Breed of Innocence (The Breed Chronicles, #01) (6 page)

Dying by a shot to the head seemed a lot better than melting in your own clothes. Quicker, if nothing else.

When the last of the kids finally took their seats, Greene walked up to the podium and faced the crowd. Everyone quieted down. “Welcome,” he began. “As some of you may already know, I’m Director Greene. I’ve been in charge of this facility for over twenty years. This is Assistant Director Barnes.” He gestured to the baking-in-her-suit woman. He paused long enough to give her the chance to nod and offer what may or may not have been something resembling a smile.

A few kids in the crowd waved or said ‘hey’ or ‘hi’. Others, like me, said nothing.

“The students in the front row are our some of our current Prospects,” he continued. “I know you’ve heard this speech already, so please bear with me.” He offered them a small smile. “Before I explain why you’re all here and what exactly your roles may be, let me tell you more about the Consortium of Genetic Engineering—better known as the CGE. We are an organization that, like the name suggests, specializes in genetic research.”

“Like what?” a girl asked.

“Stem-cell research, rejuvenation possibilities, DNA manipulation—the list goes on. We cover a lot of ground at our facilities, Miss…” His gaze lowered to the podium, as if he had a list of some sort. “Young.”

“Facilities? As in—”

“More than one? Yes. The New Orlando branch is one of many CGE facilities across the globe, from Alaska to Australia.” He gave that a moment to sink in then continued on. “A lot of the recent medical breakthroughs have been, in part, because of our research facilities’ scientific breakthroughs. New and improved medications, new methods for quicker healing times. Do any of you watch the news?”

A few unsure hands raised into the air.

“And do any of you remember the story of Dana Summers? She was the victim of a horrendous fire who was unfortunate enough to suffer third degree burns to over eighty percent of her body.”

Most of the crowd nodded, including me. I’d heard about it. An arsonist had set an apartment building full of people on fire. Firefighters had managed to get most people out, but Dana had been trapped inside on the top floor.

“She lived because of one of those breakthroughs, and many of the other burn victims were helped because of it, because of what we do here. The CGE’s employ some of the best and brightest scientists. To the general population, we’re seen as a top-notch research facility.”

“But this place is really a demon hunting facility,” a guy said. He looked around warily after a second. “Right?”

Greene consulted his list again. “Mr. Davis?” The guy nodded. “We’re both. One facet of our business is research—human and demon; the other is demon hunting. Most who know about the CGE believe our recruits are young adults with rare genetic anomalies that are here to have them studied.”

“Is it true?” This was from the Davis kid again. “Do we have these…anomalies?”

“Yes. It’s one thing you all share.”

“What’s wrong with us?” Young again.

“There’s nothing
wrong
with you. It’s a genetic flaw that poses no risks to your health. In fact, it’s that anomaly that makes you all a commodity to us.”

Great.
Leaning back, I looked up to the sky and shook my head.
Not only did I sell my soul to the devil, I agreed to DNA harvesting.

“We’re guinea pigs,” a guy in the middle row said, his tone full of disgust. “So are you going to study us or train us? Was the demon hunting thing just a ploy to get us here?”

“Both…Mr. Harris.” Greene walked around to the front of the podium. “Let me explain something. Businesses open for specific reasons—to offer a service and make money. The CGE is no different. We are a business. It just happens that our business is research and demon hunting. Your DNA will help us in that.” He started to pace but kept his gaze on the bleachers. “To house, feed, and train you, we need money. To make money, we need to research. To research, we—”

“Need our DNA.”

“Exactly, Miss Hall,” Greene said.

I blinked at him. I hadn’t realized I’d spoken the thought out loud.

“You all have a choice. You don’t have to agree to be guinea pigs—as it was so aptly put—if you don’t want to. That’s fine. You can stay or you can go. It’s as simple as that and there are no catches. A bus will be waiting at the front gate for those who wish to leave.”

Everyone groaned and there were short choruses of “I don’t want to go back!” from more than one person.

Me either, buddy,
I thought. Anomaly or not.

“Is that the only reason you picked us? Because we have this…thing?” a girl asked. I couldn’t tell where she sat.

Greene made his way back to the podium, looked down. “No, Miss Pollock, it’s not.”

“He wants us to hunt demons!” a guy from the second or third row shouted, jumping up and throwing his fist in the air.

Greene nodded. “Some of you, yes. Some of you were selected for other…opportunities.”

I rested my elbows on my knees and listened, even as I studied the crowd. Most seemed happy to be here and seemed to enjoy the idea of hunting demons. A few, I noticed, glancing around, didn’t seem so sure. I caught more than one set of horror-filled eyes at the mention of hunting or demons.

Greene must of have seen the looks too, because he said, “Not all of you want to hunt demons, do you?” A few people shook their heads. Some were at a loss for words entirely, including a boy sitting one level down from me whose face drained of all color, and a girl a few seats over to my right, whose eyes looked ready to pop out of their sockets. The look of terror on their faces was answer enough. They didn’t want to hunt demons. Greene gave a low chuckle. “No, I don’t imagine that’s something you all want to do.”

There was a long pause, as if he were trying to gather his thoughts. “Some of you are here to hunt demons, yes, and some are here to work in other capacities. However, those who stay will all be involved, directly or indirectly, with demon hunting, be it on the action side of things or the research side.” He paused a moment. “To elaborate more on Miss Pollock’s question, the DNA anomaly is one reason we selected many of our agents. The other reason is that we believe you all have a specific skill that could be of service to us. Both reasons are equally important.”

The guy in front of me, the one who really didn’t seem like he wanted to hunt demons, raised his hand in the air. “Are we all orphans?”

