“Boys, boys,” Sly interrupted, raising both hands to prevent any further bickering. “We can drop our pants and compare sizes later. Right now, we have much more pressing matters at hand.”
Roan sighed and sank down into the small chair in his cell, tilting it back. “If I do tell you what I know, there will be no going back.”
“Go on,” Lilly spoke without hesitation. Roan turned his eyes to her and then to Jet, nodding once.
“Very well, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he responded, pausing before beginning his story. “As we all know, since the beginning of time there has been a struggle between good and evil, in a manner of speaking. It has been widely accepted that the difference between good and evil is one of choice and perspective, and to a certain extent, that’s true. But, what if the origins of evil could be traced back to one source?”
“Impossible,” Jet scoffed. “If that were true, the guardians would’ve seen it long ago. The amount of power required for that theory to be true would undoubtedly make an impact on the world, which the guardians keep in working order.”
Roan glanced at Lilly and Sly. The other protector leader looked unsure and Sly appeared to be intrigued.
“Zealotry, racism, bigotry, intolerance, hatred, war,” Roan listed as he turned his eyes back to Jet. “There has never been a guardian to watch over these things or keep them in check. They came from somewhere, Jet.”
“We’re imperfect people living in an imperfect world,” the leader of the protectors was quick to reply.
Roan shook his head. “We had to have gotten them from somewhere. Everyone is capable of both good and evil and every shade of gray in between, but that’s not the point. These intolerances, they have been planted in the minds of humans and shape shifters and all supernatural species alike by someone or something.”
Jet opened his mouth to respond, but closed it again. He exchanged a look with his wife, who still seemed unsure. Sly glanced back to him before looking at Roan again.
“That’s how this source would hide,” he continued. “Through these mediums of evil, using simple human nature to conceal its presence. It’s quite ingenious when you really think about it. Using fear and in turn hatred to hide, because when is there not intolerance in the world?”
“So what does this have to with what happened to Isis and why you’re here?” Lilly asked.
Roan let out a bark of laughter. “Oh everything. When I was an assassin, I was employed by an organization known as the Grenich Corporation. On the outside, they mostly appeared to be a highly covert government laboratory doing research on tissue regeneration. Their purpose, or so they claimed, was to find a way to make skin heal itself quicker. You know, you get wounded and the tissue automatically removes the foreign body while also healing the damage. Very sci-fi, in my opinion. This purpose was only a miniscule part of what they were actually doing, as I would later find out.”
Roan leaned forward, clasping his hands in his lap as he looked up to Sly and the Monroes. “What is the one thing almost everyone on the planet has craved since the beginning of time?”
“Power,” Sly answered without hesitation.
Roan nodded. “And how does one normally go about trying to attain power?”
There was a momentary pause as Lilly and Jet exchanged a look. Lilly’s brow furrowed and Jet held out a hand, shrugging. Sly bit the inside of her cheek and Roan knew she probably guessed what he was getting at. He stood up from the chair.
“Through war, survival of the fittest,” he said, answering his own question. “It’s a simple equation: the side with the better weapons, more resources, and usually greater numbers wins. That is what the Grenich Corporation is about. Making the fastest, smartest, deadliest weapon.”
“Weapons manufacturing? I don’t understand.”
“They don’t manufacture nuclear arms or missiles or even guns,” Roan replied. “They make living, breathing weapons … through experimentation on shape shifters.”
“Guardians have mercy,” Lilly breathed in disbelief, her eyes widening a little. A similar look of horror crossed Jet’s face.
“The rebels have stories,” Sly began, putting her hands behind her back. She was doing an admirable job of keeping a neutral expression, but Roan could tell she was unnerved.
“Of strange shape shifters, called the glowing-eyes, I believe,” Roan finished, then nodded. “Yes, those are modified shape shifters from Grenich. I know you’ve already met one, his name is Coop.”
That made all three of them stare at the assassin. Jet stepped forward and opened his mouth as if to say something, a denial more likely than not, but closed it again when Lilly placed a hand on his arm. The former guardian turned her dark blue eyes back to Roan.
