Against The Grain

by Charlie Cochet

  Dex was having none of it. “Fuck you. We were hijacked, and you want us to hand this over to you?”

  Austen frowned at him. “I was the one who warned you about the hijack, dumbass.”

  “That means fuck all,” Dex snapped. “You could be working with them and did that so we’d trust you. So we’d give you the case if you asked for it. Well, it’s not going to happen.”

  “I’m not working with them,” Austen insisted, taking a step toward them.

  Dex had his gun out and aimed at Austen’s vest in a heartbeat.

  “Whatever. We’re not giving you anything. We’re waiting for backup.”

  “Backup’s not coming.”

  “What?” Cael couldn’t believe that. There was no way the THIRDS wouldn’t send teams out. Their agents were down, the streets were in chaos with armed men running around, and who knew how many were hurt.

  “The THIRDS have been notified of a traffic accident. Your Team Leaders have reported in that everything is under control. The situation has been contained. The area has been cleared and swept.”

  Cael gaped at him. “That’s bullshit. Two of our Team Leaders are down.”

  “It’s been cleared,” Austen assured them. “The hijackers are gone. Our operatives have taken care of everything.”

  “Your operatives?” Dex shook his head, a look of disbelief on his face. “It’s Sparks, isn’t it? She set us up.”

  Oh God, it was true. Cael couldn’t believe it. They’d been set up. Who knew what connections Sparks used to contain the situation.

  “Set up? What the hell are you talking about?” Austen stared at them, stunned.

  “Sparks,” Dex repeated angrily, his gun still in hand. “She gave us these orders. Worked out the routes, everything. I didn’t want to believe it, but…. Fuck!”

  “Where the hell have you been getting your intel?”

  Dex told Austen everything, from what they’d learned from Shultzon to Ward and the meds. Cael held firmly on to the case. He didn’t know if they could trust Austen. He wanted to, he really did. They needed all the help they could get on this.

  “Shit.” Austen shook his head, his lips pressed in a thin line.

  “You knew?” Dex took a step toward Austen.

  “Yeah, I knew.”

  Dex raised his gun again, aiming at Austen. “So you are working with her.”

  “I am. But it’s not what you think.”

  “Jesus Christ, Austen! Did you see what happened back there? We’re being hunted.”

  Dex threw a hand up, and Cael felt his gut twist. This couldn’t be happening. Granted, there was a lot they didn’t know about Austen and what he did, but could he really betray all of them like this?

  “Dex,” Austen warned.

  “God knows what they’re going to do to Sloane, and you’re telling me you’re working for the person responsible?”

  “Dex.”

  “How could you do that to us?”

  Austen’s expression hardened. “Would you shut the fuck up for two fucking seconds!”

  Dex promptly shut his mouth.

  “Yes, I’m working with Sparks. No, she’s not who everyone thinks she is. And I swear on my fuzzy sacks if this gets out, I will beat the shit out of both of you. I don’t care who your boyfriends are.”

  Cael opened his mouth to reply but thought better of it. Now was not the time. How Austen knew Ash was his boyfriend wasn’t really important right now.

  “Sparks is a Tin Man.”

  Dex frowned. “Like, Wizard of Oz Tin Man?”

  “Yes and no. It’s just a nickname, ’cause the Tin Man had no heart, and well, TIN operatives aren’t known for being warm and cuddly. Anyway, Sparks is part of TIN—Therian Intelligence Network. Sort of the Therian version of the CIA. They exist, but technically they don’t. We SSAs work for them. Back in the ’90s when the THIRDS opened their doors, Sparks was planted in the THIRDS to make sure everything remained on the up and up. The THIRDS had the potential to wield a shit ton of power, and with the military to fund them and back them up, it made them a force to be reckoned with. Where there’s that kind of power, you’ll find those looking to either abuse it or exploit it. Someone in the Branch of Therian Defense has decided to fund a little side project using the THIRDS as a scapegoat. That is the project.” Austen craned his neck to point at the case in Cael’s hands.

  “What is it?”

  “The drug you have in your hand is called Peitharchia7. It has the ability to suppress the Human side of a Therian. It also enhances the feral side, making the Therian susceptible to suggestion and, more importantly, commands.”

