New Species 11 True (24 page)

True couldn’t exit the SUV fast enough after it stopped at
the front gates of Fuller Prison. No signs identified the location but tall
concrete walls surrounded the property with barbed wire running along the top
to add an additional five feet of height. Security cameras and bright lights
made certain their presence was known.

Justice and Tim walked up to the camera directly in front of
the double gates and Tim pressed a button to speak to the guard in charge. The
camera moved, zooming in on them.

“What do you want?” It was a male voice that came out of the
speaker.

“This is Tim Oberto with Justice North,” Tim declared. “Open
up.”

“I’m sorry but I can’t do that. The warden ordered a full
lockdown of the facility, sir. We’re not permitted to allow anyone entry.”

“Tell him we’re here, you idiot!” Tim shouted. He turned his
head toward Justice. “Sorry. He must be new.”

“The warden is currently in DC at a conference until tomorrow,
sir. You will need to call his cell phone and he’ll have to send me a message
to void the lockdown if he agrees to let you inside.”

“Un…fucking…believable,” Trey muttered. He stepped closer. “Hey,
moron, this is Justice North out here in case you aren’t looking at your
monitor or lost the ability to hear my boss when he speaks. That means he’s
higher ranking than the warden. Open the damn gates or losing your job is going
to be the least of your troubles. I’ll personally kick your ass if you make us
wait out here any longer.”

They didn’t open.

Justice snarled. “I demand you allow us inside right now or
we’ll drive through the gates.” He motioned and the team of New Species
surrounded him. They all glowered at the camera. “You don’t want that to happen.
It will anger us even more.”

The buzz was loud as the locks disengaged. True rushed
forward as soon as they opened wide enough to fit his body through. The teams
followed him, staying closely grouped together. The courtyard was empty but a
side door to the large building opened and a human in uniform rushed outside.
Within seconds another human male followed. That one wore slacks, a dress shirt
and was quite a bit older than the guard.

“Stop right there,” the gray-haired human called out.

“What is the meaning of this, Jeff?” Justice took the lead,
facing off against the shorter male.

“We’re under lockdown, Mr. North. I apologize for Dill’s
rudeness but we weren’t expecting you.”

“Why wasn’t someone answering the phone and what caused the
lockdown order?”

The human remained quiet.

“Answer him,” Tim grunted.

The human looked ill at ease. “I’m not sure. That order came
directly from the warden. It’s standard procedure to shut off the phones and
cut contact with the outside world.” He patted his front pocket. “We’re only
allowed to stand down from the alert when the warden calls me directly on my
cell.”

True was impatient. “Why did your guards come after Jeanie?”

The male paled, glancing at him. “Um, who?”

“Jeanie Shiver,” Tim elaborated. “I placed a pick-up order
on her but then canceled it. It seems two of your men entered Homeland under
false pretenses and tried to take her by force. It was a big mistake and now
the only guard we have in custody is dead and unable to answer questions. We’ve
come to take the other one into custody and to find out why they deceived the
gate guards at Homeland and discover who sent them.”

Jeff paled even more. “Um, well…”

“This is where the vehicle they drove was parked,” Smiley
yelled from across the courtyard where he stood in an empty parking space. “This
area scents of the same human males who were at Homeland. The oil on the ground
scents of the same van that brought them to Medical.”

“We did send a team to pick up medical supplies,” Jeff
admitted, “and a woman prisoner. I didn’t know her name. She didn’t have a file
with her name.”

“Why the hell would your men lie to the gate guards at
Homeland by saying they’d just come for medical supplies but then break into
the men’s dorms to retrieve a prisoner?” Tim yelled. “They tranq’ed a New
Species to nab her.”

Jeff backed up a few feet. “I didn’t know. I didn’t order
that. I’m just the assistant warden.” He raised his hands in a defensive
gesture. “We received official orders to print paperwork for the transport of a
high-priority prisoner and to go into lockdown in preparation for receiving
that transfer.”

True snarled, ready to tear the building and everyone in it
apart. He’d sworn to keep her safe. He should have been there to protect her,
yet he’d failed.

