FSE

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Devil Seed

By

Gemma the Ice-Wolf

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Chapter 14

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Somewhere in an alley

Wednesday 4:28 pm

Bruce kicked a wooden crate and smashed it to pieces. Ever since the fist fight he had with Aaron he'd been unable to do little more than lose his temper at just the mention of the humans name. Even his friends were steering clear of him, knowing that being in the same vicinity as Bruce meant the possibility of getting the hell beaten out of them.

Twice now, Bruce had been humiliated by Aaron, over a girl no less. A girl that he had assured himself that one day he would have. But no, his chance of that now was over. He wouldn't be able to get within ten feet of Mia now with her body guard standing in the way.

"Just where the fuck did he learn how to fight like that anyway?" he shouted to no one.

He kicked a galvanized trashcan, sending its contents all over the ground. Bruce didn't care at this point. He just needed some kind of outlet. And this was the only one he could find.

"If I ever get my hands on that bastard I'll make him so god damn sorry!"

He started kicking the trashcan again. The thing was so full of dents now it almost looked as brittle as a soda can in Bruce's clutches. Several more minutes went by before he finally calmed down enough. He was breathing hard and his voice was a bit hoarse from all the yelling.

"Damn him, and that bitch." he muttered.

He fell silent for a moment. Now that he'd exerted all that energy he needed to sit down. He took a seat on one of the unbroken crates and gritted his teeth. He wasn't going to give up. Not by a long shot. He would make both Aaron and Mia sorry they ever messed with him.

His concentration was disrupted when he heard something rustling in the garbage nearby. For a minute he just dismissed it as some sort of stray animal just rummaging for food. Then he heard it snarling. Whatever it was sounded rather agitated. It didn't scare Bruce though. Nothing scared him. At least he didn't think so.

As he slowly approached the pile of garbage the unknown creature moved around again, rustling underneath it. The creature started snarling more violently, letting Bruce know it was fully aware of his presence. Kneeling down he looked the pile over, not seeing anything that resembled a creature of any kind. Then suddenly something sprung up from the pile. It was long like a snake, white, and a small mouth, no visible eyes. Immediately it lunged at Bruce's face with a loud shriek.

Garrison High School

Friday 2:30 pm

"It's weird, isn't it?" asked Gary as he set down his book.

"What's weird?" asked Aaron.

The four of them sat at a round table in the library. Until Gary spoke up it had been dead silent. Now the four whispered to each other, trying to keep attention off of them. The last thing they wanted was the librarian, Mrs. Wellington, to jump down their necks. She was pretty stiff with the rules, so they tried to avoid her wrath whenever possible. The middle-aged panther sat at her desk wearing a purple skirt and grey sweater. Not the most fashionable but she didn't care. She adjusted her glasses giving the group a less than amused expression.

"Bruce dude." Gary continued. "No one's seen him since the whipping you gave him a couple weeks ago."

Aaron nodded.

"You're right. That is a little odd."

"You don't suppose he...?" Tracy began, ending her sentence with the gesture of a finger across her throat.

Mia covered her mouth rather upset by this.

"Tracy that's awful. How can you even say that?"

Tracy looked at her friend a little surprised.

"Don't tell me you actually feel sorry for the guy Mia?"

Mia shook her head.

"No, but that's a terrible thing to imply. I sincerely doubt that Bruce, of all people, would resort to suicide."

Aaron nodded.

"He's probably still fumigating over the whole thing. You know how much of a hothead he is."

"Right." added Gary. "If anything he's throwing a tantrum and trying to think of a way to get back at Aaron."

"And he'll fail miserably." said Tracy.

"By the way, Gary? I have something to take care of today. Would you mind giving Mia a ride home?"

Gary nodded.

"Sure, no problem."

"I just wish the clock would hit 3:30 already." said Tracy. "This day has just been slow as hell."

"Tell, me about it." Mia started. "Environmental science felt like it took forever."

"I'll second that." said Aaron with a chuckle.

"I'll third it." added Gary.

Suddenly a large shadow loomed over them. They all turned to see Mrs. Wellington looking down at them, arms crossed and in a foul mood. She put a finger to her lips and the group followed suit. She then turned and walked back to her desk.

"That was a little scary." said Tracy.

"It's like she was trained in stealth or something." added Gary.

Aaron snickered.

"She's a panther buddy. She's light on her feet. Even in pumps."

