Relay for Life

by Downs Jana

  “You okay?”

  “I’m okay. I’ve resolved not to think about it until I have to.”

  “Hey, fellas,” an unfamiliar voice said, interrupting their conversation. They turned in unison, a feeling of unease filling the pit of his stomach. He eyed the four UMF agents who stood in a semicircle behind their vehicle, weapons not leveled at them but in their hands nonetheless.

  “Hi,” he said to the one who had spoken to him. “Can we help you?”

  The brown-haired UMF agent looked at him coolly. “Matthew Gibson, Marcel Carter, you both need to come with us.”

  “Are we under arrest?” Matthew asked.

  “We have a few questions we need to ask you down at headquarters. We’d like you to come with us,” he said.

  Matthew frowned. “Unless we are under arrest, that isn’t happening.” What right did the UMF have to arrest citizens anyway? They weren’t supposed to interfere in civilian affairs unless those civilians were outside the safe zones.

  “Is it my understanding that you are refusing to cooperate?” the guy asked. It was a deadly question. There was a trap somewhere, and Matthew saw it coming a million miles away.

  “Can we see some identification and be told why we are being questioned?” Matthew was trying to stall. He had to figure out what their angle was.

  The UMF team looked at one another. There isn’t a superior officer among them. “We are from internal regulations division, and what we have to discuss with you is classified. We would appreciate you accompanying us of your own accord. If you don’t, we will be forced to take steps.”

  Marcel growled. “What kind of damn steps?”

  “Mar,” Matthew warned. He sighed. “We’re not leaving the sector?”

  “No. We’ll be at our offices downtown.”

  He hesitated before nodding. “Fine. Let’s go.” He shut the back of the vehicle, enclosing their bags inside. He hit the button to arm the car.

  “But, Matthew—”

  “No arguments, Mar. Trust me.” He prayed that Marcel would keep his mouth shut. Whatever was going on was bigger than them, and if it had anything to do with Special Ops missions, they were screwed if the Special Ops determined they were a threat.

  * * * * “I didn’t see anything,” Matthew repeated for the millionth time. He’d been in interrogation for hours, repeating and rehashing everything that had happened when they’d gone after Andrew, minus some key details. He just hoped Marcel was doing the same.

  “We know Jack Gibson was in the area at the time. You expect me to believe he was on mission and did not assist with your escape?” his interrogator asked, drumming his fingers on the thick vid on the table between them. The gray-white walls weren’t the most cheerful décor. They were apparently trying to break him with boredom.

  “I’m telling you that I did not see my father or have any contact with him while I was in the area. I have not been in contact with him since I left to accompany my Deadzone field team into the wilds to retrieve Andrew Ainsley.” They were facts he’d repeated again and again. It was starting to wear on his nerves.

  “So when did you start fucking the track star and his lover, Marcel Carter?” The question was unexpected, but his tactics were pretty easy to see. He was trying to get him riled.

  “I began a relationship with them while we were in the wilds. When I returned, we continued the relationship. However, unless the parameters of the investigation are now looking at my sex life, I suggest you find another topic, Sergeant Williams.” Matthew was former UMF himself and was not above sneering down his nose at a lower-ranking noncommissioned officer to give as good as he got. He detested special investigations.

  The guy’s eyes narrowed. “Did you or did you not witness Special Ops performing a specialized mission in the wilds?”

  “We’ve had this song and dance before, Sergeant. How about we skip to the end?” Matthew asked, sarcasm thick in his voice.

  “Answer the question, Mr. Gibson.”

  “Lieutenant Gibson,” Matthew corrected. “And no, Sergeant, I did not witness any activity performed by Special Ops in the wilds during the duration of my time staying there.”

  Williams opened his mouth a snarl on his lips, but the door banged open, causing both of them to jump. His heart leapt into his throat as his dad walked through the door.

  “This interview is over,” Jack said, glaring daggers at his tormentor. His dad held out a piece of plastic coding.

