He fell quiet for a moment, and the room erupted in a flurry of questions. Titus held up a hand, and the room went silent once again.
“I don’t know if I can answer all your questions, since we don’t know all the answers ourselves. I do know that we are genetically engineered hybrids. This was done in utero and, from the records that were found, by mostly willing women for money.” His face hardened with those words.
“Oh God,” Kate said and sat hard on the other bed. She put a hand over her mouth.
Erica’s stomached churned. The thought of a mother being so calculating made her chest hurt.
“What do you mean by ‘hybrid’?” a reporter shouted out.
Titus looked over to Major Carter, who nodded. “I’ll let Major Carter take over for that.”
As the major took the podium, Titus conferred with Sol on the side. Her heart sped up as she watched him. He was wearing the same clothes from earlier, although soot and grime made the white shirt look dingy.
“We’re still not quite sure about all the scientific details,” the major said. “The methods they used are a mystery as well as all the specifics. What we are able to tell is that their genetic makeup is more man than anything. In some areas, they have simply been enhanced, whereas others were completely altered.” He gestured over to the two men. “I think the most obvious is their eyesight. Like a wolf, they see well at night and can perceive movement more quickly than our eyes.”
“So are they part wolf?” a reporter asked.
“It’s not quite that simple, but yes, we believe there are elements of that expressed in certain characteristics.” The major nodded to another reporter.
“Has the Horatius Group been apprehended?”
Major Carter scrubbed a hand over his face, and unease settled over Erica.
“They have been able to evade us thus far.” His mouth was a hard line as he spoke. “When we found the men at the facility, they had been without food or water for several days. Somehow they knew we were coming. However,” his hand slammed the podium so hard the microphones buzzed from the feedback, “they will be caught. We’re working with authorities in several countries to deal with this. The Italian facility is definitely closed down, and the Italian government has requested the US take the lead on this investigation. Further investigations found that the Horatius Group have been known to work with and supply terrorist groups. They pose a danger to the United States and the rest of the world.”
“Are the hybrids dangerous?” a reporter near back asked. “After all, there are soldiers here watching them.”
Anger coursed through Erica as a hush fell over the TV.
“No,” the major said without hesitation. “My men are really more for their protection. The hybrids have been through numerous psych evals and testing. They pose no danger and, in light of today’s events, are heroes by all rights.”
Erica blushed. They were heroes. Without them, she and Kate would have been killed.
“These are men who were forced into something they never wanted.” The major stared earnestly at the crowd. “For now we need to let them adjust to their new life and freedom.”
The major nodded and walked off the stage, Sol and Titus not far behind.
Kate clicked off the TV, and they sat in silence for a moment, absorbing what had been said.
“So,” Kate said after some time. “Mark’s an asshole.”
Erica went over and sat with Kate on the bed. “What happened?”
Kate sighed. Her breath was shaky. “He was chatting with some official when I came up.” She turned to look at Erica. “I was just waiting for the right moment, but they kept going on and on.”
Erica rolled her eyes. Mark could go on if the moment struck him.
“When I was finally able to interject, he acted like a total jerk. I turned and started to walk away when the explosion happened.” Her hands shook as she talked, and Erica took them in her own. “People were screaming, and there was smoke everywhere. It took me a moment to realize I wasn’t standing but pinned.”
Her eyes were wide when she continued. “It was amazing. Titus must have been moving so fast to knock the beam out of the way,” she said. “Anyways, Mark tried to move Titus, but he really weighs a ton. When I couldn’t get out, he ran. Like it was nothing. Like I was nothing.”
Erica took Kate in a hard hug. “I’m so glad you’re safe,” she said.
Kate’s body shook, and it took Erica a moment to realize that she was sobbing, something she had never seen her friend do in all the years they had known one another. Erica ran a hand in circles on her back until the crying subsided.
After a while the shaking stopped, and Kate took in shuddered breaths. When she leaned back, her makeup had slid down her face.
“I think I’ll just go take a shower,” she said.
Erica nodded. “I think I’ll get some fresh air. My lungs are still pretty rough from all the smoke before.”
She watched as her friend disappeared behind the door and cursed Mark. He had always been a douche, but this was an all-new low for him. Next time she saw him, she’d be sure to give him an earful. Maybe even a kneefull. Heaven knew he certainly deserved it.
Erica put Sol’s jacket back on. She somehow felt safer being wrapped in his smell. She opened the door to two armed men in military fatigues.
“We can’t let you go, ma’am,” one man said.
Erica smiled nicely. “I’d just like to sit on the deck, if you don’t mind. My chest is hurting a little, and some fresh air might do some good.”
The soldiers looked to one another, confusion on their faes.
“I don’t see what it could hurt,” the other said.
The first one looked her up and down. “Okay, but don’t get too far away.”
With a nod, Erica smiled and walked around the corner where she spotted several seats. Quietly, she shrank into the shadows when she found the right chair.
