Chapter 2

Past the window an EVO soared and dove down into the jungle of the Petting Zoo, drawing Rex's gaze and distracting him from the dull ache of his shoulder and the oddness of not being able to move his arm. He remembered that EVO bird, it had mostly been a nuisance to catch but Holiday liked it so Six had seemed keener to catch it alive than let it fly into the Keep's engines like it'd been determined to. Holiday had theorised that it'd been a crane and for some reason she'd spouted a few bits of Latin at him which Six had explained straight-faced that she'd been talking about how cranes were a symbol of longevity and immortality.

Talking of Six, who stood near the door, his hand to his ear, listening intently. He'd been trying to raise Holiday for the last hour on the comms, ever since they'd got back from a mission involving two EVOs that had formerly been a city mayor and an accountant, both at the time on holiday in Las Vegas when they'd turned EVO. Now he frowned. "Really?"

Rex didn't like the way Six had just said that word. It made him want to jump out of the window and take his chances with the EVOs or hide in Blinky's branches just in case. He switched his gaze from the rustle of leaves below and watched the agent release his earpiece.

"Holiday's busy," Six said. "She says wherever you've stashed Dr Peterson, you can either have him fix your shoulder or else I will."

That was a conundrum and a half. Let the doctor that Rex personally hated out of the store cupboard or let Six fix his shoulder…?

On one hand, Six was used to patching himself up. On the other hand, he guessed that Peterson may suck at blood samples and seemed intent to keep practising that same diagnostic method on Rex and making this really lame joke about how the nanites would fix the resulting mess up quick enough but surely he didn't need blood samples to fix a dislocated shoulder?

"Alright then," Rex squared himself and sat up tall. "Go ahead, Six. I trust you."

Six's lips twitched but he approached and grabbed Rex's shoulder with one hand and his upper arm with the other hand, then with no delay, no word of warning, no fake countdown to make him falsely relax or anything like that, he forced it back into the socket.

"Owwww," Rex breathed his pain into that note.

"Now do you want to let Peterson out of the cupboard?"

"How did you—" Rex began then gave up and shook his head. "No thanks. He'll be fine there a little longer."

"And that small matter of food and water?" At least the store cupboard still had an oxygen supply.

"I'll let him out when Holiday gets back," Rex said and Six didn't argue. That was how much they silently agreed that they preferred Dr Holiday to carry out Rex's after-mission check-up.

Six closed the door to Holiday's lab so that no one would hear the occasional knock from the cupboard. Rex gently worked his relocated shoulder and kneaded it with his fingers. Six closed his eyes behind his glasses, suppressing the temptation to contact Holiday again and ask how long she'd take and what she was doing.

"Ahh, you have no idea a cup of tea tastes after the crap onboard the plane," the woman chuckled low, the curl of steam rising from her teacup and drifting up, adding a fragile sheen of condensation to her thick black hair tied back in an untidier bun than Holiday's. The two of them were in the scientists' lounge. Holiday's companion, Antonia Roedburgh, looked tired after the plane trip to get here from whatever part of Russia she'd been hiding in.

Her eyes, always hinting at an exotic streak of blood in her family line, had already swept over the room's plain comforts, sofas for the weary scientists to sleep on after too long a shift if they had to commute home rather than staying on-premises like Holiday did, coffee machines and a kettle on the counter. A few books in the bookcase, mostly textbooks but a few copies of Dan Brown with a highlighter beside them for when the scientists wanted a laugh.

Holiday sat opposite from her, sipping from her own teacup. "Toni, I have to ask, where have you been?"

"I had to be a mother," Antonia smiled comfortably, sitting back in her chair and crossed her leg over her left in a ladylike manner. Though her thick clothes screamed of harsh winters it was clear how slender she was by the thinness of her face, the height of her cheekbones. "I see you have a mother's wrinkle too, Sandra."

Holiday laughed and shook her head. "I don't have kids."

"It's right there," Antonia tapped her own forehead, right between her eyes, "you have had to think a lot about what to say to someone special."

Sandra rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Fine, I'm not gonna argue with you…but you…forgive me Antonia for being blunt. But how can you be a mother? I heard about Nicholas…and Victor…" her voice caught on their names. Back when the Event had taken place, Sandra Holiday had still only been an assistant to the previous head scientist, a position she'd at the time prized. "I even thought you were dead. Couldn't you have at least told me?"

Antonia had been in Kiev, working with her husband at the Embassy there. When the reports of EVOs had first started emerging, she'd felt stricken and helpless but at the same time compelled to stay where she was. When she'd heard the first whispers through old classmates of the fates of the Roedburgh family, she'd tried for a while to get a hold of Antonia but never had any luck. Eventually she had given up and resigned herself to the assumption that Antonia and her husband and child were three more victims of the Event.

"No. I couldn't tell anyone what I found in Kiev." Antonia lowered her eyes. "Or rather who. Her name is Sofia. Nicholas and I found her."

"When?"

Antonia raised her eyes, a haunting light entering them. "The Bug Jar," she said simply.

Holiday's breath caught in her throat. "You…ohh. Is she safe? Is that why you came out of, well, hiding?"

"I do not know if she is an EVO," Antonia said bluntly. "There are unnatural things about the child but she is beloved to me, I have taught her all that Nicholas would have taught my son if he had not been cut down in the camp."

"I am so sorry for your loss," Holiday's voice was quiet. Though it had happened over six years ago, she had never been able to find Antonia to give this much belated message of condolence.

"As am I sorry for the loss of your sister," Antonia said.

"Thank you. But she is not dead. If I can cure her, I'll get her back."

"Well then," Antonia raised her teacup. "To rebirth."

Holiday uttered a short laugh and raised her own teacup. "To rebirth."

"I wouldn't mind a bit of rebirth myself," Antonia chuckled. "But back to business. You may find Sofia to be of interest, though I can only say she is on loan to you."

"For how long?"

"Until she chooses otherwise."

"Headstrong?"

"Independent and unusually wise." Antonia smiled.

"So how did the Bug Jar affect her?" Holiday had to ask, a note of eagerness in her voice as she leaned forward. Ever since that great disappointment of not getting the samples from the Bug Jar, she'd had to hide her increasing aggravation that she might be missing such a big piece of the puzzle.

"It affected her as much as it affected everyone who had to leave their beloved homes and possessions behind."

"Sorry."

"That's fine," Antonia waved her free hand, dispelling the apology. "However in return for loaning her to you, I would ask one favour of you and your partner."

"Oh?"

Antonia leaned closer, one eye on the security camera in the corner of the room affixed to the ceiling. "I need to get her into the Bug Jar," she said softly.