Smoke & Mirrors

by Charlie Cochet

  “The world is burning around us. It crumbles at the hands of greedy, narrow-minded, power-mad adults whose ignorance threatens to tear us apart, along with everything we stand for. If something isn’t done, this poison will spread to our children, and the legacy we leave them will be nothing but a world reduced to ashes. Dex, baby, listen to Tony. Lead a happy life filled with joy. Never lose sight of the good, and help those who appear lost. I don’t know what will happen to the children on the First Gen list. If I fail, find them. Help them. Find Sloane Brodie. He’s the first. He’ll need you. Need you to show him the world is a better place with him in it. He needs love, baby. I can see it in his eyes. You can do that. Your heart is so big, it’ll have enough love for everyone. I love you. I love you so much, my angel.”

  The tape ended, and Dex wiped the wetness from his cheek. He bit down on his bottom lip and tried damn hard not to give in to the sting behind his eyes. His vision blurred, and the harder he fought, the more it hurt. Tony sat beside him and pulled him into his arms.

  “It’s okay, son.”

  “I don’t want to let her go,” Dex said through his tears.

  “Who says you have to?”

  “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? Grieve and move on?”

  “You grieve, you move on with your life, but you never forget. They were your parents, Dex. They adored you, and they’ll always be with you.”

  Dex nodded. He buried his face against Tony’s shoulder and cried. It was like grieving for them all over again. Only this time he was an adult, and he understood all the reasons, the whys, but it didn’t mean it hurt any less. He let his head rest on Tony’s shoulder and just sat there with him for a while in the quiet basement. “Thank you, for taking such good care of me. For always being there for me. And for being such a great dad.”

  “You’re welcome, son.”

  Dex cleaned his face up as best he could with his shirtsleeve. His nose was stuffed up, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. Not that he cared if his family saw him cry. He wasn’t even bothered that Ash was included in that thought. Dex asked Tony to get the guys back downstairs. As soon as Sloane reached the bottom of the stairs, Dex slipped his arms around him and held him close, needing to feel his strong, warm body against Dex’s. He let out a shuddered sigh before stepping back.

  “So the file Shultzon was talking about? It’s all on tape. The first tape is my mom, recording her findings. The next four are Shultzon’s recordings.”

  “What are you going to do with them?” Cael asked.

  “Keep them safe. Listen to them. Then hand them over to Sparks.” Not to mention make a copy of each one. He wasn’t handing anything over without taking precautions. “Oh, and my mom said she hid the list of First Gen Therians with anomalies in my most cherished childhood possession.”

  Tony scratched his stubbled jaw. “I looked through all your toys after the funeral, but I came up empty.”

  “Well, she said most cherished. Which is it?” Ash motioned to the ocean of boxes.

  Dex shrugged. “I don’t know. I cherish all my childhood stuff.”

  “Was there one thing you loved more than anything else?”

  Sloane put his arms around Dex’s neck from behind, and Dex leaned back into him, thinking.

  Something he’d loved more than anything else? “If there was something, it wouldn’t be down here in a box. I’d have kept it somewhere else.”

  Dex and Tony exchanged glances before Dex ran for the stairs, the box of tapes cradled in his arms.

  “I know where the list is.”

  He pointed to Tony, knowing TIN was probably listening in. Everyone followed him upstairs, and Dex paused. The tapes. He couldn’t leave them here. He ran to the front door, grabbed his messenger bag, and stuck the box inside before he settled the strap across his body.

  “Why don’t we all go get some dinner? I’m starving.” He wasn’t letting these tapes out of his sight.

  “Dinner’s on me,” Tony said, following along. “Why don’t we go over to my place? I got those Therian-sized pizzas in the freezer, some beer in the fridge.”

  They all climbed into Ash’s truck, since it was bigger. Dex told him not to speed and to drive normally. The last thing they needed was to draw attention to themselves. If TIN had operatives following them, who knew who else might be keeping an eye on them. Fifteen minutes later, they were outside Tony’s house.