  Williams pushed himself to his feet and snatched the coding before pressing it to his vid screen. He let out a string of curses. “You can’t just come in here and take over.”

  “The boys have security clearances that outrank yours by several levels,” Jack said calmly. There was a nasty smile on his face. He was pissed. Matthew could tell by the set of his shoulders. “Now, kindly uncuff my son and have his lovers released into my custody immediately.”

  Matthew balled his fists up to keep from reaching out for his dad like a toddler. He’s alive. He’s fucking alive. He resisted the urge to burst into tears, but it was a near thing. The tears blinded him for a moment before he blinked them away. He felt like he couldn’t breathe.

  Jack squeezed his shoulder. “Hold on, son.” The touch went right through him, and he sucked in a breath. Don’t let me cry like a big fucking baby. He squeezed his eyes shut, commanding his body to obey.

  Somehow he managed to wrestle control back from his emotions and force himself to move when Jack turned and walked back into the hallway. Matthew followed and was happy to see Marcel and Andrew waiting on them. They followed his dad silently through the maze of hallways until they hit a side exit and walked toward the parking lot. Another large transport sat running at the front of the building.

  “Get in,” Jack said, motioning to the vehicle.

  As soon as they climbed in, Matthew couldn’t hold it back anymore. He threw himself at his father and wrapped his arms around his neck, bursting into tears at the same time. His dad clutched him just as tightly while Marcel shut the door behind them.

  “Drive,” Jack said in a gruff voice. The driver must’ve heard him, because the car pulled off away from the curb. Matthew sobbed, all his emotions rushing out as he breathed in his dad’s scent. Jack patted his back in soothing motions, hushing him in the same low tone he used when he was a little kid.

  “It’s okay, Mattie. Shh, it’s okay,” Jack whispered. “I’m here now. I’m here.”

  “I thought they’d done something to you,” Matthew stammered. He knew he looked gross and was blubbering like a little kid, but he couldn’t seem to stop. He could feel his nose running, and his eyes hurt.

  “They didn’t. I’m too important to kill off now, Mattie. Don’t worry,” Jack soothed. “You did good denying their questions, all of you did.” He chuckled. “I’m running out of favors, though. You can’t put yourself anywhere where I need to rescue you again. Okay?” “I’m not. I swear. I’m not re-upping.”

  Jack sagged in relief. “Thank God.” He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and cleaned his nose like he was a four-year-old. He held him in silence until they pulled up to the visitor’s entrance of Andrew’s condo. Matthew reluctantly drew back. He didn’t want his father to disappear in a black car for another indeterminable amount of time.

  “Mind if I come up, Mr. Ainsley?” Jack asked as he opened the door. “I’d like to talk to you boys for a moment.”

  “Of course, Mr., er, Captain Gibson,” Andrew said.

  “Just call me Jack.” He waved Andrew out before falling after him. Marcel grabbed Matthew’s hand and tugged him toward the door.

  Matthew wasn’t sure what to think. He just didn’t know what the hell to do with himself. The larger implications of what had occurred hadn’t even hit him yet. How did Dad know where we were? They rode the elevator up to Andrew’s condo in silence as Matthew regained his wits. He’d been so relieved to see his dad he didn’t think about what it meant that he was there.

 
; “You were watching us this whole time?” he demanded as Andrew gave the password for their floor. “You let me think you were dead or something this entire fucking time?” Anger replaced the sharp relief he had felt. The tight confines of the elevator were not a good balm for his anger. He wanted to hit something, hard. Only Marcel’s death grip on his hand kept him from trying.

  Jack didn’t turn around. “I had a team watching you. I couldn’t go anywhere. I didn’t even get back into town until the morning when I got word that they were going to take you boys from the range.” He paused. “You know better than to establish a routine, Matthew. I taught you better than that.”

  Matthew made a frustrated noise and pulled his hand out of Marcel’s to grab his dad’s camo jacket and hauled him around to face him, knocking Andrew sideways on accident. “You let me think you were dead! Don’t lecture me!”

