Deadly Call

by Martha Bourke

  Ana stared down at her psychotic mother’s file and shook her head. There were papers strewn all over the bed and she’d worked herself up to a fabulous headache. Nothing. She’d gone over them again and again; the reason for taking the naguals just wasn’t there. She knew it was a long shot. Her mother would have been a total moron to put that kind of shit down on paper. But how the hell else was she supposed to figure it out? She glanced over at her laptop and watched the Mommie Dearest work in her office. Planting that mini cam seemed like a good idea at the time, but now she was starting to wonder. She wasn’t getting any usable Intel and it was driving her just as crazy as the translating work was. Not to mention SE was out on his first duty since her transition. How the hell did he handle the protective instinct as a New Breed? She wanted to stop by her mother’s office, kill her, then go find SE, and drag him home where she knew he was safe. There was a knock on the door. She was so grateful for the interruption, she didn’t care who it was.

  “It’s open.”

  Dimitri poked his head in. “Hey, partner.”

  She smiled. “Hey, D. What’s up?”

  “I just thought I’d stop by and see if you wanted to do some sparring—SE’s first night out and all.”

  She could have cried. “I’ll meet you in the gym in ten.”

  He turned and started toward the door. “Perfect.”

  “Hey, Dimitri?”

  The male turned in the doorway. “Yo.”

  “Thanks.”

  He smiled. “No problem.”

  She shook her head as she started to clean up the bed. God, she hoped he brought his gear with him. She was feeling especially violent.

  Diesel exhaled as he walked down the compound corridor to the living area. He’d already tried Pax’s room and he wasn’t answering. So, either the son of a bitch was ignoring him or he wasn’t in there. I’ll take door number two, Alex. He heard the TV. Sci-fi Channel. Good sign. He walked in the room and leaned on the back of the couch.

  “Hey.”

  Pax didn’t turn his head. “Hey.”

  Well, this was going just swimmingly. He moved around to the front of the sofa and sat down. “Pax, look, I’m sorry, man. I was totally out of line.”

  Pax’s big browns moved from the TV and he looked Diesel in the eye. “You got overprotective of Helen. It happens. I just didn’t know you felt that way about her.”

  “I don’t. Look, I know she’s beautiful and I can see where you got the wrong idea. I’m just not into her like that, Pax. It’s a total non-issue. I was just sticking up for a good female and got carried away.”

  “That’s what worries me.”

  Diesel dropped his eyes to the floor.

  “Look, I shouldn’t have ridden you so hard about the drinking and the females. I know you don’t want to hear this, Dies, any more than I want to say it. But I’m the only one who knows and you need to hear it from someone. You left part of your head back on that patrol in Iraq. You’ve got to deal with this. Your moods are way off kilter. If you won’t talk to me then you’d better talk to someone. Tell me you’ll at least think about it? I mean, really think about it.”

  He ran his hand through his hair and looked back at his best friend. “Yeah, sure, I’ll think about it. I will.”

  “Okay. Good. I’m gonna crash. I’m beat.”

  “Night.”

  Diesel walked over to the bar and poured some Jack into a tumbler. Well, if he didn’t sleep tonight, he sure as hell would after an extra duty tomorrow. Part of him knew Pax was right, but all he could do was push forward. He didn’t know how to do anything else. He rubbed his eyes. Christ, he was exhausted. He was so goddamn tired all the time. Tired of constantly being keyed up, tired of the worry and the panic. But mostly he was tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  Reyn stood at the front of the drawing room and watched the Order as they all filed in. “Okay, this is going to be a strategy session. You’re having issues locating more than one or two mutant-shifter couples a night. I’m sure it’s been frustrating.”

  Troy leaned against the long, central table. “Word.”

  Reyn ignored him and continued. “I’ve been tracking them using the Intel you’ve given me and information from the tips called in by civilians. There’s a pattern to their movements. They never hit the same neighborhoods twice in a three or four day period. Now, we know from Ana that there are about a hundred shifters total, with the specific regiment working for the Initiative. That’s a relatively small number and it’s another reason why finding them has been so difficult. From now on, you will be assigned to a specific area for each shift based on the pattern. At the same time, we’ll be splitting up. Two of you will look for couples and the other two will search for mutant dens. This will be done in rotation. Any questions? Good. Look, we all know we’re vastly outnumbered. We’re going to start attacking Toltec with a more multi-faceted approach. While you work in the field, Ana and X will continue to try and crack the mystery behind the vials. At the same time, Dr. Sussman will begin work on a cure to the mutant serum. We may have a shot at not only stopping the mutant program in its tracks, but also helping the hellions who’ve already been turned. That’s all.”

  As the warriors filed out of the room, Reyn could hear them all discussing various aspects of the information he’d given them. He walked down the hall to the study, passed his desk, and went into his room. He opened the mini fridge and grabbed a beer.

  “Well done, warrior.”

  Reyn sat on the bed, leaned his head against the wall, and closed his eyes. “No pep talks.”

  “It’s not easy keeping them patient, I know.”

  “I said no pep talks,” he grumbled.

