The Burning Shadow (Origin 2)

“What do you mean her memories were wiped then, after the training?” Luc demanded. “The serum—”

“Caused a fever, but never took her memories. Sylvia lied to you. She gave you the serum and then you were mutated. Once Sylvia knew you were going to survive the mutation, she handed you over to the Daedalus. You would’ve known exactly who you were until you completed training. Then the Cassio Wave was used to fry your short- and long-term memory bank,” he said, and I knew in that moment if Mom … if that woman hadn’t died, Luc would’ve hunted her down.

And killed her.

I knew it, because it was in the way he turned and stared at me, in the horror creeping into his features as he realized I’d been Nadia when I woke up from the serum and I’d been Nadia when I’d … I’d been trained.

Luc paled, and even though I couldn’t read his mind, I knew that while I couldn’t remember what it was like to be trained within the Daedalus, he did.

“For whatever reason, Sylvia had a change of heart. It was the one thing the Daedalus hadn’t planned for.” Eaton looked between Luc and I. “Love.” He laughed then, shaking his head. “They hadn’t anticipated Sylvia caring for you as a mother would for their child. She may have had a change of heart and tried to get you out, but make no mistake, she knew what was in those serums. She created the Andromeda Serum herself. Worked on the early trials, chronicled all their failures and their successes. The Andromeda Serum wouldn’t have existed if it wasn’t for her.”

I pressed my hand to the center of my chest, over my heart. I couldn’t speak.

“You weren’t their first success, far from it.” He was back to staring at the bottle. “But you were different. Not just your mutation, but because of him.” He nodded in Luc’s direction without looking up. When he spoke again, his voice was tired—tired and bitter. “You had to know, Luc, that they would find some way to reel you back in.”

“They’ll never reel me back in,” Luc said, his tone as cold as the Arctic. “That I can promise.”

General Eaton looked up then. “You so sure about that?” His gaze flicked to me. “You didn’t recognize him out in those woods, right?”

“No,” I whispered. “I saw him as…”

“You saw him as a threat and a challenge and you needed to dominate. One of the three things you were coded to do.” The corners of his lips turned down. “You were coded to answer to one person only, and that isn’t that boy sitting here.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Luc demanded.

I had a better question. “Are you saying that what happened in the woods could happen again, and I won’t remember him? Again? He won’t be able to reach me?”

Sadness crept into the general’s rheumy eyes. “You were coded to answer only to one person—”

“Stop saying that I was coded!” I shot to my feet, chest rising and falling. “I’m not a damn computer! I’m a person—”

“No, you’re the Burning Shadow and he’s the Darkest Star, and together, you will bring about the brightest night.”

I jerked back.

“What?” Luc said.

Eaton chuckled hoarsely. “Code words. That’s what he used to call both of you.”

“Darkest Star? Burning Shadow? That sounds like a load of crap,” snarled Luc.

“No. It’s not.” I shook my head. “Micah … he called you the Darkest Star. I didn’t think it was a name, but…” I drew in a shallow breath. “Who in the hell is he? And how do you know all of this?”

“I know all of this, because I tried to shut down the Poseidon Project when I became aware of it. I failed.” His knuckles were bleached white from how tightly he was gripping the bottle. “I underestimated him. Won’t do that again.”

“Who?” Luc rose and stepped toward the man, and I thought that he might strangle him if he didn’t answer. “Who is she supposedly coded to? Who is behind this? Tell me so I know who I need to kill.”

“You already did,” Eaton replied. “At least, you thought you did. That’s what you were led to believe.”

A shiver exploded along the nape of my neck and powered down my spine. “No. No way.”

“Dasher,” Eaton said, his arm cocking back with a speed that betrayed his age. The bottle flung across the room, shattering upon impact with the wall. “Jason Dasher.”