Kusanagi Residence

Friday 4:03 pm

Mia waved to her friends as they pulled out of her driveway and sped down the street. Though she did enjoy riding with them she still wished that Aaron could have done it today. It was the weekend so his company was what she wanted most. Unlocking the door and stepping inside her house, she quickly closed and locked the door. She dashed up to her room leaving her backpack beside the stairs and immediately started sorting through a few articles of clothing in her closet. As she was reaching for a small, green, shirt, her ears perked up a strange sound coming from downstairs. It sounded like glass breaking.

Quietly closing the closet door, she picked up a broken lamp that sat in the corner and padded downstairs to the source of the noise. It had sounded like it came from the back door, near the kitchen. She could smell someone or something in the house. It was familiar, but seemed different somehow. Upon reaching the kitchen she found the backdoor window completely broken and glass all over the floor. Quickly and quietly she stepped over the glass and raced to the kitchen. Opening one of the drawers she reached in just as someone nearby cleared their throat. Mia turned around and pulled out a menacing looking butcher knife from the drawer and pointed it at the source of the noise. She was taken aback when she saw who it was.

"B-Bruce?" she stammered. "W-what do you think you're doing here?"

Bruce grinned. He had dark circles around his eyes and they looked badly bloodshot. His lower left fang was missing as well. He slowly started walking toward her.

"Oh I was just in the neighbor hood." he said slyly. "Thought I'd drop by and see how things are with you. Wondered if maybe you'd want to have some fun."

At this Mia gritted her teeth and now she was showing her fangs.

"You get out of my house Bruce. This is the last straw. You do realize I can have you arrested?"

The grin on Bruce's lips spread wider.

"Too bad I really don't give a shit."

He now stood just within arms reach of Mia. He clenched his paws.

"Stay back Bruce!" she screamed with the knife shaking in her paw. "I mean it!"

"Be my guest sweetheart, but I know better."

Bruce started closing the space between them. At this Mia lunged forward and impaled the knife into his stomach. Bruce just started laughing. Mia couldn't understand. He should have been on the floor, but instead he was standing there in front of her, laughing.

"You're gonna have to do better than that." he said with a grin.

Pulling back his fist he took a swing and punched Mia with a left hook. Mia dropped to the floor unconscious at Bruce's feet. Pulling the butcher knife from his stomach he gave it a once over and licked the blade. He stabbed it into the kitchen counter and picked Mia up. Taking her cellphone out of her pants pocket he hoisted her over his shoulders and started out the back door.

Guild Headquarters

Friday 4:15 pm

Spike, Terry, and Cain were already waiting in the meeting room along with the chief, Lisa, and two other human men in suits when Aaron walked in. Giving a quick salute to the chief he sat down in a seat next to Cain. The large middle-aged grizzly bear cleared his throat and began the meeting.

"I'd like to begin with an update on the current events from our field agents." he said.

Aaron, Terry, Cain, and Spike all stood up. Aaron started the report.

"As you know, prior to this meeting, we had reported sightings of what have been confirmed to be carriers from my teams missions in Germany and France. In this time we have destroyed three major nesting areas, one of which contained infected civilians. We managed to recover two survivors in that incident and they are currently under the Guild's care and observation. Also, we have reason to believe that someone is targeting us due to an attack on Agent Vincent, and the attack at Northridge Hospital, which turned out to be a mere ploy to lure my team out into the open. Our research team is currently examining the technology that an assassin used during this incident."

"About the carriers." said one of the two men. "Is it true that their origin is from canisters leftover from the previous missions."

"Without a doubt." stated Terry. "The freezing chambers are exactly like the ones from four years ago. Two of them have been disposed of. As for the other three, we have no confirmation on their whereabouts."

"At least one of the four frozen carriers has been located and destroyed." said Aaron. "As for the others, we are still searching for them. We are also still searching for a fifth freezing chamber that may still be floating around somewhere."

"We also have received word that the Feds are sniffing around." added Spike. "It could be problematic if they start getting in our way."

The chief nodded and the boys took their seats. He then looked to the two men seated across the table.

"Speaking of the FBI getting involved," the chief started. "these two are here for that very purpose."

The two humans stood up one presenting a file.

"I'm agent Foster." said the first. "And this is my associate, agent Dyne."

Spike grinned.

"So you guys are the so called Federal Deterrents we've heard rumors about."

Dyne nodded.

"That's correct. We've been keeping tabs on FBI activity for the past two weeks. Right now we're in the midst of keeping them from getting too close to the case at hand. They're persistent though. Hopefully the evidence we've had planted recently will throw them off the trail."

