"And where did you see this... Jona?"
"She wasn't her." Michael stressed. "We had a funeral! Open casket and everything, she was there."
"Yeah." Luc nodded feeling silly, perhaps it was just a coincidence, a woman who looked like his wife... but knew of her, too?" Luc clenched his fists. He would leave it alone, for now.
Michael hopped into the driver's seat of the flat top, four door mini truck without the open back. In the Army, they called them high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles.... long winded like everything else in the military. But he didn't care as long as everyone could fit inside and it got them around the city then he wasn't complaining. Shane sat in the spacious passenger seat while Luc and Elena took the back. Shane took the time to contact his parents to no avail, then Jonathan with no answer. He huffed in fear and frustration.
Luc dialed his handler, and he swore he would scream if he got a voicemail message. Much to his relief, she was waiting.
"Oh, Glad you called. I was just about to contact you."
"What is it?"
"There was a crash on 75 near Grand River. A medical transport vehicle and the cops are doing a piss poor job of covering it up though why they would need to cover it up is another matter."
"Was Hazel in it?"
"I don't know, but it had bio containment equipment inside and three dead, one of them, a female whose family has ties to Ragweed. She was found striped half naked."
"Thanks."
"The site is clear, but you might find something there of worth."
"Six, I need you to find all the information you can on a Kaiser Reiniger."
"No problem. I'll call you when I'm done."
"I think we should try heading to my place first." Luc leaned forward. "She may have gone there looking for me and if she isn't there we can try her mother's place. I only want to search the site if I have to. Hazel is smart and capable if she's not at the crash site then my place would be the first place she would go."
"All right." Michael said making a sharp U turn. "Parents aren't answering?" Michael looked at Shane fiddle with his phone again.
"No, I don't get it, maybe it's cut off or I don't know." Shane sighed.
"What about Jonathan's number?"
"Same, voicemail."
"I don't like this. We gotta get home." Michael cursed himself for leaving.
"I probably left a million messages on Hazel's phone, still no response." Luc sighed looking out the tinted window."
"You'll find her." Elena said hoping her words provided a bit of solace, she herself had no family and therefore no one to worry about, which carried its fair share of advantages according to her.
Chapter Ten
The ride was long with minor hiccups; they came across an empty checkpoint and broken barricade. The road was more or less free of traffic except for a few intersections piled with cars prompting a much longer detour. Riots broke out in several areas while others remained boarded up, neighbors taking it upon themselves to keep their streets safe from intruders both human and non-human. Michael steadied the vehicle passed the trash and debris, a young child wailed in the distance and another drew back the curtains peeking out from their windows. A group of people even sat on their porch, either oblivious and uncaring of the dangers or well aware and stupid, while other neighborhoods remained near untouched.
"Why aren't they leaving?" Elena watched the people go about their day albeit, somewhat cautiously.
"Most people won't believe they're in danger until danger comes to them." Luc answered plainly.
Michael entered the small well-to-do neighborhood and parked in front of the large house. Luc bolted from the vehicle when he saw the garage door opened, front door cracked open and tire tracks marring the green grass.
"About three, maybe four Cadillac sized vehicles." Shane said inspecting the tracks.
"And a motorcycle coming from the garage and going in the direction we just came from." Michael added.
Luc drew his weapon and pushed open the door before entering. The house was more or less untouched all but the towels and foot tracks imprinted onto the flooring and signs of a meal prepared in the kitchen.
"Hazel!" Luc called, his heart full of hope of seeing her unharmed but dashed when he saw the dead man face planted on the floor, blood had long since dried on the wooden floor. He kicked over the body and drew back in horror. "Dunham!"
He searched—up the stairs, in the bathrooms, in the back rooms calling her name but there is no sign of her or his parents. He marched into the living room inspecting the tracks left behind. "Female, five feet, one hundred pounds. It's her." He checked the larger tracks. "Male, six three, one hundred and seventy pounds." he tried to piece together a story from the mystifying mess. "I see no signs of a struggle."
