Outbreak
Authors: Christine Fonseca
Dr. Harrison's Journal, Day 237
OUTBREAK (The Solomon Experiments, Book #2)
Copyright © 2016 by Christine Fonseca.
March 2016 Edition
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
For information visit: www.ChristineFonseca.com
Cover Design:
Lisa Amowitz
Editing:
Jen Hendricks
Proofing: Erika Fonseca
Interior Design:
NovelNinjutsu.com
Author Photo: Fabiana Fonseca
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Summary
Dakota Harrison wants everything to forget about her past. But when a new assassin comes to kill her and everyone she loves, she discovers there is more to LeMercier’s plans than she ever could have imagined. Now she must choose between finding a normal life or embracing her past and stopping LeMercier before he destroys what’s left of her family.
A large fire destroyed what was thought to be an old abandoned home in the Fingerlakes region of New York last month. Firefighters said a small explosion on the south end of the property, close to Lake Cayuga, fueled the blaze. Arson investigators found no evidence of accelerants, bombs, or other explosive devices, and have concluded that the explosion and fire were likely accidental. However, this investigator has uncovered proof to suggest otherwise. The home, a sprawling estate in Aurora, included the main house and five additional buildings. Research into the history of the property indicates that it once belonged to Dr. Benjamin LeMercier, lead researcher in the now debunked Project Stargate experiments. LeMercier bought the property in 2000. Information from town residents indicates rumors that LeMercier was working for the government, conducting experiments similar to Project Stargate. Although government officials deny any involvement with Dr. LeMercier after the failure of Project Stargate, Aurora residents are certain LeMercier’s work continued in the field of psychic abilities. “He’s creating his own, personal X-Men army out there,” said one resident. “I’m certain the government is behind everything.” Dr. LeMercier’s body was not recovered after the fire, leaving this reporter to wonder if we’ve heard the last of this doctor and his unusual experiments.
– Syracuse Chronicle, March 18, 2016
Project Stargate 2.0
The Solomon Experiments
Dr. Christyn Harrison’s Personal Journal –
February 21, 2003
Day 237:
It’s time. I must move the children before it’s too late. Ben already suspects I’m no longer with him. His trust in the children waivers. They must leave before it’s too late, before they die or kill all of us.
The recruits are not the only children I worry about. There are others. How long until Ben searches for more recruits? How long until he discovers all of my secrets? I must protect them, guard them—my secrets, the children, all of it.
I must protect
him
.
I’ve managed to keep my thoughts buried, beyond the reach of Ben or the others. But for how long? Dakota and Josh grow more powerful each day. I’m not certain if I will be able to keep this truth from them forever. I don’t know if I want to.
I must take action now. Move the children, modify their memories, teach them to forget their skills. It is the only way to keep them safe from Ben and his plans. It pains me to know how much the memory modification will take from them. Especially Dakota. She can’t know what she’s become. I can’t let that future dominate her destiny. And I can’t ever let her know about
him
.
This is the only way—for their safety.
For
his
.
I fear my plan won’t work, that they are already too strong to succumb to the modifications. What then? How will I ensure their safety? I’ve been studying new ways to change their memories, to destroy any chance that they will know the truth. But the process has its drawbacks. Josh is strong, he’ll survive. Dakota is strong as well. But if she fights me, if her powers have grown too much, the process may damage her. Maybe even kill her.
It’s a risk I’ll have to chance. I have no choice.
My plans have to work . . .
It’s the only way . . .
September 4, 2016
My eyes open, at least I think they do. I feel the muscles contract, feel my eyes move from side to side. But I can’t discern shapes or colors. Only a vast emptiness that fills every inch of space around me.
I draw in a deep breath, hoping my other senses can fill the void in front of me and make sense of the chaos. The air is heavy, stale, empty. It holds me where I lay, tying me to this spot. I can’t move, can’t see.
I push my arms away from me. They don’t comply, unable to remove themselves from the invisible binds formed by the air. Again I try. Again I fail.
My mind unravels. My skin brushes up against something hard and unyielding. Wood, I think.
Was it always there?
The air clings to my body, growing more heavy, more stale. I search my thoughts for a memory, a clue—something that can fill in the missing pieces and tell me what has happened. The more I push, the less I remember. The more my sense of dread expands.
“Wake up! Wake up!” The words—my words—feel hollow against the pitch of darkness. Again I tell myself to wake. I pray that this is just a nightmare, some trick of my overactive thoughts. It can’t be an attack. Not now, not here.
Definitely not here.
I stab the fleshy part of my index finger with my thumbnail. Wincing from the sharp pain, I wait. Nothing changes. The world is still black. The air is still too heavy, too oppressive. I still can’t move, trapped against the unyielding wood of a . . .
Box.
My mind circles around the reality slamming against my conscious thought. I am in a box. In the ground.
Buried.
Alive.
