by Mason Sabre
“He will.”
He nodded. “Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was Joey. Like he’s standing there, staring at me, waiting for me to save him, and I can't. I'm his father, and they have him, and I've never been able to do anything." He shook his head and walked away. "What kind of father am I? I fucking leave him there. I should be storming the doors."
“We talked about this.”
"I know. I know … I just. Fuck …" He ran down the steps and twisted at the bottom to lean into the bush and retch. Eden let him do that with as much privacy as she could manage. She followed him down the steps but waited.
“They’d kill him if you tried.”
"Doesn't mean I'm happy just to sit and wait."
“No, but it means he is alive. It means you can still fight for him. We’ll get Nick back and then we’ll get Joey back. He knows he is your son?”
Xander leant against the railing. He put his head down. The hand holding the beer bottle hung to the side of him. “He does now. Yes.” He raised his head to peer over his arm at her. “Nick said he'd save him."
“Then trust him. Okay? Believe in it all. You know the word Blight, means infection? It isn’t us who gave this thing that name, even though it’s used in the books.”
“It speaks of it with the chariot. Like Freya is a carrier.”
"Yes. I guess they named it wrong, but infections, viruses, they can cause mutations in the DNA. You look at what Nick did to Lee. He has power. Like the old stories say. He doesn't know what he can do yet. But he will, and we'll help him, and he will get your son back." She rubbed a hand along his back again, scratching gently in small circles. "Maybe Blight is the right name for this because he'll infect everyone with the cure for oppression. He'll spread what is right like a virus."
“I hope so.”
She smiled up at him. “I know so.”
Chapter 38
The car they used was hidden in the lane, parked out of sight of the estate and behind a bush. If anyone were to come this way, they'd not see the car by chance. Xander had covered it with bits of woodland debris—tree branches and leaves. He’d kicked and covered the tyre marks in the mud so no one would see them from the side of the road and follow them.
Stephen sat in the passenger seat of the car, and if he had been in a solid form, he would have gripped the handle and fought back thoughts, as Xander drove with the confidence of someone who knew where they were going—a man who had driven this way more than once.
Trusting Xander tested every limit Stephen had, especially now. Testing was his growth, but if he had learnt anything while being part of Society, it was that to trust was to be a fool. Even a domestic house cat knows how to lure someone in with a purr and cute flick of their head, only to strike out seconds later and draw blood.
He had hope, though, and that was okay. Hope could allow him to stay on guard, it could protect him, but it meant he wasn’t cold. Hope could offer forgiveness to Xander when the time came.
The carpark was full, and Xander parked the car in a space far enough away from the building and hidden enough, it made Stephen want to question if Xander was going to go around the back or something.
Xander stayed in the car for a second. He put his hands on the steering wheel and stared right ahead. From where they were, the facility itself was in full view.
“We’ll get him out,” Stephen said. “We'll get them all out.”
The outside of the building was clinical, but it had an air of intelligence to it, like standing outside a university. If buildings could have personalities and feelings, this one was like it wore a cloak—lies, torture, and death.
Before he got out of the car, Xander removed the patch from over his eye for a minute. Without it, his features had sinister undertones. His eyelid was a darker shade of red, and it mostly closed, but there was a little gap in the corner, and he rubbed at it and exercised the muscles in his face.
It was no shock to Stephen to find Joey at the doorway. He stood beside a guard, who came to attention when Xander approached. Xander cleared his throat and went to the guard house. He ignored the guard blocking the doorway. He’d thrown on the facade of being important … of being bigger than he was. It was a good trick to do to the Humans because inside they were cowards.
“Can I help you?” the guard in the box asked. He raised a brow at Xander. He had his hands flat against the countertop. There was a small sign telling visitors they needed to sign in and then there was a book with a list of signatures, including times of arrival and departure. It listed staff, deliveries, and authorised guests.
“I am here to see Lee Norton.”
“Do you have an appointment?” He reached for a separate authorised list. The names were printed out. Probably a list of expected visitors for the day. He fingered down the list. Lee had four people due that day. Lucky two of them had already been. “Your name?”
“I’m not on the list.”
The guard put the paper down. “Mr Norton does not accept unsolicited meetings.”
“I have information for him.”
“Make an appointment.”
“He’ll want this right now.”
The guard stood straight and folded his arms over his chest. “What information would that be?”
“I can’t tell you, but he would want to know.”
The guard shook his head and grabbed a calling card from the side. “Take this, call his office and make an appointment.”
Xander took off his eye-patch again. He knew of the sudden effect it had on people because the guard twitched at the sight, and although his mouth didn’t form a grimace, he was close to it. He leant in enough, so his face was close to the glass. "It is urgent. Believe me. If I don't give this information to Lee and he finds out I had it, and you didn’t call …”
The guard gripped the board. His fingers went white with his grasp, but he held his ground. Stephen could have given him a round of applause for keeping his shit together, but fear was a hidden undercurrent. "Unless you can tell me what it is, I can't let you through."
The guard in the box held his calm, but three more guards appeared at the side of Xander. They were all armed with tranquillisers. Humans could never tell what kind of Other they had. Sometimes, they couldn’t tell if they were speaking to one.