“They capture or buy some shape shifters. Others are bred inside their facilities,” Roan continued. “They all end up the same: a living weapon, the likes of which the world has never seen before. They are perfect; faster and smarter than the average shape shifter, and more lethal than even the most dangerous assassin. Grenich has been experimenting since before humans even discovered what genetics were, before they had even mastered electricity. Each series of experiments has been better than the previous one.”
Roan paused and let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “Torture for profit, sometimes it seems like the world runs on the practice. Anything to make the strong stronger and the rich richer.”
“How is it possible that this goes on without anyone knowing about it?” Jet asked, his expression reflecting horrified disgust. Roan looked at him.
“Have you heard a word I’ve said?” he asked. “The Grenich Corporation has been doing this longer than any of us has been alive, probably longer than most current guardians have been around. It’s their trade and they know it well. They know how to hide, even in plain sight.
“When I was a young up and coming assassin, I was approached by one of the higher-ups in the Corporation. He offered me a job: use fear, intimidation, and, if warranted, force to keep employees in line. If one got a bit too problematic, I was to … get rid of him or her. The pay was good, the powerful contacts valuable, so I accepted the offer,” Roan replied. “Orion worked as a doctor in the Corporation, as did his wife. They became the heads of the medical department.”
“Orion never would have worked for a place like the one you’re describing,” Jet stated vehemently. Roan couldn’t help the grim smile that danced across his face. Jet was right about that. His elder brother had been a loyal protector and dedicated his life to relieving suffering.
“You’re right. Orion would never have knowingly caused pain, bleeding heart that he always was. He wouldn’t have accepted the position if he knew what the Corporation was really doing. But you have to understand, Jet, this place makes cover-ups an art form. They know how to hide their true purpose and how to cover their tracks. Many of their lower level employees are convinced they’re working for a bank. I’m sure a small bank has opened up in your town under the Corporation’s name, right?”
Sly and Lilly exchanged a look. Jet scratched the back of his head, confirming what the assassin already knew. Roan nodded.
“Yeah, those tend to pop up every now and again, usually when there’s something the Corporation needs in a town.”
“Is that why you killed Orion? He found out what was going on?” Jet demanded. Roan looked at him and nodded once.
“When he and Cheryl, his wife, discovered what the Corporation was really doing, they began a resistance in the hopes of destroying it from the inside. My brother was always idealistic to the point of being hopelessly naïve.” Roan shook his head. “The head of the Corporation found out and one of his right hand men, Carding, ordered me to eliminate both of them. So I did.”
Jet closed his eyes and looked away from Roan, making the assassin raise an eyebrow. The protector leader was disgusted by how cavalierly the man spoke of murder, but protectors tended to be oblivious to the way the world worked. Roan’s e
yes traveled to Lilly, who was regarding him with something akin to puzzlement. He knew she was thinking about every word out of his mouth and it made Roan a little uneasy. He was a man of many secrets and Lilly was one of the very few who could probably catch any minor slip he made. It was a skill that made the former guardian a great leader and it was why Roan respected her.
“You still haven’t explained what any of this has to do with your return or Coop or the Key,” Lilly pointed out in her gentle voice. Sly was leaning against the glass wall of the cell, a half-smile playing on her lips. Jet was standing stiffly in the middle of the hall, his hands clasped behind his back. Roan rubbed the back of his neck as he stepped closer to the glass wall of his cell, resting a hand against it.
“Coop is an early prototype of a long abandoned series, which was called the Lock Series or L-series for short. He’s an experiment, recruited from the outside as payment for a debt his grandfather owed to the Corporation. He escaped from a main laboratory in the first great escape. When I ‘died,’ I woke up in one of the Corporation’s larger laboratories. I had no interest in becoming a lab rat or a corpse, as employees tend to do once they outlive their usefulness, so I did the only thing I could think of. I snuck into the power center of the place, flipped the switch that set off the alarms in the laboratory to signal evacuation and then opened the cages of the experimentations. Some of them escaped; most of them didn’t. Coop was one of the few lucky ones. I slipped out in the chaos,” Roan explained, closing his eyes and letting out a breath. He ran his hands over his face before opening his eyes and looking back at the three people in front of him. Jet still seemed skeptical, but Lilly and Sly appeared to be nervous.
