“No. Stand down. We need to play along.”
With a growl, he settles down. But the instructions were for him, not for me. I need to at least pretend like I’m standing my ground.
“What are you doing?” I demand. “I passed your test. I want the job. There’s no point in treating me like a prisoner. I understand the precaution when you first grabbed me, but this is unnecessary now. I proved myself.”
Garrett’s voice comes through the fabric, close to my ear.
“Calm down. I’ll personally take care of you. Nothing will happen to the Kyzers’ new star chemist. But this is a precaution until you truly prove yourself. We can’t be too careful.”
The guards grab me roughly and half-drag me out of the warehouse. I stumble on uneven ground. The van door slides open and I’m pushed inside. I hit the metal floor hard, landing awkwardly on my shoulder. The door slams shut and the engine starts.
My heart races, panic rising in my chest. This isn’t how it was supposed to go. I thought I’d be brought to a lab, yes, but not like this. I thought I’d have some freedom, some control. Everything feels wrong and dangerous. I can’t see anything, my hands are bound, and I’m being taken somewhere unknown. A second location.
Zeth’s voice whispers in my head:
“You’re okay. You did good. It doesn’t matter what they do. You’re safe with me. I will take care of you.”
I focus on his voice. My breathing slows, and the panic eases slightly. I’m still terrified, but I’m not drowning in it anymore. The bag over my head is awful, but I can manage.
The van takes turns, and I try to track them but lose count. Time feels distorted. Finally, the vehicle slows down and stops.
The door opens, and rough hands grab my arms, pulling me to my feet and pushing me toward the opening. I step down but can’t see the ground, so I stumble forward and start to fall.
I feel Zeth take control of my feet. He catches my balance and stabilizes me, keeping me upright and walking straight. I let him. I’m not alone, I’m not helpless. I have backup literally inside my body.
I think about Captain Holt insisting on the bodyguard, and I realize he was right. I needed this. The idea of a symbiote bodyguard was brilliant. I was stupid to resist it initially.
Zeth hears my thoughts.
“I’m glad, too. I will let nothing happen to you.”
I believe him.
I’m dragged forward, guided by hands on my arms. I feel the transition from outside to inside as the temperature changes and the air shifts. Footsteps echo, suggesting a large space, and a door closes behind us. I’m walked across what feels like a hall, then I’m pushed into an elevator. It descends – down, down, down. I think I count three levels, but I can’t be sure. We’re going deep underground.
The doors open, and I’m pulled out into what sounds like a narrow corridor. Our footsteps echo on concrete, then metal steps, going down further. I navigate them carefully with Zeth’s help. The air down here is stale and humid.
Finally, we stop. Someone pulls the bag off my head roughly and light blinds me. I blink rapidly, my eyes adjusting. The golem cuts the zip ties, and my hands are free. I rub my wrists and look around.
I’m in a massive underground laboratory that looks like a legitimate bunker – concrete walls, reinforced doors, a high ceiling with industrial lighting. This is much larger and better equipped than the warehouse space. It’s a professional operation and a serious setup.
Garrett waves the guards away with a casual gesture. They leave, and I hear the heavy door lock behind them.
Damn it. I’m alone with Garrett Blanc.
He gestures broadly.
“Welcome to your new workplace.”
He takes me through the space, and I try to memorize everything. There are multiple workstations, each with full equipment setups: industrial-grade burners, fume hoods, and specialized glassware. Shelving units along the walls are filled with supplies: rows of chemical compounds in labeled bottles, specialized equipment for handling supernatural materials, lead-lined storage containers, refrigerated units hummingquietly, protective gear hanging on hooks, and precision instruments for measuring and testing.
Some of the storage units have faint glowing runes etched into the metal.
Garrett notices me staring.
“Enchanted,” he explains. “Keeps the ingredients stable. Some of this stuff would degrade without magical preservation.”
He shows me warded containers that prevent magical detection and demonstrates equipment that has both scientific and magical components. He opens the large industrial refrigerator and shows me the vampire blood storage. There are multiple units, carefully labeled by source.