"That's good." said Cain. "It'll make our job just slightly easier without them getting in the way. We can't afford a national incident. Especially right now. We have one other matter to worry about."

"Which is?" asked the chief.

"Lisa and I looked through the reports of all the carrier sightings around the city. We came across one in specific that popped up every ten or so. Each time it came up it was by a different person but, each time the text in the report is identical. That, tied with the large carrier that Terry and Spike disposed of, I'd say we might have a mole."

"A mole?" asked Terry. "That would make sense. It's possible that the carrier was planted there and then we received the reports in hopes we'd walk right into a trap."

"We almost did." added Spike. "Another minute and that thing would have dragged you under the water."

"I'll have one of our moderators look into this." the Chief stated. "I don't want this blowing up in our faces."

Cain nodded. "Thanks chief."

"If that's all I think we can call this meeting adjourned."

The group stood up and started out the door in single file. The four boys starting down the hall while Lisa and the Chief stated conversing in the hall with the other two agents.

"Pretty crazy-ass shit if you ask me." said Spike.

"Just comes with the job I guess." Terry quipped.

"The worst part is that now I feel like we're being watched." said Aaron as the group turned a corner and headed toward the elevators.

"That's a discomforting thought." Cain replied.

Terry nodded as he pressed the button to call the elevator.

"We're all going to be looking over our shoulders for a while. I think it's the butler who did it."

"We don't have a butler." said Aaron. "And that was a bit random."

A moment later the elevator doors opened and the passengers filed out. The four boys stepped inside and the doors closed. Cain pressed the button for the parking garage.

"I've been having the strangest feeling of déjà vu since I arrived." said Spike.

"All of this has been too familiar." Cain stated. "Feels too much like Paris."

"As long as we don't have to go into the sewers I don't mind at all." said Terry.

Aaron and Spike started laughing. Terry looked to both of them then looked to Cain.

"Can you translate that please?"

Cain looked at the two laughing then looked at Terry.

"Off hand I'd say that's human for, "We'll let you know if it comes to that."

This, of course, only served to make the two humans laugh louder. Moments later they were stepping out of the elevator. Spike and Aaron had managed to compose themselves.

"So Aaron," Spike started. "You gonna spend the night at your girlfriend's house again?"

Aaron chuckled.

"I don't think so. Just dinner probably. We're getting ready to welcome her cousin Cody home. Poor kid's been living in the hospital around a year."

"Reminds me of that wreck you had in Nairobi." said Terry. "How many broken bones did you get from that?"

Aaron rolled his eyes.

"Enough to be on a morphine drip for the first two days. This kid had a heart transplant though. He's being kept under observation for a while to make sure his new heart is working right. He should be able to come home next week."

Just then Aaron's cell phone started ringing. He reached into his jacket pocket and took it out. Looking at the small screen a message told him it was Mia calling.

"Hello?"

There was a momentary silence, then a male voice spoke.

"Hi there Aaron. Bet you're wondering how I got Mia's cellphone, or for that matter how Mia is doing since we're together right now."

Aaron tightened his grip on the phone.

"Bruce, you bastard. What did you do to her?"

"Nothing yet. If you want her, meet me at 10th and Boulder, by the old cannery. Nine O'clock sharp. Don't be late. You know what will happen if you are."

Bruce hung up.

"God dammit!" Aaron shouted throwing his phone against a wall and smashing it to pieces.

"What's going on?" asked Terry.

"It's Bruce again. He's got Mia. He wants me to meet him by that rundown cannery on Boulder. I'd better get moving."

"Not without us you're not." Spike started. "Sounds like this guy finally went off the deep end."

"You never know with guys like him." said Cain. "It's possible he just wants another shot at you though Aaron. And besides, I need some target practice."

Aaron shook his head.

"I don't want it to come to that."

"Hate to say it bro," Spike added. "But, we're agents first. And when one of us is in trouble we have to pull together to help."

"He's right." said Terry. "Much as I hate to admit it, this is borderline dangerous and we can't take any risks like this."

Aaron started walking to this car.

"Alright then. But we're not going to extremes unless absolutely necessary. Cain, we'll need you as our sniper. Spike and Terry will watch close by and run in if things start getting ugly."

Cain nodded.

"I suggest we get there now so we have time to prepare for him. Gonna need a place for a clear shot."

"Let's get moving then!" Terry shouted.

