Ash had more questions now than when he came in, but it was clear Shultzon had finished talking. He escorted them to the door, promised to call if he received any significant information, and once again told them to be cautious. Ash and Dex remained quiet until they were inside Dex’s car. They sat quietly for a moment before Dex erupted.
“This is fucked-up. Do you really think someone inside the THIRDS is still working on that drug? Sorry, that’s a stupid question. Of course they are. Shultzon said they were perfecting it. Perfecting what? That shit did its job on me just fine.”
“He said they were perfecting it to control Therians. Maybe what you were given doesn’t have the same effect on a Therian.”
While in their Human form Therians might appear Human, but inside there were vast differences, which was why Therians had their own medicines. Hell, there were some Therian over-the-counter drugs that Humans needed prescriptions for because they would fuck them up if they weren’t careful.
Dex let out a frustrated groan. “None of that explains what’s happening to Sloane. He wasn’t exposed to the drug. And that was months before the explosion. It doesn’t explain what’s happening to him now. Shultzon’s right about the meds, though. If they were causing the problems with shifting, there would be mass breakouts of Therians losing control. They’re Therian antibiotics. That shit’s prescribed to God knows how many Therians. We’d have definitely heard something.”
“So we’re back to square one, not knowing anything about Sloane, except now there’s the possibility something fucked is going on.” Ash shook his head and motioned for Dex to drive. “Looks like we’re going to start the New Year with a fucking bang.”
“Shultzon said someone wasn’t who they said they were and that we should be wary of the orders we’re given.”
Ash thought about that. “We’re only given orders by Sloane, your dad, and Sparks. For something like this, it would have to be at least an officer. Someone with high-level security clearance.”
“Well, Sloane’s not involved in any of that shit, and neither is my dad.”
“So what are you saying? That Sparks is somehow involved in this? That’s insane.”
“I don’t know. To be honest, I don’t know what to think. We went to see Shultzon in the hopes he’d shed some light on the subject of Sloane’s shifting, and he drops this fucking bomb on us. What are we supposed to do now? Investigate? Ignore it? We’re not even on active duty. Seriously, man. We’re not even fucking working, and this shit falls in our laps. What the fuck?”
“Hey. Relax. Which reminds me. What the hell happened back there? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so pissed.”
Ash discreetly watched Dex as they drove from Shultzon’s upscale neighborhood toward Dex’s brownstone. At this time of morning, traffic wasn’t too bad. They still had about an hour before Sloane would be home from his therapy session. His best friend had bitched and moaned that he didn’t need the sessions anymore, but Dex had convinced him to go to the remaining appointment while he and Ash went to visit Shultzon.
“How can you guys be so calm around that dude after everything he did to you?”
Ash shrugged. “What can we do? It happened. Yeah, it’s fucked-up, but all we can do is move forward. Sloane and I got off lucky.”
“Lucky?”
“Yeah. I would consider having a career at the THIRDS, a somewhat normal life, friends, a family—even if they are a pain in the ass—all things to be grateful for. Sloane and I had each other to get us through the rough times. We got out of there with our sanity because of it. Some of the others weren’t so lucky.”
“You know what happened to them, don’t you?”
Ash nodded. “Sloane and I did a run through Themis back when Sloane was promoted to Team Leader. It kept haunting us, so we had to check, even if we knew it was a bad idea. Remember, the First Gen Research Facility spawned the THIRDS First Gen Recruitment Program, so a number of them got recruited young, sent to college, and hired by the THIRDS, same as me and Sloane. They were spread out through the country, a few sent abroad. Some of them….” Ash shook his head. “They weren’t so lucky. There were several suicides. Some ended up hospitalized, some sent to prison, and a few others just fell off the grid.”
“Yeah, but—”
“Look, I know if you could, you would make every one of those bastards pay, but all you’ll end up doing is hurting Sloane. He’s come a hell of a long way since you met him, and I’m man enough to admit you played a major role in that. Don’t undo all the good you’ve done by trying to change something that can’t be changed.”
To Ash’s surprise, Dex nodded. “You’re right. The last thing I want to do is cause Sloane pain. He’s been through enough.”
They’d driven to Shultzon’s in Dex’s Challenger. It was as loud and ostentatious as its owner. Trust Dex to buy an orange car. Some big-hair-band song came on the radio, and Ash rolled his eyes. How did Sloane listen to this shit? Thank God Cael had better taste in music. There was a lot of cheerful pop, but Ash didn’t mind. The music reminded him of Cael, and he loved the way it put a smile on the cheetah Therian’s sweet face. He wondered what Cael was doing right now. Most likely ruing the day he’d fallen in love with Ash Keeler. Or baking. That’s what Ash would be doing.
Dex pulled into a parking spot not far from his front door. He turned off the engine, and Ash sat there, frowning.
“You okay?”
“I dunno. I can’t shake this feeling. Like we’re being watched.”
Ash observed as Dex subtly scanned the street on his left, behind them, and then pretended to fix his rearview mirror. Ash checked the passenger side mirror, focusing on the cars parked down the street. The trees and garden shrubs were bare, improving visibility. He got out of the car and closed the door behind him, waiting for Dex. Discreetly, he assessed their surroundings, making note of any place someone could be hiding or watching them. It was quiet, not a soul in sight.
“Anything?” Dex asked.
“Nothing. Maybe I’m just being paranoid,” Ash muttered.
“Which probably means you’re not. Let’s get inside. We need to tell Sloane about what we learned.”