Page 97 of Dark Island: Rescue
"Then isolate them completely. Put distance between them so they can't maintain their neural connection. The cascade requires proximity. If they are kept apart, it will slow or stop the process."
"For how long?"
"I don't know. Maybe indefinitely or maybe it will just delay the inevitable." Dmitri pulled up anotherscreen. "The consciousness merging might continue even at a distance, just more slowly. We don't have enough data."
"We can fix this!" Petrov spoke up, his voice plaintive. "We just need time to refine the formula. We separate them to slow the process and keep monitoring them."
Navuh nodded. "Make it so." He turned on his heel and strode out of the laboratory with Losham hurrying to catch up.
"Am I being greedy for wanting to realize a return on my investment?" Navuh asked when Losham fell in step with him.
"Possibly, my lord."
Surprised, Navuh turned to look at his eldest adopted son. "What would you do in my place?"
"I would give it another chance before pulling the plug." Losham smiled sheepishly. "I'm just as greedy as you are, my lord. Then again, what has been learned from these subjects is invaluable, so I wouldn't regard them as a total loss. Thanks to the insights we've gained from this enhancement experiment, we can create a new and better one."
33
EDGAR
The underground parking garage beneath the village wasn't exactly Edgar's idea of a romantic welcome venue, but he had to admit that Frankie and Margo had put a lot of effort into welcoming Angelica to her new home.
A massive banner stretched between two support pillars, reading "WELCOME TO THE VILLAGE, ANGELICA!" in letters that looked professionally printed.
"Oh, my God." Angelica's hand flew to her mouth. "They made a banner for me!"
"They're excited to have you here." Edgar turned off the engine, studying her reaction. Was she touched? Overwhelmed?
With Angelica, it was sometimes hard to tell. She could go from sentimental to practical in a heartbeat.
"It's so sweet." She was already unbuckling her seatbelt. "But I need to make something clear before they start planning my housewarming party."
Edgar barely had time to wonder what Angelica had meant by that before she was out of the car, running toward Frankie and Margo.
"Welcome!" Frankie pulled her cousin into a fierce hug. "You look amazing. How are you feeling?"
"As amazing as I look." Angelica accepted a bouquet of flowers from Margo with a bright smile. "I'm hungry all the time, and Edgar says that I can eat whatever I want and not worry about gaining weight. So, if you have food ready, lead the way."
Edgar hung back, giving them their moment.
"So," Angelica said, her tone shifting to business mode. "Before you two get all excited and later get disappointed, I need to be clear about something. I'm not moving here."
Edgar felt his stomach drop. They'd talked about this, and she'd promised to think about it, and he'd hoped she might fall in love with the village and the immortal community and wouldn't want to leave.
Frankie's smile faltered. "Why not?"
"I appreciate the welcome." Angelica gestured around the garage. "And I'm excited to visit and get to know everyone, but I have a business to run in LA, and clients who depend on me. I'm not giving up on my dream of owning a national nail salon chain just because I'm immortal now."
"Of course not," Margo said. "Nobody expects you to abandon your dreams."
"Good, because I'm not doing that." Angelica's chin lifted in that stubborn tilt that Edgar knew so well. "That being said, I'm very interested in findingout whether there's a market for my services here. If there's a good location for a salon and the immortal ladies are interested in regular nail appointments, I might change my mind about moving in here."
Edgar felt his tension ease. Angelica wasn't rejecting the village out of hand. She was approaching it like a business opportunity. That was so like his pragmatic Angel.
"There's definitely a market." Frankie threaded her arm through her cousin's. "Most people here work from home, so they can take breaks and pop into your salon to have some fancy nail work done."
Angelica's eyes gleamed with that particular light that meant her entrepreneurial brain was firing on all cylinders. "It's a captive audience and built-in demand."
