****
When we got to the holding lodge, both Trent and Knox’s Jeeps were parked outside. Cassidy was detained, and I highly doubted she would confess upon seeing Min, so we both had to be prepared to present our case.
And we were.
We walked into the holding lodge and Min and I exchange looks. Trent and Knox were standing by the desk talking in low voices, while Cassidy was behind bars screaming at them.
“Come on boss, what the hell is this about? You’ve got me locked in here for what?” She heard the door open and froze when she saw Min. That was all the confirmation I needed to know she was guilty, but I wasn’t sure if Trent and Knox had caught it.
“Hey, guys. This is Min Dupont. She’s an entomologist for the CDC.”
“What the hell is she doing here at a time like this?” Knox asked angrily.
“She knows, Knox. About us. I can explain everything.”
“You guys have got to stop telling your girlfriends about us! This is the third woman in a year, all because you guys can’t keep your mouths shut.”
“Well…to be fair…You couldn’t, either.” Trent shrugged and smiled at Min. “Nice to meet you Min, I’m Trent.”
“Pleasure.” She reached out her hand and he shook it. Knox gave her a nod and wasn’t fully ready to accept her with open arms just yet.
“Are you going to tell me what all this is about now?”
“Si.” I started unpacking my microscope and the case of ticks as well as the slides showing my blood and the tick’s innards.
“What the fuck are those?” Trent asked, his face disgusted.
“Ticks. And they are the source of our problem.”
“We’re listening,” Knox said.
“Okay, so the night we went out to the bar, I had just finished the autopsy of the infected shifter. I told you guys I wasn’t feeling well and had a headache. I was also feeling queasy.”
“Yeah, then you took two weeks off to spend with your girlfriend here.” Knox rolled his eyes.
“Well, actually, she spent most of that time taking care of me. I was vomiting all over the place, pure stomach acid and I couldn’t bring myself to swallow anything, not even liquid. I still have a headache, nausea, and I’ve hardly slept in days.”
“Yeah, you have the flu, right? You told me.”
“That’s what I thought. Until Min pulled one of these guys out of my shoulder,” I said holding up the case of ticks. “These things carry our end. They were genetically engineered to kill us.”
“What are you talking about, Ramon?” Trent asked, exchanging confused expressions with Knox.
I took a deep breath. “I have the mutated rabies virus as well. I’m infected,” I admitted.
“You’re not shifting uncontrollably, though, and you’re perfectly conscious. The other shifter kept changing into a bear and he couldn’t even tell us his name.”
“Yeah, but he must have been dealing with the infection for a while when we found him. I have been infected for two weeks, so at some point, I imagine I will get to that state. Before Min and I tested the ticks and my blood, I had a random shift moment, where my hand turned into a bear paw for a brief second.”
“How do you know that you got sick from the tick? How did you find out it was carrying the disease?” Knox asked.
I looked at Min.
“Through me.” She stepped forward.
“And how do you know all this?” Knox seemed suspicious now.
“I was called in for some field work and was shown several videos regarding shifters. They knew about a rogue killing Danielle Peterson and they knew about the mutated rabies virus. They handed me these ticks and told me they held a vaccine that would prevent all shifters in Acadia from getting the virus.”
“So, you did as you were told and unleashed these bugs into our park?” Knox accused.
“No, sir. All the ticks in this box have remained there. I haven’t released a single one, except for the one that Ramon and I killed to confirm that they were carrying the virus.”
“Which leads me to the microscope,” I said placing the slide with my blood sample under it. “This is my blood, extracted from the tick that Min pulled off my shoulder.”
Knox and Trent took turns looking into the microscope.
“Shit, it’s just like when you tested that rogue shifter’s blood,” Trent agreed.
“Now this slide shows what was extracted from a fresh tick.” I replaced the first slide with the new one.
“It’s the virus…” Knox’s voice was filled with concern. He looked from the microscope to Ramon. “And you have it. Does this mean you are going to die? Can we get it from you?”
“I don’t know. But Min and I have decided to work long and hard to find an antidote.” I nodded and so did Min.
“But what does this all have to do with Cassidy?” Knox turned to the cell. Cassidy was looking around frantically at them.
“She’s the one who gave me the ticks in the first place. She works with the government, too,” Min said, glaring at Cassidy with her arms crossed.
“What the hell is she talking about? I’ve never seen her a day in my life. Who are you, anyway?”
“Oh, don’t play dumb now!” Min spat, starting toward the cell bars, but Trent stopped her.
“You gave all the proof we needed to confirm that these ticks hold a deadly virus that can kill us, but nothing that links Cassidy other than your words. You must forgive me for being a more than a little cautious. We don’t know you, but we know her. I must consider her innocent until you provide proof otherwise.”
