Nico
The mission to get the scientists differed totally from the way they’d usually deployed Nico and Teilo. In the past, they disconnected Nico and Teilo from their back tubes, a collar added to their furry necks, complete with leashes, and big men who ate bricks for breakfast would take Nico and Teilo to where they were meant to go. In those cases, the target would already be isolated, and they would write the killing off as a random animal attack.
Sometimes, not often, they forced Nico and Teilo to shift into their human form, tracking the mark, isolating the mark themselves, and then killing with various degrees of torture that the trainers ranked from one to five—one being a straight kill no torture necessary, to five where the place would be a bloodbath when Teilo and Nico had finished.
So yes, Nico was feeling edgy as he and Teilo checked the perimeter of the remote house where the scientists were staying. As far as Kylo could find out, there were only two of the men staying in the house, the other two having already left Paraguay along with the trainers. Nico had some personal feelings of revenge concerning the trainers as well… their brand of sadism should never be allowed out in public, but he kept his thoughts to himself. The higher power he believed in would ensure their paths would cross again—intentionally or not.Their time will come.
He knew Ben was worried due to the fact two scientists and the trainers all traveled together, suggesting they were planning to set up somewhere else—something Ben got all stompy and snappy just thinking about it. Then Ben started talking to Todd, who loaned them the island, about who was financing them, and Nico tuned out.
The suggestion, in the innumerable talks that followed their bombed house visit, was that the scientists who’d stayed were waiting for an opportunity to go back where Nico and Teilo had been kept to gather all the information now buried under house rubble. Nico couldn’t work out why that hadn’t already been done, but apparently, he was meant to ask. Because yes, the other difference in their current mission was Teilo and Nico were expected to detain and interrogate the scientists rather than just kill them.
“I hear music inside the house,” Teilo whispered, coming up alongside of him as silent as any cat could be. “They don’t seem worried they’ll be found.”
“The house smells funny,” Nico growled. “Drugs and guns.”
“The dark man hasn’t been here.” Teilo had worried about that, and Nico could understand why. He hated seeing the light go out of Teilo’s eyes when Ben realized what had happened to them, as much as Ben had. Facing the dark man, so soon after the overwhelming bombardment of Ben’s emotions through their mating bond, would’ve been too much—for Teilo. Nico hoped Ben realized his own hugging event was due to the pain he’d felt his whole life at not being able to save Teilo from going through the same things he did.
“We need to get in there,” he said urgently, his voice still low. “Otherwise, Ben will come, and it won’t be safe for him.”
“Detain and interrogate, I remember.” Teilo’s nod was quick and firm. But then he added, “Seems weird if you ask me. Ben already knows what they’ve done.”
Nico agreed. “Ben’s not like us, though,” he said. “You heard him with his brothers. All that talk about justice, money, and politics.”
“When a bullet to the head or a knife across the neck solves a problem just as well, and ten times quicker.” Teilo chuckled quietly. “Maybe Ben’s going to talk them to death.”
“That would be fun to see.” Nudging his cage brother, Nico headed towards the house. The scientists needed to be secured so they absolutely could not touch their Ben when he came to work his talking magic.
~/~/~/~
Teilo
Securing the two scientists was too easy. Teilo and Nico simply went in through a window that they’d left open due to the humid air. They’d crept through the house and caught the two men enjoying beers while they were reading and listening to songs playing from one of the scientist’s phones. One each, Nico and Teilo worked together like the well-trained machines they were, securing the two men in ropes Kylo had provided.
Now propped up on the couch, beer bottles and a wrecked table laying scattered across the floor. One of the scientists, Teilo remembered had been called Roy, glared at them as he and Nico just stared back.
His thinning hair was lank in the damp heat, and his florid face was covered in sweat. He didn’t look as intimidating when he was sitting in a grimy gray vest and khaki shorts.It must’ve been the white coat that used to trigger me.
“See, Judd, I told you it wasn’t safe for us to go back to that house yet. These two made it out. Why the fuck are you two still alive?”
Turning to Nico, Teilo asked, “In this the interrogation part? Are they supposed to ask questions?”
“I don’t think so.” Nico slammed one fist into his opposite palm. “We’ve been told to talk to you.”
“Who by? Everyone’s all been lying low since Andromeda disappeared, and the council’s in an uproar with their leader gone and some damn bleeding heart acting in his place.” Judd wriggled in his bonds.
“We saw Marvin’s interview, how the shifter council was looking for the lost boys.” Judd spat in Teilo’s direction. “Lost boys, my ass. You two weren’t ever lost, were you boys? We made you in a test tube, you and your brother. Vincent should’ve just flushed your genetics down the sink.”
The men were angry, not scared, which made Teilo think they thought they still had some level of protection somewhere. Or maybe it was something else. Flicking out his claws on his left hand, he stroked over the long, sharp ends with his right.
“You taught us a lot while you had us caged,” he said slowly, his voice showing none of the emotions he was feeling. “Taught to kill on command, torture men for no apparent reason…”
“There were plenty of reasons,” Roy yelled. The smell of sweat increased along with the fear—Roy always hated sharp things. “For fuck’s sake, who do you think paid for all your food and upkeep? We took the Devil’s money and now he’ll come looking for you. You two wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for his money. And when he comes, and you can bet your life he will, you’d do well to remember that you owe him.”
“Owe him what?” Nico snarled. Teilo always got a shiver down his spine when his cage brother did that. The menace and the deep tone seemed to resonate with the prey mechanism in a human’s brain. “Who’s to say the Devil hasn’t already found us? How else do you explain this?” He waved his hand to indicate his healthy frame and clean clothes. “I even got boots.”
“The Devil got you out?” Judd shook his head. “Nah, that wouldn’t happen. He wouldn’t go near you lot in the cages because of that cop lion he had us stash with you lot. Too many chances of being identified. What happened to the lion?”
Teilo hesitated. His gut was telling him not to let on the lion was dead. “What do you think happened to him when we got out? Why do you think we came looking for you?”
