“So how long before rudimentary DNA testing was being done?” Greedy fucking bastards.
“A good decade? The thing is… because of what they were able to find out testing the Adam gene, a handful of people took it a step further.” He looks over at Hutton who is playing with the cat. “In a move that rivals what the Nazi doctors did in World War two, they conceived of using human beings as lab rats. Test tube babies, conceived, carried by surrogates, and brought to life to test. It was later dubbed the Adam and Eve project because the Naturalist movement was a loose cover of what was happening. Lawrence Hutton, a genius by all rights, got sucked into making the world better by repopulating it. With the kids that they were testing. Less likely to become ill, age slower, and be stronger and healthier.” Dean makes a disgusted face. “I could give you more information, but…” He shoves the computer drive my way and points his thumb over his shoulder towards Hutton. “He was able to gather proof of what was happening at Camp Carroll.”
“That’s what you were going to tell me?” Rage burns a path through me. Not at Hutton, but at his father and all the people responsible for this horrifying science experiment.
Hutton dips his head in a quick nod. “I was going to tell you why Eden is in danger.” Fucking finally.
“That’s all I’ve been asking since you met her at the Center. The only way to protect her is to know who’s after her.” Dean seems confused by our exchange.
“Who’s Eden?” Dean asks me.
“Hold on.” I lift a finger and call her cellphone. When she answers I ask her to come to room four nineteen with Blaine. This concerns her directly and she deserves to hear it.
“Listen… that’s not the only thing.” Dean nervously looks at Hutton. “The nature of some of the experiments weren’t genetic. The FBI was looking for new ways to fuck with prisoners of war. To screw up the minds of the enemy. They spearheaded a torture method that would scramble the thoughts and memories of the subjects.”
My heartrate just took a spike. “The test subjects… fuck… don’t tell me they were kids…” I glance back at Hutton who is staring at the wall with his back to us. “Are you fucking serious right now?”
Dean folds his arms over his chest. “The federal government, CIA, FBI, and those shadow groups were willing to develop not only a possible soldier, but also a way to play the ultimate twisted game with their enemies. Manipulate their memories, fucking erase them if they want. When we were able to get a couple of agents undercover at Camp Carroll and Hutton’s Medical Research lab… we…” He shakes his head as there’s a loud knock on the room door.
Hutton silently lets them in and walks out. “Hey… where are you going?”
I stand to follow him, but he turns back and says, “Caleb should be here, too.”
Once we’ve all been gathered in Hutton’s room, Dean continues, “We lost our undercover agents in the massacre, but Hutton was able to get good information that he hid away. Once they tried to scrap it all and killed everyone at Camp Carroll, we knew that Hutton was going to be hunted down by them.”
“No,” Hutton says in a detached way. “They wanted me to make it out. I was sent to take out a bigger threat.”
“None of this can be real. It sounds like Twilight Zone shit,” Blaine says while clutching Eden’s hand. She’s paled and hasn’t uttered a word.
“I assure you, it’s very real.” Dean turns his attention back to me. “This is the part that overlaps with your investigation into the Lassiter girls. The major contributor to the Adam and Eve project was John Lassiter, and Lassiter’s stepson Michael Wells.” Considering the fact, I’m looking at Wells as the reason Joan’s daughters never returned home, I’m not only interested, I’m on the edge of my seat.
“Mrs. Lassiter made it sound like both she and her husband didn’t have a relationship with Wells.” I reach over and take Eden’s other hand.
“I wouldn’t shout it from rooftops if I was doing illegal and immoral things with someone, either. In fact, it makes sense to put the blame entirely on Wells. He can’t fight their wealth or power, can he?”
Eden speaks up, “Agent Barnes… was Caroline Bradford ever involved with the Naturalists or Camp Carroll?” During this whole meeting, she’d slipped from my mind. Call it lack of sleep or the fact that my part in her demise makes me sick. I’m avoiding thinking about it.
Dean’s brows furrow. “Bradford? I remember that name coming up, but Rafferty Bradford?” He nods to the lockbox. “He became an unwilling participant in the Adam and Eve project. What started as a weekend away in high school with a group of his friends, ended in his life destroyed. From what we can tell John Lassiter had his daughters invite their friends Hutton, Bradford, French, and Hollings… away to a cabin in upstate New York to party. That was the start… he drugged them each, took blood…” He looks at Eden and frowns. “I don’t know how much you want to hear about this.”
“Everything,” Eden says firmly. “I’m not some fragile flower. I want to hear the truth.”
“Lassiter and possibly other scientists tested the girls’ friends... either their blood or DNA somehow. They were able to get eggs from Britteen Hollings, keep in mind she has no memory of this or the weekend, sperm from Hutton and Bradford. All of them held this marker, which was lucky for Lassiter, since it’s only one in fifty million that would… give or take.” He tries to chuckle and quickly reddens frowning. “Hollings, French… they don’t remember a thing… well, supposedly.”
“What do you mean?” I ask Dean.
“Britteen Hollings when questioned about the time they were gone or had ‘run away’ said she was high on cocaine, and it was gone from her memory. However, her family put her in a facility in Finland for people with seizure disorders. She has major seizures, and they can’t pinpoint from what. Our theory is the slurry of drugs they were using to wipe their memories caused brain damage. French refuses to admit he was there; we know he was. However, a business acquaintance once revealed to us that he has debilitating insomnia… he’s petrified of sleeping and insists that someone watch him while he sleeps. Rafferty Bradford developed substance abuse issues. None of them were okay after their weekend away.”
Fuck me. I don’t even have words. Slurry of drugs. Like Caleb was on? Eden was dosed with? What in the fucking hell is happening here?
“I... I don’t understand. Why would John Lassiter do that to his own daughters and her friends?” Eden’s eyes are glistening with tears and she’s holding her middle. “Do… do you think he killed them to keep them from talking to us.”
Hutton’s voice booms behind her, “They’re not dead. Neither one of them.”
All of us spin in his direction. “Jump in anytime here, kid. What do you know about the Lassiter girls and their disappearance.”
“Whatever John Lassiter was involved in… they were, too. Willingly. They’re monsters.” His teeth grit and lips press tight, Hutton’s detached mode is gone.
Dean nods in agreement. “His daughters lured their friends in.”
