Blood Pact

ignorance, there'll be a six days' wonder, and then we'll be safely able to continue with no threat of discovery.”

    She could hear breathing so she knew Catherine was still on the line, but moments passed and there was no response. ”Catherine?”

    "Terminate numbers nine and ten?”

    "That's right. We don't need them anymore." She felt a triumphant smile spread across her face and made no effort to stop it.
    "We have captured a creature who in and of himself can unlock the Nobel door.”

    Catherine ignored the triumph. "But that'll kill them!”

    "Don't be ridiculous, they're already dead.”

    "But, Dr. Burke . . .”

    Dr. Burke sighed and moved her glasses up on her head so she could rub at her temples. "No buts, Catherine. They're becoming a liability. I was willing to overlook that when they were our best chance for success, but with Mr. Fitzroy under our control we have an unlimited potential to make scientific history.” She softened her voice. Once again Catherine would have to be manipulated onto the most productive path. "If you can fuse the elements of Henry Fitzroy's blood into your bacteria, it will make everything we've done so far redundant. We're moving onto a new level of scientific discovery here.”

    "Yes, but . . .”

    "Science moves forward, Catherine. You can't let yourself be trapped in the past. An opportunity like this doesn't come along every day." Now, that was an understatement, she mused as the triumphant smile returned. "You begin the termination. I'll be down as soon as I can. Sunset is at 7:47, see that Mr. Fitzroy is locked up tightly a good half an hour before then.”

    Sounding numb, Catherine murmured, "Yes, Dr. Burke," into the phone and hung up.

    Shaking her head, Dr. Burke replaced the receiver. In a few days Catherine would be so immersed in new discoveries that she'd forget numbers nine and ten even existed as anything but collections of experimental data. Which, of course, she reminded herself acerbically, is all they are.

    Catherine stared at the phone for a moment, turning Dr. Burke's words over and over in her head. Science had to keep going forward. It couldn't remain stuck in the past.

    Science had to keep going forward.

    She truly believed that.

    The quest for knowledge, in and of itself, is of primary importance. Those were her own words, spoken to the doctor during her search for the funds and lab space necessary to develop her bacteria to their full potential. Dr. Burke had agreed and they'd taken the quest together.

    Terminate numbers nine and ten.

    She couldn't do it.

    Dr. Burke was wrong. They were alive.

    She wouldn't do it.

    Taking a deep breath and smoothing the front of her lab coat, she turned. Sitting where she'd left them against the far wall, they were both watching her; almost as if they knew. They trusted her. She wasn't going to let them down.

    Unfortunately, bundling them into the back of her van and disappearing into the sunset wasn't an option.

    In order to keep them functional, she needed the lab. Dr. Burke, therefore, had to be made to change her mind.

    . . . with Mr. Fitzroy under our control we have an unlimited potential to make scientific history.

    Suppose Mr. Fitzroy was no longer under her control?

    Brow furrowed in thought, Catherine crossed the room to the isolation box that held the quiescent vampire. Essentially, it was operating as nothing more than a containment unit with none of its specialized functions working. It wasn't even plugged in.
    Theoretically, it was mobile. In actuality, its weight made it difficult to move.

    Catherine placed both hands against one end and shoved as hard as she could. Nothing. Bracing her feet against the wall, she shoved again, straining until her vision went red.

    The isolation box jerked forward six inches and stopped when she did.

    It had taken all three of them, her and Donald and Dr. Burke to move the empty boxes in. Catherine bowed her head over her folded arms, breath misting the cool metal, and admitted she couldn't move it out, not on her own.

    Number nine stood and walked carefully forward, supporting himself once on the back of a chair as his left leg nearly folded beneath him. He had no way of knowing that inside the knee, tendons and ligaments were finally surrendering to rot.

    He saw she was sad.

    That was enough.

    He stopped beside her and laid his hand on her shoulder.

    Catherine turned at the touch and looked up. "If we hide the vampire," she said,