Dead and Damaged (The Endangered Series Book 2)

by S. L. Eaves

  “You’ve heard of heat-seeking missiles? We’ve adapted the technology.”

  She clicks the remote and yet another camera feed appears. A figure in a desert-camo exoskeleton is in the midst of a shootout with at least a dozen armed militia.

  “Ah, this is one of the devices I’m most proud of. We’re developing bulletproof exoskeletons. They are flexible and lightweight. They can transmit the user’s vitals, and the suit’s fibers enhance the user’s strength up to forty percent. As an added accessory, the helmet is equipped with both night vision and infrared eyepieces.

  “The model shown here has been field tested and is being manufactured in small quantities for a buyer overseas. We’re working on making it scalable to accommodate bulk orders, and testing additional modifications. The original design had even more enhancements, but we’re still perfecting the technology required to make the vision a reality. The material, however, is the real star. It’s a para-aramid fiber blend similar to Kevlar and can be poured into custom molds. Thus, the same materials can be—will be—used to create a full-body suit impervious to sunlight.”

  She clicks off the screen. “Everything we are currently field testing is tracked by satellite feeds so we can keep tabs. If, say, the field testers don’t make it, we can locate the technology, retrieve it, and any potentially useful performance data.”

  Xan is the first to react: “Wow. I mean…this is just…incredible.

  “And you develop these devices here?”

  She nods, “We have another active lab on the west coast, but I’ve moved the most sensitive projects into this facility. I have investors who wish to keep these innovations confidential. I won’t bore you with the legalities. But our testing abilities are limited on the premises, so we send them out into the field to test them. My investors see the same footage you just did.”

  “We killed a creature with an invisible shield that was terrorizing a college campus. Is that what you mean by testing? Because it’s a tad bit conspicuous for our taste,” Xan asks, recovering from his initial state of awe.

  Brixton hesitates, then finally nods.

  “That was one of ours, but that was an accident, not a test. One reason why we’ve relocated to a more remote setting and instituted satellite feeds and other measures is so we can take action remotely should something unfortunate occur. That creature was a failed genetic experiment that stole an early prototype of our black box. With which I believe you are familiar. We’ve made adjustments in our capabilities and now possess the ability to terminate a test at any time. We maintain complete control.”

  “Terminate?” Crina asks.

  “Recall. Destroy, if need be.”

  “And that creature—it wasn’t a vampire you were running tests on?”

  “No. It was a product of our own creation. It may have looked like a vampire, but its fangs were implanted. Until now, the only vampires I have had contact with were a few that were interested in buying some of my devices. And Lori, of course.”

  “Why is the government after you?” Xan inquires.

  “That is complicated. The American government is neither a friend nor foe. They know they can benefit from this technology, but for reasons I’m sure your kind can understand, they have to deny knowledge of my operations. And keep their hands clean of any direct involvement. I have an agreement in place with certain agencies that support my work. Remember that blind eye I mentioned before? It runs deeper than just my customers.”

  “And the agents that attacked your compound, that was the government turning a blind eye?” Crina’s tone skeptical.

  “That was your assiduous little rogue. As I stated in England, the DIA is after disruptive vampires and other—how do I put this gently—entities they’ve identified as high level threats. I knew my involvement with your kind might put me on their radar, especially after the incident in California. So I keep an inside man over at the DIA to be prepared for such opposition. We react as needed.

  “And as to the nature of our business, it is reasonable to assume the government wants to maintain a certain level of control over military corporations. It’s a fine line we’re treading here. I have to feed them research data and prototypes every now and then to keep them satisfied. We’re only in good standing with the government when we’re not—as Xan said—conspicuous.

  “That’s why I’m coming to you for help. I’d like to prevent any further vampire attacks; werewolf too, for that matter. We had a pack attack us a year ago in California. That wolf I showed you was genetically engineered from DNA taken by one of our attackers.

  “We could use some powerful allies. The allies I have now are powerful in the expensive-suit, large-bank-account sense of the word. However, recent developments have us requiring a different sort of power.”

