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Devil Seed

By

Gemma The Ice Wolf

7

Secord Residence

Friday 9:24am

Aaron walked up to his front door that morning feeling completely alive. More than he ever had. He stayed the night at Mia's house and now they were going to spend the day together. He took the keys out from his right pants pocket and opened the door. Stepping inside he saw Terry sitting on the couch.

"So what did you do last night?" he asked.

Aaron closed the door with a grin on his face.

"Well I took Mia to this nice little jazz restaurant a short ways from here. And then we watched Casablanca and we fell asleep on the couch."

Terry laughed at this.

"How many times does that make now?"

"Three." came a voice from the kitchen.

"Who was that?"

"Just someone who wishes you would keep a lot more than a few packs of deli meat in the fridge."

In stepped a five foot eleven gray wolf wearing a leather duster with a red shirt, black pants and black boots. He was holding a package of sliced ham and was in the midst of chewing on one. He swallowed. Aaron recognized him immediately.

"Cain you mongrel, where the hell have you been?"

He raced over to him and the two old friends hugged. When they parted Aaron took an easy chair across the room while Cain joined Terry on the couch.

"I just got in this morning at around four thirty. I didn't come here till around seven though."

"Did something happen?"

Cain nodded.

"I had a couple of hit men following me. Took 'em out pretty easily, though I didn't get much out of them. Somebody wants us dead. All of us."

"This keeps getting weirder and weirder." Terry piped in. "First the freezing tanks and some huge mystery guy, and now we have hit men and an unknown client."

"Top it all off with the carriers running loose in town and we have one huge fucking mess on our hands." Aaron added. "Is it just me or does this feel a lot like the incident in Germany?"

"Too much so." Cain stated. "You don't suppose that our old friends are back do you?"

Aaron nodded.

"I had some suspicions earlier but, even the chief shot it down. Still, the big guy sounds too much like Barbalos to be a coincidence."

"But we saw what happened. You tore his heart out with your bare hands. He couldn't still be alive. Could he?"

"I don't know. We have so little to go on right now, it feels like we're trapped in a box and it's shrinking as we speak. We'd better watch our backs."

"By the way, Aaron," Terry interjected. "while you were out last night we got a call from the guild. The Bravos and I took out a nest of crawlers and one diamond hide."

Aaron was surprised by this.

"A diamond hide? Are you serious?"

"Yeah. I took care of it, but man what a mess. I hope I don't have to deal with that again."

Aaron sat back in his chair.

"Good lord. If you had to deal with a diamond hide that could only mean that we're getting close to a full outbreak of this thing."

"If it's any consolation we haven't run into any infected. No zombies, no changelings. We may not have to worry just yet."

"I remember the changelings." said Cain. "They look like normal people until they feel threatened or spring a trap. We damn near got killed by one."

Aaron started standing up. He stretched his arms and walked toward the stairs.

"Hey Cain, you brought the armored truck didn't you?"

"Yeah, they gave us the new model. It fits perfectly in the garage."

"I'll have to take a look at it later. Right now I need to get a shower. Mia and I are going to spend the day around town, and she also wants to visit her little cousin."

"This is your girlfriend I take it?"

"That's right. You guys may get to meet her. She'll be over in a while which gives me some time to freshen up."

"Right we'll keep an eye out for her."

Kusanagi Residence

Friday 9:42am

After Aaron had left for home Mia decided to get a shower and get ready for the day. She didn't need to wear anything fancy now. She had just gotten out of the shower when the phone rang. Draping a towel around herself she quickly ran to her room and picked up the phone. Tracy was on the other end of the line.

"Hey Mia, it's Tracy."

Mia's ears perked up and she smiled.

"Hi Tracy. What's up?"

"Just thought I'd call and see if you were up yet."

"You called at the right time. I just stepped out of the shower."

"So how was your date last night, or did he say no?"

Mia knew where this was going.

"If you must know we went out to dinner last night. The restaurant had live entertainment and we even danced. Then we came home and watched a movie."

There was a long pause before Tracy finally spoke up.

"And that's all you did?"

"That's all we did. He was a perfect gentleman."

"Oh don't give me that. Come on, spill it. Is he a good kisser."

Mia sat down on her bed. Her voice unsettled.

"Tracy!"

"You know I can tell when you're lying. Even over the phone. So tell me was he good?"

She sighed in defeat.

"More than I ever imagined." she said placing two fingers on her lips.

