Project Phoenix

Prologue

Lady Gisela peered at the vial in her hand.
"It didn't work," she muttered. "The DNA didn't mix correctly. What happened to the female sample?"

She turned to the human doctor, his wrinkled hands trembling slightly under her withering stare.

"We need a stronger female donor," the doctor said. "If you truly want a child as powerful as you say, the female genetics would need to be ten times more powerful than the male sample already taken."

Gisela swirled the liquid in the vial, then handed it to the doctor. "Put this somewhere safe."

The doctor nodded, then scurried away quickly.
Gisela smirked. He was frightened of her.

Good.

After what she was about to do, they should all be frightened of her.

Five years. Five long years this project had been in the making, and finally Gisela had reached the tipping point of success.

Project Phoenix.

"Let them be frightened," Gisela murmured to herself. "Let them cower in fear."

The doctor wanted a powerful female donor?
Then he'd get one.
Gisela would make certain of that.

The DNA from the male was easy enough to get, but the female would prove a slight difficulty.

Gisela pulled her Imparter from the pocket in her cape. "Hail Gethen."

His chiseled features appeared on the small square. "Gisela. Is the project complete?"

Gisela grimaced. "Not yet. I need another female sample."

"What happened to the previous female sample?"

"The DNA wasn't strong enough. It wasn't compatible with my so—with the male's."

Gethen frowned. "I see. What are we going to do about it?"

Gisela smiled as she saw the plan form in her mind. "I need you to pay a visit to our favorite Moonlark."

"With pleasure," Gethen replied, his dark smile making the brightness in his eyes fade.

He blinked out of sight, and Gisela placed the Imparter back in her pocket.

She will get what she needed.

Or the Moonlark will suffer.