Chapter 3 #3
“Shit.” Quinn removed his scope from his left eye. “Ten o’clock. There’s something in the mud. Looks like a body.”
Scout gripped his wrist, stopping him from bolting. “It could be a trap.”
“And it could be Brea.”
“Which is why we go together. Coulter. Contact, ten o’clock. We’re moving.”
A quick scan of the area, then she crept out, Quinn on her six, his presence like a physical brand against her skin.
She stayed low, used the larger branches and fern-choked forest floor for cover, constantly checking the surrounding sight lines as she closed in on the location.
A pair of runners appeared amidst the shadows, a man’s heavily muscled frame face-down in the muck.
Quinn’s breathing audibly changed, leveling out as he bent low, checked for a pulse. “Nothing.”
He swung his weapon around to his back, then flipped the guy over.
No bullet wounds, no obvious lacerations, just blood leaking from his eyes and ears, his face twisted in either rage or pain.
Scout lifted the man’s shirt, revealed a patchwork of black and purple bruises.
What looked like massive internal bleeding despite the lack of any noticeable trauma.
Quinn placed the back of his hand on the man’s forehead. “I swear, he’s got a fever, which doesn’t seem possible considering he’s been dead long enough for some of that blood to dry.”
Coulter swept the tree line, body primed for a fight. “Scout. Check for a watch and a patch.”
She rolled up the guy’s sleeve, revealed a sleek, matte-black watch. Only this looked more like the prototype they’d found a few months ago. A slimmer version of the HELIOS watch Gideon had helped design for the legal side of Hyperion’s company.
Quinn grunted. “No patch, but there’s some sticky residue on his hip. Might be from adhesive.”
Coulter shook his head. “That’s discouraging. Though, if it’s a new way of delivering TITAN, this all makes a lot more sense.”
“TITAN?” Quinn glanced at her then back to Coulter. “What the hell is TITAN?”
“It’s that drug Scout mentioned. We intercepted a shipment that contained a watch and several patches, though, they hadn’t been compounded. It’s a bit early to theorize, but it looks like someone’s testing them.”
Quinn was on his feet a heartbeat later, hands fisted at his side, mouth pinched tight. “If Brea’s wearing this TITAN patch, is it killing her, too? Am I already too late?”
“Easy, brother. We have no idea what this is. It could be some new, bastardized version of TITAN or something else, entirely. Was Brea showing any odd symptoms? A fever? Aggression? Suddenly lifting her Jeep without a jack?”
“She was the same person she’s always been. Maybe a bit more energized. Said her runs seemed almost easy, lately. But nothing I’d flag.”
“Then, let’s focus on that. Besides, we don’t even know if she’s part of whatever this is. I’ll call…”
Scout sensed the air shift just as Coulter turned, rifle notched in his shoulder, sights focused behind them.
She matched his stance, ready to fire when Neve emerged from the forest, hair dripping from the rain, carbine at the ready.
Wynn and Zadie spread out behind her, gazes searching the tree line, weapons raised.
Neve cocked an eyebrow, pausing on Quinn long enough to rake her gaze up and down him a few times before landing on Coulter. “You know, if you guys had waited at the Jeep, things wouldn’t be awkward now.”
Coulter lowered his weapon, half his focus on the surrounding trees. “Talk to the Mountie.”
Neve looked at Scout, then over to Quinn. “Nice to finally meet you, Corporal Taylor. I’m Neve?—”
“Monroe.” Quinn looked behind her. “And you’re Zadie Noor and Wynn Whitmore. All looking remarkably well for being dead.”
“I see you’re still in the angry phase, though, that’s to be expected.” Neve waved Wynn over. “This looks… unsettling.”
Wynn dropped down beside the man, performing a thorough body sweep before shaking her head. “No obvious trauma. It appears as if his organs failed, causing major internal bleeding, though, without an autopsy, I can’t be sure.”
Coulter gestured toward the guy. “I assume you noticed the watch and what might be residue from a patch.”
“Hard to miss.” Wynn stood, brushed off her hands. “So, is this one of Finch’s soldiers? New recruit? Are they testing something or just doing some training?”
“Unsure…” Coulter’s voice faded before he tapped his ear. “Gideon? I hope you’ve got news.”
His eyes darted back and forth as he nodded, then turned, scanning the direction they’d been heading before muttering a curse under his breath. “Roger.”
Quinn stepped forward. “Well?” He crossed his arms when Coulter frowned. “That obviously wasn’t a routine check-in.”
Coulter swept his gaze around the team, lingering on Scout for a few moments before addressing Quinn. “Gideon said those other signals are on the move.”
“Where?”
“Several klicks from here. But there’s something about the way they’re moving.” Coulter raked his hand through his hair. “He said, if he didn’t know any better, he’d swear he was watching a race.”