… Vicky's pov …
I gaze into his eyes and batted my eyelashes. He spoke answering an unheard question, "No I didn't feel the slightest bit of remorse. All I did was lie, but I did it for the greater good."
"Then do you always lie for the greater good? What's the limit?" What weighs on your conscious?
"As far as you're concerned and as far as I'm willing to admit, the limit is no extensive torture killing and purposeful permanent impairment of any kind." He said coldly, losing his kindness from earlier.
"Well what have you left out? There are things you aren't telling me." I said in a sing song like voice with my pitch raising on almost every word.
"Those three rats weren't the only ones tested, the rest died, either they couldn't handle it or they were in such a terrible condition that death was more than likely preferable. I vomited killing the first and was distraught at them dying. Kids don't think far ahead, the early tests were little more than rat torture on some sick rats. I pumped my self full of Adderal and caffeine, and started fasting and anti depressants to help me get over it. In fact I used to tell the therapist, that they forced me to get after going here, a story similar to that one. After all, the best lies are buried deep in truths." He didn't look any worse for wear, he was fine with what he said.
"You're very different from before. This new version endless version of the drug has changed you."
"I know." He said blankly.
"You're not as fun." He squirmed a little in his seat at that. "Still fun to mess with." He relaxed. "What's with the virus? What did you learn? What did you know before?"
"I'll tell you but as I am here I suspect you know some of what I'm going to tell you."
…Present…
I spit the saliva I got from our wet kiss into a vial.
When I got back to my house I just walked right in and went to my sisters room where she was busy writing an article. "I'm home."
"Oh Danny. Alright lock the door your brother is already home." She went back to writing an article.
"What are you writing about?" I could see the title and the pattern of her finger movements but I figured it would make her happy I was actively intrigued and it wouldn't hurt.
Her face brightened up. "You well a magazine you had inspired me. So I'm doing a story on Citri and Mister Smartman. So I've gotten a seasonal job as his secretary for research."
My heart tensed, That's dangerous, I wanted to shout, but I had nothing to prove it and if she could help take down the man himself it would be in my favor and everyone's not to say anything, now I have to keep a mental note to watch out for her. "One of his assistants went missing. Could be dangerous." I jested sarcastically.
"I know that's why I'm doing it. I may find nothing but I already have some stuff, I took one of those pills that you used to use to study and practice with." I just chuckled at that. Holding in my increasing worry… no, stress. She was making my brain bounce all over trying to think of ways to stop this or if I should let it continue. If she's on the pill then she'll be better equipped that anyone who went in there and she has prior knowledge and me, two major things Cara and Diana lacked.
"Good, with your scatter brain, you'll need it." She laughed as she jumped out of bed to charge me.
"Take that back or else." She said through her giggle. I ran to my room and she got tired of the chase. "I'll get you next time."
I laughed and walked into my room, "Sure you will." Without hesitation I cast away the shell of the family man, the shell of a younger brother, and sat at my desk and pulled out my crisper kit. I took out my microscope and the vial. I spit into a Petri dish and poured the other into another dish I labeled virus X. I looked at both under the microscope and labeled the differences.
What was odd was the fact that the virus's enzymatic functions were numerous and remained accessible to the infected cells. Basically it was more like an evolved cell from cell theory than an infected cell. On top of that it did seem to drain the host cells energy fast but only within reason? According to Cara's scans and tests Cara was in a state in which her adrenaline was being drained but produced even faster, but Diana wasn't losing any, infact her cells were combating the virus better than Cara and the virus wasn't multiplying as fast. What's different? I took a look at cara's brain, the right side of her brain was swollen, Doctors assumes a form of cancer and the crash from hitting her head when she fell but at the height she fell her brain would have been mush. So what is that? I remembered seeing a movie documentary where the right side of a woman's head was inflamed causing the same symptoms that Cara has been having with an inflamed right brain. But something looks too big, and the concentration of the virus is too big in that area, what I can see it looks like it's producing it. Let's lay out the facts. The virus is trying to create a symbiotic relationship with the cells. Cara's virus seems implausible to try and fight due to its hostile take over style strategy. Cara tried to kill herself which caused brain damage. But her brain almost fully recovered. It may have been the virus that did that. But something must be different from the two. I thought long and hard. Then I realized "when she came to me about it the first time she said it. Viruses aren't intelligent, but creatures can be. What if that extra lump on her brain is a symbiotic creature. Only one way to find out. I'll have to do it later. For now I'll took a look at the pictures I took of her journal.