Their walk to the greenhouse had been suspiciously easy.
Not a single mutant animal had come near them the entire time. Arthur had heard them scurrying and squealing, but never spotted them. That concerned him, especially when combined with the lack of demons.
Tilly turned out to have some tracking skills. She’d lead their small group, pointing out signs of animals and demons. Footprints, clumps of hair, and even drops of that purple blood.
“The animals are fighting them as they travel,” Tilly whispered as she pointed at a small area covered in broken twigs covered in red and purple blood. “If what I’ve been seeing is right, Charleston is going to have his hands full.”
Theorisa nodded and motioned for her to keep moving. “That’s what we left them there for. Anyone nearby?”
“Not that I can tell.”
Arthur looked to Augustus, who was watching the area with care, his bat slung over his shoulder. His chief of security didn’t appear to hold that feral rage they got when near the demons, which he took as a good sign.
“Let’s keep moving; there’s no point in waiting around for them to come to us,” he said, as he started into the woods once more.
They saw more signs of life as they walked further in. However, it wasn’t demonic footprints, but humans. Tilly took them further off-road, and they did their best to keep low as they traveled. It was another ten minutes before they caught sight of The Greenhouse, and when they did, Arthur’s fist clenched tight around the map.
“You have to be kidding,” he whispered as they crouched behind some bushes.
The Greenhouse was massive, taking up a far larger area than even Richard’s farm. Glass panes placed in between thick, green-painted steel beams made up the building. Inside, he could see rows and rows of plants. Some bore food, and others flowers.
Some flowered, but others bore enough food that he knew people shouldn’t have gone hungry with proper rationing. His blood boiled at the sight. People he didn’t recognize walked the perimeter, each carrying swords and clubs. He didn’t see a single demon in sight, and a check on Augustus showed none were hiding nearby.
Other people tended to the plants inside. Some dressed in lab coats, while others wore the typical scavenger attire. He counted maybe twenty. Though, with the sheer size of the place, he couldn’t be sure.
Beside him, he could hear Theorisa mumbling to herself as she planned how to sneak in. Arthur scoffed at the notion. There was no need. No. Augustus could deal with any human threat easily.
Plus, this was going to be a negotiation, and he wanted to start strong. Heat permeated through him at the thought. His muscles tensed as he forced himself not to rise and stomp over there alone.
“I vote we go to the door,” Arthur said, causing Theorisa to stop mumbling. “We know who we need to see, and it’s not like Lisa had armed these guards with anything impressive.”
He looked at the two knights, who both shared a look. Theorisa shook her head.
“If they swarm us, we could be in trouble.”
“They won’t.”
“How do you know?”
The heat filled Arthur as he smiled, and taken aback when he saw her eyes widen in surprise. “Would you want to fight us with bats?”
“No,” Tilly said, sounding a little shocked.
“Exactly.” He stood up, shoulders back, as he strode towards the man guarding the building’s front door. “Now come on.”
Upon stepping out of the bushes, all the guards reacted. They held up weapons and looked ready to use them. That was when Augustus moved forward and glared at them. One man, younger than his colleague, showed visible fear.
Arthur pointed at him with his cane as he raised his voice to yell across the distance. He didn’t need to, but it felt good to let the words out that way.
“Where’s Lisa?”
“Umm,” the young man started before another figure stepped forward.
This man was older, going a little gray, and had a pair of short swords attached to his hip. He gave a wave, though his smile didn’t reach his eyes. When he spoke, he did so in a pleasant voice that reminded him of a bored security guard.
“Dr. Moore is busy. Also, this is private property, and I’d like for you to leave.”
“Why?” Arthur asked as he resumed walking forward. “It’ll be mine soon, like most of what A Iocus Daemonium owns. I need a word with Lisa about a private matter. Take us to her.”
The man’s fake smile turned even more brittle. “Or what?”
“You know what happened to Greenwine?”
A few of the guards whispered amongst themselves, while others spoke into handheld radios.
