The agent hesitated only for a second before catching Brady with a punch under the eye with his free hand. Brady reeled back, taking the agent with him, while he reared back for another punch. Brady blocked the attack and trapped the agent's fist in another metal cocoon.
Then he delivered his own punches. It didn't matter that both hands were occupied.
A third and fourth arm morphed from his ribs. He attacked whatever he could. A shot to the agent's stomach doubled him over, and Brady lifted a knee to crush his nose. Another punch to the jaw. The agent fell on his side, and Brady released his steel cocoons while throwing the gun aside. But he didn't stop the assault. He couldn't, not until the agent's fight was gone. He pummeled with four fists, even turning one to stone. The agent tried to protect himself, but he didn't have a chance. Brady caught him with his stone hand on the temple, then the eye, cracking his socket.
Brady didn't stop until the agent's face was a bloody mess, and his arms went limp.
Movement next to him. Laptop man was on his hands and knees, trying to shake the cobwebs away. Brady retrieved the busted laptop and smacked him one last time across the head, and the movement stopped.
A radio fell from his belt. Brady touched where he'd been punched as he bent over to retrieve it. There was a small cut under his cheek, which he willed to heal. He cast a quick glance to the agents around him, but they were no longer a threat. Some were conscious, others were not. Everyone was bleeding and hurt.
Brady pressed the was on the side. He hadn't operated a walkie talkie since he was a kid.
"Donovan? Are you there?"
He didn't expect an answer, and nearly dropped the radio before someone spoke back.
"Brady? Is that you?"
He smiled as he surveyed around him. He thought back to earlier in the day, at the mall. Donovan was arrogant, so certain that he had everything under control. He spoke with calm about how they were going to kill Lily and himself.
Brady was smart enough to know this was a mess, that he didn't have a handle on the chaos around him. But neither did Donovan.
"Three of your guys are down," he said. "Your little headache machine, I almost can't feel it now. Let's see what more damage I can do. Let me know when you want to surrender."
"Wait—"
He threw down the radio and changed. Turning into a hawk, he flew across the open warehouse floor, searching for someone else to attack. Anyone else. He didn't care what country they were from. The gunfire was starting to slow somewhat, but there were still pockets of shooting. He spotted two men trying to run from a stack of old skids to more sturdy cover. Brady went right for the eyes, plucking one from the socket. As the newly-blinded man crawled on the floor, Brady attacked his companion. He shifted from his familiar hawk form to his blob-like mass and swallowed the poor agent. Metal hooks shot from him and snagged a beam above. Brady pulled his mass upward and spit the man out, like a catapult. Bones snapped as the man bounced in the middle of the warehouse, right where Emma was tied to a chair earlier.
Shifting to his normal shape was difficult, but not for long. They were playing with their tech again, trying to figure out how to slow Brady down. But the pain in his head had turned to more of a pressure, and he could fight through it. Was it causing long-term damage he didn't know about? He had no idea.
But it was nothing compared to the long-term damage he was going to inflict.
"I'm pretty sure everyone here can understand me," Brady shouted as he moved behind a storage rack. "Listen up. I'm not letting you take me anywhere. And there's nothing you can do to stop me. I guess your labs just made me too well. So, I can cripple you all night, or—"
A scream from above got his attention. Someone had run along the top of the storage rack and leaped wildly, a knife cocked behind his ear and a war-cry on his lips. Brady's imagination took over, and his shape changed. He assumed a simple, almost insulting form.
A blanket.
The knife-wielding agent thrashed wildly as he got caught up in the cozy fabric. He cut and tore, trying to push Brady away. Brady mended the cuts almost as quickly as they came. The agent tried to find an opening, but Brady continued to shift and move. He wrapped a piece of himself around a flailing arm and bent it backwards, pulling with force.
The arm snapped at the elbow. The fight was all but over. Brady melted and moved away, taking the knife with him. As he assumed arms and legs he flung the knife away. The blade stuck into an old chair.
"One more down!" Brady shouted. He turned to watch the injured man writhe on the floor, cradling his arm. He didn't know which side he was on, but it didn't matter. "How much longer are we—?"
A hail of gunfire assaulted his ears. Brady dropped to one knee, ready to change shape. The bullets weren't meant for him. Something was happening on the other side of the floor.
Sticking his palm around a desk, he shifted his vision, peering across the warehouse. Their movement was broken up by the surrounding debris. He watched a small group of men race forward, their weapons ready. They were aiming low. Another round of gunfire, and then silence.
Brady was nervous for the first time. What were they doing? What was going on?
In the quiet he heard what he thought was Donovan's voice.
"Okay, bring them in."
Two men broke from the group. Brady watched with a sense of dread. He could see Donovan now. Brady jumped when Donovan lifted his gun and shot at something on the floor.
"That was clever," Donovan shouted. "Calling us to help you mop up the French. Well, mission accomplished."
There were scattered gunshots, only one at a time. Donovan and his men had the upper hand, and were systemically killing the wounded French. Each gunshot made Brady cringe.
"You guys didn't mess up my apartment, did you?" he called.
"No. Give us more credit than that. Jesus…what did you do to Yates?"