"So where did you two make out.? Your house or his?"

"You're making this sound like a dirty movie you know."

Tracy laughed.

"Okay, okay, where did you two get intimate?"

"My house..." she paused. "in the den."

"Way to go girl. You're well on your way to becoming a full fledged woman now. So are you two doing anything today?"

"Well we're spending the day in town and he was kind enough to give me a ride to the hospital to see Cody."

"How is the little guy now that you mention him?"

Mia sighed.

"He's doing alright. The doctors are trying some new medication. I worry about him so much. I wish there was something I could do."

"You visit him every weekend. That's a lot more than any doctor can say they do."

"Thanks Tracy."

"When you see him, tell him that me and Gary miss him. We loved looking after him."

"Yeah, I'll tell him. Now I'd better get dressed. I'm meeting Aaron at his house."

"Alright then. Talk to you later. Bye now."

"Bye."

Mia hung up the phone and went back to the bathroom. Dropping the towel to the floor she picked up a blow dryer from the counter and turned it on, all the while humming to herself as she dried out her fur. When she was fully dry she took a minute to admire herself in the mirror, making a few seductive poses. She wondered what Aaron's reaction would be when she actually had the courage to do something like this in front of him. She giggled at the thought of his jaw dropping to the floor while his eyes melting.

"Someday." she said to herself.

Secord Residence

Friday 10:32am

Aaron dressed in his usual attire consisting of black jeans, steel toed boots, and a green t-shirt. He left his gun under the seat of his car so he would have to retrieve it when Mia wasn't looking. He didn't want to alarm her. Now that she was his girlfriend the last thing he wanted was to scare her off. Hopefully he would never have to use it in front of her. If he could he wanted to avoid her finding out about his second life all together. He couldn't bare the thought of her being stuck in the middle of things.

He was just stepping out of his bedroom when he heard the doorbell ring. Quickly closing his door he dashed down the hall and down the stairs. Terry had just opened the front door and there was Mia. She was wearing a pink, long sleeved, shirt, blue jeans, and blue sneakers. She smiled when she saw him, her fur glistening in the sunlight.

"Hey." said Aaron. "Come in. Come in."

Mia stepped inside and Terry closed the door. She looked around the living room which was given a minimal décor with walls painted white. A couch and EZ chair sat adjacent from each other with a coffee table sitting between them. A potted plant sat next to the couch and on the opposite side of the room was a brown dining table with six chairs. Cain sat at in one of them.

"This is nice." she said.

She turned back to Aaron.

"So?"

It took Aaron a minute to realize what she was talking about.

"Oh right. Introductions. Mia this is Terry," he said regarding his friend. Terry shook her paw. "And the guy devouring a package of Oscar Mayer ham over there is Cain."

Cain swallowed another slice of ham and waved.

"Sorry if I don't give a formal greeting right now." he said. "I haven't eaten for fourteen hours."

"Why not?" asked Mia.

"I can't eat on a plane without getting airsick."

Aaron nodded.

"Yeah, I remember the last time that happened. They were serving turkey and Swiss. You tossed it all over the people behind us."

"I was only ten. Kids have a weak constitution."

Aaron, Terry, and Mia all started to laugh.

"We should get going." Aaron said.

Mia nodded.

"Yes we should."

"Alright we're outta here. Keep me posted if something comes up."

Terry gave a quick salute.

"Will do." he said with a grin.

They stepped out and Aaron closed the door behind him. They walked back to Mia's house where Aaron's car was still parked. The two got in and drove away. Terry watched from a window.

"Hey Cain, what do you think?"

"About what?" asked Cain.

"Mia and Aaron, do you think they have a chance?"

Cain wolfed down the last slice of ham and turned in his seat to look at Terry. The leopard was leaning against the window sill looking outside.

"I don't know what to think. It's the first time I've seen him with a girl in ages."

"Not since Izzy. That was a tragedy all it's own. I mean he's lost everyone he's ever loved and I know we can't possibly fill the gap."

"All we can do is support him. Aaron's been through more suffering and pain than any of us, even though we all lost families ten years ago."

"I remember Spike saying after our first mission together, he said Aaron is stronger than any of us realize. Unlike others who feel like giving up when they've been through what he has, he gets more motivation from it. He's going head first into the void and facing every demon that stands in his path, hoping that someday, somehow, things will be different. He won't have to suffer anymore."

"He can't win a fight like that alone. Even I know that. We'll just have to keep an eye on things and see what happens."

