Tethered Souls | Books 1, 2, and 3

{Book Three} 137 | Lazarus II

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ Tethered ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

Chapter 11

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• Luna •

What just happened?

Dee-Dee had just subdued about a dozen men and wouldn't have done much more if Greer hadn't tranq'd her. It was insane to hear what they'd done to her and her unborn baby. Even Alisha's words couldn't change Amir's expression. In fact, he appeared far more terrified than Luna was. Her heart pounded with fear.

Did Dee-Dee say something to him?

She opened and then closed her mouth.

The start of a new species? Wasn't it enough for the organization to continue creating failed experiments?

Clearly not. She felt as if she'd stumbled into a bad science-fiction scene, only this one was real.

"It's okay, Major Thibeau. I'll talk to them." Alisha tipped her chin up, meeting Thibeau's confused look. "I also want a full report on how and why there have been several incidents with the Lazarus floor in the last two days."

Major Thibeau exhaled loudly through his nose. "Sure thing."

Luna was surprised when Major Thibeau snapped his heels together and spun, but her suspicions about Alisha managing the show were proven.

She reached for one of the closed doors. "Let's talk."

Amir and Luna followed her into a small room with a round table and four chairs, Luna's arm wrapped around Amir. Greer joined them, but he remained by the door while the three of them sat.

Amir leaned in, an elbow on the table and a hand on Luna's knee, his piercing eyes locked on Alisha. "Okay. So the woman came from the Lazarus floor, and she is different. How did she do what she did?"

Alisha sat back in her chair, one leg crossing over the other. "We weren't ready to inform you this, but after what you witnessed, we can't keep it a secret any longer. As a result, I must now be an open book."

Luna laughed. "It sounds like someone is no longer happy."

Alisha shook her head and gave them a stern look. "I'm not happy. Darla was supposed to be on the bottom floor for a reason, and she wasn't expected to get out."

"Well, that's really unfortunate," Luna said. "Anyway, let's hear it."

She sighed. "Our company's most significant breakthrough is the Lazarus Program. Surprisingly, it all began as an accident more than fifty years ago. It started with one human experiment and has now grown to over seventy. As I said before, I must be an open book. I can't keep anything from you."

Luna looked at Amir, who seemed as puzzled and anxious as she was, but she had this nauseating, dreadful feeling. Whatever they were about to hear would blow their minds.

"During World War II, we had a male Defective and his female partner, who was an Origin. They, like sixty-nine percent of Tethered Souls, fell in love with each other. It was also rare for the two to be immune to one another." Alisha's upper lip curled in derision. "Their rooms were joined and they were permitted to see each other. However, the Defective died at some point during their stay. We found out later that his companion had killed him."