Chapter 12

Juli answered the door shortly after noon. Tatiana had already home to her house in the suburbs. She was a bit shocked to see Nicholas standing in her doorway.

"She's home. Bring it up." He addressed two men on the landing.

"Bring up what?" Curiosity littered Juli's voice.

Nicholas gaged her under a calm expression. "A piano, Miss Kidman. Perhaps not the best money can buy but it is a piano all the same…" He side stepped as the men reached the top of the landing.

"Why is it here…? Why are they putting it in my living room?" Juli was beyond puzzled, having stepped aside to allow the men to pass into her apartment.

Nicholas checked his pocket watch before dropping it back into his pocket. "They…are under Mr. Victoriano's orders to deliver one to you. They will set it up, tune it, and then leave. He…insisted." Hands cinched at the small of his back, the butler answered her questions.

Peering at the men, she watched them carefully shift furniture aside. Still puzzled, Juli looked to Nicholas for answers.

"Mr. Victoriano felt terrible that you never learned to play an instrument. He will be here every night you are available, at seven sharp, to teach you. I suggest you keep your cell phone handy." Nicholas sighed inwardly at her raised brow and unbelieving expression. "He doesn't have fantastic social skills. He wanted to help you further with your recovery and this is a good enough reason for him to be nosey."

Juli bit the inside of her cheek, stifling a laugh. Clearing her throat, she turned her gaze to the two gentlemen setting up the ebony instrument. "I see… So much for him brushing me off."

An amused sound escaped the silver haired man's throat. "You're a dangerous woman, Miss Kidman." Nicholas absently commented, stepping inside with the movers. "Never forget that."

She had little idea just what exactly he meant by that.

Ruvik had worked so hard… to get rid of this husk. He worked to regain his face and all else lost in the accident. Like some cruel joke, fate had crossed his path with hers. Her: a woman who couldn't give a damn less about his appearance. Would she still even want him when all was said and done?

He sighed deeply, gaze turning into more of a glare as he looked at his own reflection in the mirror over the sink.

She'll have to. Nicholas and I have a deal.

Turning away from the mirror, his eyes settled on the test subject half submerged in the tub connected to the STEM device. Three others resided in the other tubs, silent as the grave.

She must… There is no other way. I'll be whole again… I'll be a better fit for her. She… She is already worthy.

His stare fixed to Marcelo who stood opposite the tub. The aged man was biting on the corner of his thumb nail. He must have felt like a gnat under Ruvik's appraising gaze. He was nothing more than a gnat. He looked like his skin was crawling when he turned away.

"Whenever you're ready, Ruvik. These adjustments had better work."

"Oh…They will." Ruvik sounded confident.

Marcelo didn't seem to share such confidence when he flicked the screen of his tablet on, weathered fingers tapping out the appropriate passcode into the program. "Passcode entered. Passcode accepted. Begin sequence."

Flipping the switch, long and scarred fingers flew over the keys of the keyboard on the control console. "Beginning sequence five-four-eight-two."

The machine awoke from slumber, gears turning. STEM was a mammoth of a device, cables running the ceiling and the floors.

"Sequence five-four-eight-two initiated. Inputting passcode two." Marcelo drawled above the roar of STEM. His eyes adorned in crow's feet shifted to Ruvik. "Passcode accepted."

Impossibly long digits began to turn the dial on the control console. "Initiating merge into STEM," He glanced to the nearest test subject. "REM achieved?"

"Rapid eye movement achieved, inputting final passcode." Swallowing hard, the balding man's fingers tapped out the last code. "Passcode accepted." His fingers tapped to another program, accessing the feed on brainwave scans. "Merging into STEM complete. All souls on deck. Brainwave activity is synchronizing."

Ruvik exhaled in relief under his bandaging. "Finally…" Slowly he approached the machine. "After all this time—"His words were suddenly cut off by a terrified scream. Ruvik's head jerked toward the sound.