Terry shook his head as he walked away from the window and headed for the stairs.

"Hopefully that's all we'll have to do."

He started up the staircase. Cain yawned and rubbed his eyes. He got up form the chair pushing it in and walked over to the couch. Propping his feet up on one side he laid down and closed his eyes.

Northridge Hospital

Friday 11:20am

Aaron pulled the car into the underground parking lot and took a space next to an elevator. He set the car in park and cut the engine. He looked next to him. Mia sat with her paws in her lap and her head down. She sighed.

"Something wrong?"

She looked up at him then shook her head.

"No. No, nothing's wrong."

"You want me to come with you?"

"Please?"

Aaron gave her a smile.

"Alright."

The two of them got out of the car and Aaron locked the doors. They walked over to the elevator and Mia pressed the button to call it. The doors opened and they stepped in. Mia pressed the button for the fifth floor. She sighed again and looked at the floor. Aaron could tell something was bothering her. She was going to visit with a relative that had been hospitalized. It stood to reason why she might be a little down. She hadn't said what was wrong. For all he knew it was something terminal. It bothered him to see her like this. He stepped closer and rested a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and smiled weekly and rested her paw on his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. She didn't have to say anything. He could see in her eyes, she was thanking him. The elevator stopped. They stepped out and walked by a counter where a trio of nurses were working at computers and chatting about their neighbors. One of the nurses, a vixen in her mid forties, looked Aaron's way and nodded to him. He nodded back with a grin. They continued down the hall until they reached a room a the corner. Aaron sat down in a chair just outside the door.

"I'll wait here but, if you need anything..."

Mia nodded.

"I'll call you."

Aaron nodded and sat back propping one leg on the other. Mia stepped into the room and left the door ajar. In case she needed Aaron she could just call him from the room. A small, male, red panda was sitting up in the bed next to the window reading a book. He had the same stripes on his cheeks that Mia had and his tail was hanging over the side swinging back and forth. When he heard Mia approach he looked up at her with his blue eyes. A big smile spread across his muzzle and he put down the book.

"Mia! Hi!" he said.

Mia walked up and hugged her little cousin tightly. He returned it with same enthusiasm. They separated.

"How are feeling Cody?"

"Good. I got to go out to the atrium yesterday."

"Well that's good. You got some fresh air. Anything else happen?"

"No, not this time. I finally figured out what I want for my birthday though."

Mia pulled up a chair beside the bed.

"Oh really? What's that?"

"There's a rock concert coming to town. It's a band called The Forgotten. I'd like to go see it."

She reached out and put a paw on his head.

"We'll see Cody. We'll see."

She looked down at the book he had in his lap. The title was "Two Busts and a Chisel". Mia picked it up and knew at once what it was.

"You're reading another mystery novel I see."

Cody nodded.

"Yeah, I'm only half way through it and I already know who the killer is. The clever part is that the chisel isn't the actual murder weapon that everyone suspects it is."

"Wow, you figured all that out already?"

"Mmm hmm. There's two more I haven't read yet though. I'm falling behind."

"That's not like you Cody. You're such an avid reader. I'm surprised. What could be the matter?"

Cody lowered his head. His ears fell back.

"I've been having dreams. About Mom and Dad. The doctors say it's just a side effect from the medication but, it all seems so real. I know I wasn't very old but, I still remember them like I have all my life."

Mia reached over and hugged him.

"I miss them." he said.

Mia nodded.

"So do I."

She let go of him and sat back in her chair. Cody looked across the room and saw Aaron through the window next to the door.

"Who's that?" he asked.

Mia turned around seeing the back of Aaron's head. He was slouching somewhat in his seat. She turned back to Cody.

"That's Aaron. He gave me a ride over here."

Cody's ears perked up.

"Is he your boyfriend?"

Mia blushed. Cody was always the polite one, but he was a little blunt and strait forward sometimes not to mention smart.

"Yes he is."

Cody grinned.

"Can I meet him?"

She smiled.

"Sure."

She got up from the chair and walked over to the door. She peered though the crack of the door and saw Aaron slouching with his legs stretched out in front of him. He had his eyes closed but she didn't think he could doze off this soon.

"Aaron?" she called to him.

He opened his eyes and looked up to see Mia looking down at him.

"What's up?"

"Cody says he'd like to meet you."

Aaron shrugged.

"Okay."

He got up and followed Mia into the room and closed the door. He walked up to where she and Cody were waiting.