  Tony opened the front door and stepped aside. They followed Dex inside, leaving their jackets in the hall before Tony said he’d get the pizzas in the oven.

  “Ash, why don’t you grab us some beers?”

  Ash grabbed the six-pack from the fridge, twisted off the caps, and handed them each one. They made idle chat as they followed Dex upstairs, his heart ready to beat out of him. He could feel it in his gut. This was it. They had the file. Now all they needed was the list. Inside Cael’s old bedroom, Dex went straight to the bookshelf, where he gently took hold of Brave Heart Lion. A lump formed in his throat as he held it. Tears welled in his eyes, but he blinked them back. He carefully squeezed different areas, but there was no sign anything was inside. It was soft and well-loved. Only one way to find out. He turned to face Ash and made a cutting motion.

  Ash didn’t ask questions or even comment. He reached into his pocket, drew out his Swiss Army knife, then held it out to Dex.

  “So what do you want to do about dessert?” Dex asked as he cut through the stitches in Brave Heart’s back with exceptional care.

  “There’s ice cream,” Cael said, hovering by Dex’s shoulder along with everyone else.

  Gently, Dex felt through the stuffing until his finger poked against the corner of what was most likely a folded up piece of paper. With shaky hands, he gingerly pulled it out, handing his favorite childhood toy to Cael, who’d continue to take good care of it.

  The paper in his hand was somewhat faded but otherwise in pristine condition. He unfolded it, his eyes widening at how long it was. Dex stared at the four columns of names written in small block letters on the front and back, and at the very top of the first row, the first name was Sloane Brodie.

  Dex went to Cael’s stereo and turned it on, tuning it in to Retro Radio. Ash rolled his eyes.

  “Seriously? Don’t you get tired of that shit?”

  “Screw you, Simba.” Dex motioned for everyone to huddle close. He looked up at his dad, his voice quiet when he spoke. “You didn’t check Braveheart?”

  “I felt around,” Tony replied. “But it didn’t feel any different from the previous times I’d held it. It didn’t occur to me to remove the stitching. Not on this one. I didn’t have the heart. The way you clung onto that toy, hugging it so tight…. It broke my heart.”

  Dex nodded, and gave his dad’s shoulder a squeeze. “It’s okay, Dad.” He went back to scanning the list. “It’s longer than I expected.”

  “So all these First Gens have anomalies in their blood?” Tony asked, looking the list over.

  Sloane shook his head sadly. “Maybe they all did. Some of them never made it out of the research facility.”

  “And some of the ones that did didn’t last that long outside of it,” Ash added.

  “Some of these Therians work for the THIRDS,” Cael pointed out.

  Sloane nodded. “They were recruited around the same time we were.”

  “So what now?” Cael asked worriedly. “If we run these names through Themis, Sparks will know. If someone higher up the food chain is involved, they’ll definitely know. We might as well hand the list over to them.”

  “I think we know someone who might be able to help with that. For now, we pretend like everything is hunky dory. I’m going to finish listening to the tapes, and Cael’s going to help me digitally back up these cassettes.” He placed his messenger bag on Cael’s old bed and pulled out his headphones. “Save me some pizza.”

  Chapter 10

  THREE HOURS.

  That’s how much sleep Sloane had last nigh
t, but he didn’t care. They were getting closer to seeing through the fog of whatever the hell was going on. An investigation that started over thirty-five years ago. After the hours Dex had put in listening to the tapes, it had taken more to back them up, and just as long for Sloane to get Dex to fall asleep. Sloane hadn’t been able to keep his own emotions at bay after listening to Gina Daley tell her child to find Sloane, how he needed love.

  The tapes held hours of evidence spanning several years, the dates and events documented by Shultzon himself. He recorded everything from project details to conversations with his superiors, the majority of whom seemed to be Therians. Unfortunately, Shultzon never mentioned anyone by name, and the signatures he’d spoken of remained on documents long gone. What they did have were several voices, some sounded oddly familiar, especially a young military hotshot tiger Therian who Shultzon referred to as Commander Shrapnel. Shultzon seemed to bring him up a lot, and Sloane got the distinct impression the guy played an important part in all this. According to Shultzon, Commander Shrapnel had been given the nickname because he was as deadly and unforgiving as a piece of shrapnel stuck in the chest. The commander was manipulative, setting several unsanctioned projects into motion.