Elena backed away in absolute horror before bolting out the door, she passed Michael and Shane running fast down the street.
"Stop her!" Luc chased behind seeing her move from the peripheral.
It didn't take long before Shane and Michael were on her and she showed no signs of stopping.
It was Shane who closed the gap grabbing her by the collar, she swung on him and he planted her on her ass with ease.
"What the hell is this about?" Michael asked. "Why did you run?"
"Because she knows who's behind this. You know where Hazel is, don't you?" Luc questioned, his blue eyes narrowing on her.
Michael walked up on her. "Speak!" he grabbed her by the arm and she struggled against him.
"Get her back to the house." Luc said heading back.
Shane sat her in the chair at the dining room table while Luc and Michael dragged Dunham's body outside. They entered the house and Luc reinstated the code closing the shutters and sealing the doors and windows effectively turning his home into a large panic house. "You won't be running off this time." Luc said grabbing a seat and turning it to face her. "I asked you to help me investigate Dunham, and all this time you were sitting on something and said nothing."
Elena remained silent.
"Now is the time to tell me everything, that's why you wanted that deal earlier right? What are you hiding?" He grabbed his recorder, a small item he kept in his pocket, a tool of the trade. He'd hoped she would reveal something the moment she asked for a deal but she said nothing of note.
"I told you. I'm not saying anything until...."
"Then tell me what you want? No more stalling." Luc said trying to calm himself.
"I want you to make me disappear." Elena said keeping the shakes out of her voice.
"I'll make you disappear all right." Michael scoffed.
"What do you mean by disappear? From who?" Luc asked wanting her to reveal something.
"I want all my records found and destroyed. Everything, my job, who I am, the whole thing. I just want it gone and then you let me go."
"That's it? No new name, ID, something?" Luc said in disbelief. 'No, she's scared, I can see it in her eyes, she's running from someone... Is it this Reiniger person?'
"The world's gone to shit anyway, probably won't need it."
"Meaning you have someone else who would do it for you."
Elena shrugged in response.
Michael walked away, heading to the living room and sitting on the couch.
"I'll call someone." Luc stood and took out his phone.
Several minutes had gone by before he hung up and returned to his seat. "Okay, I have a friend sitting on your records right now. But I can't do that until you give me something." he looked into her eyes pleading for any lead.
"I'll talk, but privately, not here in front of them." She looked to Shane and Michael.
"Okay." Luc sighed then stood and escorted her upstairs, she stopped in front of Hazel's room and peered inside.
"Was this going to be the nursery?" She asked.
Luc groaned not wanting his past brought up, especially not by someone who was more or less another recruit at this point. "Yeah." He replied, for a moment
she was his friend again as she leaned against the door way, he couldn't place her expression.
"I sort of dreamed of this, of moving in one day. I would have loved decorating this room."
Luc closed the door. "It's Hazel's room now."
"If she's alive, but then again Jona's alive, at least according to Michael." she followed languidly behind. "Think he does steroids?" she whispered. "Is that why he's such a hard ass."
"Get in the room, please." Luc gestured toward his bed room and once she entered he closed and locked the door. He set up the recorder once more. "Okay, now you can talk." He turned to her.
Her shirt hit the floor.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Luc scoffed annoyed.
"Once my records are wiped I'm going as far away from here as I can, and I'll be gone forever." She said unbuckling her pants. "This is the last time I'll ever see you again." She cried. "I've fucked up my life."
"Everyone makes mistakes, its striving to do better that can fix those mistakes." Luc said placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Tell me, what did you do?"
"Nothing can fix this. You have no idea what I had to do." She removed his hand and wiped her tears. She walked toward the bed. "I've done too much to regret it now, I did what I did for love."
Luc flinched. "What did you do Elena?" He questioned again, unmoving. He wanted to reach for his knife but stayed his hand. A part of him deep inside reached a certain conclusion, yet it seemed an impossible one, and in his line of work jumping to conclusions without evidence can be a fly in the ointment.
