Against The Grain (THIRDS 5)

“You keep telling yourself that.”

“Stop antagonizing him.”

Ash froze. “Shultzon?”

Shultzon walked into the room and stopped outside of Ash’s cage out of arm’s reach, a warm smile on his face. “Hello, Ash. Look at you. It’s like when we first met.”

The back of Ash’s eyes stung, but he quickly blinked the tears away and recovered from the blow. “How could you?”

“You say that like I’ve betrayed you,” Shultzon said, sounding hurt. “Can’t you see? You boys have been chosen. I’ve been so impressed with how far you’ve come, with everything you’ve achieved, there was no question who I wanted for this project.”

“Project?” Wait, boys? Ash looked to his left, his gut clenching when he saw Hobbs out cold on the floor of the cage next to him. He turned to his right and shook his head. Sloane. Ash rushed to the end of his cage, his fingers gripping the bars tight. He slid down to his knees and tried to reach through the bars into Sloane’s cage. “Sloane! Come on, buddy, wake up!”

“Congratulations, son,” Shultzon declared. “You’re about to become the next step in Therian soldier evolution.”

Ash had no idea what the hell Shultzon was talking about, and he didn’t care. What he did know was that he and his friends were locked up like animals while Shultzon prepared to do God knew what to them. Ash couldn’t let them get away with this. He needed to think of a way out of here. Shultzon went off with Fuller in tow, scrolling th

rough a tablet. While they were busy, Ash checked his pockets, not surprised to find they’d taken everything off him, leaving him in his tac pants, black undershirt, socks, and boots. Wait…. He discreetly glanced down. They’d left his belt on. Fuckwits. Ash held back a grin. Now all he had to do was wait for the opportunity to make his move. He took in everything around him. From the large lab filled with equipment similar to the one in the research facility to the same chair Shultzon used to strap him and Sloane to when they were kids.

Shultzon stopped in front of Hobbs’s cage and frowned. “This isn’t Sebastian Hobbs.”

Fuller crouched down to study Hobbs. “You said Agent Hobbs. This is Agent Hobbs.”

“You idiot!” Shultzon fumed. “This is Ethan, the younger Hobbs! I wanted Sebastian, the middle sibling!”

“How many fucking Hobbses are there? You never said anything about there being more than one. Besides, they’re both tiger Therian Defense agents. What fucking difference does it make?”

Shultzon looked stricken. “Wait. Is this the Hobbs you had Ward give the medication to?”

“Like I said, I didn’t know there was more than one fucking Hobbs. What does it matter?”

Shultzon threw his hands up in frustration, looking like he was about to throttle Fuller. “It matters because the older Hobbs is a stronger specimen. His disabilities are physical and easily controlled. I need soldiers with a strong mind as well as physical strength for Peitharchia7 to achieve optimum performance. This Hobbs is broken,” Shultzon spat out. “Absolutely useless.” He tapped his head. “His disabilities are psychological.”

That son of a bitch. If Ash got his hands on him, he was going to show him broken.

“So what do you want me to do with him?” Fuller asked.

“Just leave him. I’ll figure something out. Bring Sloane Brodie. Put him in the chair. I want him prepped and ready to go the moment they arrive with the drug.”

What? No. Ash dropped down in front of his bars next to Sloane’s cage and kicked at them with both feet. “Sloane, wake up!” He kicked repeatedly, his boots forcing the bars to vibrate and clatter. “Sloane!”

Fuller tapped his earpiece and called in three men. They opened Sloane’s cage, grabbed him, and dragged him out.

“No. No!” Ash threw his arm out between the iron bars, his hand managing to grip the tips of Sloane’s fingers. “Sloane, wake up!”

“Ash….” Sloane groaned, struggling to rouse himself. The men lifted him and carried him toward the chair.

“Don’t you fucking touch him!” Ash screamed, slamming himself against the bars. The cage remained unmoved. “I’m going to kill every last one of you sons of bitches!” He had to get to Sloane. He couldn’t fail him. Couldn’t let them take him away.

“Sloane….”

The name was barely whispered, but Ash heard it clear as day. He stopped and turned to find Hobbs standing in his cage, his hands gripping the bars tight and his green eyes filled with terror as he watched them carrying Sloane to the chair. Ash turned his attention back to the men who’d finished strapping down Sloane’s wrists and ankles. One guy was about to fasten a strap around Sloane’s head when an alarm shrieked. Ash took a step back, preparing for a fight.

Shultzon smiled. “Looks like the boys have arrived with the package. Fuller, get your men into positon. Retrieve the case. Keep Sparks and her agents busy until I administer the drug. I need to inject Sloane and Ash, get them ready for transport. They’re our priority. Nothing else matters. You’ll receive your payment once we’re successful.”

“Yeah, yeah. I heard you the first ten times. Maybe you should’ve been a little more careful,” Fuller grumbled. “Then we wouldn’t have a shitload of TIN operatives trying to castrate us.”

Shultzon pushed his glasses up his nose. “I hardly expect you to understand. I suspected a traitor in the lab, and until I could discover who it was, I couldn’t take any chances with the formula. I need to put in a call to the man upstairs and make sure the helicopter arrives on time.”