Hero Stalker

Part Fifty-Six

The newly-renovated HollisCenter for Oncology took up the entire east wing of the eighteenth floor. The pristine white walls and tiles radiated cleanliness. Plaques announcing prestigious-sounding awards covered the walls. Behind closed doors, men and women in lab coats typed on computers, squirted liquid into vials, and peered into microscopes. None of them looked up from their work to notice the two Centurions walking down the hallway. I reflected on the infinite wisdom of choosing Personal Finance over Introduction to Molecular Biology back in college.

Femme knocked on the door reading 'Doctor Julie Carlisle'. "I hope this one doesn't turn into a giant slug."

"One minute!" a woman shouted from inside. Then, in lower tones, she said, "That's impossible, Ms. Mason. The nanospheres can't affect the entire genetic code. You can't get enough in the body."

"What if the dose was hyper-concentrated?" Amanda asked, sounding groggy. Her voice made my heart jump. "And you added electronic stimulus?"

"An effective concentration would be illegal. It's theoretically possible. How complex a sequence would you use?"

Femme met my eyes and mouthed, "They're talking about your powers."

The bits about genetic modification and electronic stimulus had sounded kind of familiar. "What?" I whispered. "That's not—"

"Polite." Femme said at a normal volume. "I agree."

She threw open the door. Amanda sat on the other side of a desk from the grandmotherly woman I'd seen at the dedication. Both wore identical lab coats and identical looks of surprise.

"Forget you had this meeting," Femme said. Their spines stiffened like invisible strings had jerked them up. "Amanda, go across the street and get yourself a coffee. Give us some time to talk."

Amanda stood and exited the office, a blank look on her face, standing as stiff as the collar on the black shirt under her lab coat. A shiver ran up my spine. I hadn't considered that Femme's powers might let her control thoughts as well as actions. No wonder she'd made captain after her first year in Bayton.

"Doctor Carlisle, you spent an unproductive morning in your office until we walked in. You just introduced yourself to us." Femme folded her hands over her chest.

Doctor Carlisle's body relaxed. She blinked.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," Femme said. She kicked my ankle.

"Charmed," I said. Had Femme ever done that to me? How could I know? "We're looking for information on a chemical called cryothene. You've developed a drug that uses it."

"We have." Doctor Carlisle frowned. "We'll be announcing our findings at a press conference during Harbor Day. You're welcome to attend."

I paused. You'd think people would cooperate with two Centurions. We kept this city safe.

"Go on, Shadowcat." Femme prodded me with her elbow. Another test.

I took a deep breath. "Ma'am, a supervillain who calls himself Harpy has build a weapon that uses cryothene. He used it to, um, melt people's flesh. In your experience, could you explain that?"

Doctor Carlisle looked slightly disgusted. "You must be mistaken, Shadowcat. Cryothene is a miracle drug. It has the potential to save thousands of lives. Spreading rumors like this keeps it illegal—"

I narrowed my eyes. "It was used to kill seven people. Please explain why it should be legal."

"Our investigation revealed that the victims had been exposed to concentrated psi-energy," Femme said. "Does cryothene react to psi-radiation?"

"Not unless the nanoparticles had been loaded with the psi-gene. The ones we use in here use fairly small pieces of DNA to attach to tumors and kill them. You would need a highly concentrated solution to carry a sequence as long as the psi-gene." She narrowed her eyes. "A concentration that high has been outlawed in the United States since—"

"The Mad Dog attack. 2006," Femme said.

"New York," I added. "Mad Dog swatted off the Statue of Liberty's head. Silver Comet welded it back on."

"I see." Doctor Carlisle's eyes wandered to the picture hanging on her wall. Eight cats sitting on a couch. "Cryothene doesn't normally work like that. Doctor Oatlands wasn't intending to give himself superpowers. Or drive himself insane. I've read his notes. He spilled a blood sample from supervillain on the cryothene. His assistant thought it was edible and microwaved it. One of the two had forgotten to wash their hands after picking up dog poo. Oatlands put his finger in a socket and . . . well, it doesn't matter. Without some kind of electric stimulus, a sequence that long won't be incorporated into the genome. The DNA will float harmlessly around the body. Unless . . ."

"Yes?" Femme said.

Doctor Carlisle stood and walked over to the window. "Are you aware of the Cobb Procedure?"

"It's a field test for determining whether a blood sample is from a psi-positive," Femme said. "You expose it to a source of radiation and see if the temperature increases. It's outdated."

"Without a body to contain it, psi-energy is released as heat. Cryothene nanoparticles injected at a high velocity can pass through the pores of the skin. Theoretically, if you had a concentrated enough stream and a means of emitting psi-radiation, a victim would melt from the inside. Not a pretty thought."

A silence fell over the room. High-velocity cryothene. The nozzle had sprayed it all over me. Harpy's latest weapon could dose a whole crowd. The plutonium-shielded core would provide the lethal radiation. Bayton had beaten back gun violence. Harpy had created a terrifying new way to die. He wanted us all to feel powerless again.

I looked at Femme. Her perfectly-arched eyebrows knitted together in frustration. "Disgusting," she said.

A shadow moved over the window. I recognized it immediately. "Get down!"

Femme threw herself down besidesme as the glass exploded in a shower of bullets.