  Brixton clicks her remote a few times and all the screens resume their various feeds, muted and vicious. Crina, Xan, and Marcus exchange glances.

  “Well, I for one am very impressed,” Marcus smiles, arms folded. “How soon can we try some of these devices for ourselves?”

  Brixton places a hand on Marcus’s shoulder. “As soon as you want. We have rooms set aside for demoing. I’ll be happy to personally demonstrate some of the exoskeletons.”

  Her hand lingers on his shoulder, somewhat flirtatiously, and is not lost on Crina, who scowls at Brixton as she watches the two of them side by side, faces glued to the screens. Marcus seems too caught up watching the monitors to notice, but he doesn’t pull away either.

  “I want Xan to try to the blood substitute you’ve developed as well,” Marcus says, turning to Brixton. “He’s a bit of an engineer himself and I’d like to get his opinion.”

  “Not a problem. In fact, his room is stocked with it. All of yours are. Our accommodations are well shy of a five-star resort, but the rooms are windowless and stocked with blood. Most of our facility is sealed from daylight, for the record.”

  Brixton unhooks the radio from her side, switches it on. “Owen, will you report to my office please?”

  Then to her guests, she adds, “We’ll resume demonstrations later. I have a conference call, but Owen will escort you to your rooms and to anywhere else you care to explore. Besides, I’m sure you’ll want a chance to discuss my proposal in private.”

  ***

  The metal door reacts loudly to Marcus’s knocking. Crina opens the door to her room.

  “Hey Marcus, come in.” She steps aside to let him through the narrow doorway.

  The room is barely large enough to hold the twin bed and dresser it’s furnished with. Beside the bed is a tiny table equipped with a desk lamp and a mini fridge sits next to the dresser. It hums loudly.

  “These accommodations fall somewhere between cruise ship and prison cell.” Crina voices her displeasure.

  “Yeah, but with the nearest hotel over a hundred miles away, what it lacks in comfort it makes up for in convenience,” Marcus offers. “Besides, I don’t intend to be here long. Few weeks at most.”

  Crina nods. “What do you make of this Brixton character?”

  “She’s ambitious, smart, calculated, and brings a lot to the table. Can’t remember the last time a human impressed me as much as she does.”

  “She’s certainly brazen, I’ll give her that. And trusting, to bring us here. Shoe on the other foot, I would be afraid we’d just kill her and take her products, research, data, and everything else.”

  “And she should be,” Xan enters. “Hope I’m not interrupting; I was coming to find you guys and heard you from the hall.”

  “Perhaps we should have this conversation elsewhere?” Crina whispers as Xan shuts the door.

  “I don’t think any humans can hear us. Unless they’ve got the rooms bugged, which is entirely possible.” Xan raises a device and begins circling the tight space. “Cozy, isn’t it?”

  “I expect a place like this has eyes and ears everywhere.” Marcus watches Xan as he climbs on the mattress. “What are you doing?”

&nbs
p; The handheld device begins beeping loudly as Xan runs it along the ceiling. He reaches into the overhead light, runs his fingers along the edge, and comes down with a chip the size of a nickel. He holds it up for them to see then promptly smashes it in his hand.

  “I swiped this scanner from a guard.” He pockets the device. “Now we can speak freely.”

  “Smart boy,” Marcus smiles.

  “So what is this nonsense about handing Lori over to Brixton?” Crina presses.

  “Right, about that. Let me explain my plan.”

  “Please.”

  “First off, look at what they’re doing here—this should be us. We have been so wrapped up in our war with the wolves, we’ve lost a few steps in innovation. Humans have surpassed us, and that scares me. It should scare all of us. We need to take over operations here and, in doing so, stop humans from getting their hands on all this incredible technology.”

  “So you’re proposing what, exactly? Killing the humans? Taking control of this facility?”

