Part 29 (1/2)

”It escaped!” Tos.h.i.+aki screamed to the guard while still shaking Yos.h.i.+zumi. ”Please, hurry up and find it. It took a patient!”

”But what is...”

”Just do it!”

At these words, the guard snapped into action. He went back out the door and gave hand signals to the other guards, who broke away in a flash.

Anzai threw up. Tos.h.i.+aki looked over and saw a human foot next to him. The severed appendage ended in a muddy stump that looked cauterized. He also saw a hand in another corner of the room. Eve 1's victims. He groaned and looked away.

Dr. Yos.h.i.+zumi's glazed-over eyes returned to normal and slowly focused on Tos.h.i.+aki's face.

”...you.”

”What did it do to the child?” ”It...?”

”That d.a.m.ned monster! The one that looked like a woman!”

Yos.h.i.+zumi looked anxious all of a sudden. ”Mariko! Where's Mariko?”

”It took her.”

”What?!”

”So what did it do to her? Tell me, did it implant anything into her?”

”No...it hadn't done anything yet, ”Yos.h.i.+zumi panted. ”It went straight for Mariko...

The nurses were killed. And then I caught fire. That's when you guys...”

”You're sure the child wasn't harmed? It didn't put an egg into her?”

”An egg?”

”That creature is trying to plant a zygote in her.”

Anzai, who was covering his mouth with a handkerchief, wondered if he had heard Tos.h.i.+aki correctly and grabbed his arm. His face was going pale.

”What in G.o.d's name is that thing? Why would it attack Mariko?”

”That 'thing' is a parasite that was living in my wife's body,” Tos.h.i.+aki explained. ”It has unimaginable powers. It plans on putting its child into that girl and raising it inside of her. If we don't help her soon, she'll be in grave danger.”

”Wait a minute, what exactly is this parasite?” asked Yos.h.i.+zumi.

”Mitochondria.”

”Mito...!” Yos.h.i.+zumi could only utter that much. Apparently, Tos.h.i.+aki's revelation had rung some bell.

”Whether you believe me or not, we have to look for the child. Please, go help out the guards. You know your way around this hospital better than I do. And the guards don't trust me.”

Yos.h.i.+zumi, still in shock, looked at him apprehensively, then stood up and called out for the guards. The head guard came running up immediately. Tos.h.i.+aki listened closely as Yos.h.i.+zumi began discussing the layout of the hospital. The guard stood there with his mouth open as he took in Yos.h.i.+zumi's information. Anzai was at Tos.h.i.+aki's side, covering his face and muttering Mariko's name over and over.

Would Eve 1 really put a fertilized egg into that girl? As Tos.h.i.+aki pondered the possible consequences, his breath caught short. He had only gotten a glimpse of her, but the girl looked young enough to be in middle school. Eve 1 was trying to raise her own child in a vessel that was still a child herself. The whole idea became more disgusting by the moment.

He had to get the girl back as soon as possible. And if the egg happened to be implanted by then? They would simply remove and destroy it.

It was at this point that Tos.h.i.+aki came to a disturbing realization.

Eve 1 must have known from the outset that she wouldn't have all the time in the world to let her egg grow in a womb. She must have predicted that Doctor Yos.h.i.+zumi, Anzai, and ultimately Tos.h.i.+aki himself would try to stop the growth of her egg at all costs. Despite her unique abilities, it would be difficult for Eve 1 to protect Mariko until removal of the fetus became impossible. Even then, the newborn would have to be protected. It would likely take months, if not years for such a child to exhibit the abilities Eve 1 foresaw.

And yet Eve 1 was certain of victory?

The daring smile she flashed just before she ran away came back to Tos.h.i.+aki, because of the sheer confidence it expressed.

Eve 1 had something else up her sleeve. If not, she wouldn't have revealed herself during her speech.

His heart fluttered.

Eve 1 had probably mapped out everything beyond all his possible moves.

Was there no way to stop her? Were humans just meaningless objects to be exterminated in her path?

Tos.h.i.+aki refused to accept this. No matter how exhaustive her plans were, she had to have a weak point. There had to be some way to bring down Eve 1 and her offspring. Some way.

But nothing came to mind. Tos.h.i.+aki bit his lip impatiently.

18.

SHE ran at full speed. She had to find a place where She could keep Mariko quiet, where She could deposit the fertilized egg into her womb before Tos.h.i.+aki and the others arrived.

She had no reason to doubt Her success. Before long, a new Eve would be born. A daughter who possessed both human and mitochondrial abilities in a single body.

She had to hurry. Her host cells were beginning to weaken. Though She controlled its movements and energy, these were cultured cells that could not be exposed to the air for too long. If She entered into this girl, She could probably survive for a few more days, but sooner or later She'd be rejected, and eventually eradicated. The fact that Her erstwhile host Kiyomi and this young girl had similar antigens did not mean that the two were identical. Unless She obtained immunosuppressants, She would be destroyed. While manipulating Asakura's body, She had had to inject afresh rotation of cells into the woman daily to cope with the rejection mechanism. She was aware of Her own fragility. That is why She had prepared for a recipient who could bear a child, by sending out a sister.

And in that girl's body, Her sister had slowly but surely accomplished her task, by altering the girl's womb to accept Her egg, by ensuring that the placenta of Mother and child would be consistent in composition. Her sister had simply followed Her instructions and worked on the girl's womb. Unbeknownst to anyone, Her sister had altered the womb towards the borderline between the species. Now, Her egg could be planted without hin-drance.

Soon, this life form to which Tos.h.i.+aki had given the name ”Eve 1 ”would be no more.

Her life of parasitism would soon be over. But, before that, She had to set the stage for Eve's birth at all costs.

When Eve was born into this world, she would have the body of a human being. There'd be no need to control the host form like Eve 1 was doing now. She'd be able to utilize all of her abilities for more productive ends. Eve would create energy at will and pour it into action and thought. She would be able to guide every last one of her genes, replicating them or programming them to die at will. She'd be able to evolve freely into any form she desired.