"You can resort to torture if you like, but nothing you can do is worse than what I've done to myself. You can make this easier, and just give me what I want. Once it's done, I'll tell you what you want to know. It's not like you've never slept with anyone for information before." she chuckled softly.
"We already made a deal. Your records wiped clean."
"Then consider this a bonus."
Luc took his hand of the handle of his knife. "If you lie to me."
"I won't lie."
Luc sighed and shook his head before removing his black vest and shirt. He looked away from her as he pulled down his pants and moved toward her.
"No."
"No?"
"I don't want you to just climb on top of me... I want... I want you to pretend I'm her... Jona. I want you to make love to me as though I were your wife."
Luc looked at her unable to disguise his disgust and horror at such a suggestion. He then exhaled and centered his thoughts on Jona, he imaged her waiting for him, pulling him toward the bed, his lips meeting hers, his hands stroking her curves and his manhood hardened at her perfumed breath on his neck. He entered her slowly, gently, his lips pressed against hers, two bodies meeting against and again until the climax.
He rested on her before rolling off, slipping away from her and sitting up on the bed, his hands covering his face. Elena sat up and smiled. "I could tell you were really into it, you looked at me."
"Just speak." Luc said running his fingers through his messy blond hair.
"I'll meet you downstairs." She blurted slipping on her clothes and leaving the room.
Elena emerged downstairs as the shower ran from above, it didn't take rocket science to figure out what happened and Michael sneered at the woman. "Sleaze." he muttered before coming around the couch. Shane stood to calm him but if he was honest, he wanted to see her get what was coming, especially if she was responsible for Hazel's disappearance.
"What the hell happened to you?" Michael asked her. She said nothing, she sat down. "I mean I could sense the fucking jealousy you had for Jona. I knew you had a crush on Luc, but overall, I thought you were an okay person. Luc was the only one who reached out to you and befriended you and this is how you pay him back?" Michael felt the rage building. "I'm gonna give you one warning. If you had anything to do with my sister's death, if you are somehow responsible for any of this. I don't give a fuck what hole in what part of the world you hide in, I will find you."
Elena remained composed on the surface but deep inside, she wanted to run. "I gave my word I would talk, and I did. Though how much of my help is worth... I don't know." She spoke and left the matter as it is.
Luc opened his dresser drawer taking out a broken pendant—snapped and partially blackened. One half was with Jona and the other, in his hand and he needed her with him now, he would carry her into this new battlefield and uncover the truth together. He came downstairs dressed in the black tactical shirt and pants he found neatly hanging in the bathroom. 'Perhaps Hazel put it out?' she liked the outfit and it comforted him to think she was safe and okay even for a moment. "Elena, it's done." he then turned his attention to Michael and Shane after retting the recorder, he sat his small laptop bag on the table.
Elena prepared herself. "Dunham was working for Ragweed. He sent Jona and her team into that hotel eight years ago knowing the bomb would infect them, he also burned all the records and covered the investigation."
"If he burnt them...?" Michael paced. "Are there any digital copies?"
"Dunham was paranoid of these guys, he kept backup copies of the all the files just in case. Locked up in his safe deposit box, number 305 at First Independence Bank."
"Hey look at this..." Shane took up a piece of folded paper off the table and read it before passing it to Michael.
"Ambrosia tech in Montreal. What is this?" he read the address. "Did Hazel have this?"
Luc looked it over. "It says something about cargo transport... This time stamp is around the time Hazel was removed from the hospital."
"Canada." Michael sighed.
"I intercepted a tanker in Quebec while I was looking for Ragweed." Luc said feeling the pieces form.
"Hello?" Shane called, his phone pressed against his ear. "Jonathan?"
"You got a hold of him?" Michael asked hopeful.
"Who is this?" Shane asked confused. "No, I'm his other dad... is this Marc?"
"What's going on?" Michael took the phone. "Steve? Where's Jonathan?"