  His dad broke his hold with one quick hand movement. “I didn’t. I was in a no-contact zone. I couldn’t do anything but send a team to sit and observe what was happening.”

  The elevator pinged, and a computer announced their arrival. Andrew grabbed his arm while Marcel grabbed his other one.

  “Let’s not brawl in the elevator!” Andrew yelped as Matthew lunged at Jack.

  “Stop acting like a twat, Matthew! Jesus! Just be happy your dad isn’t dead!” Marcel snapped. The words brought him out of his rage somewhat. He took a deep breath and let them pull him into the hallway with his dad in front of them. Andrew let him go for a brief moment in order to unlock the door, and then they were home. This is my home. The thought made him blink. He’d never really thought of anywhere as home since he moved out of his dad’s house.

  “Let’s go sit in the living room and chill out,” Marcel said, tugging Matthew over.

  “We need to go pick up the car,” Matthew reminded, needing to think of anything else.

  “Don’t worry. I’m having some boys go pick up your car,” Jack assured. He cleared his throat and sat on the plush white couch opposite where Marcel and he sat. Andrew all but climbed in Matthew’s lap after he’d shut the door.

  “I love you,” he whispered, kissing him on the cheek as they turned their attention back to his dad.

  Jack had a bemused look on his face as he took them in. “I always wondered if you had it in you to commit or if you were a lifetime bachelor like your old man. I’m happy you found what you needed. I wasn’t sure when you told me in the field, but you seem to be…happy.”

  “They make me very happy,” Matthew allowed. “Explain, Dad. What the hell are you involved in?”

  Jack sighed. “You have to understand that what I’m about to tell you is top secret and what I say can never leave this room. In fact, you all will be in danger if you do speak of this outside the four of us.”

  “I understand,” Matthew said. He’d been in more than one brief that had given the same sort of dire warning.

  “We’re with Matthew for good, so whatever he knows, we want to know, too,” Andrew said, sitting up a little straighter.

  “All right, then.” Jack rubbed his palms on his knees. They were no doubt sweaty from nervousness. “When I was in sector seven, helping with the cleanup, I stumbled across some things I shouldn’t have, some Special Ops things that could change everything. Because of my experience, I was deemed a useful mistake and allowed to take over a project that involves the experimentation of the E2-immu virus. There are certain anomalies that exist in the virus that are recent products of mutation. You saw two such anomalies in the wilds.”

  “Two? I thought it was just the Necro King?” Andrew asked, frowning deeply.

  “There was another,” Jack said, leaning back against the couch. “Derek Potter is an anomaly as well.”

  Matthew let out a string of curses. “I knew that was fucked up! Was he a decoy or a lure or something?”

  His dad shook his head. “No. He doesn’t even realize he’s infected. He’s a carrier. While he doesn’t display any of the symptoms of the infected, he is infectious and carries live cultures of the strain in his blood. When he is bitten by other Necros or infected, their virus types mutate as well. The Necro King’s super intelligence and awareness is a byproduct of that act. The scientists are hoping that by collecting the anomalies and experimenting with their variant strains they can come up with a cure.”

  “And we were smack dab in the middle of the Special Ops collection mission,” Matthew finished for him.

  Jack nodded. “You got it. I had to call in some major favors to get them to agree to let you live and only with my personal assurances that you would never speak a word of it to anyone. It was one of the reasons that you were under observation these past few weeks while I was in the no-communication zone.”

  “Well, thanks for saving our asses, then,” Marcel said, looking as disturbed as Matthew felt.

  “I had to. Matthew is everything to me, and not even special ops like killing humans if they can help it. Internal Investigations are a bunch of morons. They should’ve known it was Special Ops doing field tasks instead of me running rogue missions, but they were so stubborn. I had to get my superiors to issue a stand down order just to get them to back off the three of you. There is more, though.”

  Matthew’s stomach hit the ground. “What?”