“That’s her male and he’s highly agitated. Your guards tried
to take her from his home. One of them died during that attempt. Now, we’re
here for the other one. Take us to him,” Justice demanded.

“The warden said—”

“I don’t give shit what the warden said,” Tim ground out. “Justice
North just gave you an order. Lead us to the other man who was at Homeland or
we’ll go in there ourselves and get him. It was a major fuckup. I’m personally
going to come down here tomorrow and go over how you train your damn staff. You’re
a bunch of idiots. I canceled the request for her transfer.”

Jeff sputtered. “This isn’t my fault.”

True grabbed the male before he could kill the impulse but
he managed not to shake the life out of him. “Where is the human? Stop
stalling!”

“True,” Fury growled. “Stop.”

He released the human with a shove and spun on the Species. “Why
did they want Jeanie? Do you know a female died here?”

A motion in his peripheral vision drew his attention. Trey
Roberts reacted faster than he did when the human guard pulled a weapon from
the back of his waistband and pointed it at True. The task force team leader
kicked out, slamming a boot into the man’s arm. The Fuller guard yelled as bone
snapped.

“FUCK!” the guy screamed. “Why’d you do that? Ouch. Mother
son of a fucker!”

“You were going to shoot him,” Trey accused.

“The warden said no one goes inside.” He dropped to his
knees, cradling his damaged arm with his other hand. “My men won’t let you in.
I told them to shoot if anyone attempted it.”

“Why would you do that, Dill?” Jeff gaped at him. “This is
Justice North and the task force team. There is a group of New Species with
them. Tell your men to stand down. They can’t shoot at them.”

The injured human glared at the assistant warden. “We’ve
been ordered to keep the building secured. No offense, sir, but fuck you.”

“There was no high-priority prisoner transfer. There
is
no prisoner! This prison belongs to New Species. The lockdown is over when
Justice North says it’s over!” Jeff turned his head and stared at Tim. He
looked shaken. “Dill is in control of the other guards. I’ll tell them to stand
down but I don’t know if they’ll listen to me.”

“They won’t do anything you say. You’re nothing but a pencil
pusher and an ass kisser,” Dill wheezed. He glared at Trey. “You snapped my
arm, asswipe.”

True growled. “They wouldn’t shoot us. It’s our prison.” He
advanced on the building. He was going in there to get the guard who’d attacked
Jeanie, even if he had to go through the humans who worked there to find him.

“Hold,” Justice demanded.

True ignored him, increasing his pace.

“Cover him!” Tim yelled.

The task force team spread out behind True. He heard the
assistant warden issuing orders for the guards inside to stand down. He reached
the closed door but it was locked. He snarled and shook the handle but it didn’t
turn.

“Move,” Trey insisted.

He glanced back as Trey pulled his gun and pointed it at the
lock. True stepped aside. The blast was loud as the male shot the lock three
times. He reached for it but Trey shook his head.

“Let me go first. I’m wearing Kevlar.”

Darkness pushed his way forward. “So am I.” He didn’t ask
before grabbing an assault rifle from one of the task force members. “We’ll go
in together.”

Trey glanced at the weapon. “You know how to use that? I
didn’t think you ever went on missions.”

Darkness grimly nodded. “Unfortunately I do know how to use
it. I never miss what I aim at. I gave my word I’d take responsibility for the
female and that also means assuring her safety by retrieving the male who tried
to steal her.”

“There should be two more guards on duty.” Trey exchanged
his clip for a new one. “That’s protocol to have three guards and one
administrator each shift but who knows what the hell is going on. I think they
tossed the damn rule book out the window today.” He made a hand motion to his
team. “They’ll spread out behind us and encircle the building.”

Darkness held True’s gaze. “Stay behind me. Hit the ground
if we end up in a battle. Remember your female will expect you to be there when
she wakes and you need to be alive to do that.”

True didn’t like them going in first but the Species had a
point. “Okay.”

“On the count,” Trey urged. “Three, two, one.”

He yanked open the door and rushed inside with Darkness on
his heels. True followed and so did the rest of the task force team. The
interior was a long hallway that led to a room where prisoners were processed.
They passed a few locked doors, which were offices and supply closets. The
double metal doors that led to the interior of the prison loomed ahead.

