Christine Feehan - Conspiracy Game

“Which brings us back to mosquitoes,” Lily said. “Mosquitoes can sense carbon dioxide and lactic acid up to one hundred feet away. When we breathe, humans, along with other mammals and even birds, give off these gases. The chemicals in sweat also attract mosquitoes.”

“Are you saying Jack and this woman, Briony, can do that as well? Scent people by breathing and sweat?” Ian asked.

“Yes. Absolutely they can. They were born with the same olfactory system in their noses, as we all were. Mosquitoes have receptors that allow them to use that system efficiently. Briony and Jack both have receptors.” A small smile escaped. “Although their receptors are not in antennae. Mosquitoes also have heat sensors, as do Briony and Jack. And last, but not least, mosquitoes have visual sensors.”

“I’m seeing a pattern here.” Ian flashed a grin around the room. “No wonder the man is good in the jungle. He can just home in on his targets.”

“Actually you’re right, he can. He also has the ability to change his skin color to match his surroundings.”

“Like a chameleon?” Ian asked.

“Contrary to popular belief, chameleons can’t display limitless colors and do not change colors in a camouflage response to their surroundings. Their skin changes in response to temperature, light, and mood,” Lily explained. “The hormones that control the melanin-containing cells can vary in concentration over the chameleon’s body, producing elaborate colored patterns. Some patterns are good camouflage, while other patterns are more showy stripes or spots in contrasting colors that signal the chameleon’s mood.”

“But chameleons don’t have the same skin we do,” Kadan pointed out. “So far, Whitney hasn’t introduced any alien DNA into us, has he?”

“A chameleon has four layers of skin. The outside layer has both red and yellow color cells. Inside that layer are two more layers, both reflecting light, one blue and one white. The inner layer is complicated and contains pigment granules called melonophore cells. The melonophore has dark brown pigment called melanin.”

“The same stuff that colors human skin brown or black?” Ian asked.

“Exactly the same stuff,” Lily acknowledged. “Humans, by the way, also have red and yellow color cells. So if you could independently and precisely control the hormone levels for each of the melanin-containing cells, you could create a wide variety of color patterns within the ranges allowed by multiple-color cell layers.”

“In a human? How could you do that?” Kadan asked.

“Through a distributed network of nano-computers associated with the melanin-containing cells: one such nano-computer.”

Ian shoved a hand through his red hair. “I hate it when you start talking like this. It makes me feel stupid.”

“Each nano-computer is a few hundred molecules in size, and its primary purpose is to regulate the hormone level of the melanin-containing cell with which it’s associated. It has one more function-something like a sperm cell, if injected into the bloodstream, it will find its way to a melanin-containing cell that currently doesn’t have a ‘nano-computer’ and latch on to it.”

Flame frowned. “So you’re saying the idea is to inject a zillion of these into the bloodstream, and they will sort themselves out into a distributed computing network, one nano-computer per melanin-containing cell? What controls them?”

“The nano-computers change the hormone level they are allowing-and hence the colors those color cells are displaying-when they are exposed to a magnetic field of a certain strength.”

Logan burst out with “Damn it, Lily, are you sure?”

She nodded. “Jack and Ken Norton have extensive files. They’re very strong telepaths as well as having many other talents on a lesser level. Both can use telekinesis. Psychokinesis, more commonly referred to as telekinesis, is the ability to move things or otherwise affect the property of things with the power of the mind. Of all psychic abilities, true telekinesis is the rarest-and the most difficult to control. I know because I have some small talent-nothing like theirs. And I believe Briony must have this talent as well. Not only did both men test strong in that area, they were enhanced even further. They’ve apparently had the ability to communicate telepathically from the time they were toddlers.”

“Let’s go back to the ability to change skin color into camouflage,” Logan said. “If they need a magnet to control the nano-computers, do they carry it? And if hormone levels trigger the capability, how can they keep from revealing their mood swings like the chameleon does?”

“Good question. They’re trained with biofeedback, and both men have amazing control. Dr. Whitney implanted an MRI-like device inside both of the Nortons. It radiates the magnetic pattern outwards to the surface of the body. The device responds to a mental signal the brothers first learned in biofeedback training, but because of their extensive talent, it has become second nature to them.”

“If Briony was adopted, how could they do the same thing to her? Surely he didn’t have this technology before he adopted her out,” Kadan said.

“The parents took Whitney’s money believing he was a grieving husband who had lost his wife. They agreed to educate Briony in the way he wanted and he paid for all medical not only for her but the entire family. Every time she was sick, his doctors treated her. Whitney had access to her the entire time. And I believe he still does. They use his doctor when she’s ill. She has a lot of trouble due to the fact that there’s no respite for her from the continual assault on her senses. Quite frankly I’m surprised she’s survived this long without a breakdown.”

There was a small silence as the enormity of the implications sank in. Ryland pulled Lily into his arms and buried his face against her shoulder. “What impact will all this have on any children?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what he’s done to any of the rest of you. And I sure don’t have a clue what would happen if Jack Norton and Briony Jenkins have a child together. The one thing I can say for certain is that it will affect the baby.” Lily placed both hands protectively over the small rounded evidence of her pregnancy.

“If Ken Norton carries the same genetic code,” Kadan said, “why is it so important to Whitney that Jack, not Ken, meet up with Briony?”

“I’m guessing the pheromone reaction is specific to one man and one woman. I haven’t run across a mention of that in the files yet, but there is no other explanation. Dr. Whitney”-deliberately Lily distanced herself from the man she’d known all her life as her father-“is looking for a second-generation soldier and wants Jack Norton and Briony Jenkins to provide him with one. With their enhanced olfactory systems, the chemistry between them would be zinging off the charts.”

“Well,” Logan said, “he looked to the wrong man. No one controls Jack Norton. He’s a dangerous man and Whitney made the mistake of making him more so.”

“Maybe so, Logan, but if what I suspect is true, he wouldn’t be in control, he’d be at the mercy of his body’s demands-and so would Briony,” Lily explained.

“How is it going to help the Nortons to change skin color when they’re wearing clothes?” Flame asked pragmatically.

Lily sent a small, wan smile in her direction. “I forgot to tell you about the ‘smart’ shirts Georgia Tech developed to monitor soldiers and patients for medical problems. The Natick Soldier System Center in cooperation with Crye Precision developed the MultiCam Multi Environment Camouflage system. Companies have a line of personal clothes as well as combat clothes. The hottest thing is microscopic mirrors sewn into the fabric to reflect the environment around them. You’ll never guess who is testing these clothes.”