  “Yes, except Brixton. She has made it very clear to me that her business partners have invested too much into her work to let it go without a fight. We kill her and within hours this place will be swarming with humans. They’ll come after us to reclaim what’s theirs. She can do more for us as our ally.”

  “So we turn her; is that where this is going? Hand her Lori, take control of Trion, and provide protection against opposing parties, which may range from Vega’s group to various government agencies. Yeah, I dunno about this…” Xan shakes his head.

  “Yeah, we can’t just turn her. Only Purebloods get to make that call.” Crina places her duffle bag atop the dresser, turns back to Marcus. “You going to ask Vega for permission? I’m sure that’ll go over well.”

  Marcus stifles a laugh.

  “Are you in contact with any other Purebloods?” she continues.

  “No, not for a few decades. Adrian was the last I was regularly in touch with. They tend to be reclusive by nature.”

  “They may surface if word gets out that you turned her.”

  “Vega will kill you,” Xan says bluntly. “He’s already angry about losing his men to her—men he does not believe Lori killed, by the way. That’ll give him just the reason he needs to come after us…Speaking of which, I need to see that video. Marcus, can I see this incriminating evidence for myself?”

  “Brixton has it, but I agree you should analyze it, make sure she didn’t alter the footage any.” Marcus runs his hand through his silky black hair. “But let me explain. What you’re failing to see here is the big picture. To your point, Xan, Vega will be well within his rights to come after me if I turn Brixton, as will every Pureblood. That’s not an enemy I fancy making. Lori will turn her.”

  Crina laughs, “Good luck with that.”

  “Brixton has some crazy idea that being turned by a seer will pass the power along,” Marcus smiles. “Who are we to correct her of this notion?”

  “She thinks she will inherit the visions?” It’s Xan’s turn to laugh. “This woman is certifiable.”

  Marcus nods, “And I don’t see any reason why we don’t play along. We deliver Lori and we’ll take care of a traitor. Let the Purebloods come after her. See how much Vega likes her then.”

  “I don’t know how much I fancy Brixton coming to our side, and it won’t be easy to force Lori’s hand in this, but it would take care of several problems…” Crina sits on the bed, shaking her head.

  Marcus shrugs, “Get the criminal to commit the crime. Combine forces with Brixton and then we’ll look at moving operations somewhere off the government radar. Ideally, back to England.”

  “Alright, I just want to see the video and some of these weapons for myself. Assuming it’s all on the up and up, consider me on board.” Xan takes a vial from Crina’s mini fridge. “And this blood substitute tastes great, by the way.”

  “So what happened in California? I know she helped us take out the wolves, but remember she was doing that for Catch more than for us. You can’t let her past allegiance cloud your judgment.”

  “She had help,” Xan states.

  “Right. DIA, not Vega?”

  “Human help. Vega didn’t stop us or help her. We had her in our custody and her government agent friends came to her rescue.”

  “You mean to tell me you two got bested by humans?!” Marcus looks stunned.

  “We were outnumbered,” Crina defends. “And they had these darts that paralyze the nervous system. A part of the human body we still rely on.”

  “Bet Brixton’s suits would protect us from those darts,” Xan interjects, thinking aloud.

  “Were these humans definitely government? DIA or what have you?”

  Xan shrugs, “Honestly, it’s not like they announced themselves. Humans in black uniforms, Kevlar, helmets, those stun gun things, and a copter…we just assumed. Brixton may have some powerful connections in the government, but there’s at least one group with some assets of their own going up against her. Government or not, we’d be foolish to underestimate them. All I’m saying.”

  “I agree with Xan. Brixton was awfully dismissive for someone who brought us here to protect her,” Crina affirms.

  “Well, let’s go after this group. I don’t want to wait for them to come to us. Let’s go on the offense.” Marcus paces the tiny room. “Brixton does not strike me as a patient person. We need to find Lori. Maybe separate her from her new allies…find a way to trap her…I dunno, be creative. I’m sure Brixton will lend us some of her devices.”

  “If that means we don’t have to spend more time here, I’m all for it.” Xan stands up. “This place makes my skin crawl.”

