"Yes, well, the world was a different place a year ago." She motioned for Seb to sit in the empty chair across from her desk, and he did. Whatever she wanted to talk to him about, he had a feeling it had nothing to do with his job at the THIRDS.
"Thank you for coming."
"Of course."
Sparks took a seat behind her desk, her intense gaze fixed on him. "Can I assume a speech on discretion is unnecessary?"
"Got it." Definitely not about the THIRDS.
"We need to discuss you appointing yourself Dr. Colbourn's personal security."
At the mention of Hudson and his safety, Seb tensed. "Have you heard from Wolf?"
Six months ago, what they had thought was a routine callout for Destructive Delta regarding a gang execution, turned out to be much more. Wolf had tried contacting Sloane and Dex about something, but the messenger he'd used was killed before he could deliver the message, forcing Wolf to come out of hiding to deliver it himself. No one understood why Wolf would insist they protect Hudson, but no one was taking the warning lightly. Hudson had promised he'd be more careful, but he wasn't about to go into hiding or allow his life to be interrupted, especially since they had no idea who they were protecting him from. If Hudson's life was in danger, Seb wasn't about to let Hudson out of his sight.
"We'll get to that, but first, I need you to understand the severity of the situation and what you're signing up for. Despite several attempts to appoint Dex with one of the very best doctors TIN has to offer, he refuses. The only doctor Dex trusts is Dr. Colbourn. As the first surviving Human-Therian hybrid, Dex is invaluable to TIN."
"So because Dex is invaluable and only trusts Hudson, that makes Hudson invaluable." As messed-up as that was, Seb had been a THIRDS agent long enough not to be surprised. Organizations like TIN were all about intel and how valuable an asset was. He didn't have to be a covert operative to know how it worked. Maybe he didn't know the ins and outs, and it was probably better that way, but the implications of her words weren't lost on him.
"There's still so much we don't know about Dex and his mutation, other than the fact he shares Sloane's DNA and is exhibiting Therian traits. We've been monitoring his activity, as has Dr. Colbourn. So far Dex has developed our strength, healing capability, speed, and metabolism. Only time will tell what jaguar Therian traits he may possess as well."
Seb nodded his understanding. "Do you think he'll shift?"
"We can't say for certain, but it's unlikely, as Dex was born Human."
"So were a lot of Pre-First Gens," Seb reminded her. "My dad was Human before he became infected with the Melanoe virus. Now he's a Therian."
"That's true. I suppose all we can do is wait. We're also monitoring the select number of First Gens who possess the same anomalies in their blood that Sloane does. Let's get to the reason I called you in here, shall we? Admiral Moros was a member of a cabal known as the Makhai--Therians intent on keeping Therians the dominant species. For decades they've been killing off Humans like Dex, who were infected by their First Gen partners. Dex is the only one of his kind that we know of. His quick thinking in seeking out Dr. Colbourn for medical attention rather than going to the hospital has kept him off their radar."
So it was possible there were more Humans like Dex. "And this organization is still out there?" Great, just what they needed. Another, scarier, more secretive group of nutcases.
"Although Moros was one of its founders, we have reason to believe the Makhai is still in operation. They've retreated into the shadows, most likely to regroup. However, we believe the two gang members killed by Wolf six months ago, Juarez and Turner, were working for the Makhai. It's possible they're gathering intelligence and will soon resurface." She tapped away at her desk, and the screen on the wall behind and above her head flickered to life. Surveillance images of Dowling, Juarez, and Turner popped up on the screen. "Dowling was paid by Wolf to warn Sloane and Dex that they needed to protect Dr. Colbourn. Juarez and Turner killed Dowling so he couldn't deliver the message. Wolf then killed them. As Juarez and Turner were working for the Makhai, we believe the Makhai not only arranged Dowling's murder but sent Juarez and Turner to Greenpoint."
"Why?"
"Intel. Moros's death is classified. According to those documents, he died by my claws."
Seb stared at her. "Does Dex know?"
Sparks nodded. "He wasn't happy about it but agreed that we need to keep what he is a secret as long as possible. Unfortunately, I believe the Makhai have their suspicions."
"How do you know?"
"As I said, Juarez and Turner were sent to Greenpoint. After debriefing Destructive Delta, it became clear that the two had targeted Cael. No matter who they were up against, they kept trying to get to Cael. I believe they were trying to get Dex to out himself."
"Shit." Seb shook his head. If there was a surefire way to make Dexter J. Daley lose his shit, it was to fuck with his family. "Let me guess, he went all Human-Therian hybrid on their asses."
"So to speak. Juarez and Turner may have been killed before they could relay the information to their superiors, but there's no telling if any of the other Therians in Greenpoint were plants. It's been six months, and we haven't picked up any chatter regarding Dex or his abilities. However, if Wolf felt the need to warn us, then the Makhai must know something. None of this is a coincidence. Even if they discover what Dex is, between him, his newfound traits, and Sloane, I'm confident they'll manage. Dr. Colbourn is a different matter. In the very near future, Dex and Sloane may not be available to offer their protection. Steps are being taken to assure the utmost discretion. Dr. Colbourn has no association with TIN, but at this time, we can't confirm the Makhai hasn't taken an interest in him."
Shit. "It's his association with Dex, isn't it?"
"Yes. Dr. Colbourn is Dex's personal physician. If they can't get to Dex...."
"Hudson's the next best thing." Seb ran a hand over his face. Fuck, this was worse than he thought. He knew it. The moment Dex walked into Hudson's house, he'd made Hudson a target. As pissed off as Seb was with Dex, he had to respect Hudson's decision, no matter how much he hated it.
"This is where you come in," Sparks informed him.
"Or where Hudson steps out."