  “Fuck. I was right,” Dex groaned, returning his Glock to his thigh rig.

  “And some asshat in the government wants to use it to control Therian soldiers. Take away the Human consciousness but leave the Human body. We all know it’s against Geneva Convention protocols for Therian soldiers to fight in Therian form. This gives them a way around that. It also means that intel will be hard as fuck to extract, because once that shit wears off, the Therian soldier won’t remember jack. Hard to get intel from someone who has no memory of what he’s done.”

  “Is it the same drug Isaac injected Dex with?” Cael asked, taking a seat on the cinder block his brother had vacated, the case secured between his knees.

  Austen shook his head. “That was a watered-down version. The shit you’ve got there is far more potent. It will fuck a Human up. It’s so dangerous, it has to be used with a preliminary drug.”

  “Hold up. There’s another drug?”

  Just as Dex said the words, it struck Cael. “Thelxinomine.”

  Austen nodded. “You guessed it. Peitharchia7 won’t work on its own. It would potentially kill the Therian soldier or fuck his head up badly, rendering him unfit for duty. The Therian needs to be prepped first with a preliminary drug that will—with enough doses—short-circuit the Human side of the brain, leaving the feral half in control and susceptible to Peitharchia7, which will allow them to be controlled.”

  “Is the Thelxinomine in here as well?” Cael asked, looking down at the case.

  “No. Sparks had me hunt down that shit and swipe it. I just collected the last of it.”

  “From where?” Cael peered at Austen. He had an idea of what Austen was about to say.

  “Your boyfriends’ desks.”

  “This gets better and better,” Dex groaned. “So Sloane and Ash were on the preliminary drug. Was Ward prescribing that shit to Therians as a painkiller?”

  “To specific Therians. Therians who made ideal candidates for the program. What better place to find Therian soldiers than the THIRDS? I’m guessing plucking Therian soldiers already enlisted would draw too much attention, and obviously they couldn’t just walk up to their chosen candidates and be like, ‘Hey, you wanna be the first test subject of this new unsanctioned military-grade mind-control drug that could potentially fuck you up?’”

  Cael processed everything they’d learned from Austen. He still had so many unanswered questions, and his thoughts kept going to Ash. He prayed Ash was all right. A lump formed in his throat at the thought of him being taken. He looked up at Austen. “That’s why they took Sloane and the others. To use them for this program.”

  “Yeah. Defense agents are the easy choice. Your boys are First Gen. Perfectly healthy Therians. Strong Alphas. Ideal soldiers.”

  Dex frowned. “Hobbs wasn’t on Thelxinomine. Was he?”

  Austen shoved his hands into his pockets, his expression sympathetic. “Your boy Hobbs takes meds for his anxiety. They were switched out three weeks ago when he went for a refill of his prescription. I swiped his a week ago, but that shit had already worked its way into his system, which is why he’s been experiencing severe setbacks.” This time it was Austen who looked puzzled. “To be honest, I would have expected Seb to be on the list. He’s Pre-First Gen and takes a shit ton of Therian medication, but he’s fucking huge and strong as a brick shithouse. There was am
ple opportunity to switch out one of his meds, but for some reason he wasn’t targeted.”

  Cael cocked his head to one side, studying Austen, his stance and mannerisms. You have got to be kidding me. “The male nurse who made off with the drugs I found in Ward’s office? That was you!”

  Austen wriggled his eyebrows. “Yes it was. A little hair dye, some contacts, and a dash of makeup to cover up my classification.” He tapped the tattoo on his neck marking him a cheetah Therian. “It’s all part of the magic.”

  “And Ward’s body disappearing? Was that all part of the magic too?” Cael asked irritably.

  “No. That was my associates.”

  “Why did Sparks pull us off the case?”

  “She didn’t want to put you in danger.”

  Cael threw his arms up, motioning around them.

  “Yeah, okay. She didn’t really have a choice. We had to move the drug out before it disappeared. We lost an operative getting it out of the facility. Ten years, man. We’ve been after this shit for ten years. When it was time to move out, Sparks picked the three teams she trusted most.”

