Read Online The Chimera Project (Chimera Protocol Book 1) by Jolie Mason - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jolie Mason
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"Stop taking everything on yourself."
"Do you remember how bad it was?"
"Vaguely," he answered, squeezing her tighter. "If this worked, I'll also remember who saved my life today."
She buried her face in his chest. "Don't be nice to me. Please."
Samuel kissed her temple and shifted to pull her onto the gurney. "Too bad. Now, how long till we know if the nanites are gone?"
"Very soon." He barely heard her voice muffled in his shirt. When she pulled away, he watched her face, registered stark fear in her eyes. "It has to work, Samuel."
"It will work," he said to her.
"We can't do it again. If the serum didn't get them all, we could kill you trying again. We may have already damaged you too much. I’ll need to monitor your liver and kidney function for the next few weeks."
He said nothing, but they would try again. There was no way he would live this way, unable to trust himself. Never knowing what he could become. They stayed there in silence for long enough that he almost drifted off.
When she left to check on the tests with her new assistant, he waited with a slight knot in his stomach at the thought that it might be over or it might not.
He closed his eyes again, trying to resign himself to whatever happened.
"It worked," he heard her say from the doorway. Opening his eyes, he met her gaze across the room. "It worked." She repeated the words as if she needed convincing. He swung his tired, aching legs off the gurney to sit up.
"We'll have to test again in a few days, but your blood appears clear of living nanites."
He nodded. "I knew you'd do it. Come here."
She shook her head, looking away.
"Come here," he insisted.
She sidled closer. When she got close enough, he tugged her firmly between his legs. With no preliminaries, no provisos and no hesitation, he kissed her forehead and said, "I love you. I would have loved you, even if it hadn't worked."
She shook her head. "I used to be so proud of my work, Samuel. So proud. After that, how can you help but blame me? I don’t know if I can forgive myself."
He brushed back her escaping tendrils of hair. "Maybe because you did help people. Your research will one day be the cornerstone of all genetic repair research." He smiled at the wrinkle between her eyes as she scowled. "I did some research of my own."
"Some things should never be done." She wanted him to understand it. "I knew it could lead to this. But, I trusted Heinlein anyway."
"We'll have to agree to disagree on this one. Some things are worth a risk. Now, am I going to start growling at people again?"
"No more than usual," she told him. "The genetic changes should stop where they are, but we may never reverse what's been done."
He held her closer. "That's okay. I don't care if I go back. Everything is ahead now. Plus, I can see you in the dark, and that’s a big plus."
"Have you always been this ridiculously romantic?" Eisley curled her nose up.
He chuckled. "Probably not. I find you inspire me."
Eisley pulled back. "This treatment won't work on all your men. Some are unquestionably altered. We'll have to manage the results, and hope for the best."
"Where do we start?"
He tracked her sad eyes to the doorway. "The cyborg?" Sam asked her.
"He's the most pressing. He's been modified beyond what the human brain can absorb. We need a specialist."
"Most women want jewelry."
"Well, I need a specialist in cybernetic robotics or nanotechnology or both."
Samuel smiled. "Then, you shall have them. Any particular specialist or will any old scientist do?"
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Eisley watched her assistant fall apart stoically at a computer console, while the cyborg paced an energy sealed cell like a caged animal. The whole lab was a mess of negative emotion and heartbreak. She walked over to the younger woman.
"Olivia, why don't you take a little time? Let Thompson here take you for some fresh air. You're going crazy cooped up in
"Do you remember how bad it was?"
"Vaguely," he answered, squeezing her tighter. "If this worked, I'll also remember who saved my life today."
She buried her face in his chest. "Don't be nice to me. Please."
Samuel kissed her temple and shifted to pull her onto the gurney. "Too bad. Now, how long till we know if the nanites are gone?"
"Very soon." He barely heard her voice muffled in his shirt. When she pulled away, he watched her face, registered stark fear in her eyes. "It has to work, Samuel."
"It will work," he said to her.
"We can't do it again. If the serum didn't get them all, we could kill you trying again. We may have already damaged you too much. I’ll need to monitor your liver and kidney function for the next few weeks."
He said nothing, but they would try again. There was no way he would live this way, unable to trust himself. Never knowing what he could become. They stayed there in silence for long enough that he almost drifted off.
When she left to check on the tests with her new assistant, he waited with a slight knot in his stomach at the thought that it might be over or it might not.
He closed his eyes again, trying to resign himself to whatever happened.
"It worked," he heard her say from the doorway. Opening his eyes, he met her gaze across the room. "It worked." She repeated the words as if she needed convincing. He swung his tired, aching legs off the gurney to sit up.
"We'll have to test again in a few days, but your blood appears clear of living nanites."
He nodded. "I knew you'd do it. Come here."
She shook her head, looking away.
"Come here," he insisted.
She sidled closer. When she got close enough, he tugged her firmly between his legs. With no preliminaries, no provisos and no hesitation, he kissed her forehead and said, "I love you. I would have loved you, even if it hadn't worked."
She shook her head. "I used to be so proud of my work, Samuel. So proud. After that, how can you help but blame me? I don’t know if I can forgive myself."
He brushed back her escaping tendrils of hair. "Maybe because you did help people. Your research will one day be the cornerstone of all genetic repair research." He smiled at the wrinkle between her eyes as she scowled. "I did some research of my own."
"Some things should never be done." She wanted him to understand it. "I knew it could lead to this. But, I trusted Heinlein anyway."
"We'll have to agree to disagree on this one. Some things are worth a risk. Now, am I going to start growling at people again?"
"No more than usual," she told him. "The genetic changes should stop where they are, but we may never reverse what's been done."
He held her closer. "That's okay. I don't care if I go back. Everything is ahead now. Plus, I can see you in the dark, and that’s a big plus."
"Have you always been this ridiculously romantic?" Eisley curled her nose up.
He chuckled. "Probably not. I find you inspire me."
Eisley pulled back. "This treatment won't work on all your men. Some are unquestionably altered. We'll have to manage the results, and hope for the best."
"Where do we start?"
He tracked her sad eyes to the doorway. "The cyborg?" Sam asked her.
"He's the most pressing. He's been modified beyond what the human brain can absorb. We need a specialist."
"Most women want jewelry."
"Well, I need a specialist in cybernetic robotics or nanotechnology or both."
Samuel smiled. "Then, you shall have them. Any particular specialist or will any old scientist do?"
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Eisley watched her assistant fall apart stoically at a computer console, while the cyborg paced an energy sealed cell like a caged animal. The whole lab was a mess of negative emotion and heartbreak. She walked over to the younger woman.
"Olivia, why don't you take a little time? Let Thompson here take you for some fresh air. You're going crazy cooped up in
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