Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 107209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Vero nodded, slipping into the mindset of the scientist he rarely admitted to being. “Viruses often alter blood’s viscosity and clotting response. If this is an engineered pathogen, I’m looking for irregularities. I also compared immune response markers to baseline samples from before we were inoculated. If there’s a shared anomaly, it’ll point to contamination in the Sunshine Cure.”
Silas exhaled slowly, his jaw tightening. “Good. Let’s hope you cure this thing.”
“I’m cautiously optimistic,” Vero said. “But don’t get your hopes too high—I need to verify the results.”
Silas leaned back, crossing his trembling arms. “I have things covered here, and Jonathan will be back soon. He feels terrible about everything, although it wasn’t his fault.”
“I’ll be in touch.” Vero moved quietly through the lodge, impressed with how the older male had stepped up to protect and defend. The calm felt fragile, the tension heavy, but he let himself enjoy the sound of quiet breathing and the occasional murmur from the sleeping females.
He stepped outside, noting the cold bite of the predawn air. The horizon remained cloaked in shadows, with no sign of the sun breaking through. It matched the mood of the territory—waiting for answers, waiting for relief. He headed toward the lab, his mind already sifting through possibilities for what the blood tests might reveal. If he was right, and the Sunshine Cure had been compromised, they’d need to devise a countermeasure immediately. And if he was wrong?
Well, failure wasn’t an option.
He strode down the walkway toward the medical facility, noting the absence of soldiers in the snow. That was a good sign. He’d ordered everyone to find shelter and stick with groups of at least two or three in case anyone deteriorated suddenly. So far, no deaths had been reported, but the fear lingered.
He opened the door to the lab and stopped short. Dr. Fizzlewick sat hunched over a computer in the far corner, his focus glued to a data screen, and Jonathan lay on a stretcher attached to an IV of saline. But it was the broad-shouldered male who turned to face him that made Vero freeze.
“Vero,” Hunter said with a slight grin.
Vero glanced at Fizzlewick and back. “How did you get into the territory?”
Hunter rolled his naturally blue eyes. He looked odd without the purple hue. “Seriously? We’re the ones guarding the perimeter.”
Vero studied him, struck once again by how much Hunter resembled his father, whose picture had been seen far and wide in the Kurjan nation. Jet-black hair, sharp cheekbones, and those piercing eyes. Hunter was a fighting machine, but his mind was just as sharp—one of the most brilliant strategists and researchers Vero had ever known.
“You looked better as a Kurjan,” Vero muttered.
Hunter chuckled. “So you’ve said. And I’ve explained that I lied because I was undercover. But you’re still my best friend, so let’s focus on not letting your people die.”
Fizzlewick glanced up briefly, then returned to his screen. The doctor had ditched his glasses, his wrinkled lab coat draped awkwardly over his lanky frame. “If we’re going to solve this, less chatting and more working,” he muttered.
Vero’s breath heated. “Is my brother also inside the territory?” He’d wanted Paxton to stay under Realm protection until the ceremony commenced.
“Yep,” Hunter said cheerfully. “The cousins have him covered, and he’s just fine—probably at the main lodge by now. He’s a big boy, Vero.”
Yeah, but he was the king of the entire Kurjan nation. Vero glanced at his watch. He had exactly ten hours until the Cyst contingent descended upon his territory, and right now, most of his soldiers could be taken down by a mild rainstorm.
“I can help,” Hunter said, his tone more serious now. “I noticed from your antigen-binding analyses that something is off in the protein markers. It reminded me of something my mother taught me about viral mutations and cellular uptake inhibitors.”
Vero’s interest was piqued. He moved toward a microscope. “What did you add to the analysis?”
Hunter gestured to a separate tray of slides. “I layered your samples with a viral binding agent and ran them through an active enzyme disruption model. It’s crude, but it replicates how certain pathogens latch onto blood cells.”
Intrigued, Vero peered into the microscope. The slide revealed the binding activity of a mutated antigen inhibiting cellular repair. The virus seemed to interfere with cell regeneration pathways, which explained why healing cells weren’t functioning in the infected soldiers.
“I see what you mean,” Vero said. “But the problem is that these inhibitors are overriding the usual healing cell responses. If the virus has been engineered to disrupt cell communication, it’s targeting something unique to Kurjans.”
Hunter nodded. “Exactly. And that’s why the Sunshine Cure is implicated. It’s enhancing cellular permeability to the virus, essentially creating a back door for it to replicate.”
Fizzlewick joined them, his lanky frame hovering over Vero’s shoulder. “What if you counteracted the permeability with a stabilizer? Something to reinforce the cellular membrane?”