The patient, in the tub on the far side, began thrashing. His fingers lifted up to his face, nails digging into his own skin in horror. The dermis ripped in ribbons with each tear. He was reduced to a bloody mess in mere seconds.

"My God. Turn it off!" Marcelo yelled, tablet dropped on a table nearby as he ran for the console.

Ruvik approached the tub, watching the patient in the thrashes of some horrifying dreamlike state. Skin peeling from bone, teeth cracking under the pressure. His eyes lifted as another began to scream on the other side. He swiftly made his way over. Ruvik barely had time to see the reaction of the patient before the back of the man's head exploded. Blood and brain matter drenched Ruvik's shirt and face.

Dammit…

"How do I shut it off?!" Jimenez was beside himself in terror. So many switches and buttons. Any one of them could have made matters worse.

Ruvik ignored him, circling the device that behaved more demonic than medical in that moment. The screams… they filled him to the brim. The third patient just bled out. Through ears, nose, eyes… there was no movement. He died on the spot.

Pity…

"RUVIK!"

Dead gray stars turned, regarding Marcelo. The look of terror on the old man's face was fitting. Fitting for everything he'd done… Still, it needed to be turned off. Ruvik could smell human flesh burning already. "Press the stop button. The red one on the right." He pointed it out, lazily.

Marcelo punched the button so hard he nearly cracked it.

STEM immediately powered down, lights flickering.

"Shit… Ruvik, I told you to TURN IT OFF!"

Ruvik continued circling, his stare wandering to the dead. More souls claimed by his unappeasable machine.

All…except for one.

Dead stars fell their stare onto one form huddling in the tub's chill waters.

Leslie Withers. As always…

With eyes like that of a spooked horse, Leslie could not tear his gaze from Ruvik. Shivering and shaking, he tried to form words.

It has to be his bloodline… There can be no mistake. This… This is going to work.

"RUVIK!" Marcelo, dragging him back to from the ascent of realization.

"What?" Annoyance plagued Ruvik's voice as he stepped away from the tub and Leslie.

"Just what in the hell were you doing not hitting the stop button?"

Ruvik stooped down, scooping up one of the cables on the floor. "I was thinking…"

Marcelo could not have looked more furious. "Thinking what exactly?"

The heir of the Victoriano fortune sighed deeply as he stood. "I was thinking that the power supply must have been compromised." He showed a terrible tear in the cable. "Due to a thoughtless nitwit that I am forced to work with still." Ruvik dropped the cable back to the floor. "This one is on you. I've told you a thousand times to pick up your feet and you never have. What's the body count going to be from that alone?"

Jimenez swallowed hard, expression filling with shock. "I… You cannot blame me for this."

Ruvik made an amused sound, exhaling through his nostrils. "But you can blame me for everything that goes wrong with this experiment? Funny…" His stare turned to the albino still in the tub. "None of them were compatible. Get your patient out of the machine, Doctor. Unless you prefer I flip the switch again so you don't have to."

"You're a monster." Jimenez seethed, marching over to the machine to assist Leslie out of the tub.

"Monster…monster…monster…" Leslie took Jimenez's hand, climbing out of the tub.

Ruvik turned his stare, fixing it right on Leslie, almost looking through him.

The younger man cowered, a terrified little sound escaping him as he hid behind Jimenez.

"You might want to tell your patient to watch his mouth."

Marcelo seemed rather pleased with Leslie's reaction. "You know he can't control it. I think he's being rather honest. Like a dog, he can sense evil."

Ruvik glared at them both.

Neither had much to say after the incident. Leslie had been escorted back out past Elk River, to Valerio's villa.

Inwardly, Ruvik knew his theory had been correct. He just wasn't ready to share…

"I think we should move forward with the operation…and move the equipment to the hospital." Marcelo uttered softly, seated on the opposite side of the desk in Ruvik's study. The fireplace was lit in warm golden light from the flames devouring logs.

The orbitoclast lazily spun between Ruvik's long fingers. "I agree."