Min looked to me for help. I shrugged; I had no idea how she was going to prove that it was Cassidy who gave her the ticks and the file. Something seemed to dawn on Min and she whipped out her cellphone.
“If I can prove she is lying about not knowing who I am, is catching her in a lie enough to make you believe me?” Min asked as she scrolled through her phone, trying to find something.
“Hmmm…I suppose. Lying is hugely against our clan code,” Knox nodded.
Min handed him her phone. “She called me when I first arrived in Acadia to make sure I got to the inn safely. She said she would call me for an update with my progress, but she never did.”
Knox pulled out his phone and checked the numbers aloud. “That’s your number, Cassidy. I thought you didn’t know her?” His look turned to a glare quickly.
“Are you sure? You should check them again!” Cassidy seemed panicked at this point.
“I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt, but now you have lied to me. You will tell me the truth. Now!” Knox ordered. I could feel his Alpha authority ringing through the room, rippling through me, and I could tell from Trent’s wince that he could feel it, too.
“Fine! It’s true!” Cassidy admitted, sitting slowly on the floor of her cell. “I’m helping the government eradicate bear shifters. When they found out about our existence, they tried to scout me since I’ve been here in Acadia for the least amount of time. At first, I refused, but they told me I could either go down with everyone, or help them take you all down. If I helped, I would be spared as long as I aided them with experiments. So, I agreed. My first job was to set up phone and computer taps on all staff devices, which I did. Anything that you have texted, called, or emailed about is known by the government. Their goal is to rid the world of shifters without exposing them to the public and causing a panic. So, this was their attempt at genetic warfare. The rogue shifters that attacked Hannah were from the first trial. They were captured by the government and promised that the ticks would administer a drug that would increase their abilities. They agreed to partake in the experiment and the ticks were placed directly on them. They were placed here for testing where they got into trouble with you and you killed their leader, Shawn. You asked me and Hank to take care of Shawn’s body and I was able to kill the tick before it could move on to the next host. The rogue shifter who killed Danielle Peterson was our second test. I was able to infect him while he was visiting for the full moon. And I see that tick found Ramon, here, during the autopsy.” Cassidy was smiling deviously now. “I may not have gotten all of you, but I got one of you. Once the government finds out that you know of their plans, they’ll take care of you. They’ll know something is wrong if they stop getting updates from me.”
“You betrayed the whole clan just so you can become one of their guinea pigs? How do you know they won’t just kill you too?” Trent asked, banging on the bars.
“I don’t know, but if you all found out, I would be dead, if I didn’t help them I would be dead. This is the only way I had a chance, but no matter what I chose, I could die. What’s the big difference anyway?” she shouted back.
“The difference is that we would have died together—as a clan! And we would have fought to the very end!” Knox roared, his anger blazing through his words and his chest rose and fell. He was very clearly livid. We all fell silent, looking down at the ground. He was right. I stole a glance at Cassidy, and even she couldn’t make eye contact with anyone.
“Tell us everything you know about the virus and the ticks,” Knox ordered.
“The virus was created to alter our genetic makeup and make us feral. The more times we shift while we are infected, the harder it becomes to shift back to our human states. The ticks only jump to find new hosts when their shifter host dies, so that’s how Ramon got infected. The ticks were engineered to identify shifters based on the taste of their blood; they can identify a DNA strand in shifters that is not present in humans. If they determine the blood is human, they abandon the host to find a shifter. The human is left with a tick bite, but no deadly symptoms. This is how they are trying to keep the virus contained to just shifters.”
“Genius…” I said aloud without realizing. Everyone’s eyes fell on me. “Sorry, but you have to admit that’s pretty cool. They really pulled out all the stops.” I obviously wasn’t happy about dying from this virus, but I found it fascinating how much thought they put into their plan to kill us off.
“And it would have worked, had Min here not screwed everything up.” Cassidy rolled her eyes.
“Looks like you’re the one who screwed up,” Min scowled.
Knox started barking out orders. “Trent, stay here and watch Cassidy. Ramon, Min, go start on that antidote. If you need anything, and I mean anything, call me immediately. And Min?”
“Yes?”
“There will come a point in time where Ramon will no longer be able to speak or think like himself if you both don’t find the antidote in time. He’ll begin to shift at random times and he may or may not shift back. If this happens, call Trent and I immediately—and run. We will come and get him, and he’ll be moved to a cell here where he can’t hurt anyone.”
“If that happens, could I move the lab here. I want to stay with him.” Min was looking at me worriedly.
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Trent nodded.
“Alright, everyone, get to it.” Knox slapped me on my arm and gave me a reassuring squeeze before he turned to leave, and I started to pick up my things and follow after him.
The sooner I got started on the antidote, the sooner I could recover.