehema’s first question. She skimmed right over the incredible possibilities and wanted to shut it down. Zophiel wanted to shake her. How could anyone be so myopic?