Chapter 3 The Tests

Three days had passed since the dinner with Tessa, and Eric still couldn't shake the image of Sarah's face, the hope in her eyes when she'd talked about Daniel. The way her daughter had asked if Daddy was coming home.

He'd barely slept. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the mutant in the alley, heard the desperate clicking that had been a husband trying to get home to his family.

The organization had given Rafe's team a mandatory three days stand-down after the pub mission. Most of the team had taken the opportunity to relax, but Eric found himself drawn back to headquarters anyway.

He badged through security just as the morning briefing concluded. The intercom crackled overhead.

"Alpha Team, report to staging area three. Deployment in thirty minutes. Mutant cluster identified in the Belltown district. Estimated six to eight contacts."

Eric stopped in the corridor, the announcement hitting him like a physical blow. Another team. Another mission. More mutants that might be soldiers, might be people with families, might be sending desperate messages no one would hear.

"Vaughn!"

Eric blinked. Martinez was standing in front of him, waving a hand.

"You okay, man? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Eric forced a smile. "I just didn't sleep well."

"Tell me about it. Tessa's got us running combat drills this afternoon." Martinez rolled his eyes. "You coming to the mess? Chen says they actually got real eggs today."

"Maybe later. I've got some admin stuff to handle."

Martinez shrugged and walked off. Through the windows, Eric could see Alpha Team gearing up preparing to hunt things that might have names. Might have been human.

He needed proof to back up his claims and what better reason than this to pay a visit to the lab.

---

The research wing was quieter during stand-down. Eric found Becca in Lab 7, bent over a microscope.

"If you're here about the Davidson samples, they're still processing," she said without looking up.

"Actually, I'm here about the Red Lion samples," Eric said.

Becca looked up, surprised. "Eric. I didn't expect to see you during downtime."

"Couldn't sleep." Eric leaned against the counter, deploying his most charming smile. "Kept thinking about something weird that happened during the op."

"Weird how?" Becca set down her tablet.

"The last mutant we neutralized. It was doing something strange before I took it down." Eric kept his tone casual. "Almost like it was trying to communicate. Got me thinking—has anyone ever actually studied their cognitive function?"

"There have been some preliminary analyses. Brain scans show significant degradation in higher cortical functions. Why?"

"Just curious." Eric moved closer. "I mean, we hunt these things every day, but how much do we actually know about them? Where do they come from, what causes the mutations, whether there's any consciousness left?"

"That's actually a good question." Becca had a curious expression on her face "Most research focuses on neutralization methods, not origin studies."

"Seems short-sighted."

"Welcome to military science." Becca turned back to her microscope. "If you're genuinely curious, I could pull up some existing data…"

"Actually, I was hoping you could run some new tests." Eric kept his voice light. "In regards to the  specimen from the Red Lion op. The one from the alley."

Becca's hands stilled. "What kind of tests?"

"DNA analysis. Genetic markers. Maybe cross-reference with military databases, see if there are any matches."

The silence was heavy. Becca slowly turned to face him, no longer amused.

"Eric, that would require authorization I don't have. Cross-referencing with military personnel databases is highly restricted." She studied his face. "What's really going on?"

Eric debated deflecting, but the memory of Sarah's face stopped him.

"I think that mutant might have been a soldier," he said quietly. "I think it was trying to tell me something before I killed it. And I need to know if I'm right."

Becca stared at him. "That's insane. Mutants aren't human…."

"Then the tests will prove that, and I can stop losing sleep over it." Eric held her gaze. "But if I'm right, if there's even a chance I'm right, don't you want to know?"

"Even if I wanted to help, I don't have clearance for that level of access. It's going to end my career if I get caught."

Eric took a step closer. "I know I'm asking a lot. But Becca, if these things were people once, if something's turning soldiers into monsters..." He paused. "Don't we have an obligation to find out?"

Becca crossed her arms, clearly working through the implications. "You realize how paranoid this sounds?"

"I'm suggesting we run a simple DNA test. That's all." Eric offered a slight smile. "And if it makes you feel better, I'll owe you. Dinner anywhere you want. Coffee for a month."

"Trying to bribe me now?"

"Is it working?"

Becca was quiet, her eyes searching his face. Whatever she saw there seemed to shift something in her expression.

"One test," she said finally. "And you never tell anyone where the results came from. If this backfires, I'll deny everything."

Eric had a relieved expression on his face. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. If you're wrong about this, you're buying me dinner at that overpriced French place downtown."

"And if I'm right?"

Becca's smile faded. "If you're right, we're going to have much bigger problems than where to eat dinner."

She moved to her computer, pulling up specimen logs. "The Red Lion samples are in cold storage, Bay 15. Give me your comm frequency. I'll contact you when I have results. Probably two days, maybe sooner."

"You're amazing, you know that?"

"Save the charm for someone who doesn't know you're manipulating them." But there was warmth in her voice. "Eric, seriously, what happens if the test comes back positive? If that thing was human?"

"Then I figure out what to do about it," he said.

Becca nodded slowly. "Two days. Check your 

com."

Eric left the lab, his heart pounding. He'd crossed a line, asked someone to risk their career, accessed information he had no authority to see.

But as he walked through the headquarters, passing offices where people planned missions and celebrated victories, all he could think about was that clicking in the alley. That desperate attempt at communication. That last message from a man trying to get home.

If he was right, if Daniel had been transformed into a monster and killed by his own people, then nothing at this organization was what it seemed.

And if he was wrong? Then he was just a paranoid soldier losing his grip on reality.

Either way, in two days, he'd know for certain.

Eric at this point wasn't sure if he was more scared of getting answers or the possibility that everything he'd come to know might have been a lie.