"So this must be Cody."

He held out a hand. Cody reached out with a paw and took it. He gave it a vigorous shake.

"Nice to meet you. I'm told you're her boyfriend."

Aaron gave a short chuckle.

"Well, I'd like to think so."

He looked to Mia and gave her a wink.

"Just so you know, you'd better be good to her or I'll come after you."

Mia looked at him a little shocked.

"Cody!"

He lowered his ears, but he kept a smile on his face.

"How do you like that." Aaron said with a laugh. "Two minutes in here and I'm already being warned. You must really care about your cousin."

"She's the closest thing I have to a sister."

"I see."

Aaron walked around to the opposite side of the bed and sat down in a chair next to the window. Aaron looked down at the busy street seeing nothing impressive, but liking the view.

"Everybody looks like an ant from up here."

Cody shrugged.

"It's only the fifth floor. I rather like the atrium myself."

Aaron turned his attention back to Cody.

"Really now?"

"Birds have been nesting there. I like to watch them."

Mia started for the door.

"If you boys will excuse me I have to go to the ladies room. I'll be right back."

Aaron nodded.

"I'll just stay right here. You know, make sure he stays out of trouble."

Cody looked at him and rolled his eyes.

"Ha ha. Very funny."

Mia opened the door.

"I'll only be a few minutes."

She stepped out and headed down the hall. Cody turned himself so he was looking at Aaron.

"So who are you really?"

Aaron raised an eyebrow at the question.

"What do you mean?"

"There's more to you than meets the eye. I can see right through you. You work for someone."

Aaron was starting to feel a little uneasy in his chair.

"Just how much does this kid know?" he wondered.

"Think I'm kidding? Here's my first clue. The imprints on your jacket were made from a handgun you usually keep under it. A fifty magnum if I'm not mistaken."

"What else?" Aaron asked.

Cody looked him over for a minute.

"You're definitely not with FBI or CIA. It's someone higher than that. Someone people aren't supposed to know about perhaps?"

Aaron shook his head and chuckled.

"You got me dead to rights kid. How did you figure that out?"

Cody pointed to him.

"There's a small symbol stitched inside your jacket. It isn't one that I've see before. It doesn't match up with either parts of our government."

Aaron looked inside his jacket. On the right side was a small patch with the guild insignia. A phoenix posed in front of a shield with a sword in it's talons. He was impressed. This kid knew his identity without even standing up.

"So tell me," he started. "are you clairvoyant or something?"

Cody shook his head with a grin.

"No. I was able to deduce who you are by simple observation. It's a very simple trick to learn. It takes some practice though."

"Great. So in other words you're the spitting image of Sherlock Holmes?"

"Well, that is where I got it from. So how did you know?"

"There's two mystery novels sitting in the chair in the corner right next to your bed, and you have one you're reading sitting in your lap. I kind of figured you had read Sherlock Holmes if you were reading mystery novels."

"Impressive." said Cody.

Aaron shrugged.

"What can I say I'm a fast learner."

"So what kind of organization do you work for?"

Aaron sighed. He knew there was no way out of this. Cody was too smart.

"Before I tell you anything you have to give me your solemn oath that you will not repeat it to anyone under any circumstances."

Cody held up his right paw.

"You have my word that I won't say anything. Not even to Mia."

Aaron nodded.

"Alright. I belong to a world wide organization that deals with preserving the peace between the nations, dealings with extraterrestrials, and even the paranormal and supernatural. We eliminate terrorists, drug smugglers, weapons dealers, and slave traders. We are not known of outside of our own personnel say for a few individuals."

"So why are you here in California?"

"We recently received intel that some bio-weapons left over from ten years ago had been located here. As of now we have little to go on and it seems like a losing battle no matter how we look at it."

"Bio-weapons. You mean like man made viruses?"

Aaron shook his head.

"It's worse than that I'm afraid. These bio-weapons are viruses that have taken on an evolved form of a fully developed organism. Some of which grow to the size of a semi-truck. They're like highly intelligent beasts with enough of the virus flowing through them that all it takes is a simple bite or scratch from one and the victim becomes one."

"Can you stop them?"

"In terms of elimination yes. Bullets do just fine. Unless of course you run into a nest full of them. Then you need something like an assault rifle. They are still contagious after they're dead which is why we have a team for cleanup. They deal with the really hazardous part."

"It isn't airborne is it?"