“The majority of you do share similar backgrounds and are either from foster homes or group homes.” His gaze went to someone in the front row, but I couldn’t see who it was. “Over the years, some have even sought us out.”

How? I wondered. From the sound of things, the CGE wasn’t exactly widely known as a demon hunting facility. So how had someone found them? I almost asked, and then decided against it since I didn’t think he’d answer. Instead, I went with, “So you chose us because we don’t have families.” I looked up. “You chose people with nothing to lose.”

He tilted his head in a nod. “That is one way of looking at it, Miss Hall. Another would be to view it as us selecting people from less-than-ideal backgrounds; people we believe have the most to gain from what we offer.”

The Davis kid shook his head. “We’re all teenagers.”

“We have adult agents, though they are trained separately. That’s not what you meant though, is it?” he added. “Many foreign countries begin training for espionage at your age—or sometimes even younger. We…train for demon hunting.”

A few kids laughed.

Greene waited until the laughter died. “Make no mistake; we’re very selective in who we choose to bring here. We don’t pick random people off the streets, test their DNA, and then offer them a job. Each of you offers something else.”

A girl to my left raised her arm. “Um, I have a question?”

“Yes, Miss Marshall?”

She chewed on her bottom lip. “What’s so interesting about our DNA? I mean, what does it have to do with hunting demons and why do you
want
to research it?”

“That’s a good question. Those breakthroughs I mentioned earlier, particularly the one regarding Dana Summers? The research that saved her came from our study of not only demons, but also the study of the anomaly each of you has.” His eyes darkened. “How we study demons and how we use your DNA isn’t just simple research. We go further than that. It’s one of the reasons our hunters are some of the best in the world.”

“What are you getting at?” the Davis kid asked carefully.

I had a feeling I knew the answer, but I had to be wrong. He couldn’t mean what I thought he meant.

Greene looked out to the crowd, kept his gaze steady and unwavering. “A select number of our agents have demon DNA.”

C
HAPTER 04

There was a full minute of complete, utter silence, like everyone was replaying his words in their heads, and then it seemed like the crowd shared the same gasp.

A girl from the middle row raised her arm. Greene pointed to her. She cleared her throat before she spoke. “Are you saying that demons evolved from us? Or that we evolved from them?”

I barely contained a groan.
If she was picked for her brains, I’m outta here.

Greene didn’t grimace but it was close. He shook his head. “No. This is where the ‘genetic engineering’ part of our name comes into play. Some of our hunters have had their DNA altered with specific demon DNA.” He waited a beat. “Demons typically overpower us. They’re stronger, faster, bigger, and some have other abilities to their advantage. One thing we’ve learned is that sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. In this case, we fight demon with demon.”

One of the girls eyed him warily, her eyebrows scrunched together in a frown. “Is that…legal?”

For the first time during his speech, Greene laughed. “Yes, it is legal, Miss Young. The agents in question are consenting adults, and our genetic engineering programs are partially government funded.”

A few people exchanged looks. “So the CGE is a government agency?”

“Indirectly, yes. We receive some funding for certain projects, and sometimes we collaborate with law enforcement agencies, the FBI, or the Demon Coalition.”

No one—including myself—seemed to know what to say to that. I wasn’t even sure what to think about it. The CGE worked for the government? There was a Demon Coalition? What the heck was a Demon Coa—

“What’s the Demon Coalition?”

“Think of it as policing for the demon hunting world. If it’s a federal issue, say a kidnapper who crosses state lines, then it becomes FBI jurisdiction. A threat of terror on American soil would be handled by Homeland Security. And if it’s a demon issue, it’s turned over to the Demon Coalition.”

A few of the kids around me were whispering their theories or murmuring about the government.

“So, we’re going to be part of this Demon Coalition? We’re going to be secret agents?”

More than a few people found this idea appealing. Personally, it didn’t change things for me. I agreed to this, to hunt demons, to find my revenge. Being part of the government—or even some Demon Coalition thing—didn’t matter.

“In essence, I suppose.”

“Cool!”

Greene inclined his head and the side of his mouth twitched. “I’m glad you approve. Now,” he said, raising his voice slightly. “I imagine some of you would actually like to hear details that relate to you right now.”

The group nodded.

“There will be some similarities between where you’ve been and here; there will also be a number of differences. The main similarity is simple. There will be rules. They won’t be that difficult or life shattering, but they’re there and they must be followed. Some areas will be stricter; others will be more lenient. We are, after all, still running a business, and if you’re here, essentially, you’ll be employees.”

There were a few more groans. I made a face at the groaners and shook my head. Was I the only one who didn’t think or expect it to be all fun and games? Of course there were going to be rules. There always were.

When the majority of the group calmed down, Greene continued. “For those who decide to stay, there will be a five-month probationary period. This time is used to weed out those who discover they don’t wish to be here and those who simply don’t belong. To be perfectly honest, not everyone will make it. The probationary period is our…interviewing stage. Should you make it past that, in October you’ll enter what we call Phase One, or what our Prospects deem P1.”

“Phase One?” someone muttered.

Greene nodded. “High schools have four grade levels. We have four phases. Phase One through Four.”

The guy in front of me raised his hand and waved it frantically. He came within inches of smashing my nose in and I had to weave out of the way twice. When Greene signaled to him, he said, “What exactly will we be doing the first five months?”

“A few things. First and foremost, you’ll be studying for your GED. Beyond that, you’ll learn about the CGE and our work, and interact with the other recruits. We want to make sure you can handle what you’ll be training for, and we want to make sure you’ll fit in. This gives us a chance to evaluate each of you. And if some of you like, you can study up and prepare for Phase One.”