  Sloane was ready to hit the snooze on their alarm for the second time when Dex’s phone went off. Either Sloane was really out of it, or Dex’s phone was playing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” That was a new one.

  Dex sleepily grabbed his phone, tapped the screen, and put it to his ear. “Hello?” Seconds ticked by before Dex bolted upright and scrambled out of bed, his ear still pressed to his phone. “Yeah, shit. Okay. We’ll be out front in ten minutes.”

  Sloane quickly got out of bed. He had no idea what was going on, but if Dex said they’d be outside in ten, Sloane would be there. They swiftly dressed and brushed their teeth before Sloane was following Dex downstairs.

  “What’s going on?” Sloane asked.

  “Sparks is sending someone to pick us up. She says Shultzon asked for me. He knows we found the file. She has no idea how that’s possible, considering the guy’s been in isolation the majority of the time. He told her he has critical information about my condition and the people responsible.”

  Outside, a black car waited at the curb for them. The back doors opened, and they climbed in. Sloane and Dex were familiar with the drill by now. They sat in the backseat, and Sloane laced his fingers with Dex’s. They looked straight ahead as a black hood was placed over each of their heads, swallowing them in complete darkness.

  Wherever the TIN facility was, it was located at least an hour’s drive from their home. Knowing TIN, it was likely they drove around a bit to throw Sloane off. The road changed from pavement to dirt, then back a few times. There was no telling where the hell they were going. The car was soundproof, making it impossible to hear whether the sounds outside were of the city or elsewhere. Once they reached their destination, the black hoods were removed, and the car door opened. They stepped out into what looked like an empty underground parking garage. There were no discernable marks, no numbers, windows, cars, nothing but one white door at the far end.

  They followed a pair of twin cheetah Therian operatives through the white door and down a long white corridor. There was no telling if this was the same location or a different one, and if it was the same, if they were being taken to the same room they’d met Shultzon in previously. Sloane had to admit, TIN took nothing for granted. Whatever they appeared not to know was simply a tactic. TIN hoarded information, sharing only droplets here and there to keep nonoperatives like him and Dex from knowing or figuring out too much.

  As they walked down the corridor, Dex gazed up at the ceiling.

  “What is it?” Sloane asked so only Dex could hear. “You were doing that last time we were here.”

  “I don’t know. There’s something on the ceiling every few feet. The light is different in those spots. Almost like tiny translucent squares.”

  Sparks waited by the door of the room Sloane assumed Shultzon was in. She didn’t look pleased. Then again, she rarely did.

  “Somehow, Shultzon has been getting information. My operatives are currently trying to identify the source. Shultzon says he knows you found the file—which we’ll be discussing later—and that there’s something important you need to know. Ready?”

  Dex nodded, and Sparks opened the door for them. They were about to go in when Dex paused, murmuring to Sparks.

  “There’s something funky going on with your ceiling.” With that, he headed inside.

  Sparks looked at Sloane, who just shrugged. He didn’t know what Dex was talking about either.

  When Sloane saw Shultzon, he knew something was wrong. The guy was thin, with sunken cheeks and dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. His skin was so pale that his veins were visible in several areas. Sloane leaned into Sparks.

  “What the hell happened to him?”

  “We don’t know. Our medical team is working on it, but in the last twenty-four hours, his body started deteriorating. He was perfectly healthy this morning, and now he’s dying. Whatever it is, it’s working fast.” She turned her attention to Dex. “This is your last chance to get what information you can. He won’t be here much longer.”

  Dex walked over to Shultzon and took a seat in the chair across from him. “Okay, you wanted to talk to me. Here I am.”

  “How are you feeling, Dex?”

