Chapter 21
Alexei came to in another cell. He tried to sit up, but they had him chained down. He thought he remembered a thick goo covering his mouth – had they done that? No, that was crazy, but he remembered it – that horrible mouth over his, putting something inside him. He thought he felt something lodged in his throat and tried to cough it up, but nothing came out. Then the lights flicked off. He forced himself to breathe. A power failure. These things happened. But why was it so much colder? What was that floating in the air? Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm-
Andrei came and sat next to him. Not Andrei, him – but not?
"Who are you?" Alexei asked.
"The next stage in evolution," the creature – it couldn't be human – wearing his skin said. "We're going to build a new world, doctor, and I've chosen you to help me."
"I don't understand."
"It's not necessary to understand. All you have to do is allow me to borrow your hands. Your voice. We'll build it together. A world with no more-" He gestured around them. "Well, your species has made a mess of things. No more of this pain."
The lights came back on. Alexei closed his eyes. His body was suddenly calm. He looked over at his left hand. It was still, for the first time in at least a week. He clenched it and felt strength surging through his arm, like he'd never felt before. What was this?
Andrei, the real Andrei, opened the door. "Are you ready to cooperate?" he asked.
"No," Alexei thought, but his mouth answered, "Yes."
"Did that thing put it all in perspective?"
"Yes. I will build what you want me to build."
Andrei looked surprised. "You'd better not change your mind again."
"I won't. That whore was unimportant, compared to what we're doing here." Who was this? He heard his voice, but he couldn't recognize it. "I'll need papers and pens to start with. And then a lab." He thought he heard himself laugh. Dear God, was that him? "We're going to build."