The Prospects (Book 2): Nothing Poorer Than Gods by Daniel Halayko

familiar.” Alex flipped through his phone until he found Griffin Industries’ logo - a winged lion with an eagle’s head. “Exactly the same shape, down to the tail.”
    Stormhead’s jaw dropped.
    “You lied,” said Alex. “I’m through with you,”
    “I had no idea. I’m as shocked as you are.”
    “I’m leaving tonight with Trista. Steve and Pete, watch Kayleigh until the helicopter comes back tomorrow morning. She should be on her feet by then.”
    “Don’t go,” said Stormhead. “We have to find out more.”
    “I’ll have the MAB tear Griffin Industries apart with a thorough investigation.” Alex ran to Trista’s cabin and knocked on the door.
    No one answered. The lights were out.
    “Goddamn it, where is she?” asked Alex.
    “That weird scientist, Doctor Von Dyme,” said Steve, “he and his robot took her to the medical ward.”
    “Why?”
    “I don’t know.”
    Alex glared at Stormhead. “What’s Harry up to?”
    “He never asks permission for anything. He does what he wants.”
    “And he’s a mad scientist who makes world-altering bad mistakes … oh, shit, he has Trista.”

Chapter Five: Project Cold Warrior
     
    Alex kicked the doors to the medical center open. “Where the hell is Trista?”
    Deon said, “Doctor Von Dyme took her downstairs.”
    Alex looked at the back of Gary’s neck. There was no Griffin Industries logo. “He’s not from a lab?”
    “He’s a late-onset mutant,” said Marcia. “Ruby was born like she is. I’m a gamma-radiation victim.”
    “Were there others from Griffin Industries?”
    “No. Pig-Girl and Lou had Alerion Incorporated’s logo on their chests.”
    “That doesn’t surprise me. Alerion Incorporated does shady things to turn a profit. It doesn’t make it okay that Griffin Industries does it too. If anything, it makes it worse.”
    Jenny leaned up. “Wait, what does Griffin Industries do?”
    The lights flickered. A loud hum echoed through the building.
    “What’s Harry doing?” Alex ran down the stairs.
    In the level below the medical room, Trista stood over a table. Her head was directly over Pig-Girl’s. Magna shoved a long prod between Pig-Girl’s legs. Harry tapped a series of buttons at the other end of the table. Pig-Girl’s body twitched furiously.
    “One more time,” said Harry.
    “No more times,” said Alex. “This is the sickest thing I’ve ever seen.”
    Harry said, “If you knew more about Giovanni Aldini’s experiment with George Foster …”
    “Spare me the history lesson. Trista, pack your things.”
    Trista blinked repeatedly. “So many thoughts at once. It was like reading a book while it was thrown at me.”
    “What did you see?” asked Harry.
    “Don’t care,” said Alex. “We’re leaving.”
    “The main thing I got,” said Trista, “is that it isn’t a girl’s mind in this body.”
    Alex pulled Pig-Girl’s up shirt to reveal a circular pointed bird-shaped birthmark under her right armpit. “I can tell you something else. This is Alerion Incorporated’s logo. This monster was made by Griffin Industries’ biggest competitor.”
    Stormhead came down the stairs. “That’s interesting. Maybe they’ll have more information.”
    “I’m sure you know more about this than I do,” said Alex.
    Stormhead made eye contact with Trista. “Read my mind and tell Alexander everything I know about these human experiments.”
    “Don’t order her around,” said Alex. “She’s my …”
    “He knows nothing,” said Trista.
    “You don’t take orders from him, you take them from me.”
    “Agent O’Farrell, please,” said Trista, “we’re trying to find out more about the killers. Doctor Von Dyme reanimated Pig-Girl with electricity so I could read her, or rather his, mind.”
    Magna’s glass eyes turned a lighter shade of blue as she put her head next to Pig-Girl’s. “There is practically no wear on the teeth. That is impossible unless all of its teeth came no more than a year