  Her scent came to him as if carried on a breeze, and calmed him immediately. When had his life gotten so goddamn complicated? Like that was hard to answer—nine months ago when Akina had found him and chosen him as the first New Breed. Or maybe it was when he found out he was intended to be the leader of the Order. Or maybe…

  As her scent filled the room, he sighed and put his beer down on the bedside table. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

  “I understand. I don’t mean to try and cheer you when I’m asked not to. Only I do not like to see you so sad.”

  “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. You have enough to worry about.”

  Her scent intensified. “Apology accepted. Oh, and warrior, next time make sure you have an ale for me as well.”

  Reyn leaned his face in his hands and shook his head.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Pax walked down the compound hallway, stopped at Helen’s door, and took a deep breath. This certainly reached new heights in douche baggery. Was he doing the right thing? What other choice did he have? His buddy was on a course to totally self-destruct. He couldn’t let that happen. Damn the fucking consequences. He knocked quietly. After a moment the door opened. Too late now.

  “Pax?”

  He looked up and down the hall nervously. “Hey, ah, could I talk to you?”

  “Of course. Come in.”

  She closed the door behind them and Pax pulled out the desk chair and sat down. Make yourself right at home, motherfucker.

  Helen sat across from him on the bed. “So, what’s up? Something tells me this isn’t a social call.”

  “If I tell you something as my doctor, you couldn’t tell anyone, right? Privilege and all that?”

  She nodded. “As your doctor, I would be bound, yes.”

  “Well, it’s not about me exactly. It’s Diesel.”

  “Oh, I see. Is this a medical concern?”

  He took her lack of reaction as a good sign. “Yeah, actually, it is. I…I wouldn’t have come to you, but I’m the only one who knows and I swear to God, I don’t know how to help him.”

  Helen looked him in the eye. “Pax, whatever it is, I won’t divulge anything I receive in confidence.” The female leaned forward and put her hand on his. “As your friend.”
>
  Please let this be the right thing. He took a deep breath and let it out. “Diesel went through some stuff in Iraq. He did three tours, you know?”

  “No, I didn’t realize he’d done so many.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, and, ah, he’s been having trouble sleeping and regulating his moods since he got back. Do you need to write this stuff down or..?”

  She shook her head. “Nope, this is just a friendly conversation. Don’t worry. I have a great memory for detail. Now, did he have any particularly difficult experiences while he was overseas?”

  Pax nodded. “He lost his best friend when their Humvee hit an IED.”

  “Okay. What kinds of changes have you noticed in Diesel’s behavior?”

  He thought for a moment. “Well, he’s always been kind of keyed up since I’ve known him. He’s always liked to drink.”

  “When did you two meet?”

  “About eight months ago.”

  “Over the last eight months, what do you think have been the biggest changes you’ve seen?”

  “I think his mood swings are much more frequent and a lot more dramatic. He’s so erratic. One minute he’s laughing and then the next, he can get really irritable. Last night was the worst I’ve ever seen it. That’s why I decided to talk to you.”

  “Is he self-medicating?”

  “Yeah, at this point, definitely. He’s drinking a lot.”

  “What about drugs?”

  “No. No way. Dies won’t even take an aspirin.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Well, he, ah…he has…Oh, my dear good lord. He has a lot of sex.”

  “Okay. Is that something new?”

  “No. Well, yeah. We partied some when we first met, but we were just goofing around. I mean, we could take it or leave it, you know? Now it’s like with the drinking. Like he’s using it to control his moods or adrenaline.”

  “This may be a hard one to answer, but does he have nightmares?”

  “He’s never said it, but I think he does sometimes. He’ll call at like two in the morning and want to go out. I think maybe it’s after he’s had one.”

  “She nodded. Okay. Look, Pax, based on what you’ve told me, Diesel has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD is incredibly common with Iraq vets. And, from what you’re describing, it sounds like it may be getting worse. You did the right thing coming to me.”

  “You won’t say anything about this though?”

  “Nope, not a word. Not unless you think it’s affecting his work. Then I’ll have to ask him to speak with Reyn. For now, I’ll just check in with him as a friend. Maybe give him some information he doesn’t know about. Okay?”

  Pax nodded and stood up. “Hey, thanks a lot…for being so cool about this.”

  “No problem. You know I’ve seen this before. Diesel’s very lucky to have a friend like you.”

  Yeah, I’m really sure he’s gonna see it that way.

  Victrixa looked up at the door to her office and wished she could kill whoever was on the other side of it with a glance. Someday, perhaps. One could always hope. Or take someone else’s power.

  “Come in,” she said with irritation.

  “Victrixa?”

  She stared pointedly at her head scientist. “Yes, Roman, what is it?”

  “This young soldier here has some information you might find useful.”

  Her demeanor immediately changed. “Oh, very well then. Thank you, Roman. You may wait outside.”

  “What’s your name, soldier?”

  “Devin, ma’am.”

  “Well, Devin, I’d like to thank you for your service in the Initiative program.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  “So, my head scientist thinks you might have some important information to share?”

  “Yeah. A couple of nights ago, I was out with a hellion and I observed what appeared to be an encounter between two of our soldiers from the Initiative, a hellion, and a member of the Order.”

  “I see.”

