"Everyone has parents, my friend. There'll be a record somewhere."
You'd think so, but apparently no one in State, and no one in the kids' home she'd spent her teenage years in had ever been able to find it. Which, in itself, posed several interesting possibilities — but her being the offspring of Walkers certainly wasn't one of the ones he'd come up with. "Birth records don't state race, and Walkers were never one of the declared races, even after the wars."
"No, but they existed, even if in extremely small numbers. Eyes like that aren't a freak of nature; they're the one tangible sign of the Walker race."
"Why are you so revved up over the possibility that Sam might have Walker blood?" Especially when they were nothing special? While they supposedly possessed the ability to wrap the merest wisp of shadow around their bodies and disappear to the human eye, it had to be nothing more than a vampire trick. Though Walkers could apparently move around in daylight, where vamps couldn't, which would have made them better spies. He'd heard that the government had used them extensively during the Race Wars, but he'd found no evidence of their existence, let alone use, in all the searches he'd done over the years. Which is why he, like many others, believed the Shadow Walker legend was mired in the reality of vampires.
"Walkers were more than just shadow dwellers, my friend," Karl said, an undercurrent of excitement edging his normally serene tones. "Much more."
He raised an eyebrow. "Finley has been running genetic tests on her, and while he has found some anomalies, I very much doubt Walkers are on his lists of possibilities."
Karl frowned. "Doing those sorts of tests at the SIU labs could be dangerous. Computers are not safe conveyances of information. How often have you told me that?"
"Quite a lot. But given the amount of genetic tests we regularly do, I doubt whether these are going to raise any immediate interest."
"Unless, of course, someone out there doesn't want the test results to be known."
He ran a hand through his matted hair. He didn't have the time to be standing here arguing about the existence of mythical creatures when there was so much he had to do before the meeting with his brother tonight. And on top of all that, he now had to find Sam. Yet something held him to the spot. Maybe it was the conviction in Karl's voice. Maybe it was the knowledge his friend's hunches was very rarely wrong.
"Why would anyone else be interested in the tests?"
"Why would anyone try to kill her?" Karl countered. "Someone must know, or suspect, that she is more than what she seems. If that's the case, they may well be watching what is happening at the SIU."
"What if I send you a copy of all of Finley's tests so far? Then you can check them out for yourself." And give them a secure back up.
Karl nodded. "And once you finish your meeting tonight, drop by. I have some books you might need to read if she is a Walker."
Something to look forward to, for sure. "I might have to drag her along with me."
"Even better. I can run a few tests of my own."
"If you can convince her to oblige. She's getting a little sick of being a guinea pig."
Karl smiled thinly. "I think you'll find that young woman has a desire to know the truth."
When it came to her partner and what had happened to him, maybe. But when it came to herself, definitely not. She hadn't even asked why they were doing all these extra tests. Hadn't even shown the slightest bit of curiosity. It was almost as if she didn't care.
He straightened and returned his gaze to the kidnappers. "Will you need help with those four?"
"Harv and I can manage." He hesitated, and again Gabriel noted the tension around his friend's eyes. But before he could ask about it, Karl added, "You'd better get back before someone starts missing you."
He nodded. "You going back to Stephan after this?"
"No. It would raise suspicions in the wrong quarters." Karl pulled a small bottle of pale green liquid from his pocket. "Give him this when you see him tonight, and make sure he gets some water. I won't have a chance to get there until tomorrow."
He held up the bottle. The green liquid was thick and shiny. "What is it?"
"A medicine designed to flush the toxins from his system. If we've pinpointed the right poison, it should work pretty fast."
"How's he doing? Health wise, I mean."
"He's weak, but he'll survive."
Relief surged through him, relaxing muscles he hadn't even realized were tense. "I'll see you later tonight, then."
Karl nodded and moved back toward the prisoners. Gabriel glanced at the license plate number of the car he'd been locked in, taking note of it for later investigation. He then called to his other shape and leapt skyward on brown-gold wings.
* * * *