Xander chewed on the thought for a moment. “Call Lee. Tell him Xander is outside and that I have information regarding Helena and Nick.”
“Helena?” A flicker of recognition went across his face. They all knew who Helena and Nick were. They were probably well versed in protecting the prize experiment.
“Yes. He will want to hear this. I am unarmed.” Xander stepped back and held his arms up. “Check me if you need to, but I do need to speak with Lee.”
Another of the guards moved closer, but not too close … fool. Did they still think anyone’s Otherness was contagious? He gave the nod to the guard in the booth, though. “Call Lee.”
Behind the guard, on a small table, was a portable television. Stephen hadn’t seen one of those in years. Hell, he was probably a kid the last time he’d come across one. It even had an antenna on the top. “I thought those things went out of commission with frizzy hair and bright leg warmers.
Whatever the guard had been watching had flicked over to a commercial and Benjamin Norton’s smiling face beamed out like a blemish on the screen. He was standing outside the main building, wearing a suit and the smile of a man with plans. “The Human Project,” he said, “is a priority here, at Norton Industries. Call us old-fashioned, call us nostalgic, but we fight for the Human Race. We put humanity above all others. Humans First.”
“A hate speech? A fucking hate speech.” Of course, no one heard Stephen as he watched the screen and swore at Norton, but it was madness. Absolute fucking madness. “Do you all believe this shit?”
“Others rape our women, infect our children. They aim to breed with us, so their genetics take over and eventually the Human Race will die out
.”
“You’re idiots. The lot of you.”
The guard put the phone down. “Mr Norton says he will see you. He is sending someone down to escort you inside. Just wait at the benches.”
Stephen scowled at the guard. “If I had my claws …”
"Thank you," Xander said, and he did as instructed.
Moments later, the main door opened. It was showtime.
Chapter 39
When Xander and Stephen entered the office, Lee was leaning back in his chair. It was made of leather, fine leather Stephen guessed. He rested his elbows on the armrests and pressed his fingertips together in an arch in front of his smirking face.
Stephen recognised the Human who showed them to the office. He was one of the men who had met Xander at the house, and although Stephen didn’t know his name, he already despised him. He kept looking at Xander with timid little eyes, but that timidness would be a weakness to anyone who attacked. That Human would turn his own mother in if it was to benefit him.
“Yes?” Lee said when the door closed. The Human was in the room too, and he stayed next to Xander, ready to show the fae out when his information proved to be useless.
“They’re right there,” Stephen said, meaning the balls on the shelf. Lee hadn’t moved them since he had last been in there, which meant he had no idea what he was keeping in his possession. Idiot. He’d kick himself after this.
“I have some news for you,” he said, then he nodded at the Human. “But it is a private matter.”
Lee arched his brow at that and paused for a moment before tilting his chin in the direction of the Human to tell him to leave. “Anything he has to say, I can hear it. I am part of this. I …”
Lee held up a hand and rocked forward. “Do close the door on your way out.”
“But, sir, I …”
Another brow raise. “Do I need to tell you twice?”
“No, sir.” The Human scowled at Xander and opened his mouth to speak. Whatever it was stayed on his lips because he stopped, caught himself and nodded to Lee. “I’ll be outside if you need me.”
“I won’t.” The Human bowed at Lee, paying him respect he did not deserve. When he had left the room, Lee said, "Take a seat," to Xander, and he motioned to the chair on the opposite side of the desk. Xander didn't take it. Stephen would have. He'd have sat in his ghostly form opposite Lee, giving him Casper glares.
“I’ll stand.”
“As you wish. What is it that is so important you needed to intrude uninvited?”
Stephen scoffed and shook his head, and Lee shot a glance his way. A quick glance, but enough.
Xander held the bottle of what he was supposed to give to Helena. He put it on the desk, on top of whatever paperwork Lee had been dealing with. “I want to see my son.”
Lee regarded the bottle with contempt like it might jump up and hit him. Stephen could only wish. He didn't pick it up, though. He rocked back in his seat instead. "We've discussed this. I want—"
“No. You tell me I can see him. You tell me I can talk to him. Every time. Then you set me new goals, new things I have to do, and I never get to. I—”
“You ruined my business and caused an explosion.”
“Maybe I did, but it wasn’t on purpose.” He moved closer to Lee but kept the desk between them. He was edging himself closer to the shelf. Clever. “I have done everything you asked me to do. Everything, even if I didn't agree with it, I did it. I did it because you promised me I could see my son. Every time I ask, you move the goal, and I have to do something else." He shrugged. "I don't even know if Joey is still alive."
“He is.” Lee turned a little, his body relaxed, but the edges to the scars along his face said otherwise. He was a bubble waiting to burst, a simmering pot. He had calm, control. It made him dangerous. “Is that all you wanted?”
“No.” Xander paused, finding himself. He walked a thin line between the two of them. Lee had the upper hand here, and it would take nothing to knock Xander off balance. “I only have your word for that. It’s been a year since I last saw him and even that was a glimpse. Why should I do anything else for you? He could be dead, and you can’t prove otherwise. I want to see him, in person, or I’m not doing shit for you.”
