Harm's Repair

Chapter 3: New Ways

Oxford. January 2011.

Jack frowned at Leonard after rereading the letter. "We shouldn't have left Sept-Tours. If we'd been there, I could have persuaded Matthew to take us along."

"Hah! In that case, Matthew might not have even told you." Leonard knew it was a bitter blow for Jack that Matthew had gone off on his own to hunt down Benjamin. It was for him too. "Matthew didn't allow Fernando and Marcus to accompany him. We wouldn't have stood a chance."

"But what happens when he finds Benjamin? Surely he doesn't think he can take him on his own?" Jack nervously shoved his hair behind his ears. "Benjamin's probably still working with Satu ..." His breathing became more ragged as his eyes darkened.

Leonard glanced down the corridor of the research facility and was relieved to see no one was close by. He grabbed Jack's arm and pulled him into a shallow bay. "Deep breaths. Remember what Matthew taught you. Exhale through your mouth. That's right. Now take another breath."

Before returning to London, Matthew and Marcus had coached Leonard on the breathing technique. This was the first time in weeks that Jack was on the verge of succumbing to the sickness.

"Sorry," Jack said after a moment, his breathing evening out as his eyes lightened.

"This is exactly why Matthew couldn't risk taking you," Leonard told him. "You're his son. Matthew would never forgive himself if Benjamin captured you once more. And you don't need to worry that he'll confront Benjamin on his own. The Knights of Lazarus are also on the prowl. Once Benjamin is found, they'll make a joint assault." Leonard tried to sound confident for Jack's sake, but he was just as concerned. He'd often thought about Satu's attack in London. There was nothing they could have done to prevent Jack's abduction. Matthew could be equally helpless.

Miriam had given Jack the letter when they arrived at the lab. Leonard suspected it was no coincidence that Matthew delayed writing till they'd already started their new assignment.

Miriam did her research in a tech building near the Museum of Natural History. The level of security was impressive. They had to swipe their identity cards at multiple stations, sometimes punching in additional codes and using biometric sensors before gaining admission. Miriam explained that security was always high but it had been heightened since the attack on Phoebe near the Bodleian.

He and Jack first attended an intensive crash course on genetics. They were staying with Miriam and Chris in the Old Lodge. Extra security was coordinated by Pierre. Leonard understood why Chris was interested in Jack's knot ability. That wasn't something Leonard was good at but Chris claimed his experience with game programming could provide fresh insights.

Chris seemed quite pleased with Jack's ability to unravel sequences. The less said about Leonard's contributions, the better. He was mainly a foil for Jack to bounce ideas off of and a supplier of entertainment breaks. Leonard prided himself on being especially good at that.

Hunting was considered to be too risky so they relied on Pierre to keep them stocked. A goat farm in Kent that specialized in cheesemaking was run by one of the Guerin witches. As a sideline, he kept them supplied with goat blood. He was glad for the extra revenue. The herd was large enough that there was always an adequate supply without the goats being harmed.

An uncomfortable truce had been established with Baldwin after the christening ceremony. Baldwin's new policy appeared to be to ignore Jack and by extension Leonard as much as possible and that was fine with them. They all had bigger issues to deal with.

* * * * *

Jack and Leonard returned to London after two weeks in Oxford. Chris would continue to send them copies of DNA sequences to work on. Jack was eager to finish the maze project for Cicely. He was glad the days and nights were so full. They gave him less time to worry about Matthew. Security continued to be tight within Father H's domain. All the members of his flock had been warned about Benjamin and Satu.