The man didn’t pay them any mind as he answered. “Yeah.”
“Want to take a guess at what?” Arthur raised his cane and took a swing in the air.
The whispers turned into chuckles as they looked at him. He didn’t bat an eye as he continued towards the door. No one moved to stop him, though he saw a few grip weapons as he passed.
“You killed Richard Greenwine?” The man sounded impressed. “Good, that guy was a dick. Dr. Lisa is inside, but she won’t be happy about being disturbed.”
“Good thing you’ll be there to smooth things over, Mr?” Arthur asked, gesturing towards him with his free hand.
“Kelsy.”
He stopped at the door, and Augustus moved up beside him, growling and squeaking at anyone who got too close. Theorisa and Tilly both gripped their spears, looking as though they meant business. Kelsy walked over and nodded to the man at the door.
“Let them in, Steve.”
Uhh, are you sure? I don’t think the boss will be happy."
“Will you be happy when you’re dead? Because that’s what’s going to happen. Two knights, a mutant, and a guy who killed a board member. I’m not stupid.” Kelsy’s smile was no longer fake. “Unless you want to be the first to go?”
Arthur smiled at Steve as he opened the door and moved into the greenhouse proper, enjoying the floral scents. With a step to the side, he motioned to Kelsy.
“Lead the way.”
***
Arthur walked through the greenhouse with his head held high.
He made eye contact with the few people wearing lab coats when he could. They all looked away relatively quickly. Those that weren’t busy with research. The people dressed in more normal outfits ignored him as well.
Around him, they moved plants, adjusted UV lights, or carried papers between areas. While he didn’t know exactly what they were doing, he could tell it was an efficient operation.
“I wonder what Dr. Muriler could do with these types of resources?” he thought as they walked. “He’ll probably want to move out here. If he does and he can finish the project, this could sell for a fair amount. We’ll be raking it in.”
Kelsy stopped and swung open a pair of doors that looked like the entrance to a cellar. Without another word, he led them down a spiral staircase. The further they moved, the more Arthur could hear the sounds of machinery.
Theorisa cursed as soon as they entered the room.
Lisa stood in the center of the cluttered space. Tables surrounded her on all sides, acting as a square barricade. On them sat various scientific instruments that Arthur didn’t recognize. Not that he cared about them much. His eyes swept over the whiteboards and took out boxes to land on the biggest things in the room—two tubes filled with strangely colored liquid.
Nyssa and Theobold floated inside, eyes closed. Both wore oxygen masks, along with cables that snaked out of the tubes and into a nearby computer. On its screen, data he didn’t understand scrolled by faster than he could read it.
Neither looked harmed, which did little to dampen his rising anger. Before he could speak, Theorisa stepped forward, readying her spear to throw. As she did, Augustus growled at an empty space.
Kelsy chuckled.
“People here for you, Dr. Moore.”
“Yes, leave.” She turned her attention away from Kelsy as she raised a red button attached to a box into the air. “Now then, Arthur. It’s a pleasure to see you again. My advice would be to tell your people to stand down. If you don’t, I’ll press this button, and you don’t want that.”
He could see Theorisa tense, and he needed to place a hand on Augustus’s shoulder. Tilly remained near the stairs, not stopping Kelsy as he pushed past her.
“Now then, I think we all need to calm down.” Her tone was almost bored, as though she didn’t have a care in the world. “We can talk this out. What did you want?”
“To tear your head off,” Arthur thought, the heat filling him as though it was about to burst.
“You took some of my employees. I’d like them back. Put down the button; you won’t like what happens if you don’t.”
“Oh?” she scoffed. “And what would that be?”
“You harm my son, and I’ll kill you,” Theorisa said, gesturing with her spear. “That’s a promise.”
Lisa turned her attention to Arthur, who shrugged.
“You saw what I did to Richard; do you think you’ll fare better? But I’m not here to deliver threats. I have an offer. One that I think you’ll appreciate.”