The four rushed to Aaron's car and the armored truck. Cain climbed into the back of the truck while Spike and Terry took the front seats. Aaron started his car and pulled out of the parking space. He sped up to the ground floor of the parking lot with the truck close behind and pulled out to the street.

10th and Boulder Ave.

Friday 8:52pm

Cain stood atop a five story building six blocks from the meeting point. His fifty caliber rifle rested on the edge of the building, with his eye peering through the scope at the target street. This was his element. He was silent and above all patient. No one would escape his crosshairs. He quickly adjusted his headset, the microphone positioned next to his mouth.

"Everything set up there Cain?"

It was Terry's voice.

"All set here." said Cain. "Standing by and waiting for target."

Meanwhile six blocks up the street Terry stayed crouched behind a bush away from the lit up parking lot of the cannery. A radio in one paw and a 9mm berretta in the other. He looked left down one side of the street then up the other side. Seeing no activity either way he pressed the button on the radio.

"Nothing here. He's got eight minutes."

"He'll be here." came Spikes voice.

"How do we know that for sure. It could be hours before he shows up. Cain's gotta hold one position the entire time."

"I could sit here till Doomsday." said Cain. "Doesn't matter to me."

Across the cannery parking lot Spike hid behind a rusted garbage dumpster. He held a similar radio to Terry's and a Browning HP at his side.

"Looks like we're all set. All we need to do now is wait for the guest of honor to arrive."

"You make him sound like some celebrity." said Terry.

"He's certainly the center of attention this evening." said Cain.

"And if I have anything to say about it he'll be prying his face from the concrete." came Aaron's voice. "Bruce crossed the line this time."

"You all set buddy?" Terry asked.

"My fists are ready for his face and I'm packing heat for any surprises he has up his sleeve."

"Better cut the chatter guys." Spike interrupted. "I see headlights coming our way."

"I see it." said Cain. "Looks like a Cadillac. Can't make out the model though. Two people inside. Both look like furs as far as I can tell."

Aaron started his car again.

"Alright boys, quiet on the set."

A red convertible slowly crept up the street and pulled into the parking lot of the cannery. It stopped in front of the building and the driver cut the engine. The headlights went out and Bruce climbed out. He sat down on the hood of the car, his tail twitching side to side.

"Target is in position." said Cain. "You're up Aaron."

Aaron started driving slowly up the street. He had both hands on the wheel with a death grip. His mind concerned about Mia and how much he was going to beat Bruce to a pulp. He gritted his teeth as he pulled up to the cannery parking lot. He stopped just a few yards away from Bruce and cut the engine. Stepping out of his car he looked in Bruce's direction and clenched his fists.

"Where is she Bruce?" he spat at the tiger.

Bruce grinned and gave a short laugh.

"She's in the car." he said hopping down from his car and cracking his knuckles. "You can have her, if you can get by me that is."

"Your sick game is over. I should have ended this back at the school. Obviously you don't learn well."

Bruce scoffed.

"Yeah. Now we're out in the open away from the school. Nothing to hold us back. We can get as nasty as we want to here."

"Sounds fine by me. You're going to regret saying that though. Now you're going to find out just how much I was holding back on you."

Aaron pivoted back and launched himself at Bruce, landing his first punch at Bruce's lower jaw. He took another swing and Bruce blocked with his large right arm and then took a swing with a left punch that missed. Aaron quickly caught him by the arm and threw the tiger over his shoulder. When Bruce was on his back Aaron pulled back his free hand and punched him in the face. Aaron released his grip and stepped back. Bruce wasn't done yet. He immediately shot up and charged at Aaron bearing his claws, which looked somewhat longer and sharper than before. He took too swipes at the human, both of which were near misses. Aaron pivoted forward and kicked Bruce directly in the face then kicked with the same leg into the tiger's knee. He followed that with a roundhouse and Bruce was down again.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll stay down." Aaron spat. "It's over."

Bruce wiped some blood from his lower lip and nose. He didn't look the slightest bit perturbed from the beating he was taking.

"That's what you think." he said. "This ain't over by a long shot."

