Page 97 of Sky Song
They weren’t the bunion articles.
Her eyes narrowed and her attention sharpened.
“What’s there?” Lyle picked up on her heightened focus.
“Some kind of records. They’re named in Greek letters. Remember, I told the delegation about Greece? Their written language is often used in math and science. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon and Zeta. Six in total. Epsilon has an asterisk next to it.”
“Open the first one. Is it the oldest record?”
Cricket scanned them all. “Alpha, Beta, and Gamma have the same start date of six years ago.” She raised her head, suddenly chilled to the bone. “Lyle, that’s when I came to Meeus. Six years ago.”
“Yes, you did. Something else happened six years ago.”
“Yes, Simon escaped.”
“The doctor who had held Aeshac prisoner was killed. So Aeshac’s intel was right. The research, as well as the Rix genetic samples, came to Meeus. If not on your transport, then very soon after. Keep reading.”
She skimmed through the folders. “Alpha is the smallest file. Nothing in it since five years ago.”
“What is the last Alpha notation?”
The information was heavy on medical jargon, much of it unfamiliar. “The file was closed, basically. The strain was discontinued.”
“The subject must’ve died,” Lyle remarked casually.
Cricket’s head snapped up. “What subject?”
“Subject Alpha.”
“Why do you think it’s a subject?”
“Sky song, it’s about experiments. It makes sense they are subjects. Keep going.”
She didn’t want to keep going. She was going to be sick. “The Beta file was closed soon after the Alpha. Same notation,the serum was discontinued. Although it looks like a different serum formula - it’s got a version number here, see?”
“Are there the actual formulas?”
“Yes… There’s a registry number.” She opened it. “Active ingredients, added components, here’s a full list. And here’s the universal chemical symbols. This document here describes the conditions, the dose, the side effects.”
Lyle looked to be absorbed by the formulas on the screen.
“Do you understand anything in chemistry?”
“Ah, no. But I have a great memory. I used to look at the maps and remember them - you can’t imagine how handy it is when you’re a pilot.”
“I remember you said once that you never get lost.”
“Never.” He smiled. “Formulas are a little like that - maps.” He traced the image with one finger, and after a pause said, “Okay, go on.”
“Gamma used the same serum version as Beta for two more years. Then it also stopped. The serum version was discontinued. God, Lyle… Are they real people?”
He didn’t reply but urged her to continue.
“The Gamma file is very full. Phase I, Phase II… There are test results. There are observations and an interview.”
“Does it say anywhere what the subjects are? Male? Female? Human?”
“I can’t find it anywhere. But there’s a ton of information - I’ll need to carefully read it all later.”