  “If Sparks is on our side,” Dex said, “then who’s been working on the control drug?”

  Austen arched an eyebrow at him. “I’ll let that percolate in your head for a moment.”

  Dex and Cael came to the same conclusion simultaneously. They both looked at each other, with Dex being the first to vocalize their thoughts.

  “Shultzon.”

  “Somebody give the boy a teddy bear. Yes, Shultzon. He was the one working from the First Gen Research Facility that had supposedly closed down. That day you boys took down Pearce and Sparks showed up, she wasn’t pissed because she’d been kept in the dark about the facility. She was pissed Shultzon managed to clear out the lab of anything that might incriminate him. He took his show on the road. TIN had an agent undercover with Shultzon for ten years, waiting for the guy to finish the drug and present it to his superiors. Shultzon is the puppet. TIN wants the puppet master. You can bet your ass this isn’t the only unsanctioned project going on.”

  “That son of a bitch,” Dex ground out angrily as he started to pace. “Now I hate him even more. What he did wasn’t enough? I should have trusted my gut, but I kept thinking it was me being overprotective. That fucker.”

  “Hey, calm down.” Cael stood and pulled his brother in close. “It’s okay. We’ll get them back.” He felt Austen’s arms around him. “What are you doing?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. You’re having a broment. I thought it was a group hug. My bad.”

  He pulled away, and Cael released Dex.

  “Dude, you’re weird.”

  “Says the guy related to that dude.” Austen pointed a finger at Dex.

  Cael picked up the case. “If TIN has the power to cover all this shit up, why didn’t they move the drug themselves? Why get the THIRDS to do it?

  “The facility Shultzon was using belongs to the THIRDS. One of hundreds across the country. His project was buried under a shit ton of fake legitimate research projects. If Shultzon got wind that TIN was moving in, he’d blow the whole thing wide open and expose TIN. They couldn’t have that. We’re talking national security.”

  “So the THIRDS take the fall. Is that it?” Dex let out a snort of disgust.

  “That’s the way the Cheesy Doodle crumbles, Daley. There’s an order to things, and if someone’s gotta take one for the team, it’s gonna be the little guy.”

  “So now what?” Cael could have sworn he heard something.

  “Now, you duck.”

  Neither of them questioned Austen’s casual order. They ducked, an arrow flying over their heads before they heard a scream and a gurgling sound. Standing, they turned to find a Human gunman lying on the floor in a pool of blood with an arrow sticking out of his heart.

  “Guess there was a straggler,” Austen murmured.

  “What the fuck?”

  Dex took Cael’s arm, pulling him close as they both gaped at Sparks as she emerged from the shadows dressed in a formfitting black leather jacket, pants, high-heeled boots, and in her hand, a high-tech bow.

  “Holy shit!” Dex turned to Cael. “Dude, did Sparks just shank that guy with an arrow?” He turned back to Sparks. “What the fuck is going on?”

  “Good job, Austen.”

  Austen gave her a two fingers salute. “Ma’am.”

  “Are you two all right?” Sparks asked, collapsing the bow and clipping it to her thigh rig.

  Cael was having trouble finding his words. His brain had ceased functioning.

  “Yes. Sort of. No.”

  Apparently so had his brother’s brain.

  “I take it Austen has filled you in?” She motioned for them to follow, and after some hesitation, they did. Cael held the case tight in his hand as they followed Sparks through the barely lit floor.

  “What’s Shultzon going to do with Sloane, Ash, and Hobbs?” Cael asked her.

  “He’s going to use the drug on them. The hijackers are mercenaries for hire. Shultzon ordered them to retrieve specific agents. Selected candidates for the program. They were supposed to have been retrieved at a later date in a far more inconspicuous way, but Shultzon was left with no choice. Considering Shultzon’s history with Sloane and Ash, along with their record at the THIRDS as top agents, I’m not surprised he chose them. He knows them inside and out. Knows what their bodies can take, what they respond to.”

  “But… we have the drug,” Dex said.

  Sparks stopped and turned to them.