Bruce stood up again and jerked his head to the side, popping the joints in his neck. With his claws extended again he charged at Aaron taking two swipes and rolling to the side. Aaron jumped back as Bruce lunged at him. He pivoted forward and kicked Bruce in the head. Bruce barely flinched this time and took another swipe at Aaron catching him on the left arm. Four large claw marks were left in his leather jacket. Luckily Bruce had only managed to get through the first layer of the jacket sleeve. The tiger grinned and licked his lips. He lunged at Aaron again only to be caught by the arm. With quick reflexes Aaron twisted Bruce's arm around once then slammed his free arm into the tiger's elbow with a loud snap. The arm was useless now. Aaron stepped back and Bruce staggered backward clutching his arm.

"You can't fight with that arm out of commission." said Aaron. "Now step aside."

Bruce glared at him. With a quick jerk he popped his elbow back into place and clenched his fists.

"You haven't won yet Aaron." he said in a low tone. "I'm just getting started."

He started slowly walking closer, his paws outstretched and his claws were extending and getting longer. His upper fangs were getting longer as well.

"How some punk like you was ever even aloud at our school I don't know, but as far as I'm concerned you need to know your place."

Bruce stopped just a few feet away, a significant bulge had started growing on his back. His eyes were bloodshot, and his toe claws were starting to pierce through his sneakers.

"Things were perfectly fine till you came along. I'm the toughest guy in the entire school. Mia is mine. You can't have her!"

Aaron took a few steps back. He could suddenly feel his blood run cold as two massive, skinless, clawed, arms sprung from Bruce's back, tearing through the tiger's letterman's jacket.

"Aw shit!" Aaron cried out.

Nearby in the bushes Spike watched in horror as Bruce started changing shape. He had seen this before and he knew all to well what he was looking at.

"Oh fuck!" he spat through the radio in his hand. "Cain, he's a changeling."

"I see it." Cain's voice replied. "I'm lining the shot now. Keep it busy."

Spike dropped his radio and looked over to Terry. The leopard looked back at him wide eyed and nodded to him. The both of them came out of hiding and trained their guns on Bruce.

"Freeze you piece of shit!" Spike barked.

Terry dashed over to Aaron's side. Aaron pulled out his revolver and trained it on Bruce's head.

"So, you were planning to ambush me this whole time huh?" Bruce said with a raspy voice. "I should have known you'd pull something like this."

"You can cut the crap." Aaron spat back. "I know you're not Bruce. Not anymore. He's dead. And you took over his body like a fucking puppet!"

The changeling Bruce tilted his head at this.

"I have his mind and memories." he said. "I even have his personality. This is exactly what he wants too. He wants to see you dead. Then I'll have Mia all to myself. She'll make a perfect host for my offspring."

Aaron clenched his fist around the grip of his gun.

"That's not going to happen. I won't even let you lay one claw on her."

From out in the distance a loud bang resounded. A hole suddenly appeared in Bruce's forehead with blood sprayed on the concrete and the windshield of Bruce's car. He suddenly fell to his knees and dropped to the ground motionless.

"Can you confirm the downed target?" Cain's voice came over the radio. Aaron turned and stepped away in disgust, putting his revolver back in his jacket.

"It's confirmed Cain." Terry replied. "Target is down. Call for clean up."

"Roger that." said Cain.

Spike and Terry started following Aaron. Not a word was uttered. Their victory was a hollow one. Though they had managed to stop a changeling, an innocent life had been taken in the process. Aaron stopped in the middle of the street. Spike and Terry stood on either side of him. Terry looked at his friend, a solemn look on his face. He wanted to say something, but when he looked to Spike, the human shook his head. There was nothing that could be said to Aaron at a time like this.

Aaron suddenly clenched his fists and shouted up at the night sky. His voice echoed through the buildings. Then he fell silent for a moment.

"He didn't deserve that." he said. "Bruce may have been a bastard, but even he didn't deserve something like that. I'm mean, God damn it, why did this have to happen?"

"I don't think any of us can really answer that." said Spike.

"I know. So what now?"

"I suggest we leave things to the cleanup crew. Let's get Mia and get out of here."

Aaron nodded. The three of them slowly turned around and froze in place. Standing in front of them was Bruce. His secondary arms were fully extended now and his head was completely turned upside down. The lower jaw was split in two and a long, massive, tongue whipped about. Without hesitation he lunged at the three boys and swatted both Terry and Spike aside. He then turned his complete focus to Aaron and started slashing at him with all four of his clawed limbs. One struck him in the neck and another slashed him across the chest. Aaron quickly jumped away slightly bleeding now from his new cuts.

"How... the hell?" Aaron wondered aloud.

"You tried to kill me Aaron." said Bruce in his raspy voice. "Now I'm going to return the favor!"