Lee took the bottle then and rolled it in his hand. The thick liquid tipped to one end. “Do I need to remind you of the consequences of your disobedience?”
“That you’ll end Joey’s life? Believe me. I’ve had that line etched into my chest since the day he was born. But I don’t believe he’s alive now. He can’t possibly be. So I’m doing fuck all for you. Catch your own god damn tiger." Xander put himself in front of the bookcase. Whether it was on purpose or a lucky accident, Stephen couldn't tell. Xander was a boiling pot ready to go off, but there was something logical about him still. "If I walk out of here without seeing my son, my part in this game is over."
"It would be an awful shame if he were alive, and you found out he died tonight because of your behaviour."
Xander glared at Lee, and the ‘gotcha' expression settled into his features, but Lee was a fool—a greedy fool. Xander stepped forward, so the balls were behind him on the shelf. They were in an unused ashtray. The kind of memento brought back from a holiday. Overpriced junk all made in a factory in China.
What Lee also didn’t notice, as Xander put himself in the right position, was the way Xander’s hands had a slight tremble to them. A real shifter, one who was born to their abilities would have been able to smell that small hint of fear no problem, but Lee wasn't seeing, he wasn't realising. Maybe with half-breeds, they didn't get that part.
“I want to see my son.”
Lee swivelled in his chair so he could face Xander. He put his foot up and rested it across his knee, then he put his hands back to how he had them before, poised fingertips all touching. "Are you really sure it is what you want?"
Xander had never wanted anything more in his life. “Yes,” he said. “I am.”
Stephen had to hand it to Xander. He hadn't backed down. Not once. He didn't even take a step back, although his body language said he was ready to. He kept Lee in his line of sight at all times, but then, Stephen supposed, what was worse than someone having your child? Most people think death is the worst that can happen, but death is pure; it's the end. If Lee killed Xander, Xander wouldn't know anything anymore. He wouldn't feel anything. If he died, he'd not care. Living … that was the pain, the agony, the fucking lunacy. Even as he thought it all, he ran a hand along the scars on his arm and squeezed away the sting that threatened to explode into agony. This was worse than death.
"How can I trust you not to do a repeat of last time?" Lee asked. Stephen had no idea what Lee meant, but Xander nodded, and by the way, his jaw worked, it was something memorable.
“You can trust me as much as I can trust you. I just want to see him.”
“You don’t want him back?”
“Of course, I want him back. Are you going to give him to me?”
A smile … a smile of a cat playing with a mouse under its paw. "When I have Nick's children, and Nick is dead, then you can have him back."
Stephen stepped into the space between Xander and Lee, and he bent so he could peer right down into Lee’s fucking eyes. “You’ll never get your hands on my children.”
Lee lifted his eyes to where Stephen was. He’d heard alright. He looked right at Stephen without knowing it for sure, but he didn’t care. “I’ll have those children. They will do great things for Humanity.”
Stephen stayed where he was for a second longer, peering into the eyes of the man he would surely kill at the first chance he got. He’d not know when, or how, but it would happen. For now, Stephen moved out of the way, and when he saw the ashtray, he noted the balls were gone. Hope sprang alive in his chest, hope and victory trying to dance together.
“If I take you to see your son, are you going to give me any trouble? Cause a scene?”
“That depends,” said Xander.
&n
bsp; “On?”
“You …”
Lee shook his head. “There can be no ‘depends’ in this. You see your son, or you don’t. It doesn’t bother me.”
“If you want me to give that stuff to Helena, it should bother you.”
A wry smile. "As you wish, but remember, you wanted this. You forced my hand. You better keep your shit together. One wrong move and the kid dies." He picked up the phone, clicked a couple of numbers and then waited. A second later and a click on the other side, he said, "We're coming down to subject Zero. Prepare the gates. I have his father here." He didn't wait for an answer; instead, he put the receiver down and stood. "Remember. You asked for this."
Chapter 40
It wasn’t the idea of going to see Joey that bothered Stephen, or even the fact Lee called for two Humans to join them as they walked. It wasn’t even the look of sheer impending dread across Xander’s features. No. What bothered Stephen was the way Joey slipped his little hand into his and clung on tight enough that had they been solid and real, he’d have had to ask the boy to loosen his grasp. He ran his thumb across the little boy’s knuckles, hoping somehow that he could calm him. “It’ll be okay,” he said, not even believing his own words. Because nothing would be okay. Not after this. Something in the way Lee offered warnings to Xander, told Stephen what they were about to see would send the fae wild.
It was further confirmed when the Humans with them had guns different to the usual tranquilliser darts. They had iron bullets loaded in them, which meant they weren’t there to put Xander to sleep if things went wrong. No. They were there to shoot to kill if needed. Xander was fae, and iron to a fae was like kryptonite to Superman.
On the way out, Lee grabbed the bottle from his desk and handed it to Xander. He was full of arrogance and calm. “Keep that safe. You’ll be needing it after we do this.”