The moon was high in the sky. She sat and wondered if it had any effect on the hybrids. Of course, it made little sense, but then, none of this did really. The major had already talked about the keen eyesight. She assumed it was the same for smells and sounds. Her face flamed when she realized Sol must have heard them earlier at the party.
Her mind drifted to the group they had escaped from, and she wondered if the Horatius Group was connected with the bombing. It would make sense, but then, there were plenty of possibilities.
A shadow caught her eye across the way. It darted from tree to tree. She turned to call out for the guards but stopped at the sight of Sol.
“There’s a man out there,” she said, somewhat dumbfounded.
Sol marched to her side and peered into the darkness. She pointed to his slight frame as he made it to the wall and climbed over.
“Likely paparazzi,” he said, disgust lacing his voiced. They watched as the man disappeared. “I just wanted to check on you.” He scrubbed his hand over his face and watched her with wary eyes.
He started to walk away, but she reached out and gripped his arm. The flesh beneath rippled at the contact.
“Please,” she said. The events of the night were seared into her brain. “Thank you,” she hurried on. “Without you, we would have never made it. I would have never made it.”
Erica stepped closer to stare at his amber eyes. He turned his head and stepped away.
“It was nothing,” he said gruffly.
She watched in awe as he sprinted away from her and wondered if she did something to offend him. Her eyes followed him to a jeep and then off into the distance as he drove away.
Erica sighed. She shouldn’t be disappointed, but she still was. She’d never felt this kind of connection with a man. Then again, Sol was not just any man.
Chapter Four
Sol paced in the small office. Titus and Major Carter stood off to the side, giving him space. This had all been one giant clusterfuck from the start. If he hadn’t been so preoccupied with what his dick wanted,
they wouldn’t be in this mess. Now they were being targeted by more than one group, and everyone knew about the hybrids.
Titus seemed surprisingly calm through the whole thing as he watched the video feed on the TV.
Sol stopped pacing.
“Why didn’t the sprinklers come on?” He turned to Titus.
“Outside water was turned off,” Major Carter said.
“Fuck.” Sol pounded the desk. “This is just all too planned.”
He and Titus locked eyes.
“Someone sold us out,” Titus said tightly. He paused the feed from the security cameras. “Do you know who this is?” Titus asked.
Sol looked up at the woman he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about. “That’s the woman I saved.”
“Not her.” He stepped closer to the TV and pointed to the man. “Him.”
Sol shook his head. There was something about the man, but he just couldn’t place.
“I’m not surprised. Your training was in a different block.”
“Who is that?” the major asked.
“This is the scientist that led the psychological tests. He’s brutal for such a little man,” Titus said. His eyes glowed with the rage he couldn’t suppress. “This woman, is she involved?”
Sol stared at her. Nothing indicated that she was trouble, but could he really trust his instinct? He’d let one of them slip away.
“Doubtful,” he said after some time. “She seemed just as shaken. Besides, did you see who they were with?”
Titus nodded. “Trouble but for a whole different reason.” His jaw tightened. “Why a woman like that would be with Mark Kincaid, well,” he scrubbed his face, “I guess he proved who the real man was when it came time.”
Sol chuckled. There was a certain satisfaction seeing a man like Mark tuck tail and run.
“I had Apollo follow that man,” Sol said. “Maybe he’s got some info on this.”
Titus nodded. “It’s a good place to start.”
Titus called down the hall for Apollo.
“Before the explosion, I had you following a man,” Apollo said. “Any luck with that?”
Apollo shook his head. The brown-haired man’s normal carefree face was hardened from the day’s events.
“When I went after him,” he said, “the man was nearly out of the building. I stayed back a ways to let him get a little lead on me, but the trail ended before I found him.”
Titus frowned. “What do you mean the trail ended? Did he get picked up?”
“I can’t quite make it out myself,” Apollo said. “It was the strangest thing. This man seemed to know I could scent him and was wearing something to cover it up.”
Sol’s eyebrows shot up in alarm. He turned to Titus.
“Is that possible?”
Titus shrugged. “It could be. They certainly know our capabilities well enough to think up something.”
“That’s fucked up,” Apollo mumbled. Sol was apt to agree.
If the enemy could mask themselves, then the hybrids were in for a world of hurt.
“Shit,” Sol said. “Grab some men and run a sweep over by the women’s cabin. There was a man running through the woods there. Likely paparazzi, but I don’t want to take a chance. If it was someone from the group, they are likely long gone.”
“And what should we do if we do find someone?” Apollo looked between Sol and Titus.
“Bring him in,” Major Carter said from behind them. “It’s the only chance you have a making something of this.”
Apollo looked back to Titus, who nodded. He gave a curt nod in reply and left the room.
The remaining men continued to watch the feed play backward, but Titus stopped it abruptly. The three men leaned closer as they watched the feed play in normal time.
Sol’s chest tightened.
“In the morning, we talk with them,” the major ordered.
Titus and Sol both nodded.
* * *
Erica woke with a throbbing headache. It was likely lack of sleep, but for some reason, she couldn’t will herself to snuggle down further under the covers and sleep longer.