Jimenez looked almost surprised. "You do realize the consequences of moving forward, correct? The risk for infection and time will no longer be on our side. Your brain will still be somewhat exposed even with the implant… it will have complications."

"The sooner we move forward, the sooner this is over. When I am able to merge into STEM, we will find a candidate more easily. Eventually, we'll be able to have a slew of hosts. That's what they want: blank slates." Letting the orbitoclast drop onto a stack of papers, Ruvik let his air out. "I still want an assistant that won't pester me once STEM is settled into the basement of the hospital."

Favoring his cup of tea, Marcelo nodded. "The woman I told you about… She is willing and able to help."

"I know she is." Ruvik uttered in reply.

Jimenez raised a brow.

Ruvik realized that he had given himself away. His brow knit tightly. "She is a friend of Juli Kidman."

Marcelo frowned, a stern expression crossing his aged features. "You shouldn't be wasting so much time on a woman that doesn't understand you."

Dead gray eyes hardened their stare.

Just what would you know of my little joy?

The older man elaborated further. "She won't ever understand, Ruvik. Only Laura did…and she's gone."

"If there is a point to this: find it quickly."

Marcelo sighed.

Ruvik leaned back in his leather chair, eyes closing. "What I do with my time is none of your business. STEM is right on schedule considering the lack of test subjects you manage to cough up."

Running a hand over his thinning hair, Marcelo sighed heavily. "You know that your condition could easily deteriorate if and when that woman crushes you. Save yourself some headache, Ruvik. Focus on STEM, and then you can do whatever you want."

Anger boiled in Ruvik's blood. "For who's sake exactly, Marcelo? I could dump STEM tomorrow on Mobius to finish and walk off the project without batting an eye. They hardly would care. They have researchers looking to make a name for themselves."

That…was not the right thing to air to the older man. "What? After everything we've done you would just walk off if it didn't suit you? Ruvik, this has been your life's work."

"Half of it has been stolen by you, Marcelo. Publishing papers on my theories, my ideas, my research… What is even the point if all you will do is steal it for yourself, you halfwit?"

Marcelo tried to rationalize his previous behavior. "I… I wanted the world to know your ideas, Ruvik. That is all I wanted. You have no formal training. How would anyone take you seriously if you don't have formal training?"

"About as serious as I'm taking you at this moment, I suppose."

"And what about Laura?"

Ruvik's gaze evened out.

"You won't be able to restore your dear sister without STEM. That was the true goal of your research wasn't it? …To bring her back?"

Ruvik's gaze was nothing short of scorching embers. The hooded man couldn't deny it. STEM was his creation for the sake of returning Laura to his side. "I will bring her back one way or another."

"Well, I hope you keep your priorities straight. For Laura's sake and your own… Mobius would not take kindly to you just dumping your work on them and walking out." Empty cup of tea returned to its saucer on the desk, Marcelo cleared his throat. "That Castellanos woman is still snooping around the hospital, so I cannot afford patients for another few weeks. We have to be very careful, Ruvik."

"I am aware of how to be careful. I'm not the one who just killed three test subjects, Marcelo."

A deep sigh and Jimenez was on his feet. "Good. I would suggest looking for other venues… for now."

"I…have options." Ruvik admitted, fingers running the length of the stationary orbitoclast. "I'll continue working out whether the adjustments would have been successful."

"Good. I'm sorry, Ruben… I just don't want you to throw away everything you are on the brink of achieving."

Ruvik made an amused sound, lips twisting into a smile. "Your concern does not go unnoticed, Marcelo."

Jimenez pressed his luck. "She… already has been through much. As have you. It would be best… if—."

"Leave." Ruvik's gaze bore every ounce of anger tenfold. "Never mention her again or I cut you out of this equation. Have I made myself clear, Marcelo?"

The aged doctor swallowed hard, nodding. "You have."

"Good." Rising to his feet, Ruvik gestured to the door. "Duncan will see you out."

Marcelo should have been upset, but he was quite pleased with himself during the drive back to the city.

The brat is right where I want him…