“So what about the Key?” Sly asked. “How does that figure into all of this?”
“The head of the Corporation believes it is his destiny to find the true Key. He follows a prophecy that foretells of a key, which will give its wielder power over the guardians, shape shifters, and all the worlds, including Earth and the Meadows. The main purpose of the Corporation and the experimentations is to find this being, the one I told you about when I turned myself in. The flashdrive was created in the hopes that it would throw the protectors off the trail, keep them in the dark. He also needed Jet and Lilly to gather the Four, but he hoped they would remain oblivious to what the Key was. He obviously hadn’t counted on me evading capture or turning myself in to the protectors and guardians.
“After Orion’s death, I met Passion and decided to change my ways. Whether you believe it or not, I do love and care about her. I joined up with a small group who helped organize the first Grenich Resistance in the hopes we could destroy the Corporation, a goal that’s looking less and less attainable. I came here and turned myself in, hoping that I could do some good as your informant. The more people who know about this, the less advantages the Corporation has. At least, that’s what we hope.”
“I still don’t understand how humans can know this much and still keep it secret,” Jet stated, skepticism clear in his voice. Roan went quiet and looked over at Sly.
“It’s not run by humans, is it?” Lilly’s soft question sounded more like a statement. Jet turned his attention to her. Roan shook his head, tapping his fingers on the glass.
“You’re not going to believe what I tell you next,” Roan began.
“You’re assuming we believe most of what you’ve told us so far,” Jet countered. Roan looked at him as he moved back over to the chair, folding his tall form into it. Long ago, he might have given a snarky retort. That time was long past and Roan was too tired to verbally spar with Jet. He leaned back in his chair, tilting it on two legs.
“I assume you got my message in the book, about the War of the Meadows?”
“Yes, we already know the story. Chaos attempted to take the Meadows and was vanquished,” Lilly replied, moving over to Jet. “It is an important legend to both shape shifters and guardians; one we’re told in our youth.”
Roan leaned forward, the two legs of the chair resting back on the floor, pointing at them.
“Ah, there’s an interesting word: vanquished. Much like humans, shape shifters and guardians assume it has the same definition as ‘killed.’ It does not. Nowhere in the definition of vanquished is there a mention of death. Chaos did not die in the war. He and his lover, Pyra, slunk off with their tails between their legs. They went back to Earth and bided their time, building up power but keeping a low profile. Chaos eventually became the first necromancer and remains the most powerful.”
“Do you honestly expect us to believe a guardian is behind this Grenich Corporation?” Jet asked, skepticism clear in his calm tone. Lilly wrapped an arm around his elbow, concern reflected in her expression. She believed the assassin, Roan could tell. Sly remained leaning against the glass, ever the silent observer. Roan leaned back in his chair.
“Oh, there’s nothing guardian about him anymore. He’s pure necromancer, through and through,” Roan said, shaking his head. “He rules Grenich from afar, never getting his hands dirty. His revenants are in charge of running the Corporation — mindless servants that retain just enough humanity to pass as normal. He feeds on the pain and suffering churned out by that place, growing stronger every day. He will not be sated until the world is in a state of anarchy. He wants to wipe out the shape shifters and the guardians.”
Roan leaned forward again, pressing his palms together as his eyes went to Sly. “When he became a necromancer, he left the name of Chaos behind. He chose the name Set.”
“Guardians have mercy,” Jet shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. Sly glanced at the Monroes and then looked back to Roan.
“Set, as in the Egyptian god?” Lilly asked.
“The coincidence wasn’t lost on me either. Set is cunning and no member of the resistance was ever able to figure out the identities of all his allies or even of all the aliases he uses. I tried and could get nowhere. When I found out what he was, I swore then and there that I would destroy him or die trying. That was the night I got in a fight with Draco and well, you know how that turned out.”