When she didn’t respond, he continued. “I’m going to tear down your organization. I want you to switch sides before that happens and come work for me.”
“What?” She stared at him as though he were stupid. “Are you insane?”
“No.”
The word seemed to hang in the air. Lisa stared at him, eyes wide, as he motioned to Augustus. “I know about the grove, Lisa, and how to destroy it. It’s not a matter of if; it’s a matter of when.”
He smiled, showing his teeth. As he did, he spotted his reflection in a beaker. His teeth were different now—more pointed.
His entire grin was far more feral, reminding him more of Pydes and Gastho than Augustus or Dr. Muriler. He supposed he understood Theorisa’s reaction now. It was unsettling even to him.
With a quick move, he slammed the end of his cane into the ground. The plan was to make a loud thump to draw attention. What he got instead was a cracked floor and dust particles rising into the air.
“I’m offering you the chance to jump ship to the winning side. You see, I know about the drugs you make. Those cores. Without you, they don’t get more, right?”
She didn’t respond, but he didn’t need her to. The fact she wasn’t speaking told him she was listening. That was good enough. This was simply another sale where she was the item. He needed to offer the right price, and that was easy enough.
“I need those gone. So I figured I had two options. Kill you, or hire you. We both heard what Clarissa said. They won’t value you. I would. Do you want to hear my offer? Or should I let Theorisa take her chances of getting to you first?”
“What are you offering?” Lisa asked, looking at the spear-wielding woman with hesitation.
Arthur raised his hand and raised a finger for every point. “Access to Dr. Muriler, for one. Willing mutated test subjects. The chance to focus on projects that you clearly care about, oh, and access to your grandfather’s old facility.”
That last one earned him a snort, and she waved the button around.
“You can’t get in there. Those wannabe superheroes don’t let anyone in.”
“Oh?” Arthur said as he dropped the backpack to his side. In one motion, he pulled out Officer Gregory’s head.
“You recognize this?”
“Greggy?” Her eyes widened, and she sounded panicked. “How?”
“With a team not much bigger than the one I have now. But the system still works, and I’ve seen his data. Interesting stuff. Have a folder of it here with me.”
There was greed in her eyes as he spoke, and he resisted the urge to smile again. He knew he had her; she only needed one more tiny push.
“That’s all yours, and one other thing. One important thing.”
“What?” She moved to press herself against the table as he held up the folder.
Arthur pulled it away as she reached for it. “I can keep you safe from Theorisa and the knights. You think they won’t be baying for blood with what you did to their compound?”
Lisa held up a hand. “That wasn’t me! Richard did all that and—”
“Do you think they’ll care?” Arthur cut her off. “No, they’ll want a scapegoat, and Greenwine’s dead.”
Theorisa took that moment to brandish her spear. Tilly laughed as Augustus let out an animalistic grunt while brandishing his bat. Arthur simply watched Lisa’s eyes. They were flicking between him, the tubes, and Augustus.
She was wavering and needed a single push. So he gave it to her.
“This is a limited-time offer. Tick Tock, doc.”
“What do you want?” She blurted out. “What does working for you look like?”
Arthur didn’t bother hiding his smile. “You’ll be working on R&D with Dr. Muriler and will make sure all someone distributes all the food I saw on the way in. Preferably through me, if possible. You’ll be paid and won’t be harmed. Though the demon projects will stop, understood?”
“Do I get access to the mutagen technology and the files? I want those!”
“Fine. Now release my people, and we can hash out proper terms.” Arthur motioned towards the tubes.
“But my readings!” Lisa exclaimed as she gestured to the back wall. “I need another hour.”
“And you need to be alive to get them. I have other mutants who might aid you in this. They didn’t. Let them go.” His words were sharp as he pointed his cane at her. “Don’t make me ask again.”
He could see the aggravation in her eyes as she turned and moved to the computers, Theorisa stalking her from behind. Arthur couldn’t help but chuckle, his voice sounding different to his ears. Deeper.
This was going to be the start of something great.175Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTdrSJNG4R