"I don't know who that is."
"It looks like a truck hit him."
"Yeah, well, shit happens, right? Maybe you should just leave me alone."
"I can't do that."
"More people will get hurt then."
There were familiar feminine voices coming from a doorway separating the office from the warehouse. One of them was very agitated.
"Get your fucking hands off me!"
Brady closed his eyes and hung his head low. He slowly peered from behind the desk, using his real eyes, although he knew what he'd see. Three men led Lily and Emma across the warehouse. Emma was crying, and Lily looked more angry than afraid. Donovan moved to the center of the floor, near the spotlight, to intercept them. Brady quickly counted the agents remaining. Including Donovan, there were eight left. Was that the final number? Were there other men outside, or back at his apartment? Could he take out eight men, some wounded, before they hurt Lily or Emma?
Unfortunately, he knew the answer to the last question. He slammed his fist on the desk next to him.
"Brady!" Lily shouted. "Are you hurt?"
"No. Are you?"
"We're fine."
"Like hell we are," Emma said.
"Listen." Lily brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "Don't deal with them. Just beat the shit out of them. They're going to kill Emma and me. No matter what happens."
"Wrong," Donovan said. "The French picked them up a few blocks away. We stole them back. And now, we're letting them go."
Brady's brow furrowed at Donovan's words. He peered once again to see Donovan shooing them away. His men glanced at each other, confused but quiet. Lily and Emma were equally as stunned.
Emma pulled Lily behind her. Lily resisted, keeping an eye on Donovan.
"Don't believe him, Brady," she said. "This is a trick!"
"Not at all. You said to let you know when I wanted to surrender. Well, I surrender. I just want to talk. Shit, I wanted to talk on the radio before you started maiming all my men. This is a good-faith gesture. Your friends are free to go." He regarded his team. "Start cleaning up.
Patrol the outside. Give us a few minutes alone."
His men didn't move, and a look of anger flashed across his face.
"Don't make me say it twice."
The agents split up. Some cast doubtful looks toward Donovan. Lily and Emma stood alone near the doorway, arguing quietly with one another.
Brady still didn't move from the shadows.
He looked above him, trying to figure out if he was missing something. He looked for hidden snipers, traps, anything suspicious at all. Donovan took a deep breath and holstered his weapon.
"Don't you get it?" Donovan said. "You won, Brady."
"You murdered Kim! She just wanted to be left alone, and you killed her!"
"Again, that wasn't us. She got caught in the crossfire back at the self-storage. If you want honesty, we probably would have ended up killing her, though. I don't think she would listen to reason. And she knew what she was getting into when she joined the project, all those years ago. Are we going to keep shouting at each other? Or can we do this face to face?"
Brady took one step toward the middle of the warehouse. He kept his form prepared, ready to shape-shift at any moment. He listened for footsteps, breathing, anything that would reveal someone hidden. One of Donovan's agents worked on moving bodies nearby, but that was it.
Donovan shifted uncomfortably as Brady approached. He tugged at his sleeve, trying to relieve pressure from his shirt rubbing on his shoulder. Brady almost felt bad as he took in the damage he'd done. Almost.
"If you try anything," Brady said. "I'll rip off your other arm."
"Point taken."
Donovan went quiet. He was studying Brady, looking him up and down. Brady grew impatient.
"So," he said. "Now you're saying the government has decided not to kill me?"
"Always the government," Donovan muttered, shaking his head. "Anyway, yeah. Not if I don't have to. Killing you hasn't exactly worked for us so far, has it?"
"No. And it will never work."
"I agree. Which is why we're here like this. Talking. I'm hoping we can make a deal."
Brady chuckled sarcastically, not quite believing his ears.
"A deal? Are you joking?"
"Not one bit. We can help each other."
"How so?"
Lily and Emma's arguing caught their attention. Brady turned to see Lily breaking away from Emma and marching toward them. She took up position next to Brady, shoulder to shoulder, a look of defiance in her eyes. Emma didn't leave, but she held her ground a distance away.
Lily reached for his hand.
"Anything you say to Brady, you can say to me, too."
Brady smiled. Lily watched out for him every step of the way. He inched closer to her as he regarded Donovan.
"Keep going. I'm listening."
"Others are after you. Not just the French. Let us protect you. We'll keep you safe. New identities, a new place to live." He nodded at Lily. "Even for her. In return, you come to our labs. Three times a week. We'll study you. That's all we ever wanted, you know. To study you."
"Kim said some of that studying turned nasty."
"And she's right. We needed to know what you were capable of. But I think we're past that now."
He shook his head. "All this needed to know stuff. Didn't your scientists create me?"
Donovan smiled.
"That's another thing I can offer."
"What's that?"
"Answers."
Brady and Lily glanced at each other. Neither had to say a word. Lily had her doubts, as did Brady.
"And what if I say no? What if I don't want people studying me? Protecting me?"
Donovan sighed, and for the first time, Brady could tell he didn't want to travel down that path. Donovan, the man who'd been trying to kill him, wanted a deal.
