“Jesus Christ. No, no, no, no.” Sinthy put a hand to her mouth as we watched the creature run through the halls of what was obviously a school.
The shifter came upon a group of children. They hadn’t seen it. Somehow, they hadn’t heard it. The panther leaped upon them. Maddy turned her face away from the screen, already sobbing. Tiago covered his eyes. “Turn it off. For God’s sake, turn it off. Please.” His voice was thick with emotion.
Sebastian grabbed the remote and turned the TV off. He dropped into a chair, letting the remote clatter to the floor. He looked like I felt. Horrified, lost, shocked. All of us stood, unable to process what we’d just seen. The only sound was Maddy’s quiet sobs as she pressed her face into my chest. I could feel my own tears burning at the back of my eyes. I blinked them away, doing my best to push the image of those poor children from my mind. If I could have laid hands on the pieces of shit who’d decided to put that on the screen, I would have killed them.
Pulling Maddy tight, the anger built within me until I could barely see straight. It churned within me like a physical thing, bubbling up like lava out of a volcano. Had I ever been this angry in my life? I couldn’t remember. All my rage was slowly focusing on Viola. I could see her face and that fucking self-righteous smirk on her perfect red lips. She was probably watching all this with a bucket of popcorn on her lap, loving every minute of it. Basking in the pain of others. Not blinking an eye in sympathy for the heartbroken parents and loved ones of the victims. All this agony and pain was nothing more than her anti-shifter agenda.
“Are there any broadcasts that aren’t showing this shit? I want to hear the actual news and what they’re saying,” I said.
Sebastian turned the TV back on and found one station that had stopped airing the footage. A shocked reporter sat at the news desk. Her eyes were glossy with unshed tears.
“Um… we…” She swallowed and brushed at her clothes, trying to compose herself. “We at Channel Nine News apologize for the graphic nature of the previous clips. As you can see, the shifter crisis and the violence associated with the new disease has taken a dark and brutal turn. After days of dropping cases, a new surge has erupted today. We…” she pulled a tissue from under her desk and wiped at her eyes. “My apologies. We are going to cut to a video of the address the president gave earlier today.”
The screen shifted to the president sitting in the Oval Office. He looked into the camera, a grave expression on his face. Even with the makeup, it was easy to see that he probably hadn’t slept for a day or two. He cleared his throat and began. “Good day, fellow Americans. Over the past several weeks, we have been monitoring the Shifter Crisis and the novel virus that has been affecting our shifter citizens. The Centers for Disease Control, The Federal Emergency Management Agency, The NationalGuard, and our close partners, The Monroe Group, have been monitoring the situation and studying this epidemic. We assure you that all of us are working around the clock to ensure a safe outcome to this crisis.
“The CDC has now given it a designation as STV, or Shifter Transitional Virus. The Monroe Group labs assure us that they have discovered a test for this virus that is ninety-nine percent accurate. With that being said—” He cleared his throat again, looking uncomfortable. “The Joint Chiefs and I have determined that it is in the best interest of all those involved that a national state of emergency be instituted along with martial law. I do not make these decisions lightly, and I understand how this will appear to the general population. We can only tell you that we are making this unprecedented step to keep all our citizens safe.
“The National Guard, Army, and all other military branches are being mobilized to assist with the implementation of my next announcement. The original announcement we gave allowing shifters time to turn themselves in was, as you all know, extended. At that time, it appeared as though the crisis might have peaked. We see now that we were wrong. Effective immediately, all shifters are to report to the nearest FEMA containment center. Once on-site, you will be tested for the virus and detained until further notice.
“We realize that this is not the ideal situation. There will be many who are afraid and who believe we are overstepping our reach. I assure you that we have the best interests of all our citizens at heart. Human and shifter. No shifters will be harmed during this detainment, and we will do all we can to ensure it is as comfortable as possible until the end of this crisis. Many will say that we are infringing on the rights of shifters. What we must see and remember is that this is for the safety of everyone. I can only describe what we must now do with the words of the greatJames Madison. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. God bless America.”
The report ended, and Sebastian turned the television off. He tossed the remote onto the couch in anger. “That fucking dumbass. James Madison didn’t say that. Spock said that. Damned idiot was quotingStar Trek,not a founding father. Jesus, these are people leading our country, for God’s sake?”
Ignoring him, I said, “He says we won’t be hurt, but we all know what this means.” I scanned the room. “The royals won’t allow any shifter to leave those facilities. They’ll make sure of it. This is genocide, plain and simple. We’re witnessing the end of the shifter race. I guarantee every other country will follow the US’s lead.”
“Cattle to the slaughter,” Luis said.
“Exactly.” I couldn’t stand for this. Millions of men, women, and children were about to be rounded up and killed. We were the only people on earth who knew the truth. We had to do something. “I don’t know how she plans to do it, but Viola is going to kill every single person in those facilities. We’ve got to make a move. Soon.”
“Nico, what can we do? This isn’t some shadow organization anymore,” Sebastian said. “We’re talking about the entire United States government. Military and all. We’re not remotely equipped to tackle that.”
Tiago nodded in agreement. “I hate to agree, but this seems a little big for us. Maybe it’s simply time to run.” He looked disgusted to say it, but I could see he believed what he was saying.
“We haven’t cut off the royals’ money—we haven’t been able to hurt them at all. The only thing we have is some video of those labs.” Luis said.
“That’s it!” Maddy said. “We use that.”
I frowned at her. “What do you mean by that? Use it how?”
“We fight fire with fire. Viola has been using the media to stoke fears and push this agenda. Using public outcry and lies to bend the arm of every government to push this through. So… we push back.
“Viola understands the viral nature of the world now. Social media, the twenty-four-hour news cycle, the internet, and streaming. Everything spreads like wildfire. She’s using her resources. It’s time we used ours.”
“Wait,” Sebastian said, closing his eyes and holding up his hands. “What resources? We’ve got a witch and the vial. What else do we have? Viola has billions of dollars at her disposal, funding to fake whatever she wants, and power to push politicians around. What do we have?”
Maddy looked at me, then at Luis, and cocked an eyebrow. “I think we have a pretty rich friend, too. Don’t we?”
I glanced at Luis, who was slowly starting to grin. He glanced at me, and his expression grew to a full smile. “Donatello?”
Maddy was right. He had power and influence. He’d also shown a surprising willingness to help our plight. Isme and Sinthy had trusted him enough to ask him to offer his services. “Call him. See what he can do.”
Luis pulled out his phone and called Donatello on speaker. It rang four times before he answered. “Good day, my friend. Have you decided to take me up on the gracious offer I made?”
“Donatello, it’s Nico. I’m here with Luis and Maddy and a couple of friends. I’m sure you’ve seen what’s happening on the news?”
He sighed. “Indeed I have. Quite unpleasant. I’ve decided to leave the television off for the remainder of the day. May I ask what friends you speak of? I always like to know with whom I’m conversing.”
“My friend Sebastian, a bear shifter alpha named Tiago Estevan, and someone I think you already know pretty well. Sinthy.”
