Chapter 77

Zoe told Cillian all about the necropsy over a strong cup of coffee. “We looked into the wounds, too. The ones you inflicted. They were very much like burns. I’m surprised the human flesh was so affected. It must have been changed either chemically or at the cellular level. We took samples, and the military is looking at them now.” She took a long gulp of her beverage. “They’re going to want blood from you, by the way. Since all of our research from the Educator is lost, they’ll probably run the same tests the scientists did.”

“They can have it.”

“What if they find something we didn’t?”

“Then maybe they can help me finally get rid of it.” He sipped his coffee slowly. “And replicate it for killing Whalen.”

“I wouldn’t hold your breath. It’s alien, after all. We don’t have a primary source. And the Monks didn’t know what to do with it any more than we did.”

He bit down on his lip. “They’re never going to let me go home.”