"Then we start all over with this bullshit," he said, waving around him. "More people will die. I might lose the other half of my face. You'll probably be fine, but Lily might get hurt. Who knows who else? Or maybe another maid service finally gets you on a plane, and they're much less gentle with how they go about studying you."
Brady and Lily were still quiet, thinking about Donovan's offer. Another shot rang out, the first in several minutes. Lily jumped, and Brady put an arm around her.
"Don't mind them," Donovan said. "They're still cleaning up. I don't want to pressure you here, Brady, but I need an answer. Like I said, others are out there. I think a group from Denmark, and maybe a few from South America."
"Why is everyone out to get me?"
Another mysterious smile. Brady wanted to strangle him.
"I can answer that question, if we shake hands."
Brady glanced at Lily once again. She'd loosened up somewhat. Some of the doubt was gone.
"If we do this," she said. "You don't split us up. Wherever Brady goes, I'll be right in his ass. I'm talking even for bathroom trips. He won't be able to piss without me there."
"Gross," Donovan said, then shrugged. "But whatever."
"And we have more conditions," Brady said.
"I'm sure you do."
"Two times a week. Not three. You'll send Lily to college. She wants to study business management."
"And you'll help Brady start up a security company."
Brady cast her a sideways look.
"A security company?"
"Well, it's either that or a porn shop."
"A security firm, a lemonade stand, I don't give a shit," Donovan said. "Do we have a deal?"
Brady hesitated.
"Like Lily said, when I go to your lab, she comes with me. You're not shutting her out. And if you try anything—" He locked eyes with Donovan, holding his gaze. "It won't end well for you."
Lily squeezed his waist, showing she supported him.
"Agreed," Donovan said.
"Then we have a deal."
They shook hands. Donovan slipped something into his palm. Brady pulled his hand back to see the picture of Dr. Michael Oliver that Kim had given him earlier in the evening.
"You dropped that," he said. "Keep that with you. He was a good man."
"Hey!" Emma called. She stood with her hands on her hips. "Can we get the hell out of here now?"
EPILOGUE
Brady had that strange sense of sleep amnesia when he finally woke up. The bed was still unfamiliar, as was the light pouring in through the bedroom window. For a brief few seconds, he didn't know where he was, or why he was at an odd angle on the mattress. The covers were in disarray, the pillows on the floor.
A bare leg brushed his own and an arm flung over his chest. Lily let out a moan of content from somewhere deep in a dream as she nuzzled her head against Brady's shoulder. The wild night came back to him, a night filled with sex in the living room, short periods of sleep, a snack from the kitchen, sex in the shower, and then finally sleep. The order made no sense, but Lily led the way, and he was more than happy to follow.
The apartment was still full of boxes, three of which they'd knocked over as they clumsily made their way to bed. Lily's clothes were scattered about, a fun trail of their path as they stripped each other. Brady's clothes were in the same state. His jeans were still in the living room, underwear in the bathroom, his shirt in the hall. His shirt was torn from the collar down, from when Lily got too excited.
He willed his clothes to change and return to him. The mass flowed across the apartment and melded together at the foot of the bed. The larger essence then merged with Brady's foot, completing him.
The slight disturbance caused Lily to stir. She stretched an arm over her head and opened her eyes, just as confused as Brady a minute ago. They'd only been in the apartment a week, and everything was still new. They'd moved twice over the past year, into their own apartments, before deciding it was time to finally move in together.
Her lips against his neck brought sensations that caused their hectic night in the first place. He rested a hand on the tattoo of the lily on her hip. She locked her leg under his own.
"That's because we weren't sleeping."
She giggled. "I didn't hear you complaining."
He held her close and ran his fingers through her green hair. The last year had been trying for them. Their lives were uprooted. They moved to two different states. Lily was attending classes at night. Whatever shadowy organization Donovan worked for, which he still hadn't divulged, treated him like a lab rat. They poked and prodded, and stuck him inside machines that seemed right out of a science fiction movie.
But Lily was at his side, every step of the way.
"We need to unpack," Brady said. "We were supposed to work on that yesterday."
"We got distracted. Today's Thursday. We have to go to the lab."
He shook his head. "Not today. Donovan gave me the day off, so we could settle in."
Lily moved suddenly, springing to life. She swung a leg over his hips and teased him, slowly rocking back and forth. A playful smile touched her lips.
"You think he'd get mad if we spent it screwing each other's brains out?"
He returned the smile and sat up to hold her.
"That's not really settling in. But I won't tell him if you won't."
Brady had enough energy to start the morning in a fun way. He'd just have to throttle back on the shape-shifting after the night before. His imagination in the bedroom was impressive, even without ever watching a single movie from his collection. But Lily had him beat by far.
Lily wrapped her arms around his neck. Brady embraced her with two arms, then four, being mindful of Lily's new tattoo on her side. Lily let out a moan as she tossed the remaining sheets aside, and cupped Brady's face before they got too far ahead of themselves.
"I love you," she said. "Even though you're weird."
It wasn't a difficult sentiment to return. Relationships had their ups and downs. Just the other week they had a fight over which couch would look best in their new apartment. It was a silly argument, barely worth having. There would be more fights, more disagreements.
But she was amazing.
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