She groaned and flipped the covers back. Kate sat on the side of the other bed, quietly watching the news.
“How long have you been up?” Erica asked.
When Kate turned, Erica could see the dark shadows under her eyes.
“I got in a few hours.” She smiled and went back to the news.
Every channel was about the hybrids. The discussions flipped between fear and fascination. Some worried that they were trying to take over the country. Others wanted to know what sort of “powers” they possessed. Erica snorted. It made them seem more like superheroes than men. Although, after the heroic save last night, she wasn’t so certain that they weren’t.
A loud helicopter flew overhead, and their cabin came into view on the television.
“What the…” Erica jumped out of bed.
“They’ve been flashing it all morning,” Kate said dryly. “Apparently, we were the only ones to stay.”
Erica groaned. Just what any job seeker wanted, a media frenzy linked to them.
“Let’s go the see if anyone knows where Mark is,” Erica said as she took out the skirt blouse combo Kate had packed for her. “Any word from him?”
Erica peeked at her friend. She really didn’t want to force her on him again, but he would be a good cover if they wanted to leave. She doubted a cab would have an easy time making it through the gates after what happened.
Kate shook her head. “I tried calling a few times, but it goes right to voicemail.”
“Well, let’s just see if we can get out of here.”
The two quickly got dressed and headed toward the door, luggage in hand.
The bright day was nearly too much for Erica’s still throbbing head. She was surprised to find two men still standing guard.
“Oh, um,” she said, startled. “We’d like to see about her boyfriend and get out of here.”
The two military men looked at her. One pressed a button on a small black box on his belt and spoke into his headset.
“Sir, the women are ready to leave.” He paused as he listened to whoever was on the other end and then nodded. “Roger that.”
He turned back to her. “Ma’am, the major and Titus would like to ask you all some questions before you leave.”
“What about her boyfriend?” Erica asked.
He blinked a few times.
She felt her knees shake and knew this couldn’t be a good thing.
“If you’ll just leave your luggage here, I’ll have someone come get it when you’re ready to go.” The man slid the bag from her hand, and she knew this was all part of the plan to make them do what they wanted. The last thing the military wanted was to be caught on film manhandling two women.
“Let’s just get this over with,” Kate said from behind her. After dropping her luggage to the floor, she moved forward. “I just want to get home before dark.”
They quietly followed the two men to a jeep and sat in the back. As they drove through the front of the lodge, they could see the damage from last night’s explosion. Parts of the front seemed beyond repair, but repair crews were already hard at work. Most of the walls seemed to have held strong, but the hollow spot above, where the glass ceiling had been, was chilling. Whatever the bomb had been made out of, it seemed to be more about causing a fire than actual structural damage.
They drove in silence as they passed the front and turned down a narrow dirt road at the side of the building. It was then that she was able to see just how large the complex was. Many smaller building stood scattered in the land around them, as well as other hybrids, judging by their size, and a few military personnel. It seemed strange to her that the two would be working so closely together, but maybe they had some sort of deal worked out.
A group of hybrids worked out under the cover of tree, their yellow eyes as shocking as ever. She wondered how many actually lived at the facil
ity.
Erica was surprised to see they had been taken to the back of the building. Their guards parked. They followed Erica and Kate into the building.
“I wonder what they want to talk to us about,” Kate said as they followed the guards through the maze-like compound.
Erica shrugged. Whatever it was couldn’t be good. For some reason, she kept getting the feeling like she was being sent to the principal’s office.
They opened the door and were surprised by a man having a very angry phone call at his desk. Several chairs were set up about the room, with two directly on the other side of the desk. A large TV hung on the wall across from the desk. Major Carter and Sol were also present. Erica fought down a flash of desire.
“You just get them the fuck out of my no-fly zone. I don’t care what you have to do.” Titus breathed into the phone. “It’s bad enough we’re dealing with some sort of terrorism, the last thing we need is the media breathing down our necks.”
Titus slammed the phone onto the receiver and glared at it for a moment.
Major Carter was the first to break the silence.
“Thank you for coming, ladies,” he said and pulled up a couple of chairs. “We just have a few questions for you about the events before the bombing.”
Erica and Kate took the seats offered. When Erica glanced over to Sol, his hard expression made her shudder a little.
“I’m Major Carter, and you are?” He turned to Erica.
“Erica Scott.”
“Kate Walker,” Kate said quietly.
“I know this has been quite the day for both of you, but we really need to ask you some questions.” He looked between the two of them. “First things first, do either of you know this man?” He held up a blown-up image of the man at the bar.
Kate shook her head.
“He sat at the bar next to me,” Erica said. A chill crept over her as she remembered their conversation. “He was really creepy and was trying to ask me questions.” She looked over to Sol and Titus. “Questions about you.”
“And what did you tell him?” the major said, snapping her attention away from the angry-looking men.
“I told him that I’d never met either of them,” she said simply.
Luna Lodge: Sol Page 3
