»» BOOK #3 of the X-MARKS: Shadows Series «« Valen and her friends have ended their long journey but all isn't as it seems.
In the care of their new hosts they find riches, fame and the watchful eye of Genevieve Vossler, the beautiful and mysteri...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
We turned our glances to each other again, trying to make sure we had all heard the same.
Four hundred and sixty-two years old.
"You look," Mat said with his lips dangling, "You look, fantastic."
Evee threw her arm across her chair and at Mat.
"Creep!" she said.
"What!?" Mat said and protected himself with his arm.
Genevieve laughed again, her spotless tan skin turned pink as she blushed.
"No offense taken," Genevieve said, her steel-blue stare glowed at Mat.
"How is that even possible," I said scanning her up and down looking for any signs of her age.
"I was the vision of my fathers work," she said, "A society free of disease, death, and famine. A vision those within the Allied Nations disagreed with from the very beginning. Without a population reliant on their aid they would have no power.
"I have seen how far the Allies will go to keep their control over its citizens, but I have not been in hiding all these years. I've been here with you. With every person who has suffered on the other side of our walls."
Nate scoffed and crossed his arms to his chest, "How is that?" he said.
Genevieve turned her head sharply towards Nate, "It has not been easy. We have so much to spare, but very little we could do to reach those who need our aid the most," she said and paused,
"In less than a generation we have liberated millions of willing refugees, but after the First Child Law even with all our research and volunteers we have not been able to defend ourselves against their growing military strength."
"So what are you going to do?" I asked.
"Regretfully, we can do nothing," she said, "Not until we complete our final objective."
"And that is?" Nate asked.
Genevieve retrieved a small vial from a little metal box on her desk. Inside its glass vial was a clear liquid tinted a pale blue.
"This here, after proper distillation, contains a regenerative protein. It can be used to heal wounds and repair damaged cells over a course of carefully controlled applications. It is the reason for my own, and many others in the Union's longevity."
"Then what more could you want?" Mat asked.
"It is not an easy process to produce such a complex substance. Even with all our technologies we find ourselves in supply shortages that can last for decades. It is this inability to produce enough that is the eventual death of all our citizens," Gen said and looked out her window onto the glimmering city below us, "Our ongoing research is striving to develop the first generation of humans who can replicate this regenerative protein at need. They will be a new generation. An entire generation, who in theory, will never die."