  “And Dade, he’s noticeably absent.” Marcus chews his lower lip. “He hang back to track down Lori?”

  “Not exactly…” Crina looks to Xan.

  “He wouldn’t leave Quinn’s side and Quinn doesn’t want any part of this place. He asked to sit this one out,” Xan’s voice almost a whisper as he delivers the news.

  Marcus thinks on it for a minute.

  “Well, I can’t say I’m pleased, but if that’s how he feels…He’ll change his mind once we take over Trion; we’ll make them all see that this is the future.”

  Chapter 19

  I finish tacking black sheets to the windows of my hotel room. I’d opted for a suite, thinking Why not, it’s not as if I’m ever going to pay the bill, then realized it meant twice as many windows. I step back and admire my handiwork.

  There is a knock at the door.

  Daylight is less than an hour away and the “Do Not Disturb” sign is hanging on the door.

  Vega knows what hotel I went to, he recommended it, but I’d checked in with a false ID. I take my gun from the bedside table and peer out the door’s peephole. Rex grins back.

  I open the door. “Hey, come in!”

  He steps inside. “Hey, Lori, or should I say Devon?”

  “Yeah, speaking of that, how’d you find me?”

  “You’re the only guest that checked in after midnight tonight. Just had to bribe the girl at the front desk.”

  “Then guess I should bribe the staff more not to give out my info. No offense, it’s not that I’m unhappy to see you, but Vega told me this hotel was good at discretion…”

  “Everyone has a price,” Rex smiles. “Should anyone else come knocking, I’ll protect you.”

  “Aw, thanks, but if that’s why you’re here, you should know that I don’t need help in that department.”

  “Right. You have a team of humans to bail you out.”

  I cross the room and place my gun back on the bedside table.

  “Fair enough. And yeah, okay, I could use some help, but my side is not the side you want to be on these days.”

  “I beg to differ.” Rex walks around the suite, picks an apple from a basket of fake fruit on the table, and tosses it casually.

  “I like what you’ve done with the place.”

  “Should know if it’s
daylight proof pretty soon.”

  He nods.

  “You kill those vampires?”

  I regard him for a moment, then shake my head. “That what you came here to ask?”

  “I’ve known Vega for decades. I’ve known Quinn for—well, not long at all, but she seems like a no-bullshit kind of gal. Both of them seem to respect you and, perhaps more importantly, trust you. I’m inclined to trust their judgment, but more than that, I trust my instincts.”

  “In the end, that’s all you can trust. Instincts don’t deceive you.” I busy myself checking for gaps in the curtain seams. “I can’t explain why Vega is the way he is towards me. I haven’t given him a reason to like me, let alone trust me. I think he has a soft spot for screw-ups.”

  “Right, so I need to hear it from you.” Rex takes a seat in one of the chairs around the coffee table that serves as the seating area. He stops playing catch with the apple and locks eyes with me.

  “No. There are more things in this world of which I’m guilty than innocent, but this is one of those rare instances where I can say with absolute certainty, I did not kill those vampires. Brixton and Marcus would have everyone believing I’ve turned into a vampire hunter. It’s simply not true.”

  “Thank you for that. We just met, and in the short time I’ve known you, things have been chaotic to say the least.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m sorry about that. Last thing I wanted to do was make you guys regret breaking me out of the compound.”

  Rex shakes his head. “Normally I’d be grateful for some action. Just not used to the opposition being vampires.”

  “Then let’s keep it about going after humans, okay?” I sigh and sit on the end of the bed, facing Rex. “You were in the Army, so you’ll understand this. I have one objective, and that’s to finish the mission I started. Not for me, but for the men that died at the compound. I was charged with protecting them, and to make this about me, about clearing my name, doesn’t do them justice. We went there to discover what Trion was doing, to gather evidence we could use to shut them down, and quite honestly, to steal their weapon designs. I’m not really clear on what the DIA wants, but I view them as the lesser of two evils.”