Chapter 64: Three Heads
The room was dimly lit, the blinds half-drawn to block out the harsh light of the afternoon sun. Mariane Kyros sat in one of the sleek, black chairs around the table, her fingers drumming quietly against the cool surface. The hum of the air filtration system was the only sound in the otherwise silent room as they waited for Dr. Marcus Vance to arrive.
Across from her, Dr. Evelyn Mercer stood with her arms crossed, her back to the room as she stared out the window. The Academy grounds looked peaceful from here, but they both knew how deceptive that tranquility was.
The door slid open, and Dr. Marcus Vance entered, his sharp eyes flicking between Mariane and Mercer. He wasted no time in seating himself at the table, a file tucked under his arm. There were no pleasantries exchanged between them; this meeting was too important for small talk.
Vance laid the file down and opened it, revealing a set of dense data reports. “I’m going to be blunt—we don’t have enough time,” he said, his voice cutting through the silence. “We’ve made some progress on Blackwell’s meta sequence, but it’s not enough. There’s simply too much data, too many variables. We need more hands on this.”
Mariane exchanged a glance with Mercer, who remained silent, still gazing out the window.
“Levi Blackwell’s immortality,” Vance continued, “is unlike anything we’ve encountered. We’ve seen how his body recovers from injuries, but the exact mechanism—how his cells regenerate so quickly—is still eluding us. And that’s not even mentioning the emotional detachment we’re seeing as a side effect of his abilities.”
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“Emotional detachment aside,” Mercer said without turning around, “what we need is actionable information. Something we can use. All this data is useless unless we can figure out how to apply it.”
Mariane nodded, leaning forward slightly. “Agreed. But like Marcus said, we don’t have the time or the manpower. Between overseeing the broader Academy operations and dealing with the growing concerns about the Class 5s, we’re stretched thin.”
Vance flipped through the pages in the file, the sound of the paper rustling loud in the otherwise quiet room. “That’s why I’ve been thinking about expanding our team. Specifically, I recommend promoting Dr. Naomi Wells.”
Mercer finally turned away from the window, her sharp eyes narrowing. “Wells? She’s been reliable, but are you sure she’s ready for this level of responsibility. Sure she can be trusted?”
Vance gave a nod, his expression confident. “Naomi’s been with us for many years. She’s done excellent work, and she’s more than capable of handling the intricacies of Blackwell’s case. If we bring her up to speed, she could make significant headway on the immortality research while we focus on other priorities.”
Mariane considered this for a moment. She wasn’t as familiar with Dr. Wells as Vance was, but she had heard good things. Wells was meticulous and dedicated, someone who didn’t ask unnecessary questions—ideal traits in someone working in a place like this.
“If Wells can handle it,” Mariane said, breaking the brief silence, “it could alleviate some of the pressure on all of us. And we’ll still have oversight on her progress. It makes sense to bring her in.”
Mercer’s expression remained hard, but after a moment, she nodded. “Fine. Bring her up to speed. But I want her progress closely monitored. If she gets in over her head, we’ll need to settle it immediately.”
“Understood,” Vance replied, already making notes in the file. “I’ll talk to her today.”
As the discussion wrapped up, Mariane leaned back in her chair, her mind still spinning with the weight of their current situation. Blackwell’s immortality was just one piece of a much larger puzzle, but if they could unlock the secret behind it, the possibilities would be limitless.
But first, they had to figure out how to control it.