Page 57 of The Union
Peter accepted the water from Jo. “Thank you.”
Cooper slapped his brother on the back. “Come on. We should be with Dane to ensure he stays calm or if he tries to shift. Vera will need our help.” Vera hadn’t left Dane’s side.
Reluctantly, Ross trailed behind Cooper but not before Ross gave me another disparaging glare.
I returned the gesture, holding my tongue and closing my hands into fists. If I were in Peter’s shoes, I would be pissing my pants. It had to be daunting to be surrounded by creatures who could easily eat him alive.
The second Ross was out of the picture, the tension between us died a quick death. Even Peter’s face began to show some color rather than his ghostly appearance of a second ago.
After Peter downed some water, he set the bottle on the counter and pushed his black-rimmed glasses higher on his bulbous nose. “Like I told Jo on the way here, I don’t know that I can do anything. Before I went into hiding, there were multiple scientists on Cobra and Camden’s payrolls. I’m sure they’ve tweaked the technology.”
I pressed my hands into the edge of the marble bench. “But you’re the one who designed the microchip. Surely you have some insight on how to help.”
Sawyer’s phone rang and vibrated on the countertop next to me. The name of the control room flashed on the screen. “I have to take this.” He grabbed his cell and left.
Steven slid into Sawyer’s spot. “Continue, Peter. Tell us more about the chip.”
Peter adjusted his glasses again, a nervous tic for sure. “I don’t have much to say. You found me, so you must know that Adam Emery is using my technology to build a weapon for the Department of Defense.” He took a swig of water. “But if you must know, I originally created a prototype for the handicapped community. For those who’d lost their motor functions.” He loosened his tie. “Not for a human—or in your case, a supernatural—weapon who can be controlled. If Adam succeeds, his victims will become assassins who will kill on command.” He shivered.
“Like robots,” I mumbled, picturing a supernatural army led by my freaking grandmother.
“Will they know what they’re doing?” Dr. Vieira asked. “Will they still have their humanity, that is?”
Peter pulled out a handkerchief from his blue slacks and wiped sweat from his brow. “Their ability to make a decision can be overshadowed by the chip.”
My eyes widened. “You mean Sam will know he’s being controlled but he won’t have a way to stop it?”Holy moly fuck!
“Yes and no,” Peter said. “We found in our experiments that some completely lose who they are, essentially their humanity, and others know their actions are not their own and fight against it.”
Horror careened through me. Either scenario was a ticking time bomb. If Sam did something horrible and knew it, he might not recover from that. On the other hand, if he lost his humanity, what would that look like? Would he even know our child or me?At that point, I would rather have an army of genetically altered creatures to fight against than a fucking brain-to-machine computer that could control anyone.
Doc dragged a hand through his brown hair. “Why do you think Sam passed out or Dane can’t shift? I’m assuming it was because the chip moved.”
Peter’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “The movement wouldn’t cause a blackout or coma. I suspect the chip malfunctioned in Sam. In the wolf’s case, my theory is they programmed him to not return to human form.”
I held a fingernail between my teeth. “But he did shift back to human, and he was in his right mind to call his family.”
“Probably not for long,” Peter said. “We tested the chip on a couple of shifters, and the results were all over the place. One couldn’t stay in wolf form for long, while the other couldn’t return to human.” He sighed, frustration washing over him. “Keep in mind, this technology is nowhere near ready. Adam might think it is, but when we’re dealing with the brain, there will be a multitude of challenges, problems, and failures. What works in one might not work in another. Plus… where magic is involved, it’s a crapshoot as to what can happen. Each species has different abilities, and that alone can determine the outcome.”
Steven grabbed the back of his neck. “This is so fucked-up, it isn’t even funny.”
Peter’s jaw hardened, annoyance pouring off him and onto me. “Tell me about it. I left for that reason. Now I have a price on my head because I violated the terms in my contract with Cobra Technologies. They think I’ll talk, so they want me dead.” He blanched.
“Are you sure it isn’t Adam Emery who is trying to kill you?” Jo asked.
He lifted a shoulder, the area around his eyes wrinkling. “Does it matter?” he asked in a quiet tone. “Look, I want to help, but I need your assurance you’ll protect me and my family.”
Jo placed her hand over his shaky one. “I told you on the way here that we will protect you and your wife and daughter. They’re in the cafeteria. My daughter and yours are hitting it off. As soon as we’re finished, I’ll take you to them.”
“We’ll discuss a path forward later,” Steven said. “But you have our protection.”
Peter slumped his shoulders. “There’s one more thing you should know.” His tone trembled.
I couldn’t fault Peter for his nervousness. I hadn’t trusted Steven or Sam when I’d first met them, especially Steven. He’d scared the crap out of me. But I would’ve done anything to save Jordyn and Rianne despite disbelieving anything the vampires offered or said to me.
Regardless, we were putting Sam in the hands of a stranger—one who had worked for the enemy. Could we trust Peter? My answer was a resounding yes, and only because I was more than certain Jo had read his mind. Otherwise, she wouldn’t allow Peter near her brother.
“I can’t take the chip out,” Peter said. “That would have to be done surgically. But I can look at the chip through my software program. I don’t want to get your hopes up. As I’ve already said, each victim reacts differently.” Peter plucked out metal headgear from his suitcase.