  Sloane took position by the wall not far from Dex, in case he needed to step in. Dex’s patience was in short supply these days where Shultzon was concerned.

  “Fine.”

  Shultzon smiled warmly. “I don’t have long, so we’ll get right down to it. Everything you’ve found, everything you’ve suspected, is true, and it’s leading you on the path you need to be on. You’re so close to discovering the truth. Everything you’ve done has been leading you to this moment. Those Therians on the list? Their mates? You’re their savior. Those killing them off, they’re scared of you. They have no idea what you’re capable of, but they’ll see. Soon they’ll see.”

  “What are you talking about? I thought you said you had information about my condition?”

  Shultzon grinned. “Tell me if you’ve heard this one. May 24, 1985, Human wife goes into a hospital after being marked by her lion Therian husband.”

  “Yeah, heard that one. Didn’t like the punch line.”

  “Clever boy. The wife had been marked on her back, saw to the wounds, and three weeks later, she and her husband were killed in a traffic accident.”

  “Only it wasn’t an accident, was it?” Dex narrowed his eyes. “Someone’s been killing off all those couples. Humans who went in seeking treatment after being marked by their Therian significant others.”

  “Exactly. The list you found on Themis corresponds to the list your mother made. Except your list has far more names. My superiors—”

  “Commander Shrapnel?”

  Shultzon laughed. “Yes, him. Oh, but he’s not a commander anymore.”

  “Who is he?” Dex asked, leaning forward.

  “We’ll get there. As I was saying, May 24, 1985, my superiors made a startling discovery. There were more Therians with anomalies in their blood. Not just the First Gen children. If these Therians with unstable versions of the Therian mutation could cause these symptoms in Humans, who knew what a First Gen Therian with these blood anomalies might be capable of? This problem had to be rectified immediately.”

  “By killing these couples off and making them look like accidents or murders.”

  “Yes. Except they no longer had the list. All they could do was wait until a Human who’d been marked by a Therian sought treatment at the hospital, check their records for anomalies, and the moment they showed certain symptoms, dispatch them.”

  “And the First Gen children? The ones on the list?”

  “There was no way to discern who had been on the list, but First Gens were far too important, and if we did have children whose names were on the li
st, they were under our watch.” Shultzon glanced up at Sloane. “We had big plans for these blessed souls.”

  “Like turn them into mindless soldiers with your Therian control drug?”

  Shultzon turned his attention back to Dex. “Yes, that was one of our many projects. Our healthiest, strongest, sharpest First Gens would be recruited for military programs.”

  “And my condition?”

  “It’s all connected. Do you truly believe you’re here by accident, Dex? You becoming an HPF officer, your partner shooting that boy, your testifying, getting pushed out and recruited by the THIRDS?”

  “Are you saying that was all planned?” Dex arched an eyebrow at him. “For what purpose?”

  “To bring you closer.” Shultzon moved his gaze to Sparks before he turned back to Dex. “You were destined for great things, Dexter, but even a savior must be shown the path. But before you can become who you are meant to be—” Shultzon leaned toward Dex, his bony hands on the table in front of him. “—you’re going to die, and when you do, it will be glorious. It’s the dawn of a new era, and it begins and ends with you.”

  “You son of a bitch!”

  Dex launched out of his chair, and Sloane was there in two strides, throwing his arms around Dex to lift him off his feet, his muscles straining with Dex’s weight. Why was Sloane having trouble holding him? Dex pulled at Sloane’s arms, and Sloane found himself gritting his teeth as he struggled to keep Dex restrained. Something was wrong. Dex wasn’t weak by any means, but Sloane was stronger. He should have had Dex on the floor by now. Was something messing with him? Sloane didn’t feel any different.

  “Dex, stop!” Sloane didn’t know what was happening, but it was freaking him out. Was he losing his strength? Was something getting fucked up inside him?

  “You murderous motherfucker!” Dex struggled against Sloane, pushing at his chest. “You had her killed, and now you want to kill me?”

  “Nonsense. I don’t want to kill you, Dex. Your lover is going to kill you.”