  “I was confused at first. As I said I could only see one hellion and I wondered how one New Breed alone could have taken down a shifter’s hellion in such an uneven fight.”

  “Go on,” Victrixa urged.

  “Only as I got closer, I realized I had been mistaken. Two of the shifters were from the Order and only one was from the Initiative. Your…uh…”

  Victrixa balled her fists to contain her aggravation at what she was all too sure she would hear next. “Continue.”

  “One of the shifters fighting for the Order was your daughter, ma’am. That’s how I got confused.”

  “I see.”

  “There’s more, actually. You see, uh, she wasn’t just fighting for the Order. She’s, uh, well, she’s a New Breed, ma’am.”

  Victrixa bit down so hard on her teeth she could have broken them in half. It took all of her self-control not to strangle the little puke. “I’m sorry, what makes you say that?”

  “Well, I would never make such an accusation based on increased strength and speed alone, although I’ve fought with Ana before and she is definitely stronger and faster. But there was something else. By the time I got there, they had taken down our soldiers and the last hellion. As they turned to go, I yelled her name. She must have turned around out of habit. And, ma’am, when she looked at me, her eyes glowed just as gold as the sun.”

  Victrixa’s fingernails dug so far into the palms of her hands, she drew blood. “Well, thank you for bringing this to my attention, soldier. I’ll be sure you receive the proper commendation.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  As Devin turned to go, Victrixa pulled a knife from her boot and stabbed him in the back.

  “Roman!” she hollered.

  The scientist opened the door. “Yes, Victrix—”

  “Get rid of him,” she barked.

  She stepped over his body and walked away.

  Ana watched her laptop screen and wrinkled her nose. Fuck me. Well, looked like it was a good thing she put that mini cam in Mommie Dearest’s office after all. Damn. SE was gonna blow a gasket.

  She headed to the closet, undressed, and pulled on her leathers. She opened her weapons cabinet and started to arm herself.

  SE walked into the closet. “Hey, I almost missed you. Heading out?”

  “Yeah, in a few minutes. Listen, we need to talk when I get back. You think you’ll be up?”

  “Probably. I usually don’t sleep until you’re back in. Everything okay, ihkweea?”

  “Yep. I just don’t have time right now. I’m supposed to meet Dimitri in five.”

  SE slid his hand into the back of her hair and kissed her good-bye. “Be safe.”

  “I will.”

  “Ketapaanene.”

  “I love you, too, my male.”

  Her lips met his and she dematerialized.

  Helen made herself comfortable on Diesel’s bed. “So, what’s tonight’s flick?”

  He handed her a beer. “That would be Pulp Fiction.”

  “Good choice. I haven’t seen that in ages.”

  The big male plopped down on the bed next to her and she forced herself into doctor mode. It was never easy with a friend, but if anyone deserved her help, Diesel did.

  “Excited to set up the lab tomorrow, Doc?”

  She laughed. “Pretty much going out of my freaking mind.”

  “Yeah, it’s gonna rock. Wait ‘til you see all the shit X picked out.”

  “He got more than what I asked for?”

  Diesel grinned. “Yeah, well, I might have picked out a couple of extra things, too.”

  She gave a pretend scream and smacked his shoulder. She hit his dog tags by mistake and took them in her hand to stop them from moving. She looked at each one. “Hey, Dies, how long were you in Iraq?”

  He took a sip of beer. “Three tours.”

  “Wow, that’s a lot. Can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

  Diesel shook
his head. “You and your questions. Fire away.”

  She looked directly into his green eyes. “The other night, when you got out of bed and said Pax had texted you? Did you have a nightmare?”

  He looked away, and for a moment she thought he wasn’t going to answer.

  “Yeah, I get those sometimes.”

  “About the war?”

  He nodded.

  “Wanna talk about it?”

  He shrugged. “I dunno. You don’t need to hear this crap.”

  “Oh, please. Did I ever tell you my father was a vet? Yeah. Navy fighter pilot.” She took a swig of her beer. “So, trust me. I’ve heard it all.”

  “Okay. Well, we were out on patrol one night, my buddy Will and I. It was just after we found out Obama had decided to end the war. We were all in a great mood. Knew we were going home soon. Which was good. Iraqis didn’t want us there at that point anyway.”

  “So you were a Combat Medic.”

  He nodded. “Yeah. It’s funny. You know, sometimes I hated being on patrol as a medic. You’d sit in the Humvee forever, like you were breakable or some shit.” He sighed. “Anyway, we were driving and we were taking it slow. Never knew when some fucking pothole or a bunch of refuse would be the last thing you ever saw. Lot of great places to hide IEDs.” His eyes took on a faraway look. “I remember I spotted some trash. At the time, I didn’t know why I was the only one seeing it. I’m yelling, but we’re still headed right for it.”

  “Your shifter sight?”

  “Yeah. I was the only shifter out there. They just had no idea what the hell I was hollering about. The next thing I know, I’m lying in the dirt staring at the Humvee as it goes up in flames. There’s ammunition kicking off all over the goddamn place and I can’t get close enough to do anything. All I could do was watch my buddy burn. And I just had no idea how I got out, you know?”