One guard faced off against them, blocking access to the
doors. He was pale and his gun shook in his hand. “Stop!”

“Stand down,” Trey ordered, his gun aimed at the human’s
head.

The guard lowered the weapon. “I’m not dying because of
Dill.”

“How many others are there?” Darkness used his scary voice.

“Just Paul. He disappeared, saying something was seriously
screwed, the second we realized the entire task force team had showed up here.”

Trey tore the gun from the guard’s hand. “No shit. What the
hell is going on here?”

“That’s not one of the males who came to Homeland,” Smiley
called out from behind them. “I haven’t seen him yet.”

“Where is the male?” Darkness grabbed the guard by his
throat with a one-handed grip and lifted him until he gasped for breath. The
tip of the assault rifle dug into the side of the man’s face. “You have four
seconds before I have to decide to strangle you or blow a hole through your
head. One of those things will happen if you don’t answer to my satisfaction.”

“I don’t know,” the guard choked out. “Only one came back.
He got their money and left without explaining why he didn’t have the prisoner.
We were told to just pay him. He didn’t stay more than five minutes. They were
hired to bring the prisoner here. I don’t even know their names and have never
seen them before.”

“What the hell?” Trey sounded baffled. “They were
subcontractors?”

“Yeah. I think.”

“Here.” Darkness lowered the male and shoved him at one of
the task force team members. “Watch him.”

True inched away from the group and opened the doors,
staring at the cages in the long room.

Humans were locked inside. He strode forward, looking down
the rows, searching for the scent of the male who had been in his home.

“Is that you, 710?” Dean Polanitis yelled from his cell.

True spun and snarled as he stared at the human who had
caused him so much pain and misery. He was pushed up against the bars of his
cage, glaring at True with a cold smile.

“It is you. I fucking knew it. You’re still alive. Did you
finally get your paws on that little bitch who worked at Drackwood? I know you
had a soft spot for her,” Polanitis smirked. “You growled and snarled at
everybody until she walked into your cell. Then you were as tame as a puppy,
making eyes at her.”

True growled. “Polanitis.”

“Why don’t you come a little closer? I want to take a good
look at an animal wearing a uniform. The whites looked better on you.”

“You look better locked inside a cage wearing orange,” True
responded.

Dean Polanitis hesitated. “Things might have turned out better
for you than for me but at least I’m not an animal.” He laughed.

True’s hands clawed and he snarled but he turned his head
away and got his anger under control. He looked up and calmly watched Dean
Polanitis but didn’t attempt to go after him.

“I’ll tell you the breeding formula we finally settled on if
you get me out of here,” Polanitis promised. “I emailed a copy of it to an
online account when we sold it to some holy roller with a hard-on. He really
wanted access to that drug after he read about it. He was obsessed with a drug
that would work on regular women. You can give it to any bitch you’re attracted
to and they’ll beg you to fuck them.” He abruptly grew angry. “I planned to use
it myself until I ended up here.”

Darkness advanced a little. “You have the exact formula of
the breeding drug that targets human females?”

“Human females,” Polanitis mimicked, snorting. “I hate the
way you fuckers talk. They are all bitches, aren’t they? I told everyone here I
was willing to make a deal to get out but they didn’t give a fuck because they
were too stupid to understand what I was offering. You know, though, since you’ve
probably taken it. We managed to regulate the formula enough that there’s no
pain for the bitch who takes it but she gets so horny she’ll hump your leg
while begging to be fucked.”

His expression changed from angry to something almost
jovial. “You want to deal, lion man? Get me out of here and you can have the
formula. I want a total pardon and a million dollars sent to the country of my
choice. One without extradition, of course. I bet you want proof. And, as part
of the deal, once your chemist puts it together, I want to watch your animal
friend mount the shit out of some woman because it pisses me off that he didn’t
do it when I wanted him to. Give it to that bitch, Shiver. I know you wanted
her and I know she’s the cunt who blabbed our location to you assholes. She’s
not here, so you must have her locked up somewhere else. I want to watch you
fuck her until she bleeds.”