Roan leaned forward, his green eyes becoming even more intense. “Passion asked me why I came back. That’s why. I’m a man of my word. The Grenich Corporation needs to be destroyed and I will do anything to make sure that happens.”
Roan leaned back in the chair again, watching the Monroes and Sly. Sly looked over at Jet, who continued watching Roan. Lilly crossed her arms over her chest again, biting her lower lip. Her expression reflected how disturbed she was by Roan’s story.
“You have a rogue former guardian on your hands, the first necromancer. He’s cunning and smart, as is his wife, Pyra, who still retains all the abilities she had as a fire guardian. This is something that has not been encountered for a very, very long time. Neither of you have ever gone toe-to-toe with a necromancer. Neither have I and I’d venture to guess not many current protectors have either. We’re all out of our depth.”
Jet was quiet for a moment before glancing at Lilly. Her lips were set in a tight straight line and she met Jet’s eyes, raising her chin a little. Jet turned his eyes back to the assassin.
“Where’s this Corporation located?” Jet asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Roan shook his head. “Grenich doesn’t have just one location, it has multiple locations all over the globe. But you shouldn’t try targeting their facilities, not yet anyway. There are more important matters you must attend to. Going gung-ho would be unwise. First, you need to complete the Four again. You’ll need them for what’s coming.”
Jet glared at the man, opening his mouth to say something. Lilly placed a calming hand on his arm.
“That’s impossible. Isis is dead. The Four is no longer—” Sly started.
“Orion had a daughter,” Roan interrupted.
Sly and the Monroes stared at him with varying degrees of skepticism.
“Ace — she was raised by the rebels, according to my sources. My elder brother was alwa
ys infuriatingly clever and wise when it came to friendships. I have tried finding Ace in the past, but Orion had some kind of agreement with them, because any rebel I spoke with became tight-lipped when it came to the subject of Orion’s family.”
“Maybe it was your winning personality and stellar reputation,” Sly mentioned in a dry tone. “Assassins are welcome in rebel Lairs, but that doesn’t mean the rebels are overly fond of you lot.”
Roan smiled despite himself and turned his eyes back to the Monroes.
“I know it’s probably not likely the protectors will have more success than I, but perhaps you can put aside whatever petty quarrels you have with the rebels. Because this is much more important than personal slights or disagreements. You find Ace and you complete the Four again,” Roan explained. “Believe me. If you’re going to tangle with Grenich, you are definitely going to need the Four.”
Jet stepped up to the glass. “We’ll look into your information. If it turns out to be factual, I want you to know that by withholding it, you have caused your own daughter’s death. I’d mention the countless other shape shifters that we could have saved, but I highly doubt you have the empathy required to care about any of that.”
Jet turned away from the cell and left without so much as a glance back. Lilly turned and followed her husband, soon disappearing from Roan’s sight. Sly glanced at Roan one last time and he could tell she agreed with Jet’s statement. Once they had left, Roan stood from his chair and walked toward his cot. He turned around at the last minute and kicked at the chair. It clattered against the glass wall, the bang echoing through the empty corridor. Roan sat on the cot and dropped his face to his hands, wondering if the plan had just gone completely to hell.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Steve woke up feeling a lot groggier than normal. The room was dark, but a little light fell through the drawn blinds. He frowned and glanced toward his bathroom where he could hear the shower running. Tracy must be up already, he thought. Steve groaned as he tried to sort out his foggy thoughts. He yawned and stretched out on the bed, cringing when he felt the frigid temperature on the other side of the bed. Steve briefly considered hopping in the shower with his lover and surprising her. He snickered as he opened his eyes and glanced over to the dresser, noticing her small silver cell phone sitting on the smooth surface. Odd, Steve thought as he ran a hand over his face. Tracy always kept her phone in her jacket pocket. He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen it just laying out in the open.
Through Storm and Night (The Shape Shifter Chronicles Book 2) Page 24