  “You’ll never get a real private sector job where the UMF can’t monitor you. They’ve black marked your background check. You won’t be able to work anywhere they don’t have connections.” He swallowed. “I’m sorry about that. They won’t lift it. The only thing you’ll be able to qualify for is the few private institutions with UMF contracts, Deadzone, General Zs, Locke Security, that sort of thing.”

  “That’s a relief, actually,” Matthew said, his chest untightening for the first time in weeks. “I thought no one was calling me back because I wasn’t qualified.”

  Jack snorted. “You’ve got to be kidding. You were top of your class, and no one has more hands-on field diagnosis and treatment than you. I was damn proud. Anyone would be happy to have you as an employee.”

  Matthew tried not to be overly pleased by those words. “That’s okay. I got a field job with Uncle Jason at Deadzone.”

  “Good. He’ll take care of you when I can’t. I’m working on getting you a special line so you can call me at my job, but you’ll have to know that it will be monitored. Otherwise there won’t be any communication when I’m on mission. However, I won’t be in much danger. I do a lot of clerical work and oversee the base. So you won’t have to worry as much.”

  “I appreciate you telling me, Dad. I’m still pissed at you for worrying me, but I see why you did.” He handed Andrew off to Marcel before pushing himself to his feet and making his way over to the other couch. Jack opened his arms, and Matthew went back into them. “I missed you,” he whispered.

  “Missed you, too,” Jack said, giving him a squeeze before releasing him. “I expect an invitation on holidays.” He nodded at his two lovers. “You better take care of him.”

  “We will,” Marcel said. “We definitely will.”

  “If I need a medical consult, they’ve put your name in the file, Mattie. Are you going to be okay with that?”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “Not really,” Jack said apologetically.

  Matthew shrugged. “Then I guess that’s fine.” He paused. “So we’re safe? No one else is going to come after us?”

  “You’re safe. Internal Investigations has been called off of all cases pertaining to myself or to the three of you. So long as you don’t break your word, you’ll be just fine,” Jack promised.

  Relief filled him. “Thank fuck.” They were home, they were together, and best of all, they were finally safe.

  Epilogue

  Life continued as if nothing strange had happened in the wilds. Andrew had just finished running a twelve-mile race on the Churchill Downs race track. It was really one of the more beautiful places he’d run at. The open stadium was topped in an old-fash
ioned green roof that had spires in regular intervals at the top. Since the place doubled as a horse track, he could understand the old-world elegance. The sign boasted of its existence since 1875. It was one of the oldest structures in New America. The seminatural race had left him slicked with sweat and red dust but in high spirits. He’d won, after all.

  Matthew and Marcel were waiting for him as he stepped off the winner’s podium after pictures, ready to escort him to the signing that would last a few hours. He glanced up at the crowd in the green stadium seats who were still cheering like mad. No doubt they’d be lined up to meet him for next several hours. He took a deep breath. So long as Matthew and Marcel were by his side, he would be just fine. They steadied him.

  Rodney Nickels bumped shoulders with him as they stepped down from the group pictures. “Good job, kid,” he rumbled. The tall darkhaired, green-eyed runner had been his biggest rival since he’d started on the circuit. It was the first time he’d ever complimented a win.

  “Thanks,” he said, unable to hide the surprise in his voice. Rodney laughed. “I’m not that bad, man. You just seemed really on today. You relaxed into the race, didn’t let the audience affect your breathing. I was impressed.”

  “Um, thanks,” he repeated. He didn’t know what else to say. Matthew and Marcel stepped in behind him, doing their job and showing their support in one deft motion.

  Rodney glanced behind them. “Could your two hotties have something to do with that newfound calm?”

  Andrew felt his cheeks heat. “Maybe.” It had been impossible to keep it under wraps that Andrew Ainsley, one of the top athletes in the country, was now involved with two field agents. The media had a field day as soon as one of the reporters had snapped a shot of the three of them sharing a kiss at a local restaurant last month. They were now New America’s new sweethearts. At least that was what the gossip rags were calling them on the net. They’d even been approached by a few poly-love rights groups to pose for ads in their upcoming political campaign. They were still thinking about it.