Free Vampire Redemption by Phil Tucker Page B

is fascinating. There are parallels to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies--prion diseases, such as kuru. Are you familiar with that? No? Ah. Well, it's a form of neurodegenerative disease that targets specific areas of the brain. In the case of vampirism..."
    They passed an open doorway that led into a sterile bathroom, the sinks and toilet stall partitions gleaming chrome. A solidly-built white man with a military haircut and black eyes was flossing before one of the mirrors, not stopping as he turned to regard them, mouth wide open. No fangs, Selah noticed. They passed on.
    Wigner continued, "In the case of vampirism, it definitely isn't caused by misfolded proteins, though the end results have some similarities. Regardless, we believe the moral decay to be effected through biological degeneration, though, as of yet, the pathways are still not understood."
    The hall hit a T-intersection, and Wigner led her to the left. There were six doors down the length of this short hall, three to a side and most of them closed. Name tags were set on each, Selah read them as they passed. Tom Hoch. Gordon Castle. Lee Hyun-wook. Jennete Ruiz. Eric Van Holt.  The last door had no tag. It was this one that Wigner pushed open.
    She peered inside. A narrow cot was pushed against one wall, a small steel-frame desk against the other with its chair tucked in beneath it. That was all. It was as bare as a cell.
    "Yes, it is rather minimalist, but I suppose you could request a potted plant or something if you'd like. Or put up posters of your favorite ... musicians?"
    Wigner was clearly hazarding a guess. He gestured, and Selah stepped inside and turned to stare at him.
    "So," he continued. "I'm going to give you a little time to relax. Towels are available in the bathroom, and new, clean clothing will be made available to you shortly once I speak to the Quartermaster. What else. Toothbrush, toothpaste. Three meals are served daily. That about covers it. Some technicians will probably be fetching you soon for your first battery of tests. Nothing too arduous, I assure you. We'll probably just draw a little blood to start. Any questions?"
    Selah didn't know where to begin. She stared around the blank gray walls, at the flat, hard-looking pallet, at the blank desk. "The Hybrid Project?" Was she going to be locked in here with vampires? It took all her will to keep her voice steady.
    "Ah, yes! I got distracted with the history of the project." Wigner smiled. "We've been working on a serum derived from vampire blood, or, more accurately, from the drug popularly known as Blood Dust. A means of enhancing our best soldiers so that they may operate on the same playing field as the vampires. The men and women you will be living with are the test subjects for the first successful iteration we have produced. It's all really quite exciting."
    "So ... they don't drink blood?"
    "Drink blood?" Wigner paused, feigning shock, and then laughed. "No, good gracious me. Not at all. They eat normal food. They are normal human beings, or were. They are simply undergoing enhancement, is all. There is absolutely nothing to fear."
    Selah shook her head. "You don't know what you're doing."
    "Excuse me?" Wigner's smile slid down to half mast.
    "You don't know what you're playing with." Selah smiled bitterly at him. "But you don't care what I say, right?"
    "Ah. Well, take some time to rest and familiarize yourself with your quarters. It is now one-fifteen. You will probably be fetched by three. Very well? Very well."
    Wigner gave her a stiff smile, hesitated, and then turned and walked away. The soldiers wheeled smartly and followed after. Selah moved to the cot and sat on it. It was actually quite comfortable, the thick green blanket a little scratchy, but made of thick wool, the mattress giving under her weight nicely. She spread her hands on the blanket and stared at nothing. An inescapable fact hit her: Wigner wouldn't have explained all this, all these top secret