The phone buzzed loudly. Shrill. Sudden. The quiet broke apart.
Both men glanced at it. Adrian sighed. “Kate,” he said when he looked at the screen.
Adrian answered. “Yeah?”
Kate didn’t bother with hellos. “You two need to get in. Now. I’ve got a situation that can’t wait.”
Adrian breathed in, slow. "What’s going on?" He pressed the speaker and set the phone between them. The words hung in the air, waiting.
Jared straightened. The Dark opened its eyes inside him, stretching, slow and feline. Kate never exaggerated. Not unless it mattered. Urgent meant something slipping, something breaking loose. Bad meant opportunity. Or danger. Usually both.
Adrian was already going for their jackets. Movements practiced, silent.
Kate continued, “I want you and Jared in the office in thirty minutes. Bring coffee. I’m going to need it.”
The line clicked off. It wasn’t lost on them that she hadn’t answered the question.
Adrian raised both brows at him. “Coffee order?”
“Sounds like it will need to be large. Triple shot. Something that might keep her alive,” Jared said.
Adrian snorted. “So, rocket fuel. Got it.”
They cleaned up. Adrian moved with brisk efficiency. Jared slower, every motion tensed. The Dark pressed against his ribs, shifting. Low, predatory interest. It liked murder scenes. The rawness of violence. It whispered that he should like it too.
People kneeling in the dark. Empty skulls. Tentacles curling at the edges.
Jacket. Sidearms. Not for need, but for protocol. Adrian checked his kit, hands practiced, then slung it over his shoulder.
They moved into the hallway. Adrian locked the door. The click rang out.
“Ready?” Adrian asked.
Jared exhaled slowly. “As I’ll ever be.”
They went to the car.
A short ride. Ten minutes, maybe less. Silence. Adrian drove, one hand on the wheel. Jared, beside him, hands patting silent rhythms against his knee.
The Dark pulsed. Soft. Steady. Every passing shadow fed it.
Adrian shot him a side glance. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Jared rolled his eyes, but he didn’t turn away. “Yeah. I’m fine. The Dark’s… awake. But contained.”
“Awake as in ‘sniffing the air for blood’ awake, or awake as in ‘aware we’re heading toward something dangerous’ awake?”
Jared laughed and shrugged. “It doesn’t actually tell me what it’s thinking, Adrian.”
Adrian said nothing. His jaw tensed. Not fear of Jared, but of what might happen if Jared pushed too far. The Dark was unknown. Always a threat. Always the edge of what could go wrong.
Jared stayed silent. No words to reassure. Nothing that would help.
Their unit’s headquarters took up a floor of an old federal building. The air smelled of paper and burnt coffee. The overhead lights droned, too bright for this hour.
Kate’s office door was closed. A warning. When she was in a good mood, it stayed open. Closed meant keep your distance.
She looked up as they walked in, not bothering to knock.
“About time. Did you get the coffee?”
Adrian handed her the cup before she finished the sentence. Kate grabbed it like a drowning woman clutching a life preserver.
“You are a saint,” she said to Adrian, taking a long drink. Then her look slid to Jared. “And you look like hell.”
"Thanks." Did he really look like hell, or was she just lashing out? Adrian worried no matter what he looked like. Not a good measure. Jared smoothed a hand down the front of his shirt as if that would help.
“You’re welcome.” She motioned for them to sit. “All right. We’ve got a problem.”
Kate tapped a key on her laptop. Images snapped onto the wall monitor. Crime scene photos. Jared felt Adrian tense beside him.
Kate continued, “Fourth attack in eight days. The first three victims survived but were too badly injured to give a full report. Last night’s wasn’t so lucky.”
The photos were graphic. Kate usually spared them the worst. Not today. The body torn apart, pieces scattered. Ribs shattered outward, like something had ripped its way out. Deep lacerations marked the skin. Too wide for a knife. Too narrow for a bear.
Jared leaned forward. Couldn’t help it. The Dark purred, hungry.
Kate caught the change in his posture and looked at him.
He forced his focus back. “Do we know what did it?”
“That’s the problem.” Kate clicked to another image. Massive claw marks streaked across the concrete. “No animal in this region fits these prints. Or the bite radius. Or the attack behavior. It doesn’t match any documented Shadow Kind either.”
Jared frowned. “You’re sure?”
Kate nodded. “Positive. We sent samples to our forensics team. They came back…” She stopped momentarily again. Twice in one morning, which meant things were worse than she let on. “Inconclusive. Something in the blood sample was… off.”
Adrian leaned forward. “Off how?”
Kate looked at him. “Well, you’re the medic. You tell me.” She handed him the report.
Adrian scanned it, lips thinning. “These markers… Jared, this isn’t normal. It’s all wrong. Avian traits, reptilian traits… something chimeric? Artificial?”
“Artificial?” Jared echoed.
“Yeah.” Adrian handed the tablet back to Kate. “Whatever attacked that guy wasn’t born in the wild. At least, not natively to Earth.”
Kate nodded grimly. “Exactly what I feared. And we have a lead.”
She clicked again, displaying a blown-up photo of a metal tag found near the body. A small, scuffed label. Hilberger Tech X-433.
“A biotech company?” Adrian said.
“Not just biotech,” Kate said. “Hilberger specializes in high-risk research and government-funded biological engineering. Most of it is above board. Some… not so much.”
Jared’s eyes narrowed. “We think they made something? And it got out?”
Kate didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, she said, “I need you two to go to the scene first. Walk it yourselves. See what the reports missed. After that, pay Hilberger a visit. I’ve already arranged a contact. They’re expecting you.”
Adrian nodded, professional mask sliding into place. “Understood.”
Jared watched Kate carefully. “You’re holding something back.”
Kate sighed, rubbing her forehead. “There are high levels of Dark at the scene.”
Adrian stiffened.
Kate looked between the two men, eyes hard. “Not the kind of readings that we usually get. The agent doing the scans said that it was like something had brought the Dark in rather than the scene being a Dark location.”
Jared’s pulse jumped. The Research Department had still never found anyone or anything else that left traces of the Dark behind other than Tuners. As far as they knew, he was the only active Tuner. Did that mean that there was someone else out there who was like him? If so, how close were they to becoming a Dark Anchor?
The Dark stirred. It seemed as curious about this as Jared was.
Kate drained half the cup of coffee before continuing. “That’s about it. Get moving. Forensics is already clearing the scene.”
Adrian rose. “We’ll check in after we’ve seen it.”
Kate nodded. “Be careful. Both of you.”
Jared stood, slow. The Dark shifted behind his ribs, restless. He forced it down. Quiet. Contained. For now.
But it whispered anyway. Always. Never silent.
What else is out there?
Adrian noticed his distraction and murmured, “Hey. Stay with me.” His voice was soft enough that Kate couldn’t hear.
Jared nodded once.
They left Kate’s office together, steps in sync. The humming of fluorescent lights overhead. In the hallway, Adrian exhaled slowly.
“Well. Good morning to us,” he said.
Jared let out a dry laugh. "Yeah. Breakfast was too quiet anyway."
Adrian gave him a sidelong glance. “Let’s try to keep it quiet a little longer, okay?”
"No promises," Jared said. But he meant, I’ll try.