"No, but if you were to touch one of these things you'd have to go through a sterilization that takes literally hours to complete. Best not to go near one if you see it."

"What do they look like?"

"I don't think I need to describe them to you. If you ever saw one you'd know what it was."

"Are you the only one fighting these things?"

"No. I have three fellow agents assigned to me. All of them are good friends of mine. Plus we have two assault squads and two clean up crews. If we need it though we can call for extra support."

"Wow. My cousin's boyfriend is a secret agent. That is so cool."

Aaron chuckled as he sat back in his seat.

"It has it's perks. But not many."

The room door creaked open and Mia stepped back in. Aaron and Cody shifted their eyes to her then looked back to each other. Aaron nodded.

"So what did I miss?" Mia asked plainly.

"Not much." said Aaron. "Cody was just telling me about his interest in mystery novels. He sure seems to enjoy them a lot."

Cody felt his stomach grumbling.

"Do either of you know what time it is?"

Aaron checked his watch.

"It's just after twelve."

"Wow. Now wonder I'm starving. All I had was some cereal this morning."

"We should get something eat too now what you mention it." said Mia.

"Here's an idea. I'll go get some take out and while I'm gone you can keep Cody company."

Mia nodded sitting down in the chair next to Cody's bed.

"That sounds good."

"I saw a Chinese place not far from here. I'll get a few things, come back here, and we'll have lunch."

"Great idea." Cody piped up.

Aaron stood up from the chair and headed for the door.

"I shouldn't be more than thirty minutes." he said.

He walked out and headed back down the hall to the elevator. Once inside he pressed the button for the parking lot and was gone.

"So," said Mia. "What do you think of Aaron."

Cody looked thoughtful for a minute then answered.

"I like him."

Somewhere in Downtown Northridge

Friday 12:54pm

Cain and Terry had pulled the armored truck into an alley where they sat and had lunch. During that time they turned on the radar systems and watched for anything that wasn't of human or fur origins. It was a tedious task, one that Terry couldn't stand. He was never able to sit still and it started to grate on Cain's nerves.

"Might as well have a couple of cubs up here with me. They'd be just as annoying as him." he thought.

Terry bounced up and down in his seat while watching one of the monitors. He was in the midst of scarfing the contents of a bag of chips he bought. The two of them were investigating several areas that had been until recently watched by the hazmat squads. None of which had so far shown so much as a single blip on any of the monitors. There was nothing on infrared either. Fall was fast approaching and things would cool off soon, meaning that there would be a massing of carriers looking for warm places. Of course, in Southern California that meant nearly squat. Most times it would stay warm. They might get lucky and have one full month of cold weather in a span of four months. Maybe now was not the best time for hunting carriers. They did have another problem on their hands. One that demanded more attention, but until they had something to go on there was nothing they could really do about it.

Terry finished the bag of chips. He took one last drink from his soda and put it in the bag then rolled the bag up and put it in a paper bag that had been used to keep their food in earlier. He looked at the monitors one more time and then looked at Cain.

"I don't think we're going to find anything here." he said.

Cain cracked the window open and reached into his duster pocket for a cigarette. He took one out and took out the ashtray lighter. He lit the cigarette and took a long drag. Then he exhaled out the window.

"It's like everything's dried up all of a sudden."

"You don't suppose we've killed them all off?"

Cain shook his head.

"I doubt it. They're probably laying low. Those fuckers are pretty smart."

For a moment that sat there silently watching cars zoom by. SUVs and sports cars were the fad around these parts. Cain was just about to say something when he heard Terry's cell phone ring.

"Better answer it."

Terry shook his head.

"It couldn't be Joseph. He doesn't get off work till four."

He reached into his jacket pocket and took out his phone.

"Hello?"

"Terry, it's Aaron. Is Cain with you?" his voice sounded frantic.

He looked over to Cain.

"Yeah he's with me. What's going on?"

"The hospital's under fire. I need you guys here pronto!"

"The hospital?"

Cain snuffed out the cigarette in the ashtray. He started the ignition and pulled the truck out, cutting off several cars and racing down the street.

"There's a bunch of these metal things. They look like spiders. I don't know what they are but they're shooting up the street. You gotta get here fast!"

"We're on our way."

Terry put his phone back in his pocket and looked at Cain.

"You'd better floor it."

Cain nodded.

"Hang on to your lunch then."

He pushed the accelerator as far as it would go, passing red lights and switching lanes whenever possible.

"We'll be there in fifteen minutes."