Chapter 81
When we reach the dining area, Hiro has laid out an impressive spread—eggs, rice, miso soup, grilled fish, and fresh fruit. He glances at us as we enter, his gaze briefly flicking to Wake’s clothes, then to mine, and then back to the food.
“Well, dig in,” he says, gesturing to the table. “You’re going to need your strength.”
“Thanks, Hiro,” I say, taking a seat. “This looks amazing.”
Wake gives a curt nod, sitting down beside me, though I can tell he’s still a little on edge. I can’t blame him. This world is foreign to him, and the influx of fresh stimulus must be exhausting. I'm not surprised in the slightest when Wake opts to load his plate only with grilled fish, using his hands to tear off bits. It's the only thing on this table that is remotely familiar.
As we start to eat, I catch Hiro watching us with curiosity. He’s not asking questions, but I can tell he’s thinking them. After a moment, he finally speaks up.
"I contacted a friend in the medical innovation department," Hiro says, his voice casual but laced with intent. "They’re working on slipping me a dose of the cell stabilizer. It’ll take some time, but it should be here by the end of the day."
Relief courses through me, and I nod. "Thank you, Hiro. Seriously, I don’t know what we would’ve done without your help."
He grins, but then his expression turns more serious as he opens the next bag on the table, pulling out a small folder. "I also dug up some information on Becker’s descendants, like you asked." He flips through the pages and hands one to me. "There’s a grandson—Lio Becker Jr. Lives in Tokyo. He’s a graphic artist."
My eyebrows shoot up as I take the paper from him, scanning the details. I can’t believe it. "He’s so close."
Hiro nods. "Closer than you’d think. I already have some contacts in the area. After you take the stabilizer, I’d be happy to take you to visit him. But…" He pauses, raising an eyebrow, "I feel like I’ve earned your trust enough for you to clue me in on what exactly is going on here."
I glance at Wake, who’s quietly eating beside me, his eyes flickering with restrained intensity. He’s been on edge since we got here, but something about Hiro seems to disarm him—maybe it’s because Hiro’s genuinely trying to help, or maybe it’s because he’s an outsider to all this madness, like me.
I take a breath, knowing it’s time to come clean. "I'm trying to gather irrefutable information on Felix Becker and the 1860s incident," I explain, keeping my voice low but clear. "I’m hoping that if we can dig up something damning enough, something that proves Enigma has been hiding things for generations, we can force Lily St. Cloud to sit up and listen."
Hiro lets out a long whistle and leans forward, his elbows resting on the table. "And then what? What’s the endgame here?"
I hesitate, looking at Wake for support. He gives me a slight nod, urging me to continue.
"For one," I say, my voice steady, "to get her off our backs. And second…" I pause, my fingers brushing the edge of the paper Hiro handed me. "To force her hand. I need her to release Peter and Delphinium…Marina. Lily’s job is to create more sirens by any means necessary, and I’m worried she’s going to use the progress we made with the gene editing technology to finally reach that goal."
Hiro sits back, considering my words carefully. "So, you think Lily’s going to try and replicate what you’ve done?"
"Not just replicate it," I say, my heart pounding at the thought. "Perfect it. Genes can be replicated, you know this. They can be modified and replaced. Years ago, she had Peter develop machines that have the potential to replicate hundreds of thousands of years of genetic evolution within minutes. She did that with the intention of turning humans into sirens, but she didn't have the right genetic sequencing to pull it off.”
Wake’s jaw tightens beside me, “And now she does.”
I place a hand on his arm to calm him, and his muscles relax slightly under my touch. “She’s going to use what we’ve learned to create more sirens, to breed them in captivity, maybe even force them to… I don’t know. Whatever she thinks will give her power over them.”
Hiro exhales and runs a hand through his hair. "You’re not wrong. Lily is ambitious, and if she’s close to a breakthrough, there’s no way she’s going to let that go without exploiting it. And you’re right…" He sighs, tapping the folder on the table. "To stop her, we need to take away her source. Without Marina and Wake’s genetic material to replicate, she’s got nothing."
"Exactly," I say, feeling a surge of determination.
Hiro raises an eyebrow. "And you think Becker’s grandson will help you with that?"
"It’s a long shot," I admit. "But Becker Jr. might know more than he realizes. Maybe his grandpa used to tell him stories of the evil conglomerate who made his life hell. Maybe Becker took more than memories with him when he was discharged.”
Hiro is silent for a moment, tapping his fingers thoughtfully against the table. Then he looks at me, his expression serious. "If you’re going to confront Lio Becker, you’ll need to be careful. If he’s involved, even tangentially, with Enigma, you could be walking into a trap. Lily knows that you couldn't have gotten far, she could have feelers anywhere."
"I know," I say quietly. "But it’s a risk we have to take."
Wake finally speaks up, his voice low and gravelly. "I do not like this.”
I meet his gaze, my heart aching at the fear and protectiveness in his eyes. "I don’t like it either, but what other choice do we have? We can’t run forever, Wake. And I can't go back to the sea knowing that my friends—my family is in danger."
He looks at me for a long moment, then gives a slow, reluctant nod. "Very well. But if anything goes wrong, we leave. No hesitation."
"Deal," I say, squeezing his hand under the table.
Hiro clears his throat, breaking the tension. "Alright then. I’ll go make a few more calls, get things in motion for when you’re ready to meet Becker’s grandson."
Phoebe nods, feeling the weight of the next steps settling on her shoulders. "Thank you, Hiro," she says softly.
“Just doing my part,” Hiro says, his tone light, but the words sound hollow. He seems to shake himself, his smile returning as he reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a credit card. To my surprise, he holds the card out to me. “Enough doom and gloom. How do you feel about a field trip?”
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