"Marc. Fucking focus! Where did they say they were going?"
Luc and Shane waited with bated breath.
"Listen. Lock the doors, windows, everything, and...." Michael looked at Shane then walked out the room.
"Hey." Shane followed only for Michael to head to the bathroom and locked the door. "What the fuck?"
Luc quickly turned his attention to Elena. "Don't think you can use this to run away."
"I made due on my side. I'm waiting for you to--"
"Fuck you." Luc replied. "You knew what Dunham did and then had the gall to act like there was something wrong with me for even suspecting him."
Luc waited. "I don't even know what the hell to think right now."
Michael emerged from the bathroom, his expression sullen as he looked to Shane.
Shane watched him intently. "C'mon."
"Shane..." Michael sighed, this was difficult. "They attacked the house and took Jonathan."
"Who?"
"Ragweed?" Luc asked sure of it.
"Yeah, they came specifically for him. Marc said he and Walla were at the house, and they burst through the door."
"My parents?" Shane asked worried.
"I'm sorry, Shane. They're dead."
Shane stepped away, his mouth relaxed, eyes threatening to water, chest feeling tight. He felt drawn toward the warm brood chest of his partner. Michael whispered something in his ear but he couldn't make out what was said.
Luc thought of his own parents, he tried their number again, nothing, and his thoughts filled with the worst.
Michael marched into the dining room where Elena sat down half in the real world and half in her own head. He grabbed her by the collar lifting her out of the chair.
"Michael!" Shane and Luc called out.
"What else do you know!?" Michael hollered at her. "How did you find out about Dunham?"
"Get off her!" Luc pushed him away. "She may not tell you the truth ev
en if you beat it out of her! She may not be telling the truth right now. All we can do is check the security box, see what's up and keep a close eye on her."
Michael blew out a long puff of air but it only slightly calmed him. He held his hands up in surrender and stepped away.
"If there's anything you guys need. Food, water, ammo, guns, whatever... you know my house is yours."
Shane nodded and headed into the unlocked room nearby, Luc's weapons closet. "Let's get ready to go."
Michigan Ave was a hotbed of erupting violence, stores burned, looters tore through the businesses that weren't on fire. They shouted slogans of oppression and ranted and raved about their predicament. The angry protesters flooded the streets as far as the barricades which kept them trapped inside the city and in the midst of the chaos the creatures skulked about, attacking the unaware rioters.
"There's no way the car is getting through that." Michael parked in an alley. He and Shane covered the vehicle with boxes, trash and dumpsters while Luc maintained his hold on Elena.
They moved fast, and guns out until they reached the bank. The windows shattered, which meant running into possible looters inside. They entered the broken front window to a hail of gun fire, diving and ducking for cover until they returned fire on the gang of hoods dressed in red.
"We don't give a fuck about stopping you, we just need something from here!" Luc shouted annoyed.
"Yeah right!" One of the gangster's yelled. "I can smell the pig on ya!"
They returned fire and Luc gripped his gun and moved from cover tossing a tablet as distraction. Michael shifted to the other side taking out several thugs while Luc and Shane fire from their perspective sides.
More rioters marched to the location drawn by the noise and Luc fired on the first person who tried to crawl through the glass causing the rest to scatter. He and Michael banded together dragging tables, and cabinets toward the broken window to cover as much as possible.
Shane finally located and fired on the lock and freed the drawer, pulling it out only seeing a small USB device inside. "This is it."
"Good." Luc set up his laptop and inserted the device in. They looked over the different files, information logging contact with a Kaiser Reiniger and other associates and the planned explosion. Luc clicked on a browser to look up the company thankful that internet services remained active, only to find not much information aside from the typical corporate spiel and general information about Ambrosia. "Why didn't I make this connection before?" Luc sighed. "Ragweed is connected to Genus Ambrosia." He clicked back to the folders, and they listened to several calls Dunham recorded, the entire planning of the explosion eight years ago. Luc clicked on another recording titled "Lovelorn"
Asunder Page 10