"Finding where this substance originated and extracting it might help our research," Alex said, slipping off her blue-light glasses.
"You want me to go back again?" Eddie frowned.
"Not necessary. Ada and Caroline know the area better; I'll send them. You can tag along if you like. No rush—we have plenty of time." Alex strolled across the lab in open-toe heels, pulling up data, lifting her coffee cup, perfectly relaxed.
"Could it be a Stairway to the Sun plant carrying the Progenitor Virus?" Eddie wondered. Latin America, mirroring Africa, holds the primordial Amazon Rainforest; ancient flora, savages—nothing would surprise him.
"Possibly. It might also reside in certain animals. It's a huge project; we start by tracing that woman's family history. Phew, I'm sleepy—join me for a hot coffee?" Alex invited with a smile.
"Why not? I like my coffee hot." Eddie smiled and left the lab with her.
Maria's eyes snapped open, dazed, to see a barefoot girl in white humming a tune—Manuela, drug-lord Javier's daughter.
"Awake? Eat something; forgetting your feelings is terrifying. Aunt Jessica once lost her memories and emotions, but my husband helped her recover." Manuela's smile was sweet.
A flicker of life returned to Maria. "You're loyal to him?"
Manuela nodded. "Eddie's kind; we all like good people. He treats me very well, and I look after him. You'll join our big family soon."
"I hope so. Could you show me around? I hate cold labs." Maria asked.
"Of course. On the island we wear heels or go barefoot—those are the rules." Manuela briefed the newcomer.
Somewhere in Latin America, Arias obtained a virus and began rebuilding his friend Diago, forced to shape him into a Tyrant after burns and necrotic muscle left little else to salvage.
Kevin underwent the same transformation, turning himself into a new breed of human.
Everything proceeded in secret; no one knew.
News condemned the Western Federation for drone strikes on foreign soil; the drones had even been identified.
The Federation denied it, claiming the drones were merely imitations; their fleets patrolled far away, too busy to target unconvicted criminals.
Mutual blame only breeds more crime and terror.
Kaplan lay at the root of it all; just as Eddie moved against him, the man resigned and vanished.
Meanwhile, invisible kidnappings began spreading across the globe.
War still raged in chaotic Eastern Europe and the Middle East when, quite suddenly, the Eastern Slav Republic declared full independence and sought UN membership.
In an Eastern Slav villa, Svetlana—perfect figure framed by a tailored suit—sat in her private office, rocking a heel while scanning a newspaper.
The paper reported monsters in the war: armed fighters had seized easily defended ground, forcing oligarchs into a cease-fire; joint policing talks looked promising.
Click—Svetlana lit a cigarette; smoke curled through the office. "Oligarch clique? Those fighters won't fold so easily—idiotic proposal."
A tall, striking girl—eighty percent her mirror image—strode in on heels. "Mom, food's ready!"
Chapter 562: Kathy, Master of Energy Studies
Like mother, like daughter; with a special-forces instructor for a mom, the girl could hardly disappoint.
"Stephanie, has someone new joined the oligarch side?" Svetlana asked, cigarette poised just like Eddie—husband and wife indeed.
Leaning in the doorway, heels making her a sultry giant, Stephanie answered, "A nobody who popped up overnight—no records. Thing is, he can fight, and those two bodyguards of his don't seem human."
"Shall we investigate?" Svetlana smiled.
"After dinner; calling Dad along would be even better." Stephanie tactfully declined.
Svetlana irritably stubbed out her cigarette. "You ungrateful brat, I doted on you for nothing—you always side with your father. That bastard barely ever looked at you, so why are you so loyal to him!" Her words carried a note of jealousy.
Stephanie just smiled. "Can't be helped—daughters are their fathers' little angels. Besides, Eastern Slav Republic independence is exactly what you wanted most, isn't it? Now it's done, we can head back to Goddess Island. I'm already missing the sea breeze and the beaches there."
Svetlana sighed. She'd married; she belonged to her husband's side now. "Sweetheart, this isn't true unity and independence. War will break out again—this peace is fragile."
Stephanie shrugged it off. "And then what? Overthrow the current regime and put yourself in charge? Father would never let you do something so dangerous. Without those die-hard armed fighters, unification is the only option."
After talking for ages, mother and daughter hammered out a plan that looked pretty solid.
Svetlana tapped the table with manicured fingers. "Then it's settled. No matter who it is—even an enemy—we'll use them if we have to."
Stephanie answered a call and nodded. "Fine, keep following the plan."
A month later, Maria lay asleep in a cryo-pod while her hereditary illness—gradual loss of emotion—was being repaired.
Elements extracted from parasites had been processed; now the cell-division pattern was altered. After the reverse-growth cycle ended, a second division would repair the discarded half that had lost potential, restarting the two-millennium growth loop anew.
Throughout the process the mind stayed clear and consciousness intact—the perfect immortality, good for maybe tens of thousands of years.
Everything was ready; next came formulating a brand-new viral serum.
But Carla disagreed with starting now. "First find Maria's hometown and discover what triggers the emotional loss. I have a hunch it'll help our research."
"Besides, what we have now is already enough. I'm still studying Volcano Worms and deep-sea creatures. We have to achieve perfection at this stage. With T-Phobos assisting us, once we can survive extremes like the deep ocean or vacuum, then we perform the reverse-growth division. At that point we'll be a perfect species—an entirely new humanity!" A gleam flashed in Carla's beautiful eyes.
"So when exactly are you going to give me a child?" Eddie grinned wickedly.
Carla rolled her eyes at her husband. "I'm talking business! We'll discuss children after we finish. Worried I'll run off? You big dummy!"
"Just joking to lighten the mood; you're overthinking." Eddie shrugged innocently—wasn't he asking for a beating?
All the complicated talk boiled down to one thing: wait until Carla perfected the Pupa Virus to its optimal state before the final enhancement step.
A month later, Kathy and Sarah stepped barefoot from the cryo-pods; their final viral boost was done—only the fear experiment remained.
Sarah and Rebecca exchanged glances; they were getting used to looking almost like twins. Some jerk inevitably used it for amusement—nothing new.
Ada and Carla had already tried that sensation long before them—not pleasant.
"Food's over there; help yourselves." Rebecca pointed toward the outer lounge, where the kind-hearted Raccoon City survivor Cindy was mixing cocktails.
Maria's repair was only halfway done; another month was needed.
Beneath coconut palms Eddie lay sprawled like a corpse—after a month of grinding his brain had turned to mush.
Kathy, in a bikini, walked over. "Eddie, what am I supposed to do next?"
"Be a private eye and dig up some intel for me. While you're at it, get familiar with your abilities and the new gear." Eddie ordered.
"When do I leave?" Kathy nodded.
"Oh, it's you, Kathy—cough—I thought you were Ada. Stick around and study Energy Science; go find Alexia—she needs help, and you two will have plenty in common." Eddie gave an apologetic smile.
Kathy sighed, set the sunglasses on the man's face. "Get some rest; overthinking leaves you spaced out."
In headquarters, Excella scanned the report: pirates had hijacked a food shipment—holds full of rice and soybeans, practically worthless.