Page 51 of Barbarian Daddies

“Definitely infected?” I ask, my eyebrows shooting up.

“Yes, it’s written on the labels, too,” he says. “Patient names and ages.”

“Fantastic. What do we do with these, then?”

Kingo grins while I still try adjust to this image of a Sunnaite in a lab coat. Most of the Sunnaites I’ve seen wear garbs of wartime—either the tribal skins and colors of the Fire Tribe or the leather uniforms of the Sky Tribe. This kid reminds me of a demon from old illustrations of Earth, and his outfit just doesn’t match my memory of those fiendish depictions. It’s uncanny and just a tad funny, as well. But I welcome the brief distraction of these thoughts before we meet in front of the centrifuge again.

“Alright, now we need to analyze both samples, right?” I ask Kingo.

He nods once. “Yes. We’ll do a full protein study first and confirm the markers we’ve seen on healthy specimens.”

“Good. Once we’ve got those down, we’ll have to synthesize a serum based on your missing proteins. We have enough samples of my blood to work with.”

“This microscope will be perfect for observing any immediate effects on the sick cells,” Kingo confirms as he extracts droplets of infected blood and carefully transfers them into smaller glass vials for the centrifuge.

We watch that thing spin for what feels like forever, then wait for the machine to slow down while I double check the notes and observations I’ve made so far. I wish I had Salem’s blood to work with, as well, but if the Fire Tribe does manage to take Sapphire City back, I’ll be able to get it. Until then, however, I need to gather as much material and data as possible in order to make my case against the Sky Tribe and their insane plan to drag more human women to Sunna.

There is no need for that if I can synthesize an actual cure for the plague.

“I don’t think we’ll have time to do everything before the others get here,” Kingo says as the centrifuge starts printing its data onto a ribbon of paper. “But I can give you shelter until tomorrow night, if you can stay. We can continue then.”

“Sounds like a decent plan. My only concern is my mates. They’re out there, looking for me,” I reply, briefly reminded of the aching sense of longing in my heart while I read the ribbon data. “And there’s a siege coming, too.”

“Then my place is definitely the safest for you to be,” Kingo replies. “I have a small house in the southern parts of town.”

“The slums?”

“Yes.”

“No need to be ashamed about that,” I chuckle softly. “Good folks live in the slums. People just like you who’ve lost too much to the Sky Tribe and the plague. You may be right, Kingo. I might have to hide in your small house in the slums until tomorrow. I can’t bring myself to leave yet. Not when we’re so close to figuring this out.”

Kingo takes a seat as I put the data ribbons side by side, using a pen to make notes where I spot similarities and noticeable differences. The idea is to figure out which common proteins suffer under the infection so I can then target them with synthesized serums from the three proteins that are specifically human, hoping it will have a positive effect on the infected blood cells.

My worst-case scenario is to at least be able to devise a vaccine if we cannot develop a cure. There is always the possibility that a virus may not be killed by anything aside from complete isolation—and experience and education have already taught me it’s an impossible scenario in an inhabited society is rife with living organisms. We may not be able to save the sick women, but if I manage to at least protect the healthy ones and the few girls left, then Sunna will have a better chance at surviving what’s left of this terrible century.

“We’ll need more than a few nights for that, Cynthia,” Kingo finally says.

“Yes, I’m aware. But I promise you’ll be safe as long as we stick together,” I reply. “It may be to our advantage to stay here even when the Fire Tribe attacks the city. I know for a fact they do not wish to harm any civilians.”

“War is war,” Kingo sighs. “I suppose the intentions are always the best, but it’s the execution I’m worried about. People change in the midst of violence and bloodshed. They end up doing things they normally wouldn’t. Horrible things.”

“If Kai and Maur lead the charge, I know we’ll be safe. Of course, one smart thing to do, provided we find a messenger we can trust, would be to send word to them, to let them know I’m safe and working on a cure for the plague. They know to take the research lab and keep it intact, since it’s one of the main reasons why the Fire Tribe wants Sapphire City.”

“Selina won’t give it up so easily. If anything, she’d rather burn it to the ground than let the Fire Tribe take it,” Kingo scoffs. “She’s been running this city long enough for me to understand precisely what kind of monster she is. They’re all monsters, mind you. On both sides of this war. But Selina… she’s a piece of work.”

I’m getting queasy. The baby is doing his thing, growing inside me, filling me with different moods and sensations that sometimes overlap. But it’s not the pregnancy giving me these uncomfortable feelings. It’s the thought of Selina. I was close enough to see precisely what Kingo is talking about. That bitch is cold and crazy. She has no consideration nor respect for her fellow Sunnaite women. And given her biological disadvantage, I can certainly see where the malcontent comes from—it’s just not a good enough excuse to hurt people the way Selina has been hurting them.

“Listen, let’s get as much done tonight as we can,” I tell Kingo. “We’ll come back tomorrow and do more. And if we find a trustworthy messenger in the meantime, even better. Worst-case scenario is I’ll stick around until the Fire Tribe descend upon the city. Maybe we’ll have good news by then.”

“Good enough news to sway the rest of the city’s residents to choose the Fire Tribe’s side?”

I shrug, making the final notes on both data ribbons. “Well, yes. There’s no middle path here. No third party to lead the people away from the madness of violence with a better solution. Finding a cure is literally our only solution. Don’t you agree, Kingo?”

“I do. I don’t want to see more of your kind getting dragged here for this,” he says.

As we continue our study of these proteins, Kingo and I reach the same conclusion. The plague virus latches directly onto the blood cells. It’s definitely a blood-consuming virus, and it only attacks hosts of the female chromosome. It’s an odd programming for a virus to have, especially since it specifically targets the female chromosome of organisms where a uterus is actually present.

The more we observe, the stranger it gets.

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