  “That’s correct, Agent Daley. And any moment, Shultzon is going to be calling you. He’s going to tell you where to take the drug. If you don’t deliver the drug to the location and follow his instructions, he’s going to put a bullet in your boyfriend’s head.”

  Dex let out a shaky laugh. “With all due respect, Lieutenant, Sloane and I aren’t—”

  “Can it, Agent Daley. I work for Therian Intelligence. You really think I’m not going to know when my agents are in a relationship? I know everything. Whole damn team is sleeping with each other. Rosa and Letty are the only ones not breaking protocol. I mean, there’s a lot of sleeping around going on in Unit Alpha, but you guys take the cake.”

  “When you say everything…,” Dex prompted.

  Sparks narrowed her eyes at him. “I mean everything. Your relationship with Sloane, the fact he’s moving in with you, when you decided to play Batman and orchestrated an unsanctioned mission including Sebastian Hobbs and the rest of your team. I know about your naps during assembly, the gummy bears in your desk’s top right-hand drawer, along with the Cheesy Doodles, the Peanut M&M’s, the pretzels, plantain chips, and I seriously hope you listen to Agent Brodie about changing your diet.” She turned and started walking again.

  “Okay, about the unsanctioned mission,” Dex said, catching up to her long-legged strides. “I forced Seb into it. Please, I’ll take whatever disciplinary measures you see fit, but don’t penalize him.”

  “I have no intention of disciplining Agent Sebastian Hobbs. He’s an exceptional Team Leader with the potential to do great things. Now’s not really the time for this. We’re all going to sit down and have a little chat when this is over. Shultzon is going to call and demand you deliver the drug, or he’s going to kill Sloane.”

  “So what do I say?”

  “You say what your heart is desperate to say. Say ‘Where do you want me to deliver it?’ And then you’re going to take it there.”

  “But it’ll clearly be a trap.”

  “Of course it will be. Shultzon has no intention of handing over your teammates or losing the drug. He plans to use it on them and get them transported. Lucky for us, Shultzon is paranoid, and let’s face it, not all there. He didn’t commit the formula to solid medium in hope of keeping it safe. It’s all in his head. There’s no time for him to recreate the drug, which is why he needs the supply we have.” Sparks stopped beside the construction elevator. She opened the steel door and motioned
for them to step inside. They did as asked, and she closed the door behind them. “Agent Maddock, I hope you’re ready for what you’re about to face.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Cael didn’t know what part he had to play in whatever was coming, only that he needed to do everything within his power to get Ash, and the rest of their team, out of there safely. Whatever Sparks wanted from him, he’d do it.

  “Good, because your ex-boyfriend will be there.”

  Cael’s heart plummeted. “Excuse me?”

  “Don Fuller.” Sparks turned to him, her expression void of any emotion. “He’s the mercenary Shultzon hired to grab your teammates. Why do you think he showed up at Dekatria? He wanted to see what he was up against. I trust you won’t let that impede your performance.”

  Cael felt Dex squeeze his arm reassuringly. Fuller was a mercenary? How…. What? Cael was having trouble processing this information.

  “Agent Maddock, Don Fuller was never cut out to be a THIRDS agent, and his connections while in prison allowed him to become a gun for hire. Now before you start blaming yourself for his debut into the world of mercenaries, Don Fuller would have ended up with a gun in his hand one way or another. We have the psych evals to prove it. You, however, are a THIRDS agent, and as a THIRDS agent, it’s your job to bring Therians like Fuller to justice. It’s up to him how he ends up there.” Her steel-blue eyes studied him, her jawline set. “What’s it going to be, Agent Maddock? Are you going to show him the formidable agent you’ve become, or are you going to once again allow him control over you?”

  Cael clenched his jaw. That son of a bitch. Cael could see that bastard’s smug face, reveling in Cael’s heartache and suffering at losing Ash. He knew Fuller. Knew he’d laugh at Cael and tell him how pathetic he was, how he couldn’t save his own boyfriend. How he was weak. Cael felt his anger rising. He met Sparks’s gaze, the words coming from his mouth all but spat out. “I’m going to take him down if it’s the last thing I do.”

  Sparks smiled in approval. “Good. Hold on to your socks, boys. This ride’s about to get a little crazy.”